(Photo by Bobby Talamine) Sine, the brainchild of New York-born drummer/multi-instrumentalist Rona Rougeheart, is back with an all new video, “Trauma Bondage”. Musically Sine mixes beats with industrial noise, Sub-bass and synthesisers.

Having issued records via the Austin indie media company eMERGENCY heARTS, Rougeheart recently signed to Metropolis Records and has released a brand new single entitled “Trauma Bondage” today. The track is taken from an album to be issued in early 2025. The self-written song was co-produced with US hip-hop producer AwareNess with musical contributions from Curse Mackey and mastering by Jürgen Engler of Die Krupps.

About Sine

2019 saw Rougeheart open for Bauhaus in Orlando, Florida, which led to the ongoing band project Shiva Saves SITE formed by their bassist David J that also features industrial darkwave artist Curse Mackey, plus a revolving cast that includes Yeah Yeah Yeahs guitarist Nick Zinner.

Examples of other artists she has collaborated with are Adrian Sherwood, Meat Beat Manifesto, Clan of Xymox, Chris Connelly, (Pigface, Revolting Cocks), Mark Pistel (Consolidated), Andee Blacksugar (KMFDM, Blondie), Xiu Xiu and the late Mark Stewart (The Pop Group).

As Sine, Rougeheart recently opened for Nitzer Ebb and Clan Of Xymox and will support the latter on an American tour right after her debut appearance at the 2024 edition of the Cold Waves festival in Chicago on 29th September.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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(Photography by E Gabriel Edvy) Raymond Watts aka PIG has released a new single, “Dum Dum Bullet” featuring the Pig Choir. A video for the song is out now. The song is taken from a PIG’s just released new album “Red Room” (Metropolis Records).

The song features a choir of notable guests that include Emily Kavanaugh (Night Club), Chris Hall (Stabbing Westward), Burton C Bell (Fear Factory, Ascension of the Watchers), I Ya Toyah, Chris Connelly (Revolting Cocks, Ministry), En Esch (KMFDM) and Marc Heal (Cubanate).

PIG has also just announced a ‘Heroin For The Damned’ US tour in the autumn. The 40 date itinerary follows a headlining set at Cold Waves XII in Chicago on 28th September.

Much of the material on “Red Room” was co-written with Jim Davies, a longtime member of Pitchshifter but best known for his guitar lines on many chart hits by The Prodigy. Other collaborators include Alexis Mincolla (3Teeth), Chris Hall, Watts’ old KMFDM bandmate Günther Schulz and jazz trumpeter Enrico Tomasso.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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Out on May 3rd via Metropolis Records is the release of the 16Volt album”NegativeOnArrivals”.

It holds condensed versions of the two most recent albums are being reissued on 3rd May as the single disc “NegativeOnArrivals”, with Powell stating: “I am excited to get this material out to a larger base through Metropolis! The collection of tracks was created during a hard time in my life and to feel them set free together is a great exorcism, I hope everyone enjoys them as we get warmed up for our new album.”

You can pre-order the album right here. Below is the artwork.

In further news, after a period of inactivity that saw 16Volt unable to tour, Powell began working on new material in his studio and re-signed with Metropolis Records for a brand new album entitled “More Of Less” to be issued later in 2024.

Here’s already the video for “The Last Time” featured on the new album.

About 16Volt

With roots dating back to the early days of the industrial rock genre, 16Volt have been successfully crossing over into multiple related genres for over three decades and retained a healthy worldwide fanbase while doing so.

Group founder, songwriter, lead vocalist, programmer and rhythm guitarist Eric Powell actually signed his first record deal in 1991 while still in his teens and delivered three albums in swift succession – “Wisdom” (1993), “Skin” (1994) and “LetDownCrush” (1996) – that saw him working alongside co-producers such as David Ogilvie (Nine Inch Nails, Skinny Puppy), Keith ‘Fluffy’ Auerbach (Ministry) and Jeff ‘Critter’ Newell (Ministry, Angels & Airwaves, blink-182), as well as guest musicians like William Tucker (Ministry), Marc LaCorte (Schecter Guitars) and Bryan Black (Black Asteroid). Earning both critical praise and pole positions on the US Alternative Chart and at College Radio, the band also built a significant live following as they toured extensively around North America and eventuallly signed a major deal with Mercury Records.

Producer Bill Kennedy (Nine Inch Nails, Megadeth, Sepultura, Mötley Crüe) was hired to help make “SuperCoolNothing” (1998), which featured appearances from film composer Joseph Bishara (Insidious, The Conjuring, Marylin Manson, Danzig), Chris Vrenna (Nine Inch Nails), Mike Peoples (Skrew) and Kraig Tyler (Crazytown), but the group soon found themselves in the middle of a legal battle shortly before album release when their label was bought by Seagram and its funding was cut. However, in a genius move, Powell was able to buy back the rights and made a deal with Sony to feature it within the Playstation game “Primal” as well as a two-disc European release that included both the album and the game with the band skinned in as characters and utilised as in-game bonus material.

The mid-’00s saw 16Volt sign to Metropolis Records and release the albums “FullBlackHabit” (2007), “American Porn Songs” (2009) and “Beating Dead Horses” (2012), which featured guests such as Paul Raven (Ministry, Killing Joke, Prong), Steve White (KMFDM) and Bildeaux (Lance Herbstrong), as well as mix engineer Shaun Thingvold (Strapping Young Lad, Lamb of God).

Meanwhile, an extensive touring schedule was maintained that included stints with KMFDM, Korn, Filter, Chemlab, Orgy, Prong, Stabbing Westward, Revolting Cocks, Fear Factory, Front Line Assembly, My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult, Front 242 and more, as well as multiple successful headlining tours in their own right.

2016 saw the release of “The Negative Space”, produced by Marc Jordan (Velvet Revolver, The Cult, Hyro Da Hero, Die Antwoord), with “Dead On Arrivals” following a year later.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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(Photo by Mothmeister) In a message posted on their Facebook yesterday evening at 7 PM, the Belgian cult EBM act Front 242 have announced that they will hold their last concerts ever.

Here’s the statement which is being announced as a ‘Black Out’: “Today, we reach out to you, our fans, with a heavy yet hopeful heart to share the news of our final concerts. Now, we are preparing to bring down the curtain on our live performances as FRONT 242, we find ourselves navigating a sea of emotions.

For nearly four decades, we’ve journeyed together, creating unforgettable moments and sharing the profound joy of music. You’ve been more than an audience; you’ve been a part of our extended family, witnessing our evolution and sharing in our highs and lows.

The decision to step back from performing live has not been easy, but we believe it’s important to end this chapter on a high note, preserving the essence of Front 242 that you’ve grown to love. We want to leave you with memories of our band at its peak, full of energy and passion.

So, we are extending our invitation to you: join us for one last adventure. Let’s make these final shows a celebration of the incredible journey we’ve shared. We promise to deliver performances that capture the heart and soul of Front 242, a fitting farewell to a story we’ve written together.”

The band has announced a string of concerts, which will serve as the band’s live farewell.

EU24

• 04 Aug LOKEREN, Lokerse Feesten, B
• 10 Aug HILDESHEIM, M’Era Luna, DE

US24

• 06 Sept TAMPA, Jannus Landing, US
• 07 Sept PHILADELPHIA, Union Transfer, US
• 08 Sept CLEVELAND, Agora Theater, US
• 13 Sept LOS ANGELES, Mayan Theater, US
• 14 Sept PORTLAND, Roseland Ballroom, US
• 15 Sept SAN FRANCISCO, Great American Music Hall, US

EU24

• 12 Oct HAMBURG, Markthalle, DE
• 17 Oct UTRECHT, Tivoli Ronda, NL
• 18 Oct BERLIN, Huxley’s Neue Welt, DE
• 19 Oct OBERHAUSEN, Turbinnenhalle, DE
• 25 Oct MÜNCHEN, Backstage Werk, DE
• 26 Oct LANGEN, Neue Stadthalle, DE

US24

• 08 Nov HOUSTON, Rise Rooftop, US
• 09 Nov DALLAS, Granada Theater, US
• 10 Nov DENVER, Reelworks, US
• 15 Nov CHICAGO, Metro, US
• 16 Nov CHICAGO, Metro, US

EU24

• 29 Nov GOTHENBURG, Film Studios, SE (FutureRetro)
• 30 Nov STOCKHOLM, Berns, SE (FutureRetro)
• 06 Dec LILLE, Black Lab, FR
• 07 Dec PARIS, Le Trianon, FR
• 08 Dec LONDON – UK
• 13 Dec BARCELONA, Sala Apolo, SP
• 14 Dec MADRID, Sala La Paqui, SP
• 25 Dec CHEMNITZ, Dark Storm Festival, DE

EU25

• 10 Jan COPENHAGEN, Pumpehuset, DK
• 24 Jan BRUSSELS, Ancienne Belgique, B
• 25 Jan BRUSSELS, Ancienne Belgique, B

About Front 242

Front 242, a vanguard Belgian electronic music group, emerged in the 1980s, pioneering a genre they dubbed “electronic body music” (EBM). Their innovative approach not only defined a new sound but also left a lasting impact on electronic and industrial music genres worldwide.

Founded in 1981 in Aarschot, near Leuven, Belgium, by Daniel Bressanutti and Dirk Bergen, Front 242 set out to explore music and graphic design with emerging electronic tools. Bressanutti’s prior engagement with Prothese laid a foundational stone for what was to become a monumental journey in electronic music. The duo named the project Front 242, embedding a vision of organized popular uprising within their name, which resonates universally across languages.

Their debut single, “Principles”, released in 1981, marked the inception of their distinctive sound. The addition of Patrick Codenys and Jean-Luc De Meyer in 1982, from the group Underviewer, enriched the band’s sonic and creative depth. This formation solidified Front 242’s lineup and set the stage for what followed.

Front 242’s first album, “Geography”, released in 1982, showcased their unique blend of sound, which was further developed in their subsequent releases. Their pioneering sound was characterized by the innovative use of synthesizers, samplers, and sequencers, creating a powerful, danceable, and at times, confrontational sound that became synonymous with EBM.

The release of “No Comment” in 1984 was a critical moment, with the album’s liner notes introducing the term electronic body music for the first time. This period also saw the band’s expansion into international markets, signing with American label Wax Trax! and embarking on tours that included supporting Ministry, marking their rising global influence.

Throughout the 1990s and 2000s, Front 242 continued to innovate and evolve. Albums like “Tyranny (For You)” reached new heights, charting in the United States. The band’s willingness to reinvent themselves was evident in their shift towards a more techno-oriented sound with the “Re:Boot” tour, acknowledging influences like The Prodigy.

Side projects and collaborations flourished during this time, with members engaging in diverse musical endeavors that included forming bands like Revolting Cocks, C-Tec, and Cobalt 60.

The band’s last studio album was “Pulse”, released in 2003 and re-released by Alfa Matrix in an extended version. Also check the various extended reissues and Front 242 live releases.

Front 242 studio albums

• Geography (1982)
• No Comment (1984)
• Official Version (1987)
• Front by Front (1988)
• Tyranny (For You) (1991)
• 06:21:03:11 Up Evil (1993)
• 05:22:09:12 Off (1993)
• Pulse (2003)

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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Genre/Influences: Industrial, Electro, Experimental.

Format: Digital, CD.

Background/Info: This album of legendary American formation My Life With The Thrill Kill Cult bring us back to the early years of the band. These tracks are rarities and jam sessions that were originally recorded before their legendary debut album “I See Good spirits And I See Bad Spirits” originally released in 1988 by Wax Trax! Records.

Content: The album features 13 tracks and brings us back to the essence of the band’s early sound. It was an Electro-Industrial approach which couldn’t have been released on another label than Wax Trax!. It reminds me of the golden 80s and other label bands such as Revolting Cocks and early Ministry. The songs were already characterized by an impressive sound canvas carried by very personal and imposing drum sections and ghost-like vocals on top.

+ + + : It’s really great to see the band releasing these rarities which are featuring alluring songs revealing the ‘early’ and growing genius of the band. This work sounds like My Life With The Thrill Kill Cult at its best; a band with a very own sound that has been never totally emulated. A creative way to compose Electronic music creating a kind of controlled and harmonious chaos.

– – – : I’m sometimes missing a bit diversity between the tracks but I don’t really care.

Conclusion: A great work evoking the early and ‘forgotten’ period of a legendary 80s formation.

Best songs: “Monster Man”, “Invocation”, “Baby Casanova”, “Sermon 4 None”.

Rate: 8.

Artist: www.mylifewiththethrillkillcult.com / www.facebook.com/thrillkillkult

Label: www.sleazebox.com / www.facebook.com/sleazeboxrecords

About My Life With The Thrill Kill Cult

My Life With The Thrill Kill Cult was formed in 1987 in Chicago by Groovie Mann (Frankie Nardiello) and Buzz McCoy (Marston Daley). The band’s debut album, “I See Good Spirits And I See Bad Spirits”, was released on Wax Trax! Records in 1988. The duo has since revisited its own catalog through the “Sinister Whisperz” retrospective series on their own label, Sleazebox Records: volume I (2010) covered the Wax Trax! years, volume II (2016) the Interscope years, and volume III (2020) the Rykodisc years. “Sinister Whisperz 4: The Bedroom Tapes 1987-1988”, released in 2023, collects rarities and jam sessions recorded before the band’s debut album.

Inferno Sound Diaries

I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.

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After parting ways with the post-punk powerhouse Public Image Ltd. in 1985, drummer Martin Atkins found himself in high demand, collaborating with numerous bands such as NIN, Killing Joke, and notably, William Rieflin of Revolting Cocks and Ministry. Together, Rieflin and Atkins embarked on their most ambitious project to date: an industrial music supergroup called Pigface, bringing together the talents of their various associates.

In 1990, Pigface released their debut album “Gub,” which includes the original version of “Suck” featuring Trent Reznor. Reznor later re-recorded this track for the 1992 NIN EP “Broken.” With contributions from artists such as Chris Connelly of Revolting Cocks, David Yow of The Jesus Lizard, Nivek Ogre of Skinny Puppy, Paul Barker of Ministry, En Esch of KMFDM, and Steve Albini, “Gub” has rightfully earned its reputation as one of the most daring sound recordings ever created.

Atkins reflects on the album, saying, “This was such a liberating time-bringing together this extraordinary group of musicians and not worrying about the outcome (although, of course, we did). We had the luxury of working in the legendary Chicago Trax studios with the talented Steve Albini to capture and convey it all. It’s fascinating to think that Trent’s involvement was even a topic of debate-NIN wasn’t well-known yet, and some suggested we could save $150 on a round-trip airfare from Cleveland by not involving him. I vetoed the idea. Bill Rieflin and I came up with the concept for the project during warm-ups for Ministry’s cage tour, and the immense contribution of Francesca Sundsten’s iconic artwork to the project cannot be overstated.”

The album is now receiving a deluxe reissue from Cleopatra Records, showcasing Francesca Sundsten’s restored artwork and a gatefold image of Pigface’s original promotional picture, assembled by Chris Connelly. This reissue also offers bonus remixes and extra track versions for the first time in a single release. The CD edition comes in a premium digipak, while the vinyl version is available in an array of colors.

The tracklist:

1. Tapeworm with Steve Albini
2. The Bushmaster with Trent Reznor & David Yow
3. Cylinder Head World
4. Point Blank with Steve Albini, Chris Connelly
5. Suck with Trent Reznor & Paul Barker
6. Symphony For Taps
7. The Greenhouse with Chris Connelly
8. Little Sisters with Chris Connelly, William Tucker
9. Tailor Made with Steve Albini, Paul Barker
10. War Ich Nicht Immer Ein Gutter Junge? War Ich Nicht Immer Schoen Und Nett? Ich Zerpfluckte Niemals Eine Spinne-War Neimals Frech Und Stahl with En Esch
11. Blood and Sand with Chris Connelly, Matt Schultz
12. Weightless with Chris Connelly
13. Tonight’s The Night (Little Sisters Remix)
14. Winnebago (Induced Tapeworm Remix) with Nivek Ogre
15. The Bushmaster (Bushmaster Remix)
16. War Ich Nicht Immer Ein Gutter Junge? War Ich Nicht Immer Schoen Und Nett? Ich Zerpfluckte Niemals Eine Spinne-War Neimals Frech Und Stahl (Remix)
17. Suck (VX Remix)
18. Suck (Reverse Sitar Mix)

About Nine Inch Nails

Nine Inch Nails formed in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1988 as the recording project of Trent Reznor. Working as an assistant engineer at Right Track Studios and inspired by Prince’s practice of playing every instrument himself, Reznor recorded demos alone, programming drums and playing the rest, and performed under a band name despite being its sole permanent member. Nine Inch Nails played its first live show on 27 October 1988 in Pittsburgh, and released its debut album, “Pretty Hate Machine,” through TVT Records in 1989.

After a contractual dispute with TVT, Reznor signed with Interscope Records and founded his own imprint, Nothing Records, releasing “The Downward Spiral” in 1994 and “The Fragile” in September 1999. The band left Interscope after “Year Zero” (2007) and self-released the instrumental “Ghosts I-IV” (2008) through the Null Corporation before returning to major-label releases with “Hesitation Marks” (2013), “Bad Witch” (2018) and the companion albums “Ghosts V: Together” and “Ghosts VI: Locusts” (both 2020).

English musician Atticus Ross became an official member in 2016 after years of production work with Reznor, including their Academy Award and Golden Globe-winning score for David Fincher’s “The Social Network” (2010). Guitarist Robin Finck first joined in 1994 and has rejoined the touring band multiple times since; drummer Josh Freese first joined in 2005. Nine Inch Nails was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on 7 November 2020, alongside Ross, Finck and other past members. Trent Reznor founded Nine Inch Nails in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1988.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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(Photo by Shayna Connelly) Tomorrow, November 11th Scottish musician Chris Connelly (Revolting Cocks and Ministry) will present his new album “Eulogy to Christa: A Tribute to the Music & Mystique of Nico”, a 24-track offering released by Shipwrecked Industries in the USA and Easy Action in the UK, paying tribute to Nico – the iconic muse of The Velvet Underground. The release coincides with Connelly’s birthday.

Out today is a new video for “Femme Fatale”; the video was created by Iain W. Mutch / Walkerandwilliam in Scotland. Originally performed by Nico with The Velvet Underground, the song was originally written by Lou Reed.

Initially planned as an album of 10 Nico covers, Connelly ultimately decided to write some additional compositions, spanning her life. The Nico material spans from her first Jimmy Page-composed single and her time with The Velvet Underground to her solo recordings up until her death. Connelly musically follows her from Berlin to New York via Paris, Ibiza, and Rome, then back through Paris, London, Edinburgh, Manchester and up to her tragic death in Ibiza on 17 July 1988.

The album opens with “Ripcord, Ripcord”, which Connelly wrote surrounding a little known detail about Nico’s life – her rape by a military officer while she was a teenager holding an administrative position for the US Army.

For this album, Connelly worked with producer and long-time collaborator Chris Bruce, who is a band member of Meshell Ndegeocello and also worked with Seal, Aaron Neville, Bob Dylan, The Waterboys, My Brightest Diamond, Cheryl Crow and Sam Phillips. The album was, in part, inspired by the book “You Are Beautiful and You Are Alone” by Jennifer Otter Bickerdicke, who contributed to album liner notes, noting “This is a record to be played at full blast, all the way through, as a commemoration not just to Nico the person, the musician, but to art for art’s sake, for making something because it is important and needs to be done – an idea that is as rare and precious as Nico herself.”

You can check the tracklisting right below.

There are a few video available as well, for “Femme Fatale”, “Ripcord, Ripcord” and “Eulogy to Lenny Bruce”.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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Out now via the fine label Re:Mission Entertainment is the all new single by the Seattle-based industrial electro act Parasite Receiver. Expect heavy industrial beats, distorted guitars and samples of what the band calls “oppressive right wing christofascist sermons”.

The band says that “the track ‘Parasite Receiver’ was inspired by the recent overturning of the landmark Roe vs Wade decision and collapse of reproductive rights for millions of American women.”

The single’s B-side features a new remix of their anti police brutality song ACAB, originally featured on Black Agent’s debut album “Industrial Ruination”, released in April.

“Parasite Receiver” is now available on all major digital streaming platforms and on the Re:Mission Entertainment Bandcamp page which you can check out below.

About Black Agent

Formed in the Pacific Northwest in 2016, Black Agent began as the dark techno solo project of producer and synthesizer influencer Lawrence Kleinke (Computer Controlled: Urban Kickz Recordings, Subsonic, Acid Jack Recordings). In 2019, multi instrumentalist Neil Parker (MiDi, Optimus Prime, Space Kitty Studio, KBRR) and vocalist J Pit (polygraaf discoteq:RBR, Black Laser Kult:RBR, Lateral Tension:Doppler Effect Records, Bloop:Trax Records) joined Kleinke and Black Agent’s sound started to echo the dark industrial sounds of the late 1980s.

“Industrial Ruination” is the band’s debut full length album featuring thirteen songs. Our reviewer described their debut as how bands such as Front 242, Revolting Cocks, FLA, Skinny Puppy and co would have sounded like if they had just got started, and signed today.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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(Photo by Nihil Media / artwork by Pixelbreed) Out now from the German industrial veteran Rüdiger Schuster is his third and final solo album in the ‘industrial tracks’ trilogy, “Schuster III – Final Ten Industrial Tracks” on Bandcamp.

You will know Schuster for both “Trauma” and “Drown” which were featured on “Face The Beat: Session 7” and “Face The Beat: Session 5”, but he’s been around the scene for 40 years with bands like Stumpff, ULAA, Die Guten Deutschen and also starred in cult movies like “Kinder der Nacht” I and II.

This new album offers raw and heavy Industrial / EBM in the spirit of Youth Code or Revolting Cocks. 7 tracks are sung in English and 3 tracks in German.

Rüdiger: “It´s a concept album about my near death experience and brain damage I suffered from a cerebral haemorrhage.” And his producer Nihil adds: “We created a stripped-down record, designed as a tour-de-force experience for the audience. Raw, live and authentic.”

All instruments on this record were recorded live and intentionally produced without the use of quantization or copy & paste. No synthesizers and no keyboards were used, either. Next to Schuster on vocals, we find Nihil on sample duties and Flexxxis Maschine on noise. The record was mixed by Nihil Media and mastered by Ben Blutzukker.

The artwork was delivered by German designer Pixelbreed (Deadcibel, SITD, Funkervogt). All interior art is based on Schuster´s authentic medical scans visualizing his injuries. The full booklet includes all lyrics and is includes as a ready to print PDF.

The first music video for “Trauma” was already released on YouTube with one music video for each song on the record soon to come.

Here is the full album to check out.

About Rüdiger Schuster

Rüdiger has been active in some of the best-known scene bands over the past 40 years.

He started his career working with Die Guten Deutschen (1979 – 1986), a band which gained a cult following in the alternative scene of Düsseldorf.

You also find him back with Garden Of Delight (1991 – 1992) where he recorded all bass tracks on their debut album.

A few years later he joined U.L.A.A (1994 – 1998) with whom he released three albums and toured in Germany and Benelux countries supporting acts like Suicide Commando, Thumb and Dance or Die.

Schuster was also a live-musician on synthesizers in EBM-pioneer Tommi Stumpff´s live band during their comeback period (2015 – 2021).

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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Genre/Influences: EBM.

Format: Digital, CD.

Background/Info: Hailing from Seattle (USA) Black Agent started as a solo-project in 2016 and evolved into a trio. “Industrial Ruination” is the band’s debut full length album featuring thirteen songs.

Content: From the very first notes this album got me the feeling to wake up in the early 90s. The sound stands for elaborated EBM, reminding me of bands like Revolting Cocks, Front Line Assembly, X Marks The Pedwalk, Insekt and even Front 242 at some sequences and sound treatments. They injected multiple spoken samples next to the vocals.

+ + + : Black Agent took me by surprise. This is a well-crafted and intelligent retro-driven EBM production. I mentioned several potential sources of inspiration but they accomplished a very personal fusion of these bands and the typical 90s spirit. The work has been composed with great sound treatments featuring irresistible analogue sounds and strings. The album is maybe missing a potential hit but we get a succession of treat songs instead.

– – – : I don’t have real minus points but I hope this band will gain a wider recognition. They really have a huge potential.

Conclusion: Black Agent maybe sounds like how bands such as Front 242, Revolting Cocks, FLA, Skinny Puppy and co would have sounded like if they had just got started, and signed today!

Best songs: “Strange Like Me”, “Murdering Truth”, “ACAB”, “Everything’s Wrong”, “Concrete Sky”, “Dying Time”.

Rate: 8½.

Artist: www.facebook.com/BlackAgentBand

Label: https://linktr.ee/remissionentertainment / www.facebook.com/remissionentertainment   Read the news on ‘Industrial Ruination’.

About Black Agent

Black Agent is an industrial act from Seattle, United States. It started in 2016 as a solo project and grew into a trio of Larry Kleinke (synths, drum programming, sampling, arrangements), Jason Pit (vocals, synths, programming, arrangements) and Neil Parker (guitars, bass, live drums).

“Industrial Ruination” is the band’s debut album, released in 2022 by Re:Mission Entertainment on digital and CD. The two-track single “Parasite Receiver” followed in August 2022.

A second album, “Dehumanized”, arrived in July 2023 on the same label, on digital, CD and picture disc vinyl.

Inferno Sound Diaries

I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.

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Out now is the all new album “Aerial Human” by Sapphira Vee. This is already the 5th album by Sapphira Vee and her second release on the Distortion Productions label. You can expect a darkwave / trip-hop sound evoking 4AD acts like Lush . You will equally hear EBM touches recalling classic Chris & Cosey on for instance the first single “What Is This”.

For the album Sapphira joined forces with Houston hip-hop artist Pee Wee P on “Fools”, Blue Eyed Christ’s John Norten on “Let the Arrow Break”, and Veronica Tam on the opening “White Aura” which was written by Jean-Marc Ledermen of The Weathermen. Also included are the three original tracks from last year’s “Duet” EP, featuring Chris Connelly (Ministry / Pigface / Revolting Cocks / Cocksure, etc.), Mike Reidy (W.O.R.M. / The Joy Thieves /Dogtablet), and Jim Semonik (Jimmy Semtex / Red Lokust / Rein(Forced) / creator of Electronic Saviors). In addition, Roger Ebner (Roger Ebner Band / Bitter Elixir / Yeti Rain) played the saxophone on “This Gift Was Not Meant For Me”.

New York native Sapphira Vee has been active since 2018.

You can check out the full album right below.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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Back in 1991 I started writing my first reviews for Side-Line magazine. I would have never thought to go on writing reviews and making interviews non-stop for 30 years. So 2021 is a special year to me, a kind of ‘celebration year’. I got the idea to celebrate this special event by interviewing people from the scene who all have a special meaning to me. EBM formation Armageddon Dildos  definitely is a band I had to interview. The German band, which started as a duo, composed a very dynamic EBM sound and got rapidly famous for their impressive live shows. The band never stopped to evolve and rapidly started experimenting with harder Industrial elements to finally move towards a more ‘Poppy’ production. Uwe Kanka kindly accepted to look back at the impressive career of ‘the dildos’.

(Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries)

Q: Armageddon Dildos  was originally set up in 1990 (!) by you and Dirk Krause. How did you guys meet and what was your music background? 

Uwe: Dirk and I met us in 1986 in the same rehearsal room in Kassel. I played guitar/vocals in a classic three-man band (Beat The Beat) and Dirk  keyboards/synths in a Synth-Pop group.

We liked each other immediately and very quickly it became clear to us that we wanted to explore new musical ways. Harder and more aggressive Electronic sounds and harder beats, that was the plan. After a few jam sessions, we knew that it worked great!

Q: Armageddon Dildos became an instant successful EBM band; you got directly signed to Zoth Ommog, releasing the EP’s “Never Mind / Pressure”, “East West”, “Resist” and of course the debut album “That’s Armageddon”. According to you what made the success formula of the early productions and what has been the impact of Talla 2XLC who produced your first works? 

Uwe: I am still firmly convinced that it was largely due to the symbiosis between Dirk and me – added to that the incredible energy of that time.

Actually, something new was always happening; musical as well as social (fall of the Berlin Wall) changes certainly played a part in it. It was an unbelievable dynamic, open and wild time. Being signed to Talla 2XLC and Musik Research/Zoth Ommog was a blessing for us. It was the perfect timing for Armageddon Dildos. Talla and its staff convinced us with their high level of competence and passion for music. Frankfurt and the Techno Club, for example, was, along with Berlin, the measure of all things in Germany for us at that time. Looking back, I am sure that the success of Armageddon Dildos was largely due to Talla 2XLC and his team. We were in the right place at the right time!

Q: Zoth Ommog was one of the absolute leading labels from the 90s Electro underground scene. How do you look back at this period, the 90s, Talla 2XLC,  the label and label mates? 

Uwe: Zoth Ommog was very important for the development and spread of Electronic music at that time worldwide. Label bands like Leather Strip, X Marks The Pedwalk, Bigod 20, Orange Sector, Consolidated, Psychopomps, The Armageddon Dildos to name a few, played an important role in the scene in the late 80s to the mid 90s. Those were very exciting times.

Through Talla’s contacts and our gigs at the New Music Seminar 1991 and 1993 in New-York, Howie Klein became aware of us and we got a contract with Sire Records in the U.S.A. Rüdiger Ladwig took over our management and booked our concerts. “Homicidal Dolls” was released by Sire Records in 1993 in The States and “Lost” followed in 1994. After the release of “Lost” we went on tour and played among others at the Zillo Festival in December 1994 at the Zeche Karl. We were accompanied at the Zillo gigs by Markus Hartmann, who would play an important role for us in the next few years.

Q: Quite progressively the band evolved towards harder music, still EBM driven, but with an Industrial input with guitar play and samplings. What made this evolution towards a more ‘Industrial’ sound? 

Uwe: We have always worked with samples. That was our usual way of working. Sampled speech, noises but also instruments like guitars were part of almost every production.

On some tracks I  played the guitars later myself. In 1994, for the production of “Lost”, we went to Chicago to Wax Trax Studio to work with Keith ‘Fluffy’ Auerbach (producer/sound engineer of Ministry, Revolting Cocks, Pigface, Skinny Puppy etc.). During this time we recorded guitars and drum sequences instead of sampling them. To bring the production to the stage, Vom, who now drums for The Toten Hosen, and Uwe Osterlehner, played guitars, joined the band.

Q: You also started working with another producer; Sevren Ni-Arb produced several productions and I remember a lot of bands wanted to record in his studio. What made him that special and what has been his true impact on the final production? Are you still in touch with him?

Uwe: Most of our albums/EP/singles from ’89 to ’99 were produced by different producers. However, Dirk and I were always significantly involved.

We met Andre Schmechta (Sevren Ni-Arb) through Talla in Frankfurt. We immediately got along really well, had a very consistent understanding of music and, not to be underestimated, a very similar sense of humor.  Therefore we decided to produce “Homicidal Dolls” with Andre. Working on the album was a lot of fun, full of energy and musical creativity. Later on we worked again with him on “Fear” and “Homicidal Maniac”. Besides, it always smelled wonderfully of freshly baked goods in the studio because there was a bakery in the neighborhood.

Unfortunately, we lost track of each other over the years and are no longer in contact.

Q: I got the impression the “Speed”-album (my favorite by the way) released in 1997 was a kind of turning point in the band’s early years. You signed to a major company (BMG), got produced by Bob Kraushaar and Andy Gill (Gang Of Four). The sound became ultra-professional, but how did you experience the “Speed”-album and the move to a major company? 

Uwe: Through Markus Hartmann (see above) we got the contract with Metronome and later also with BMG Ariola in Hamburg. The move from Zoth Ommog to a major label changed a lot for us: first of all, of course, the financial means for production, marketing etc.. We travelled to London in search of the right producer and met Bob Kraushaar (Pet Shop Boys, Paul McCartney, ABC etc.) among others. Bob had very concrete ideas about the production of the new Armageddon Dildos album and suggested to have one half of the CD produced by himself and the other half by Andy Gill, the legendary guitarist of Gang Of Four. We agreed immediately and went to London in the Summer of 1996 to produce “Speed”. But some tracks on the album were also produced at Skyline Studio in Düsseldorf. “Speed” is, and I agree with you 100%, a very professional production and an excellent album.

Q: Do you remember how much albums you were selling at that time and was it possible to earn a living from your music? 

Uwe: We had very good sales at times and could also live on it during such periods. However, the consistency was missing. I think many artists are in the same situation. You should always have a plan B in mind. But let’s be honest: there were never enough albums sold to be able to make a living from it in the long run.

Q: BMG became a one-shot experience, you get back to Zoth Ommog, revisiting some of your early songs by the album “Re:Match”. It also was the last work together with Dirk Krause. How do you explain the split of the band and are you still in touch with Dirk today? 

Uwe: In hindsight, I think the events following the completion of “Speed” were key to the band’s development. We had a fantastic team behind us at the Metronome, a killer production and a very good video for “Open Up Your Eyes” recorded in Kenya. Everything was great and then we got the devastating news: Metronome was dissolved!

What a bummer. We got the rights for “Speed” and ended up with BMG Ariola, but that didn’t work out. The label split up with us and we had to look for a new label. All that was hard stuff and the band didn’t take it too well.

Dirk decided to leave the Dildos to start a new project. I wanted to continue. We decided to do one last release together and that became “Re.Match” on Zoth Ommog in 1999. Dirk and I have hardly any contact today.

Q: “Morgengrauen” released in 2003 on Electric Blue was the first album you were totally involved in the song writing. That was something new and without offending you Uwe, I think the only Armageddon Dildos-album that couldn’t convince me. What’s your personal analysis about this work? 

Uwe: I underestimated, as I see it not only now, that this kind of music definitely does not fit to an EBM/Industrial band like The Armageddon Dildos.

I like “Morgengrauen”. It’s an Electro album with good songs, artwork and photos. However, I should have released it as a new project with a different name. But as we all know, hindsight is always the wiser!

Q: “Sangreal” got released in 2005 on Ausfahrt, but it finally was the “Untergrund”-album released in 2011 on Alfa Matrix that put you back on the map. You joined back hands with a leading label from the scene and for the very first time you also produced the album. What does this album mean to you and where do you place this work in the band’s discography? 

Uwe: “Untergrund” is a very important album for me. It combines interesting Electro sounds and beats with hard guitars without slipping too much into pure Industrial. Unfortunately, I could not convince Ausfahrt/Electric Blue with this production. I asked for a termination contract, got it and signed with Alfa Matrix a short time later. 

However, this is not the first independently produced album. I have been working with sound engineer and producer Mathias Black since 1997, who mixed and co-produced all Armageddon Dildos albums from “Re:Match” onwards.

Q:  After “Untergrund” it took your nine years to strike back with the “Dystopia”-album, which became one of the most achieved, diversified and professional albums. Do you feel this album as different from the others? And tell us a bit more about the ‘teamwork’ to achieve “Dystopia”? 

Uwe: “Dystopia” is the first Armageddon Dildos album where I did everything on my own until the mixing phase. From the composition/lyrics to the recording and programming of the instruments to the recording of the vocals including Malin’s vocals for “Neon”. I had quite clear ideas in which direction “Dystopia” should move. Mathias changed or added vocals and some sounds later while mixing the tracks. We had a very good division of labor. I am really satisfied with the result of this production!

Q: Armageddon Dildos always had a strong live reputation. How did you see the shows evolving throughout the years and what’s your connection with the fans?

Uwe: What has changed over the last thirty years is the number of musicians on stage: Dirk and I started in ’89 as a duo. In the mid-90s, there were four of us for a while with Vom and Uwe Osterlehner. After that with Vom it was three.

At the first gig without Dirk at the beginning of 2000, Malin and Dave Anderson were there with me. Then Ulf Häusgen joined on guitar/vocals. A short time later Rene Nowotny took over the keyboards. On our five-week U.S. tour with Inertia in 2007, Gabriel Shaw joined me and Ulf Häusgen.

And for almost ten years now, it’s been just the two of us on stage again: Uwe Kanka and Sven Mouhcine. Last but not least, it is very important to say that Mathias Black has been responsible for the sound of the Dildos as a member of the band for 99% of the gigs since 1996.

What has not changed at all during this time, thank God, is the energy and power of every Armageddon Dildos show, which also includes the very close contact to the audience and the fans.

Q: I remember there was an Armageddon Dildos fan-club. How important is it for a band to have a fan club? 

Uwe: I think that a fan club is very important for artists. In our case it was phenomenal. The Armageddon Dildos Fan Club was founded in Aachen after our gig in Übach-Palenberg on 24.06.1991. After that, regular meetings took place in Düsseldorf or Aachen. The fan club did unbelievably good public relations work, e.g. published an info letter. Members of the fan club were at almost all the band’s concerts until the middle of the ’90s. Due to personal changes and also due to the musical development of the band from the middle of 90s onwards, the interest of the members of the Fan Club in the band waned.

Q: If you had to introduce Armageddon Dildos  to people who never heard of the band before, what song and album would you choose first? 

Uwe: It depends on the people. I have friends who can’t do anything with our older songs; I would play “Stay” or similar tracks for them. People from the scene who don’t know us, mmhm, that’s not so easy. Maybe “I Can’t Remember” or “White Room”. But I could also think of pieces by “Speed” and “Homicidal Dolls”. I personally like “Gottland” very much.

Q: Do you’ve other passions in life next to music? 

Uwe: Ride a motorbike, skiing and enjoy the tranquility of nature.

Q: Did the success of the band had an impact on you as human being? 

Uwe: I don’t think so. Rather the failures. Because those were the ones that kept me going.

Q: What’s your best- and worst memory after more than thirty years Armageddon Dildos? And do you still have secret wishes and dreams? 

Uwe: I would like to mention two of the many wonderful memories: the fantastic concert in Übach-Palenberg together with And One, when we met the people from the later Fan Club, and our performance at the Roskilde Festival at midnight in front of about 10,000 spectators. That was gigantic.

The worst was definitely the moment when we were informed about the closure of Metronome. 

Secret wishes and dreams? Yes, I do. And they should be kept secret.

Inferno Sound Diaries

I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.

www.side-line.com

Dark alternative electronic band Sine to release upcoming album “Desire, Denial and Paramania”, an 11 track collection featuring select songs from the group’s albums, “Insomniæ” and “Injected”, recorded between the years 2016-2020.

The album includes collaborations with Curse Mackey (Pigface, Evil Mothers, My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult), producer Sean Beavan (Nine Inch Nails, 3Teeth, Slayer) and Chris Connelly (Ministry, Revolting Cocks, Pigface) with remixes by Jack Dangers (Meat Beat Manifesto), DÐ, and dark pop duo, Nite.

“Desire, Denial and Paramania” will be released in CD form as well as digitally worldwide on October 7, 2021. The release is out via Emergency Hearts, an indie collaborative music label/ media project in Austin, TX founded by author, musician and gallery owner Scott Crow (Lesson Seven, Audio Assault).

Here is a video to check out, “Desolate District” featuring Chris Connelly in a Meat Beat Manifesto remix.

About Sine

Sine is an alternative rock/electronic band created and led by singer and drummer, Rona Rougeheart. She has stepped from behind the kit to create her own female fronted project that weaves dance beats with industrial noise and layers of booming bass, synths and guitars.

Rougeheart, born in New York, grew up as a military child, living all over the U.S. and in Okinawa, Japan. Her father was a musician who taught her how to play keys and guitar. Early in her musical career, she played drums for multiple bands in Austin, TX, catching the eye of Gretsch Drums who, in 2012, gave her her first endorsement. Gibraltar hardware also added her to their roster.

In April, 2019, she landed a direct support slot for Peter Murphy in Orlando, FL for the 40th Anniversary of Bauhaus Ruby Tour with David J. The night seemed ill-fated when Peter was unable to perform, but was revitalized when she joined David J, Curse Mackey, Mark Gemini-Thwaite and Marc Slutsky for an impromptu performance of Bauhaus tunes.

From that night, a new project emerged between David J, Curse Mackey and herself.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

side-line.com

Genre/Influences: Industrial, Industrial-Techno, Dark-Techno.

Format: Digital, CD.

Background/Info: Rendered is a sonic meeting between Germany and France, between Daniel Myer (Haujobb, Architect, Liebknecht ao) and Clément Perez (14anger). Under the Rendered moniker they released multiple EPs on very different labels such as Omen Recordings, Aufnahme + Wiedergabe, Tripalium Records ao. This album is a fine selection of tracks that were originally released on different productions and, which are now for the very first time on CD. You’ll also find two previously unreleased songs.

Content: “Stonecoldsoul” takes off with heavy Industrial-like rhythms. The rhythm is ultra important in the band’s work and is progressively touching ground with Dark- & Industrial-Techno. But there also is something shamanic in some songs. Some of the Electronic arrangements are retro-like and reminding me of early Ministry and Revolting Cocks. A few vocal parts/effects have been mixed in some songs.

+ + + : The rhythm is an essential aspect of this band and clearly the main strength of the work. It will get you to dance, but also into trance! Rendered isn’t just Dark-Techno like; it’s more elaborated and I especially like some vintage Electronic sequences like on the title track. My favorite song is the extremely powerful “Girlscoutsinacoma”. The song is dark, elaborated and driven by a frenetic cadence. Rendered is one more great project from Daniel Myer, but the collaboration with Clément Perez from 14anger has something  visionary.

– – – : Both ‘new’ songs aren’t exactly the most efficient ones from the album; so no real bonus here.

Conclusion: Rendered stands for a solid and tenebrous Techno sound, the album featuring multiple outstanding cuts.

Best songs: “Girlscoutinacoma”, “Bendover”, “Stonecoldsoul”, “Puppetskin”, “Holeinthehead”.

Rate: (8½).

Artist: www.facebook.com/rendered.audio

Label: www.audiophob.de / www.facebook.com/audiophob

About Rendered

Rendered pairs German musician Daniel Myer, also known for Haujobb, Architect and Liebknecht, with French artist Clément Perez of 14anger. The duo has released multiple EPs on labels including Omen Recordings, Aufnahme + Wiedergabe and Tripalium Records. “Stonecoldsoul” collects tracks from those earlier releases on CD for the first time, alongside two previously unreleased songs, released on Audiophob.

Inferno Sound Diaries

I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.

www.side-line.com

Genre/Influences: EBM, Industrial.

Format: Digital.

Background/Info: “Chain Tactics” is the debut-EP by American artist Mark Trueman aka Choke Chain.

Content: All songs have a retro-feeling getting me back to the late 80s – early 90s and the early work of Revolting Cocks. I got the feeling listening to one long duration song split in 3 chapters. The vocals feel like expressing pain and rage.

+ + + : This is old-school EBM made in America and reminding me the golden years of Wax Trax! and more specifically Revolting Cocks; the mix of European EBM and American Industrial music! Even if this is old-style Electro, it has something refreshing.

– – – : There’s no real diversity between the songs.

Conclusion: Choke Chain is an interesting newcomer so I’ll keep an eye on this band.

Best songs: “Struggle”.

Rate: (6½).

Artist: www.facebook.com/chokechain

About Choke Chain

Choke Chain is the dark electronic project of Milwaukee, Wisconsin musician Mark Trueman, founded around 2018, combining the early-1990s dark electro of the Zoth Ommog and Wax Trax! lineage with the energy of Trueman’s hardcore punk background. “Chain Tactics” was the project’s debut EP; Choke Chain followed it with “Endless Death” and “Invoking Shadows” before the Negative Gain EP “Decomposition”, released on CD, vinyl and digital on July 10, 2026.

Inferno Sound Diaries

I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.

www.side-line.com

Alternative electronic act Sine aka musician Rona Rougeheart releases her first video single of the year from their forthcoming album, “Mantis”, with the track “Desolate District”. The song features Chris Connelly (ex-Ministry, Revolting Cocks, Pigface), marking one of Connelly’s first appearances since announcing his departure from the previous 2020 Ministry tour.

The song was written in December of 2019, before the pandemic drastically changed our lives. Chris’ lyrical content and song title seemed to predict our future, which makes this song quite relevant to the current times.

Connelly had this to say on why he sang on “Desolate District”: “I felt a really strong connection to SINE’s music so it was an honour to be asked to collaborate. The music is compelling, intelligent and that always pushes me in a very inspired direction, as far as my words, vision, and voice goes. Can’t wait to do another some time.”

Rougeheart adds: “I met Chris Connelly about 2 years ago through my partner, Curse Mackey, who is his bandmate in Pigface. I never really got to talk to Chris much until November 2019 when Pigface played their last show of the tour at Thalia Hall in Chicago, IL. We were all backstage chatting and he commented to me that he liked my music. I was so happy he said that, to which I asked if he was ever into collaborating and he said, “Yes!”. At the time, I had just completed music for a SINE song along with Curse, but had no vocals on it, nor did it have a title. I decided to send it to Chris and let his creativity flow!”

“Desolate District” was co-produced by Curse Mackey, known for his solo work as well as in Pigface, Evil Mothers and My life with the Thrill Kill Kult. This marks the third Sine track that Mackey has contributed to.

The video was produced and edited by Rona Rougeheart in the early months of 2020 and was filmed in Austin, TX, Chicago, IL and Singapore. The idea was to compile footage from herself, Chris Connelly and performer, Sher Chew. She met Sher Chew through another performer she worked with previously last year, Vangeline.

Here’s the video!

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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Drummer Bill Rieflin, know for his work with such bands like Ministry and Nine Inch Nails, died from cancer on Tuesday (March 24), aged 59. Besides working with Ministry and Nine Inch Nails he also played drums with the Revolting Cocks, Lard, KMFDM, Pigface, Swans, Chris Connelly, King Crimson, REM, among other projects.

Rieflin’s death was confirmed by Robert Fripp.

Born in Seattle, Bill Rieflin first joined The Telepaths and The Blackouts until he started working with Ministry, with whom he recorded albums like “The Land of Rape and Honey” (1988) and “In Case You Didn’t Feel Like Showing Up ” (1999). Over the years, he has been involved with several projects, especially industrial rock / metal related ones.

In the 2000s, Rieflin joined REM, recording albums like “Around the Sun” (2004) and “Collapse into Now” (2011). He then joined King Crimson, with whom he recorded live records and toured.

Rieflin was married to painter Francesca Sundsten until her death in 2019.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

side-line.com

Genre/Influences: Industrial-metal, industrial-rock, EBM

Background/Info: The famous Wax Trax! Records label was originally much into new wave and punk music and was founded by Jim Nash and his partner Dannie Flesher in Denver in 1975. In 1978 the independent label moved to Chicago and became the most important record label and store/boutique for industrial music in the US that served as the headquarters of underground electronic and industrial bands in the eighties and nineties. The strong brand Wax Trax! offered record deals to the artists they liked (as fans) and also licensed European artists in America. The very impressive Wax Trax! catalogue featured well-known bands like Ministry, Front 242, Revolting Cocks, KMFDM, Front Line Assembly, Coil, Chris & Cosey and more!

Content: Industrial Accident has contributions of Al Jourgensen (Ministry/Revolting Cocks), Paul Barker (Ministry/Revolting Cocks), Chris Connelly (Ministry/Revolting Cocks), Luc Van Acker (Ministry/Revolting Cocks), Richard23 (Front 242/Revolting Cocks), Patrick Codenys (Front 242), Trent Reznor (Nine Inch Nails), Bill Leeb (Front Line Assembly), Groovie Mann (Thrill Kill Kult), David J. Haskins (Bauhaus), Sascha Konietzko (KMFDM), En Esch (KMFDM), Dave Grohl (Foo Fighters, Nirvana), Jello Biafra (Dead Kennedys), Steve Albini (Big Black), Cosey Fanni Tutti (Throbbing Gristle), Ian MacKaye (Minor Threat, Fugazi) and more. It explains the rise and fall of an important musical movement as well as the details and artifacts of this entire Wax Trax! Records history that was nearly lost forever.

A lot of hilarious anecdotes are explained by the contributing artists which makes it fun to watch! Al Jourgensen: “I played in Divine’s band by the way, playing guitar for Divine was … bizarre!”. Luc Van Acker, when speaking about Laibach: “How provocative can you be? It takes intelligent people to understand that! Wax Trax! created a space where we could do whatever we wanted!”. Unfortunately the label without business model (operating on trust, without contracts with their artists) declared bankruptcy in 1992 and Jim and Danny sold it to TVT Records. Jim Nash passed away on October 10, 1995 and Dannie Flesher deceased on January 10th, 2010.

+ + + : This 94 minutes (+ 75 extra minutes bonus material) documentary was directed by Julia Nash (daughter of Jim Nash) and won awards on the Santa Cruz Film Festival and Chicago Underground Film Festival. It is also available on Blu-Ray and as download on AppleTV, Amazon Prime and Google Play/YouTube Streaming.

– – – : Just one minor point: to make the circle complete, maybe an interview with some licensed European bands that were released by Wax Trax! (The Neon Judgement, The Young Gods, A Split Second, Laibach and more) would have been interesting, to hear their point of view.

Conclusion: Although it’s a huge story to tell the complete Wax Trax! history, this documentary gives a pretty good overview of what happened in the old days. Jim and Dannie “accidentally” built up the industrial scene in the US due to their passion and love for this music and bands and will never be forgotten!

Label: www.waxtraxchicago.com / www.facebook.com/WaxTraxRecords.Chicago/

About Wax Trax! Records

Wax Trax! Records was founded by Jim Nash and Dannie Flesher, first in Denver in 1975 as an outlet for new wave and punk records. The label moved to Chicago in 1978 and grew into the main hub for industrial music in the United States through the 1980s and 1990s, signing and licensing acts on both sides of the Atlantic.

The label ran without contracts, on trust between Nash, Flesher and their artists. It filed for bankruptcy in 1992 and was sold to TVT Records. Nash died on October 10, 1995, and Flesher died on January 10, 2010.

“Industrial Accident: The Story Of Wax Trax! Records” is directed by Julia Nash, Jim Nash’s daughter, and gathers the artists who built the label’s catalogue to tell that history on screen.

Genre/Influences: Minimal-electro, electro-wave.

Background/Info: Digital Dependency Records is a British label set up and driven byGraham Rayner (ex-Cubanate) and Christian Weber (K-Nitrate). “Behind The Wire” is the tenth release from the label. Both protagonists joined hands together to set up Wire 13!

Content: “Behind The Wire” clearly brings different influences together. It’s a minimal-electro creation featuring spoken samplings or a few passages with voices overloaded with effects. There’s an electro-wave element emerging at the surface, which sometimes reminds me of early Revolting Cocks. But the sound also has something more contemporary moving towards techno fields without becoming totally techno-like.

+ + + : The mix of influences for sure makes the originality of the work. It’s not easy to describe the music, but the structures reveal great, deep-sounding bass lines, cool and aggressive sequences and a sexy 80s touch. Some songs are well worked-out and I especially recommend listening to “The Preacher”. Another attention grabber is “Lie To Us”, which has this little wink with early Revolting Cocks.  

– – – : The single element I’m missing is the presence of vocals –at least on a few cuts. I don’t have anything against instrumental versions and/or mixed with sampled vocals, but I think it here could be a bonus.

Conclusion: Wire 13 is not exactly setting the world alight, but this album reveals potential so I hope the best is yet to come!

Best songs: “The Preacher”, “The Tower”, “Lie To Us”, “States Of Hate”.

Rate: (7½).

Artist: www.facebook.com/wirethirteen

Label: www.facebook.com/DigitalDependencyRecords

About Wire 13

Wire 13 is a joint project of Graham Rayner, formerly of Cubanate, and Christian Weber, who records as K-Nitrate. The pair also run Digital Dependency Records, the British label on which “Behind The Wire” appeared as its tenth release. No further Side-Line coverage of Wire 13 as a project has been verified.

Inferno Sound Diaries

I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.

www.side-line.com

Genre/Influences: Industrial-metal, industrial-rock

Background/Info: Al Jourgensen is the charismatic pioneer, musical genius, innovator and iconic founder of the industrial-metal genre (the fusion of repeating metal guitar riffs, samples, keyboards and distorted vocals on a danceable beat). This fully authorized visual history with 248 pages of rare and unseen photos, artwork, and other stuff that spans Ministry’s entire career, shows how the band (that everyone wanted to sound like) evolved from ’80s synth-pop, over EBM/industrial to trash-metal. Ministry has been nominated six times for a Grammy award and is definitely a band you must have seen live at least once in your life!

Content: The four-pages introduction is done by Al’s good old friend Jello Biafra, explaining some hilarious anecdotes. Then this limited 9″ x 9″ casebound book is divided into six chronological chapters starting from the early Wax Trax! era (1981) until the latest release “AmeriKKKant”. We get to see lots of nice rare (promo and live) pictures, cut-outs, artwork, flyers and posters. On almost every page there are interesting quotes or anecdotes from befriended artists like Charlie Clouser (Nine Inch Nails), Moby, Billy Corgan (Smashing Pumpkins), Ian MacKaye (Fugazi), Gary Numan, Perry Ferrell (Jane’s Addiction), Jaz Coleman (Killing Joke), Phildo Owen (Skatenigs), Jeordie White (Marilyn Manson), Alexander Hacke (Einsturzende Neubauten), David J (Bauhaus), Robin Zander (Cheap Trick), Paul D’Amour (Tool), Page Hamilton (Helmet), Scott Ian (Anthrax), Franz Treichler (The Young Gods), Gibby Haynes (Butthole Surfers), Sean Yseult (White Zombie), Dave Lombardo (Slayer), Billy Gibbons (ZZ Top), Till Lindemann (Rammstein), Mark Gemini Thwaite (The Mission), Chris Connelly (Revolting Cocks) and many more. Just like the music of Ministry changed from soft to very hard, it is clearly shown how Al’s style has changed all over the years ending up with dreadlocks, tattoos and piercings. The author of the book is Aaron Tanner (who also created a visual history for Pixies) and features artwork from Brian Shanley and Paul Elledge.

+ + + : We get an exclusive look at Uncle Al’s personal collection of behind-the-scenes pictures together with contributions from band members past and present.

– – – : Although many well-known artists are featured in this book, some (expected ones) are missing …

Conclusion: There’s only one thing we can conclude: Ministry has had a huge influence on many artists and Al is still going strong after all these years! This book is definitely a must have for the fans!

Artist: www.ministryband.com / www.facebook.com/WeAreMinistry
Label: www.melodicvirtue.com / www.facebook.com/melodicvirtue Read the news on ‘Prescripture: The Visual History’.

About Ministry

Ministry began in Chicago in 1981 when Al Jourgensen launched the project as an outlet for new wave and synth-pop with funk and disco influences, releasing a first 12″ on Wax Trax! Records before signing to Arista for the 1983 debut album “With Sympathy”. After parting ways with Arista, Jourgensen returned to Wax Trax! for a run of 12″ singles, including “Everyday Is Halloween”, before signing to Sire for 1986’s more EBM-influenced “Twitch”. The band’s sound kept evolving toward the industrial-metal blend documented in this book, and Ministry has remained active since, releasing the 2024 album “Hopiumforthemasses” and announcing “The Squirrely Years Revisited”, a 2026 collection revisiting its early synth-pop material.

Today the American industrial-metal pioneers Ministry released their authorized 248 pages book ‘Ministry – Prescripture: The Visual History’ via Melodic Virtue. It is a collection of rare and unseen photos from the very beginning in 1981 until today, behind the scene pictures of Al Jourgensen’s personal collection and stuff coming from past and present members of the band.

The author of the book is Aaron Tanner (who also created a visual history for Pixies) and features artwork from Brian Shanley and Paul Elledge. The book opens with an introduction by Jello Biafra. Many exclusive quotes are featured from members of Smashing Pumpkins, ZZ Top, Cheap Trick, NWA, Ramones, Nine Inch Nails, Tool, Megadeth, AFI, Slayer, Jane’s Addiction, Rammstein, The Flaming Lips, Devo, Butthole Surfers, Static-X, Anthrax, White Zombie, Death Grips, Bauhaus, Killing Joke, High on Fire, GWAR, Einstürzende Neubauten, Revolting Cocks, and many more!

This exclusive book is limited to 2000 copies and also has a deluxe edition (500 copies only) including a t-shirt and vinyl single. Definitely a must have for the fans! You can order the book here. Read the review of ‘Prescripture: The Visual History’.

Fade Kainer (Batillus, Tombs, Jarboe) set up Statiqbloom in 2013 as a solo-project. He got joined in 2016 by NY, Denman C. Anderson. Based in Brooklyn, NY (USA) they recently released their new full length “Asphyxia”, which is their fourth full length to date, but the first one released by Metropolis Records. The album reveals a post-industrial sound which might appeal for lovers of Mentallo & The Fixer, early Revolting Cocks, but especially Yelworc for the dark and tormented atmosphere recovering the songs.

(Picture credits: Katrin Albert / Interview courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries)

Q: How did Statiqbloom saw the daylight and what were the initial music purposes?

Fade: I initially started Statiqbloom to write music for myself after the band I was in at the time called Batillus had dissolved. Then close friends encouraged me to share the music I was writing.

Q: Considering aspects such as influences, the composition process & production skills how would you analyze the evolution from the early work till “Asphyxia”?

Fade: I’m always trying to progress and evolve and try to create what I envision in my mind, a lot of it has to do with the feeling, the atmosphere I’m trying to capture. My intention is the evolution gets more focused and more provoking.

Q: “Asphyxia” has something retro-like, but still pretty contemporary with a very dark and sometimes tormented atmosphere on top! Tell us a bit more about this opus?

Fade: I’m proud of the lyrics on “Asphyxia”, and being able to capture a bit of claustrophobia with staying more minimal that previous releases. Every day is a struggle and a challenge when trying to create.

Q: The cover of “Asphyxia” has something pretty symbolic so what’s the link with the title and the global lyrical content?

Fade: Tthe Statiqbloom logo has an ouroboros around it, so the cover of Asphyxia has the serpent in motion it’s a visual play on the album title.

Q: I noticed you already released several official videos, which I think perfectly represent the dark and disturbing atmosphere of the Statiqbloom-sound. Tell us a bit more about these experiences?

Fade: The majority of the videos I worked with Katrin Albert and Gretchen Heinel. They are photographers & film makers. A lot of the video concepts we’re their interpretation of the music. There’re videos in the works for “Asphyxia”.

Q: For your newest album you’ve joined hands together with Metropolis Records. You also played several dates here in Europe including the famous WGT in Leipzig (Germany). What do you expect from a ‘bigger’ label and how did the European concerts happened, which have been for sure an opportunity to gain a wider recognition on the old continent?

Fade: Being on a bigger label helps with reaching more people and better distribution. WGT reaches out to us to play and we were excited to do so, and I reached out to Aufnahme + Weidergabe to do the Berlin show, and then were able to do more Euro dates with Spit Mask. Overall It was a great tour and the shows were amazing. A lot of people in Europe are familiar with the older content, but I’ll keep playing Europe & The States. I am grateful to have an audience and being able to watch this grow.

Inferno Sound Diaries

I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.

www.side-line.com

British formation Cubanate were active in between 1992 and 1999! It were seven years of sonic terror; pure crossover like we used to call it in the 90s. A harsh and unpolished sound mixing electronics and guitar with a f****ing, enraged singer and live performer as  image of the band. The band released successful albums (cf. “Antimatter”, “Cyberia” and “Barbarossa” all released on Dynamic and a last album “Interference” released on Wax Trax! Records). Songs like “Body Burn” and especially “Oxyacetalene” became some of the band’s greatest hits. After a long hibernation the ‘Cubanate-monster’ got reactivated in 2010. Marc Heal and Phil Barry first started to play some live gigs, but 2019 is for sure the year of the ‘real’ come-back. This is their first new work in twenty one years! The EP “Kolossus” released on Armalyte Industries reveals five new songs plus two remixes. I didn’t know what to expect from this new release, but one thing is for sure, this is probably the best production I’ve heard from Cubanate! I got in touch with Marc Heal.

The new EP (available here on MCD) contains five new songs plus remixes of the title track by Rhys Fulber (Front Line Assembly, Delerium, Conjure One) and DROWND.

(Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries)

Q: Cubanate was already back to business for a couple of years now, but “Kolossus” is the first new work since 1998! How did it feel to be back and where do you place this work in the band’s discography?

Marc: We decided that we were only going to do Cubanate again if it was fun and good. We were persuaded to play the “Cold Waves”-festival in Chicago back in 2016. Chicago always felt like a home city for us, because we were signed to Wax Trax and all that. I hadn’t played live at all in about 17 years at that point. I mean, not just with Cubanate, nothing at all!  But I was curious to see how it would feel. I was nervous that first time. I was living in Singapore, Phil was in London, so we both flew over, did a few days rehearsal, then – bam! Scary.

But after we had dipped our toe in the water we decided to do some more. We played with FLA, Revolting Cocks, some UK dates.

Same with “Kolossus”. It’s a test. I wanted to try an EP first, to see how it felt, before committing to making an album.

Q: I think to remember you once said (back in 2011) that no new Cubanate album would be ever released! And look now, here’s “Kolossus”, which is according to me the best Cubanate stuff in history. How did it finally happened and what will be next?  

Marc: Thank you. I think it was important to reconnect as a band first. We didn’t mind playing a few retrospective dates. The old songs still sounded fresh. Also we had released the “Brutalism”-compilation, which was a remastered “Best Of” from the days we were signed in Berlin to Dynamica, so all good.

But after a while we became curious about what new material would sound like. We needed to find a way to record. I was in California by then so it was still hard to find a way to work together.

I had made a few new songs with Jean-Luc Demeyer for my other project, C-Tec. So I realized working at such distance could be done, so long as you trust the other person artistically. That’s very important, because you aren’t in the same room together to persuade or negotiate. Next up, we will try an album.

Q: How much of the ‘early’ Cubanate sound, the way of composing and producing songs do you recognize in “Kolossus”? And what have been the main changes/evolutions?

Marc: Cubanate has to give you a rush. It has to be nasty and thrilling in your gut. But these days we feel able to throw anything together to get there. Any sound, any influence, any instrument. We’re more experimental now.

There are a lot of technical changes since the 90s. In those days we would write in the studio and whatever came out at the end, we released! That was because you couldn’t take the mix down from the desk without losing the whole sound. These days, with digital, it’s easier to go back to a mix. But we still try to keep things loose, not to over-think everything, to keep it raw. We still have to work with my ragged old voice, of course. And Phil’s guitar, So it’s never going to sound too polished!

We’re older and more experienced. We’ve learned to work harder at making things better, but also to know when to stop.

Q: How did the writing of the new songs happened? What has been the main focus and possible sources of inspiration?

Marc: I write the bones of an idea, with a rough lyric and vocal. Then I send it to Phil, who adds guitar. Then I rearrange and often re-do some vocals and lyrics to make it all work together. Then Phil will finish it off and do the final mix.

I’m always interested in the dynamics of power, within relationships, within society. I always thought you had to be messed up to write dark lyrics. As it turns out, it’s easier when you’re not. You can visualize more clearly. And your moral perspective is less blurred.

Q: What did you try to express on the “Kolossus”-clip and what’s the importance and impact of making clips today?

Marc: It’s good, isn’t it? Gabriel Edvy directed the video. I’d used her for “Adult Fiction”, which was one of my solo songs and she did an amazing job. So I learned to trust her and give her freedom. I told her wanted something that merged a kind of industrial, factory feel but with a threatening feminine contrast. Also, Phil and I had to record our parts separately, which I thought would be tricky, but it adds a feeling of isolation, which I like. Then she just got on with it.

Back in the old days, people were impressed by just seeing you mime along in the video. These days there is so much video online that I think you need to approach the moving image as integral with the music, or else there’s no point. It’s almost like Gabby is an extra band member in charge of film.

Q: Cubanate has been active and successful during the 90s. It was a decade wherein it was easy to sell CD’s while today it rather appears to be an item for collectors and die-hard fans! How do you perceive this evolution, but also social media, streaming etc?

Marc: We ended up making a lot of money in the 90s, mainly through games music. I bought a couple of houses. But I have no expectations about making money from music now. I do it because I love it and I like the people I work with. Our label, Armalyte are into what we do and we split any profits with them. There’s no contract, everyone does it because they enjoy it and they get off on the music. It’s like going back to the old punk rock days. I much prefer that.

Also I like social media. I can talk directly with people on the Facebook page. And they can compliment or insult me directly. It’s almost like starting a new band again, really. And it feels better than it ever did.

Inferno Sound Diaries

I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.

www.side-line.com

Genre/Influences: Industrial, EBM.

Background/Info: Honestly, I can’t remember to have ever heard of Statiqbloom before. They released a few albums before on Translation Loss , but “Asphyxia” will probably become the real start for Statiqbloom. 

Content: “Asphyxia” definitely deals with a post-industrial sound, getting us back to the 90s and reminding me of bands such as Mentallo & The Fixer, Revolting Cocks, but especially Yelworc for the haunting atmospheres. The songs are recovered with a dense and hostile dark layer. It all feels like danger coming really close. 

+ + + : I’ve been deeply impressed by “Asphyxia”. The compositions aren’t innovative, but the writing is intelligent and sophisticated. There’s a great mix between 80s and especially 90s electronics at one side and a personal and more contemporary approach at the other side. The industrial sound treatments create a perfect match with hostile electro atmospheres. This reminds me to Yelworc, which I’m still considering as one of the absolute ‘masters’ when it comes to create a tormenting dark-electro/EBM sphere. Just pay attention for excelling cuts such as “Eight Hearts Eight Spikes” and “Figure Behind The Door”, but also for the more EBM driven “Painted Red”.

– – – : The album features 9 songs and that’s a pity because the final track is a rather disappointing song… Serious now, I would have preferred to get a few extra songs, but you don’t hear me complaining. 

Conclusion: Statiqbloom definitely sounds as the latest promising formation from the Metropolis stable! “Asphyxia” left me rather breathless…

Best songs: “Eight Hearts Eight Spikes”, “Figure Behind The Door”, “Painted Red”, “Possession”, “Until Oblivion”.

Rate: (8½).

Artist: www.facebook.com/statiqbloom

Label: www.metropolis–records.com / www.facebook.com/MetropolisRecords Read the news on ‘Asphyxia’.

About Statiqbloom

Statiqbloom is the dark industrial project of American artist Fade Kainer, based in Brooklyn, New York. Several releases appeared on Translation Loss before Kainer brought the project to Metropolis Records for “Asphyxia”. Denman C. Anderson joined the line-up between 2016 and 2020.

Inferno Sound Diaries

I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.

www.side-line.com

When it comes to EBM, Front Line Assembly weren’t only pioneers, but still a formation that never stopped exploring new sonic paths. For more than 30 years now the Canadian formation driven by Bill Leeb and Rhys Fulber is taking us by surprise. Albums such as “State Of Mind” in the early years and later on “Caustic Grip” and of course” Hard Wired” entered into history. More than 20 albums later Front Line Assembly this year released “Wake Up The Coma” (Metropolis Records), which is for sure one of the most atypical albums in their discography. Robert Görl (DAF), Nick Holmes (Paradise Lost), Chris Connelly (Revolting Cocks, Ministry, Cocksure) and Jimmy Urine (Mindless Self Indulgence) have been featured while it also is the last FLA-work featuring additional programming by Jeremy Inkel. Time for an interview with Rhys Fulber.

“Wake Up The Coma” is released by Metropolis Records and you can order the 2LP vinyl version right here.

(Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries)

Q: I think “Wake Up The Coma” has something special because of the famous ‘guests’ you invited, but also because of Jeremy Inkel who for the very last time did some additional programming on a few songs. What does it all evoke to you and how will you remind Jeremy Inkel?

Rhys: Jeremy had sent Bill some ideas he had, I think ones he had worked on with Jared a couple years ago, so we thought in his honor we should finish them because we know he would have loved that.  We still miss him.  He was a sweet and energetic guy and its very sad he left so soon.

Bill wanted to try some different things on this record and after the Amadeus track with Jimmy came together so well, thought it would be interesting to try a few other guests.

Q: The song “Wake Up The Coma” clearly appears to be a reflection about a ‘certain’ system while it also became the title of the album. Tell us a bit more about it?

Rhys: Yes, it’s pretty much hinting at the future dystopia we are heading towards apathetically. It will take a lot of waking up on humanity’s part, or more specifically the wealthy ones who control everything. However, when brought into that context it may never happen. Also, starting a revolution might cut into binge watching your favorite Netflix series.

Q: You asked Robert Görl to contribute to “Eye On You”, which has been also released as EP title song right before the album. How did this collaboration and the global writing/production of the song happened?

Rhys: This was something Bill set up with Robert. Robert then sent us some analog synth and sequence recordings and I cut them up and added to them to make what you hear now.  Bill later added his vocals in Canada. A global file sharing collaboration, which is the norm now.

Q: The cover version of Falco’s “Rock Me Amadeus” featuring Jimmy Urine is definitely one of the most surprising songs you ever accomplished. Who got the idea of this, what makes it that ‘special’ to FLA and how was it working on the song?

Rhys: Bill had been talking about doing a cover of this for a little while, so we finally got around to it.  The track went through a few different versions before we arrived on the one you hear now. I think it was also his idea to get Jimmy in, who I have worked with a lot in the studio before, because his style would work for the ‘rap’ parts.  I don’t know anyone else who could have pulled this off the way Jimmy did now that I think about it. We recorded his vocal at my studio and I tried my best to get the German close, with my limited grasp of the language. Bill added the low backing vocals in the chorus later. It was actually nice to work on a fun song for FLA, that isn’t too serious for a change.

Q: You also did a clip of “Rock Me Amadeus”, which is pure fun and quite surprising as well. You clearly don’t care about ‘image’ and some of your fans who’re desperately waiting for a new “Hard Wired”. I experienced it as pure ‘artistic freedom’, but what does it really mean to you?

Rhys: This had a lot to do with the director Jason Jensen. We weren’t sure where to take a music video for the song. He proposed something bright and 80s themed so we went with it. I think it’s like a classic ‘music video’ in the old MTV style and we really like it. You can’t always worry about what people will think when you want to try new things, and its liberating to do so. We knew it might confuse a few people, but that was also part of the appeal.

Q: FLA has been set up more than 30 years ago now. I think you accomplished a lot of great things, which make me say you no longer have anything to prove, but what are the focuses and main goals when working on an album and how do you see the future?

Rhys: It’s never really mapped out too much. We just start and see where it leads. Maybe deeper into an album we might go ‘we need another fast one’, but that’s as far as that goes. We just do it and organize the music after. Again, after this long you are never sure. We don’t worry about it too much. Like you said there isn’t much left to prove other than, ‘we can still do this’….

Side-Line also covered Front Line Assembly’s ‘The Industrial Strength’.

Inferno Sound Diaries

I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.

www.side-line.com

Genre/Influences: EBM, dark-electro.

Background/Info: Frontline Assembly have been active for more than 30 years now. They don’t exactly release a new album every single year and got also involved with ‘special’ releases like the “WarMesh”-album released last year on ArtOffact Records and, which was a kind of soundtrack. They last year also released the EP “Eye On You” announcing this new studio work.

Content: FLA no longer has anything to prove. Even if the fans are sometimes desperately waiting for a new “Caustic Grip” or “Hard Wired”, Bill Leeb and Rhys Fulber are simply moving on, accomplishing new studio albums from time to time. We already discovered Robert Görl (DAF) who was featured on the last EP, but the album also features Nick Holmes (Paradise Lost), Chris Connelly (Revolting Cocks, Ministry, Cocksure) and Jimmy Urine (Mindless Self Indulgence) who sings on a surprising cover version of Falco’s “Rock Me Amadeus”.

It all resulted in a pretty diversified work, which also features ‘typical’ FLA-song; sophisticated song structures recovered with dark atmospheres and the spooky vocals of Bill Leeb.

+ + + : The best part of the work remains the more ‘traditional’ FLA songs, which bring all the familiar sound elements together. Great bass lines, obscure electronic atmospheres, complex, but danceable rhythms and Bill’s great timbre of voice. The sound production is absolutely impressive confirming the experience of this band. “Eye On You” featuring Robert Görl remains a great collaboration. My favorite song is the easy recognizable “Mesmerized”, but I also have to mention the more into bombast driven “Living A Lie”.

– – – : Speaking for myself I expected a bit more out of the other featuring. The songs together with Nick Holmes and Chris Connelly bring some diversity, but aren’t exactly the most convincing cuts. I’m missing a climax. I also have to say a word about the cover version of Falco. The adaptation itself is pretty cool, but not exactly what you can expect from FLA so in the end I can say this song took me by surprise…

Conclusion: When you realize the impressive discography of this band, “Wake Up The Coma” is probably not the production that will enter into history although it reveals a few brilliant songs. I’m afraid a few great songs don’t make a Spring, but in the end there only is one Frontline Assembly!

Best songs: “Mesmerized”, “Living A Lie”, “Eye On You”, “Arbeit”, “Tilt”.

Rate: (8).

Artist: www.mindphaser.com / www.facebook.com/frontlineassembly

Label: www.metropolis-records.com / www.facebook.com/MetropolisRecords

About Front Line Assembly

Front Line Assembly is the Vancouver, Canada industrial project founded by Bill Leeb in 1986 after he left Skinny Puppy; Rhys Fulber later became his key collaborator, and the line-up has rotated through additional members including Michael Balch and Chris Peterson over the decades. Metropolis Records confirmed “Wake Up The Coma” for release on 8 February 2019, with a tracklist of twelve songs and the guest contributions covered in the review: Robert Görl of DAF, Nick Holmes of Paradise Lost, Chris Connelly and Jimmy Urine of Mindless Self Indulgence on a cover of Falco’s “Amadeus”. Side-Line had already covered the band’s video for that cover, released the previous month.

Front Line Assembly’s catalogue includes “Tactical Neural Implant” and “Hard Wired”, both regarded among the project’s commercially strongest records, and the band returned in 2020 with ‘Mechanical Soul’.

Inferno Sound Diaries

I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.

www.side-line.com

Front Line Assembly has just released a new video for their cover of Falco’s cult track “Rock Me Amadeus” featuring Jimmy Urine of Mindless Self Indulgence. The song is part of FLA’s album entitled “Wake Up The Coma” being released by Metropolis Records this week with contributions from Robert Görl (DAF), Nick Holmes (Paradise Lost), and Chris Connelly (Revolting Cocks, Cocksure, Ministry).

You can order the 2LP vinyl version right here.

The video:

Side-Line also covered Front Line Assembly’s ‘Click Interview’.

Eldrina Mich

As Eldrina Mich I work as a go-between and a devil’s advocate when it comes to Side-Line. If our own staff needs to be interviewed then ask the questions no one else dares to ask.

www.side-line.com

(Picture by Bobby Talamine) Metropolis Records will release the brand new Front Line Assembly album “Wake Up The Coma” on 8 February 2019. On this new album Front Line Assembly provides a few surprising new elements, such as a cover of Falco’s “Amadeus” (feat. Jimmy Urine), and contributions from Robert Gorl (DAF), Nick Holmes (Paradise Lost) and Chris Connelly (Revolting Cocks, Cocksure).

We can already tell you that the “Amadeus” cover will rock the clubs, the FLA cover turned out to be great remaining quite faithful to the original yet introducing typical FLA ingredients.

The album will hold 12 tracks: Eye On You, Arbeit, Amadeus, Tilt, Hatevol, Proximity, Living a Lie, Wake up the Coma, Mesmerized, Negative Territory, Structures, Spitting Wind. You can order the album right here as a double vinyl and right here on CD.

For the Falco fans:

Side-Line also covered Front Line Assembly’s ‘Rock me Amadeus’.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

side-line.com

Genre/Influences: Industrial, experimental, industrial-EBM.

Background/Info: Synapscape this year celebrates its 25th anniversary. Set up and driven by Tim Kniep and Philipp Münch the duo decided to rework tracks that were originally released in between 1994 and 1999. These tracks originally appeared on “Synapscape” (1995), “Rage” (1997), “So What” (1999), but also on the single “Helix / Merging” (1997).

 Content: If you know the original versions, which clearly deal with an electro-ambient side, you really will be surprised discovering the content of “Still”. The songs have been transposed into a heavy and ultra-danceable fusion between IDM, industrial EBM (which sometimes even reminds me to early Revolting Cocks) and techno. The work also features harsh vocals creating a great match with the music.

+ + + : “Still” is so much more than a poorly inspired ‘best of’ album. This work brings old songs back alive, but especially giving them another dimension. It also reveals the evolution in sound and influences from the German duo. “Still” is an intelligent production and in a way it also has something visionary. It’s not that common a band reinvent its own sound by a total rework of early tracks. “Still” also stands for a modern blend of electronic styles. Last, but not least I also like the effect on the vocals production.

– – – : I can imagine this album also is a kind of challenge. Some fans will maybe get shocked discovering the new edit of early songs.

Conclusion: Recycling is also true in music business and “Still” clearly reveals old tracks that have been totally reworked and transposed into a modern and exciting format. A class-act!

Best songs: “No Fright”, “Helix”, “Rage”, “Dream”, “I Want To”, “No Sin”.

Rate: (9).

Artist: www.synapscape.org / www.facebook.com/synapscape

Label: www.ant-zen.com / www.facebook.com/antzen.official

About Synapscape

Synapscape formed in Bielefeld, Germany, in 1994, when Philipp Munch and Tim Kniep began working together on rhythmic-noise and industrial material. The duo debuted on Ant-Zen with its self-titled album in 1995.

The catalogue continued with “Rage” (1997), “So What” (1999), “Positive Pop” (2001), “Raw” (2002), “Act!” (2005), “Now” (2007), “Again” (2009), “Traits” (2011) and “Rhythm Age” (2015). “Still”, reviewed here, marked the project’s 25th anniversary and reworked tracks from across that catalogue; Ant-Zen followed it with “A Mutual Disagreement” in 2020 and “A Journey Through Concern” in 2021.

Inferno Sound Diaries

I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.

www.side-line.com

Genre/Influences: EBM, dark-electro, industrial.

Background/Info: Matt Fanale strikes back with a new creation of his sonic brainchild Caustic. This is the tenth full length album to date.

Content: “American Carrion” covers different influences, which are taking off with pure EBM, but next moving into more sophisticated electronic fields. The EBM inspiration however seems to have been the main one for “American Carrion”. There are more EBM cuts running through the work, but I also heard some retro-like sequences reminding me of early Ministry and The Revolting Cocks. “American Carrion” becomes a much diversified piece of music and that’s not surprising if you’re a bit familiar with the Caustic discography. Let’s say that Matt Fanale has been more focalized on EBM instead of harsh industrial assaults.

+ + + : I like the album’s diversity, but especially the EBM influence, which is pretty sophisticated and efficient. “Drugskill” and “Fuck That Fascist Beat” both are impressive examples of the artist’s EBM approach. “Angel Grinder” sounds somewhat different, but here again you’ll notice the great sound treatments this work has been made by. I also enjoyed the tracklist, which is progressively evolving towards a sensational final part. I there noticed cool, menacing bass lines sometimes reminding me to Leather Strip.

– – – : It’s hard to say that this is the best Caustic album in history, but I know for sure there are less songs to throw away.

Conclusion: Caustic remains faithful to certain electronic eclecticism mixing industrial music together with EBM, dark-electro and a few more influences for the ride, but “American Carrion” also is a work with several great songs on it!

Best songs: “Fuck That Fascist Beat”, “Angel Grinder”, “Drugskill”, “One Nation Under Fear”, “Purgative”.

Rate: (8½).

Artist: www.facebook.com/causticmusic

Label: www.negativegain.com / www.facebook.com/pages/Negative–Gain/212061438836984

About Caustic

Caustic is the solo industrial and EBM project of Matt Fanale, recording since the early 2000s with an extensive catalog of harsh industrial, EBM and electro-industrial material released independently and through Negative Gain Productions. Live performances have featured occasional contributions from drummer B.O.B. and vocalist Katja Lunde. “American Carrion” followed a string of Caustic albums released through the 2010s.

Inferno Sound Diaries

I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.

www.side-line.com

Cocksure, the Revolting Cocks spin-off with long time Revolting Cocks/Ministry collaborator/composer/singer Christopher J. Connelly and Acumen Nation front man Jason C. Novak, is releasing a brand new album later in September. “Be Rich” will be coming out on September 7 2018.

The album is the follow-up to 2015’s “Corporate_Sting” album, and comes 2 years after band’s self-released “Heretic Hypocrite” single. You can still order the “Corporate_Sting” album from this fine mailorder.

Here’s some Cocksure pleasure!

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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Denver based industrial metal band Ritual Aesthetic will be releasing a new album titled “Wound Garden” on July 27th with Cleopatra Records. The band was formed by Sean Ragan formerly of extreme horror band Dawn of Ashes, and this will be their 2nd record. Since their start in 2013 the band has built an impressive following in Colorado and beyond and will take their music worldwide with Wound Garden.

The band’s next single and music video for the track “The Analog Flesh” has just been launched and you can see it in an exclusive premiere on Side-Line.

Ritual Aesthetic is an industrial metal band formed in 2014 by drummer Sean Ragan. Originally a solo studio project, Ritual Aesthetic released 2014’s “Decollect” on Juggernaut Services UK. In 2016 Ritual Aesthetic was turned into a live band by Ragan, recruiting musicians from the extreme metal scene to begin performing live.

Between 2016 and 2018 while writing the followup album “Wound Garden”, Ritual Aesthetic performed as direct support for acts such as The Revolting Cocks, 3TEETH, Frontline Assembly and My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult, sparking the attention of Cleopatra Records. During this time, Ragan experimemted with score work, scoring the shows The Drowning Girls, Breadcrumbs and August 2018s upcoming Wakey, Wakey at the Urbanite Theatre in Sarasota, Flordia.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

side-line.com

John Bechdel is known as “the invisible man on the keys” for many bands, mainly industrial-metal acts, like Ministry, Prong, Fear Factory, Killing Joke, Murder Inc, Ascension Of The Watchers and False Icons.

Framed as a “day-in-the-life” of 36-hours on tour in Ministry from the meet & greet before playing The Fillmore in D.C. to leaving New York City after playing Irving Plaza, this documentary is a thrill ride through the life of John, those in and connected to his life and career; the world travelers and those behind the scenes.

“Killing The Joke: The John Bechdel story” features also exclusive personal interviews with Al Jourgensen [Ministry, Revolting Cocks], Burton C. Bell [Fear Factory], Alison Bechdel [FUN HOME / award winning writer], Greta Brinkman [L7, Pigface, Debbie Harry, Moby], Charlie Clouser [Nine Inch Nails, Marilyn Manson], Martin Atkins [Public Image Limited, Killing Joke], Sean Roberts [Wax Trax! / TVT Records] and others.

The dvd is directed and produced by Darryl Hell for s6k Media and Furnace Records and can be ordered here soon! The digital download will be available on May 19, 2018. A special issue 3-dvd set will be released on August 23, 2018 as well.

Genre/Influences: Future-pop, electro-pop.

Background/Info: Behind Wiccid is hiding Erie Loch who got some recognition for his songwriting, video, remix and studio work with bands Ministry, Revolting Cocks, Prong, Pig, Faith No More, Skinny Puppy, Front Line Assembly, NIN, Marilyn Manson, Lords Of Acid, Velvet Acid Christ, Gary Numan, Peter Murphy and many more. “By Design” is the debut album of Erie Loch as Wiccid featuring 11 songs.

Content: “By Design” sounds pretty future-pop like and sometimes reminds me of Assemblage 23. But the sound is more powerful than the work of Tom Shear. The songs are carried by solid, pumping kicks. The choruses are powerful and melodic and sometimes revealing icy sound treatments. I also noticed a few softer cuts.

+ + + : “By design” is an accomplished production, clearly revealing the work of an experienced musician. The songs are well-crafted and accomplished with cool sound treatments. It’s a dark exposure of future-pop music, but still a kind of power-pop sound featuring furious beats and solid bass lines. Erie Loch also has a nose to compose alluring choruses. The song “Lights” is a little pearl and definitely one of the main potential hits of this work.

– – – : The few softer cuts aren’t exactly the best ones, but they’re more like bringing a break in the tracklist. Erie Loch is a talented singer, but I have to admit I’m not a huge fan of his timbre of voice. He has a particular and powerful voice, but I’m not a huge fan of it and that’s my single and very personal frustration about this work.

Conclusion: Wiccid simply confirms future-pop is alive and kicking!

Best songs: “Lights”, “Torn”, “Inhuman Nature”, “The grand Comedian”.

Rate: (7).

Band: www.wiccidband.com / www.facebook.com/WiccidBand

Label: www.cleropatrarecords.com / www.facebook.com/CleopatraRecords

About Wiccid

Wiccid is the solo project of Sacramento, California musician Erie Loch. “By Design”, released on Cleopatra Records in 2017, is his debut album as Wiccid; he followed it with “Chemical” and “God Forgive The Children” in 2018.

Inferno Sound Diaries

I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.

www.side-line.com

Black Line is fascinating concept, which was originally set up in 2016 as a continuation of DJM|REX, a project by Douglas J. McCarthy (Nitzer Ebb) and Cyrusrex. It became ‘a diverse collective of musicians, producers, and sound designers, free to come and go as they please. With various production and remix projects in the pipeline, the self-released album “Treason, Sedition And Subversive Activities” offers up the first taste of what’s to come’. Among the artists who contributed to Black Line you’ll find Ken ‘Hiwatt’ Marshall (co-producer & engineer), Zack Meyers (co-producer), Brad Apodaca, Anthony Baldino, Michael ‘prophei’ Dietel, Bon Harris (Nitzer Ebb), Baseck, Jon Bates (Big Black Delta), Paul Barker (Ministry and REVCO), Christian Eigner (Depeche Mode), Mark Walk (Skinny Puppy), Maria Lui and of course singer Douglas J. McCarthy. I’d a chat with Douglas J. McCarthy.

You can download the “Treason, Sedition And Subversive Activities” album right here.

(by Inferno Sound Diaries)

Q: Hi Douglas, Black Line has been introduced as ‘a diverse collective of musicians, producers, and sound designers, free to come and go as they please’. How did this concept saw the daylight and how did it really happened to make it come true?

Douglas: Hello, nice to speak to you. The project started after Cyrusrex and myself were finishing up the third of 3 DJMREX EP’s. We still had some ideas for tracks and Christian Eigner, Depeche Mode’s drummer, was in LA and offered to record some live drums. We went to a studio with a few basic bass line concepts and Christian played a variety of different takes as I wrote lyrics and melodies. It was an excellent days work and got us thinking about working with other friends to explore their take on DJMREX.

It soon expanded into being quite a lot more people including Bon (Nitzer Ebb) and Paul Barker (Revolting Cocks, Ministry etc) and we started working with producer Zack Meyers. We soon realized that this was actually more complicated than DJMREX so decided to give it a new name. Black Line is a typographic legal term, similar to ‘red line’, that means all previous drafts of a document are included. It seemed to fit the process.

Q: I can image it first of all is a damned crazy, but original way to bring ‘friends’ together or at least musicians who respect each other? What does it really mean to you and the others?

Douglas: It was pretty relaxed. Most of us live quite close to each other and Cyrus’ studio where we worked. The main core of the people on the album were myself, Zack and Cyrus. Other people would drop by as they wanted and in the case of Michael who lives in San Francisco or Paul who lives in Portland, we would send tracks we thought they’d enjoy working on. We had a lot of song ideas and sometimes they’d reach an impasse so we’d move on to another idea. There are a couple of songs that made it to the album that started life as a different song or different songs that we’d skim the best ideas from to form a complete song.

In terms of what it means to myself and all those involved, I think it was something we never planned to do so in some ways it was a surprise to be working in this way, at other times it could be frustrating to have so many ideas springing forth and it took quite a bit of discipline, especially from Zack to filter the good from the bad.

Q: What are your personal experiences about friendship and respect between artists? Is it really possible?

Douglas: Hmmm, the old friendship and being artists conundrum! I have had the pleasure of working and collaborating with a variety of artists over the years. Dropping in and out of essentially someone’s project is a lot easier than ‘being in a band’. I think Black Line inadvertently blurred that definition and so poignantly now it is the time to tour the album it has, inevitably, been hard to make the decisions about whom will play live. We did a celebratory show in LA earlier this year where we invited all the players on the album and also Jason Payne from Nitzer Ebb, but we knew moving forward having 9 people on stage would be simply unsustainable. So with the Depeche Mode tour being announced there are unsurprisingly some hurt feelings right now.

On a more general level, I have a good quantity of friends who are fellow artists and there is a very high level of respect and nothing but good will to one another.

Q: Back to Black Line and the album “Treason, Sedition, And Subversive Activities”. Was there a kind of concept or guiding line(s) for the artists to compose their song(s)? How did it happened and who has been responsible for the coordination between all contributors?

Douglas: There was no overview going into the project we just relied on our taste. But inevitably after listening to more tracks there seemed to be clear moods that were necessary for us to convey the whole project. The normal (for me) mixture of sadness, anger and humor. I wrote the majority of the lyrics and melodies but Zack was definitely involved and at times would originate lyrical ideas. Jon Bates (Big Black Delta) also had a role.

Sonically, Cyrus would set a mood for the most part using an extensive array of modular synthesis that would be the basis of a lot of the tracks that eventually made it to the album. I would then bounce off those to begin the lyrical and melodic content. Others would potentially add a level of additional musical mood and Zack would reign it in to be more honed in as a song.

Q: The songs are pretty diversified, but it feels a bit like your vocals are the cement between all of the songs to get the album compact and cohesive. Do you agree on this point and tell us a bit more how it was for you singing on such a diversified composition?

Douglas: We used layers of other people singing… Jon, Zack, even Ken Marshall, but there was never any thought of not having me sing and I agree with you that it creates the sound of an album to have a lead singer. But I would say that wouldn’t I?

I have a diverse taste in musical styles and have never felt inhibited by having to be ‘true’ to one thing or another in terms of lyrical or vocal performance. I react to the actual elements I am dealing with with each track. It is a lot of work and at times I simply didn’t have anything to say for a few days so we’d rework older tracks. Eventually the ideas are forthcoming or not. It’s a creative process that is not something you can turn or off as you wish.

Another point is that we are using quite complicated time signatures that do not necessarily stay the same throughout the song so it was challenging at times.

Q: Can you imagine Black Line playing any kind of charity performance? It would be something unique or am I just dreaming..? It also is another way to ask you about further plans for Black Line? 

Douglas: I better be able to imagine it as we are opening for Depeche Mode! Although I’m pretty certain that doesn’t qualify as a ‘charity performance’. We are planning on adding as many live shows as we can over the coming year.

Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries

Inferno Sound Diaries

I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.

www.side-line.com

picture by dark.edge photography

From 2nd-5th June 2017 the annual Wave-Gotik-Treffen takes place in the area of Leipzig, Germany. WGT focuses especially on the gothic, (steam)punk, new wave, electro, EBM, industrial and medieval music and (sub)culture. It is a total-concept world festival including exclusive concerts, renaissance fairs, viking and pagan markets, exhibitions, CD/DVD and film premieres, lectures, artist signing events, fetish events, and (late-night) parties.

Approximately 200 artists are on the list, spread over 52 locations and the festival has about 20.000 visitors. At this moment the program is not complete yet, but as usual some great names in the black scene are already confirmed, like: Cabaret Voltaire, Skinny Puppy, Revolting Cocks, The Mission, VNV Nation, Noisuf-X, Ordo Rosarius Equilibrio, Peter Heppner, Pouppée Fabrikk, Amorphis, Rotersand, Sex Gang Children, Suicide Commando, The 69 Eyes, …

A lot of pre- and after-parties are organised as well on different locations with DJ’s from all over the world! On 1st June for example there is the “Elektro All Stars meets Schwarzes Leipzig Tanzt! – WGT PreOpening Party” in Moritzbastei featuring Adrian Hates (Diary of Dreams), Daniel Myer (Covenant, Haujobb, Architect, DSTR) and more. The next day (2nd June) our own Side-Line collaborator DJ Wildhoney will play at the same location in the Veranstaltungstonne as well!

Info and tickets for WGT can be found here.

Leæther Strip belongs to the collective memory of all EBM fans. After nearly 30 years of existence, multiple hits and referential albums this Danish band set up an driven by Claus Larsen hits already back with a new album entitled “Spæctator”. The new work has been released on Rustblade and appears to be one of the best productions from late Leæther Strip work.

You can order all of his material right here. and a lot of his material can be downloaded right here from Bandcamp (use the code january50432 to get 50% off)

(by Inferno Sound Diaries)

Q: After years of commitment and an impressive discography what does the new work “Spæctator” means to you?

Claus: Yeah 2018 will make it 30 years since my first release as Leæther Strip. Releasing a new album has, since my first album, always been a personal landmark for me. I am very blessed to have been able to do this for so long and still have listeners. There is not a day that I don’t feel grateful.

Q: I got the feeling “Spæctator” is a real intimate album because of some recent tragic events you went through. What is it really all about and does music has this kind of magic power to heal wounds?

Claus: Yes, I lost my mother 2 years ago. Some very serious and suppressed events, and thoughts mainly from my childhood and teens, needed to be dealt with. Stuff that I should have handled many years ago, or events where people didn’t believe me. But I guess we all push stuff like that in the background because some things are just too painful. Most of my songs are very personal and kind of a diary of my life and what was going on around me, near and far. Composing songs has been my way of dealing with life events and also an escape from myself and my dark clouds. The best weapon for me against the dark clouds is being creative.

Q: One of my favorite cuts “Luc Van Acker” sounds less intimate, but what’s the story behind this song?

Claus: That song is the album’s ‘fun’ song. Back in ‘91 Leæther Strip opened up for the Revolting Cocks, and all I can say is that is sure wasn’t boring backstage. I cherish that gig so much and it’s one that stands out as one of the most fun gigs I played. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a band having so much fun both backstage and on stage. They were all super nice to us. I got kind permission from Luc and Chris to use that iconic ‘Luuuc Vaaaan Ackerrrrr’ shout from the Cocks’ love album in the song. I will be adding the song to my live set soon so I bet that will be fun.

Q: I already mentioned your impressive discography, but do you see one or more releases, which have been more important than others?

Claus:  For me they are all very special of course, and sure there are some more successful than others, and yes I do know that album like “Solitary Confinement”, “Self Inflicted” and “Legacy Of Hate And Lust” stand out in many of my listeners minds. These albums are still opening doors for me. I learn a lot doing each new song, so for me the old albums have their own life bringing back memories of good or bad times in people’s minds. I know that, because people write to me about what certain songs mean to them personally. I love getting these messages.  It’s what it’s all about. The power of music is so very strong, and it’s my therapy too.

Q: During the past few years you’ve released an impressive number of (mainly digital) cover songs from 80s formations like Simple Minds, Front 242, Skinny Puppy, Talk Talk, Yazoo, Depeche Mode ao. What do these covers mean to you and what do you precisely try to inject in a cover version?

Claus: Doing cover version of my favorite songs is kind of my hobby, and also a way to train my skills as a musician. I’ve done it for many years. I am a self taught musician and I do it all by ear, so diving into someone else’s song is good training and very inspiring. I mostly only cover songs that has had a special meaning for me and I am not trying to make the original better, as some think, I do it all with love and respect and I hope it might spark some new life into the songs and maybe make some new listeners check the original band out, in case they haven’t discovered them yet.

My cover album “Æppreciation”, which I released on Emmo.biz Records and on my Bandcamp site a few years ago is one of my most successful albums to date. Love doing them, so that won’t stop.

Q: I also noticed several songs composed for your husband Kurt. How is he doing and what’s the importance of your beloved –especially in your artistic activities?

Claus: Yes, his medicine costs are sky high and we’re struggling to make it work financially, so instead of doing a ‘go fund me’ or something like that to help him. I wrote some songs so people could support him, and us that way. All income from Bandcamp sales goes directly to his medicine account. People have been so very kind and many have been very supportive. We are still waiting for a kidney transplant, from me to him, but the doctors still do not want to do it. This sadly also means that Kurt can’t perform with me outside the EU, because he can’t get travel health insurance. It’s very hard for us, but it would be too risky to travel without insurance sadly.

It’s hard for us both being apart in this situation, but I need to make a living supporting us both. Right now he is stable, but that can change very fast, but we live one day at a time, with our heads held high. We got a live full of love and people who care about us all over the world. As long as we get each other and our friends support, nothing can beat us.

Q: What are the further plans for some of your side-projects like Am Tierpark, Klutæ and the (digital) label Body Music Records.?

Claus: I’ll soon starting to work on a new Klutæ album. It’s going to be a ‘back to the roots’-album, heavy and aggressive. That’s the plan.

With Am Tierpark, John and I just released a new EP titled “Cherry Blossom” on limited edition vinyl and digital. The next Am Tierpark is also composed and ready, so we are hoping it will be out soon too. We also hope to get some concert jobs with Am Tierpark during new year. We have had so much positive response so it’s time we take it to the stage.

With Body Music Records we have lots of exciting releases out and more to come in the next months.

As for Leæther Strip, the songs for the next album has also been composed and the tour will soon continue with shows in Madrid, Poland, Mexico, Germany, USA and many more booked. And in planning. So 2017 is going to be a busy year too. 2016 has been the best concert year for Leæther Strip ever, playing all over the world has been yet another dream come true. Thanks to my supporters I am still living my teenage dream still after almost 30 years.

Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries

Inferno Sound Diaries

I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.

www.side-line.com

Genre/Influences: Experimental, industrial-rock, krautrock.

Background/Info: A few years ago now the brothers Simone and Michele Bornati set up TwoMonkeys. “Whatt?” is their second full length album, which has been released in their homeland Italy on Villa Recordings.

Content: I never heard of this band before and the least I can say is that they’re dealing with multiple influences. Their sound is a mix of music genres moving from pure experimental music to a kind of industrial-rock to something Krautrock-like. You can hear 80s influences and even electronic passages reminding me of early Revolting Cocks, but also a kind of improvised compositions and other parts evoking some Suicide souvenirs.

“Whatt?” stands for a mix of electronics and guitar, but still pure experimental music featuring field recordings (or samplings). There are many guest musicians who contributed to this production and, which maybe explains the diversity.

+ + + : TwoMonkeys clearly appear to be open-minded artists bringing different influences together. I like some industrial-rock compositions and I especially recommend the title song for its great chorus where you’ll maybe feel the need to shout along with the singer. The more electro-driven cuts are noticeable parts as well. “Fingers” and “Troubling” evoke some 80s influences while “Train Cloud” again is something different that might appeal to Suicide fans.

– – – : The experimental format of the band makes it rather complex and not that accessible for a wider audience. TwoMonkeys clearly compose an atypical sound, which is not easy to define. I’m not that fond of the more improvised-like cuts.

Conclusion: TwoMonkeys sounds like music composed by aliens. It’s a weird experience and yet fascinating because of its diversity.

Best songs: “Train cloud feat. Chris Imler”, “Whatt”, “Fingers feat. François Cambuzat”, “Troubling feat. Novoline”.

Rate: (7).

Band: www.facebook.com/twomonkeystwo

Inferno Sound Diaries

I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.

www.side-line.com

The American industrial project Out Out (aka Mark Alan Miller) is about to release their newest album “Swan/Dive?” on Artoffact Records. The new album (a brilliant one truth to be told after having listened to the promo) is available on 2CD, black and clear-wood coloured vinyl, and in various combo packets which you can view right here. Note that the 2CD comes with a special bonus disc with 14 bonus remixes.

Formed originally in 1989, Mark Alan Miller’s industrial project Out Out has been through various incarnations over the years, mutating from an EBM band in the early 90s to incorporating guitar-industrial sounds to more experimental soundtrack work released in the 2000s. Originally signed to Tackhead’s Axis Records, Out Out was one of the earliest signees to US-based Metropolis Records, and is still probably best known for the club hit “Admire The Question”.

We asked Mark to present us the 5 tracks that influenced Out Out.

1/ Revolting Cocks – We Shall Cleanse the World Mark: “In some way or other, I’m pretty sure that this (live) era RevCo has infiltrated my music a little here, a little there – going all the way back. Probably no great surprise to anyone.”

2/ Cabaret Voltaire – Seconds Too Late

Mark: “There is a textural quality to this that always resonates. While later records like Microphonies are also probably recognizable as an influence, particularly when it comes to drum programming, the atmostphere on this is impeccable.”

3/ Todd Rundgren – The Spark of Life

Mark: “I first heard this when it came out, at the tender young age of four. Electronic drums and arpeggios, and wildly treated guitar. One of my first memories of being truly curious in the “how the hell did they make that sound” category. I covered another song from this same record on Swan/Dive?”

4/ Shriekback – Under the Lights

Mark: “The way these guys constructed this album – no real chord changes for the most part, developing song structure from additive and subtractive layers – is a pretty common method that I deploy myself. See also: #5, below.”

5/ Talking Heads – The Overload

Mark: “Because, a great drone is a thing to behold. Covering this song was an inevitable. I only took several decades to get around to it…”

Read the review of ‘Swan/Dive?’.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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(By Fiona K.) Looming on the summer horizon is the UK’s premier electronic music festival, Infest, on 26th – 28th August in Bradford, near Leeds in northern England. Now in it’s 18th year, Infest’s now fully-announced 2016 line-up is 3 glorious days of heavyweights of the electronic music genre, old and new.

Playing are Pop Will Eat Itself, Atari Teenage Riot, 3Teeth, Dead When I Found Her, Leaether Strip, Vigilante. to name but a few; and you’ll also get 3 days of top quality DJ’s to add to the fun.

Last year’s festival continued Infest’s long-standing reputation of impeccably-chosen line-ups of musically interesting and entertaining bands. Some of the highlights from last year included:

• a beautifully messed-up and rowdy electronic assault by ex-Ministry/Revolting Cocks’ frontman’s current incarnation, COCKSURE;
• a darkly-twisted techno set by the electronic trailblazers EMPIRION;
• an introduction to the primal industrial sound of CHANT all the way from Texas (which was a festival highlight);
• a sojourn in the incredibly polished theatrical-gothic niche that Germany’s L’Ame Immortelle dominate;
• the intense, emotive and diverse sound of KLANGSTABIL;
• the Pink Floyd of dark electronica, MIND IN A BOX, delighted with an intelligent, diverse and musically-rich performance.

And then there was the karaoke (yes, your read that correctly!), the dance-floor shenanigans and the after-parties and mayhem.

Here’s the thing about Infest though. It’s human-scale. It’s one stage. There’s no running around from venue to venue; no having to chose which of your bands you are prepared to miss because of cross-over scheduling. The staff are super-friendly; there’s food stalls and shots and outdoor seating and a general welcoming party atmosphere. If you haven’t been, go. It’s not one to miss.

Additional info on the official website. Tickets can be purchased right here. You can already watch here what to expect!

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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Celebrating the 30 year anniversary of the Wax Trax! release “Big Sexy Land”, several ex-Revolting Cocks members will reunite under the The Cocks flag to start a very short tour through 6 US-cities. The Cocks are Front 242’s Richard 23, Luc Van Acker, Chris Connelly and Paul Barker. Barker played bass, keyboards and did programming for Revolting Cocks between 1987 and 1993.

“Big Sexy Land” was originally released in 1986 and was the band’s first major release. At that time Revolting Cocks were Luc Van Acker, Richard 23 and Alain Jorgensen. Make sure to check these other Revolting Cocks related releases.

The band will play the following 6 dates in the USA:

• September 16 New York – Stimulate
• September 17 Houston – Numbers
• September 18 San Fran – DNA
• September 20 Tampa – Orpheum
• September 21 Baltimore – Ottobar
• September 24 Chicago – Metro/CWV

Revolting Cocks was founded by Richard 23 and Luc Van Acker with Al Jourgensen as their producer. Their first release was “No Devotion” on Wax Trax records in 1985. The single was quickly followed by an album, “Big Sexy Land” (1986), featuring a mix of Wax Trax-industrial, hard rock, and EBM with dominating sampling and strong synthesized beats. Richard 23 quit in 1986 due to creative differences, but joined the band on stage on April 17 2011 during the “Wax Trax! Records Retrospectacle: 33 1/3 Year Anniversary”.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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Genre/Influences: Industrial, electronic.

Background/Info: Semen Priest is a Canadian formation unleashing their 3^rd full length by Arachnidiscs Recordings, which is mainly devoted to the good-old and now totally underground cassette format.

Notice by the way the album is also available in a digital format on Bandcamp.

Content: I never heard of this band before, but the sound Semen Priest is dealing with clearly evokes some good-old souvenirs bringing me back to some 80s formations. There’s a kind of funky-industrial approach, which sounds a bit like the offspring between Revolting Cocks and Schriekback while some passages also remind me of the Luna Twist (old Belgian band). The sound is hard to define and yet familiar if you have been into the wider fields of new-wave music.

There’s a nice twist between electronics and guitar while the vocals reveal a kind of zombie, growling style. The songs are quite extended, but remain fascinating for their global sound texture. There also is a move from psychedelic passages into deep, resonating bass parts to this dark and industrial funky touch. Especially the first part of the album is quite remarkable.

+ + + : Semen Priest is inspired by some forgotten parts of the 80s electro & new-wave scene and will definitely appeal for lovers of early Revolting Cocks, My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult, Mussolini Headkick and other Schriekback.

– – – : “Third Testament” not always is the most accessible release while the cassette format is probably not the best way to bring a band in the spotlights.

Conclusion: “Third Testament” is a cool discovery bringing me back to forgotten times and legendary bands.

Best songs: “Wrong Number”, “Gendercide”.

Rate: (6½ ).

Band: https://arachnidiscs.bandcamp.com/album/semen–priest

Label: https://arachnidiscs.wordpress.com / www.facebook.com/arachnidiscs

Inferno Sound Diaries

I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.

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(Via DJ Wildhoney) The newest release of Al Jourgensen, mastermind of Ministry and Revolting Cocks, will take place on 15th of April 2016. Surgical Meth Machine is the industrial (speed) metal project of Al and longtime engineer Sam D’Ambruoso.

According to Jourgensen, the songs of Surgical Meth Machine have an average speed of 220bpm and “are not for the faint of heart”. The release of the “fastest music in the history of music” will be available on CD and on vinyl. You can order your format right here on Amazon UK.

Tracklist:
01. I’m Sensitive
02. Tragic Alert
03. I Want More
04. Rich People Problems
05. I Don’t Wanna
06. Smash And Grab
07. Unlistenable
08. Gates Of Steel
09. Spudnik
10. Just Go Home
11. Just Keep Going
12. I’m Invisible

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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