Shrouds is a solo-project hailing from Amsterdam (The Netherlands) driven by Thomas Bruning. Shrouds is already active for a few years and got finally signed to Hands. The official debut- and self-titled album was released April 2023 and became one of my favorite Industrial productions of the past year. “Shrouds” stands for a powerful mix of Industrial, IDM and Techno; a top-notch production which stands for ‘modern-Industrial’ music. (Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries)

Q: First things first; can you briefly introduce us to the sound-universe of Shrouds? What’s your musical background plus sources of inspiration which brought you to set up SHROUDS?

Thomas:Hi, I’m Thomas, 30 years young, born and raised in Amsterdam and brain father to Shrouds. Shrouds is many things. It’s life, it’s death. Divine and demonic. Light and dark.

In my early teens I started listening to a lot of Hip-Hop and Rap. Through my grandfather and uncle I got introduced to roots Reggae, Blues, Jazz, Psychedelic-Rock and a lot of other different styles of music from all over the world. Whatever genres they were, I always gravitated more towards the heavier stuff. Music that had a certain urgency, or emotion.

I was heavily into Sci-fi , history, mystics and myths, ancient folklore and other mind expanding subjects in life. That probably set the stage for the topics and vibes that I try to portray in my music.

At some point I got really into Electronic music. Some friends were going to Techno parties and I really caught the bug; downloaded Ableton and started producing. As time went on I started studying audio engineering and got a lot more into production. I dove deeper and deeper and now, here we are. Of course there are more layers to this story, but in a briefly explained way, I think all that combined brought me to setting up the foundation of Shrouds.

Q: You’re already active for a couple of years now and have released several singles, EP’s and remixes. How do you perceive the evolution in sound- and production process from ‘earlier’ productions towards your self-titled debut album?

Thomas: The very first Shrouds track was released in 2015 on the LA based TXTRL label. Back then Shrouds was still a 2 man project. I was on the production side of things and my friend Nicky was taking care of the mixing and mastering. Back then we were still heavily into partying, and that was definitely audible in our music.

Since we were in our beginning stages of production, we were looking a lot to influencing artists and after a night out, we would often be in the studio trying to ‘copy’ what they were doing. That way you really learn how to make structured music, and along the way you slowly find out what your own sound is. Of course you never really succeed copying someone else, but your own flavor comes out in the end. Quite quickly I realized that I wasn’t too interested in making ’standard’-Techno.

I started reading up on occult subjects and a new source of inspiration was born for Shrouds. Sound-wise stuff evolved in a more serious way. Stepping away from functional club music required different production methods, those methods I developed through learning sound/ audio engineering. Focusing less on ‘usability’ and what works, and more on exploring the sound and texture universe. Learning how to make sounds from scratch and having them match the sounds in your head. Switching from fully ‘in the box’ production to hardware and learning how sculpt with that. I’ve learned a lot of mixing and production techniques over the years and I keep learning every day still. To me it’s an on-going thing, really.

Themes and inspirations in life change, same goes for knowledge and skill. As a person you evolve and your music evolves along with you.

Q: “Shrouds” took me by surprise for its power and sound intelligence which I experienced as the offspring between Industrial, Techno and IDM. Tell us a bit more about the sound properly speaking plus writing/production of the album? What kind of work did you’ve in mind?

Thomas: It is indeed a hybrid between Industrial, Techno, IDM and many more inspirations. For the album I really wanted to make something that embodied the Shrouds universe as a whole. That’s the reason why the album is self-titled, it has a bit of everything and is not leaning on one particular story or theme. It paints a pretty extensive and detailed picture of what Shrouds is.

And the sound… it needed to sound mature. I hate cheesy and generic sounds, I spend a lot of time on my sound design and mixing. The themes that I explore in my music have a certain emotion and the sound design has to meet that same frequency. These sounds tell the story, so in order for them to tell the story as accurate as possible they have to be on the same emotional level, they have to carry the right words, so to say…. if that makes any sense.

Q: Do you’ve any specific way of working/composing and what are the different stages you’d to go through to achieve “Shrouds”?

Thomas:I always start from scratch. Take out all the cables from the modular and start from a sort of track idea in my head, including sounds and structure. Or just spend time with one certain module, discover it’s possibilities yet unknown. Or I could start with a simple technical idea like; what if I make this LFO the master clock, throw that in a multiple and use those clocks to trigger everything, building out the patch but all leading back to one basic principle or module. I like these chain reaction, organic type of patches where everything reacts and responds to each other, in a controlled chaos, just like the universe.

Whatever vague idea or feeling I start with, I always tune to the universal frequency and use concepts of sacred geometry and numerology along the way to help embed the vibe into the core of the music. I tap into that frequency and from there on I just jam out and sketch the manifesting idea until I find the correct ‘words’ and ‘phrasing’ to tell the story that lives in my head at that time.

After that is all dialed in and I have the main structure, I jam again, but this time trying to perform the whole track multiple times. I record everything, and when I feel I have the proper amount of material I review and start cutting. Then I start with the arrangement, after that detailing and filling in the missing pieces. After the track is basically done I move on to the mix, which is my favorite but also most hated part. That’s where most time is spent, and here the track really forms in to its final shape. Finally, it goes off to mastering, which I rather leave to the experts.

Q: The name of your project which also is the title of the album isn’t exactly reflecting the bright side of life. What did you try to express by this name/title and do we have to search for any deeper significance behind the song titles?

Thomas:The name is based on ‘The Shroud of Turin’, which is believed to be the piece of cloth Jesus was buried in. For me it stands for multiple things, but the fundamental is balance. Jesus which resembles life, and the shroud which resembles death. It’s the beauty in what is beastly.

There’s always a deeper significance behind my song titles, they often either directly correlate to samples used within the tracks or to the spirit of the story I’m trying to tell. I find it hard to describe but I hope you get the picture.

Q: Your debut album has been released by Hands which I think simply looks like a consecration for your work. What does it mean to you and what are your expectation being signed to a leading Industrial label? Do you feel there’s something like a Hands-family thing?

Thomas:Consecration is definitely a good word for it. It’s an huge honor for me, I remember finding the Hands-label and the artists it puts out, I was absolutely blown away. To me it’s one of the most influential labels out there and I would have never thought I’d be able to walk amongst these legends, let alone to be on the same label as them. So yeah, it means a whole lot and I hope to meet and perhaps even work with more members of the Hands-family soon.

And there’s no expectations really, it just feels really good to know that there is a platform that believes in my visions and is making sure the music is reaching the right ears.

Q: So what are the next steps and plans for the coming months?

Thomas:I’m taking it slow. After the album was released I lost my former studio space and had to tend to my family. We have a almost 2 year old daughter and we recently moved to a small village right outside the city, so I’ve been mostly busy with that. Now that we’ve settled in a bit I can finally start building up the studio again, which will now be in-house. On top of the moving and being a full time father, I also became head AV technician of a big events location so that has been pretty time consuming as well.

So next steps for Shrouds are rebuilding the studio and then probably reworking my older tracks to incorporate into the existing live set and developing that. But after not having fired up the machines for such a long time, I think might skip that and go straight into production for some new Shrouds music!

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

Referring to the events that unfolded globally, 2023 has again been a bloody, terrible year. Music continues to be a true therapy for soothing pain and suffering, though it seems to have a diminishing impact on the ongoing horror. Therefore, I’m once again wrapping up the year with a personal selection of my very own ‘best of’ albums.

Throughout the year, over 700 productions were selected, and 450 reviews were conducted. Some productions were declined because the style of music didn’t fit, others weren’t reviewed for not being ‘good enough’, while a final portion of reviews will be postponed to early 2024. I am immensely grateful to all the labels, bands, and promoters for considering my work, and I look forward to collaborating again in 2024.

I extend my deepest gratitude and thanks to Rich Bova (NEIKKA RPM), who has been reading, correcting, and improving the reviews for many years. Without Rich, these reviews would not exist. I also want to thank Bernard Van Isacker, chief editor of Side-Line Music Magazine, for our ongoing, successful collaboration. Last but not least, I thank my lovely wife, Katja, for giving me the time and freedom to pursue my passion.

However…

Looking ahead to 2024, I’ve been scaling back my activities for a few years and plan to reduce them further. Having started with my first reviews and interviews back in 1991, I feel the end drawing near. My aim is to reach 2025, but nothing is certain. I’ve grown a bit tired and disillusioned with how things are evolving.

That’s why I want to express a big ‘F*** you’ to so-called ‘artists’ and label owners who fail to realize or appreciate the work I do in creating reviews and preparing interviews to spotlight them. Guys, I do this for free and in my free time! The attitude and lack of respect shown by some – fortunately a very few – is very, very sad. But, I’m afraid it reflects the world we live in. Behind a genius artist doesn’t always stand a great person. It’s odd realizing that the ‘biggest’ and long-established artists in this scene are often the most accessible.

Writing reviews remains highly subjective and a source of discussion. Remember, it’s always the reviewer’s perception. I assure you, I always strive to substantiate my reviews as best as possible. A review is subjective but must be honest!

Like every year, I’ve selected the best albums of the year 2023. This ‘TOP 25’ encompasses various styles like EBM, Dark-Electro, IDM, Synth-Pop, Ethereal, Dark-Ambient, Industrial, Ritual, Cinematic, Gothic, Post-Punk, Cold/Dark-Wave, Dark-Techno, and a few related genres. It’s always an exciting yet challenging task.

This ‘TOP 25’ is based on the promotional material I received, excluding compilations, ‘best of’ productions, EPs, and singles. So, here’s my ‘TOP 25’ from 2023, and don’t forget to share it with your friends…

Stéphane Froidcoeur (for Inferno Sound Diaries/Side-Line Reviews)

Top 25 albums of the year 2023

1. CERULEAN VEINS “Black” Cold Transmission Music
2. LIEBKNECHT “Fabrikat” Ant-Zen
3. FRONTIER GUARDS “Colony” Aliens Production
4. SOPOR AETERNUS & THE ENSEMBLE OF SHADOWS “Alone At Sam’s – An Evening With…” Apocalyptic Vision / Trisol
5. WAVESHARD “Waveshard” Corvus Records
6. THE EMPATH “Black Hole” Audiophob
7. VNV NATION “Electric Sun” Metropolis Records
8. EFF DST “Incarnate” Ant-Zen
9. ENZO KREFT “XL” Enzo Kreft
10. DELEYAMAN “The Sudbury Inn” TTO Records
11. GIRLS UNDER GLASS “Backdraft” Dependent Records
12. ALIEN VAMPIRES “Return Me To Hell” Alfa Matrix
13. SUN’S SPECTRUM “The Silence After The Fall” Cold Transmission Music
14. DANIEL MYER “Hingab” Sonic Groove
15. SHROUDS “Shrouds” Hands
16. DIARY OF DREAMS “Melancholin” Accession Records
17. MONO INC “Ravenblack” NoCut / SPV
18. ROME “Gates Of Europe” Trisol
19. OHNE NOMEN “The S-Witch” Cold Transmission Music
20. THE SEVEN WHORES OF THE APOCALYPSE “All Through The Waste” Scanner / Dark Dimensions
21. SPANKTHENUN “The Bunker Tapes Vol.3” SpankTheNun
22. BLACKCARBURNING “Watching Sleepers” COP International
23. GOD BODY DISCONNECT “The Weight Of Regression” Cryo Chamber
24. MILDREDA “Blue-Devilled” Dependent Records
25. PASCAL SAVY “Simulacra” Cyclic Law

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, IDM.

Format: Digital, CD.

Background/Info: This self-titled album by Amsterdam (The Netherlands) native Thomas Bruning also is the official debut album of the artist.

Content: The work takes off with a slow tempo and IDM-orientated sound. Quite progressively Shrouds move on exploring the path of IDM while injecting harder, Industrial, and vague Techno-driven influences. The tracks have been accomplished by multiple, icy, metallic, sound treatments and broken beats. A few spoken samplings can be noticed now and then.

+ + + : Shrouds sounds like it is emerging from out of the blue taking me by surprise. The work is a sophisticated, intelligent and somewhat visionary Industrial music genre. The artist achieved his work with an impressive sound canvas of manipulated sound treatments. I like the cold atmosphere hanging over the work while the rhythms will get you to dance. “Shrouds” reveals numerous great cuts so in the end it’s hard to say which one is my favorite. 

– – – : I don’t see any real minus point but there’s just one, little regret… the album is featuring 8 tracks.

Conclusion: Shrouds is a great discovery in the ‘modern-Industrial’ music age and has accomplished a brilliant debut album.

Best songs: “Morphed Being”, “Who Are They”, “Listen To Me”, “Torn Apart”, “I Hope You Find Me”.

Rate: 9.

Artist: www.facebook.com/shroudsmusic

Label: www.handsproductions.com / www.facebook.com/hands.official

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, Industrial-Techno, Rhythmic-Noise, IDM.

Format: Digital, CD.

Background/Info: “Forms Of Hands” became a familiar compilation from the Dortmunder (Germany) based label Hands. Every year the label organizes a ‘family-festival’ featuring a list of bands from their roster. After the festival we always get a fine selection of bands which played at the festival featuring exclusive tracks for the compilation. Fourteen projects have been selected for 22-edition.

Artists: Strobo Lolita, Shrouds, Cervello Elettronico, MS Gentur, Greyhound, Nullvektor, Orphx, Sans-Fin, Phasenmensch + Antoine Saint-Martin, Monya, 16Pad Noise Terrorist, Maschinenkrieger KR52, Mono No Aware, Ah Cama-Sotz. 

Content: The compilation reveals familiar names featuring renowned projects from the ‘wider Industrial fields’ next to upcoming talents. But the sampler is also an opportunity to discover the sound of Hands; from good-old Rhythmic-Noise and harsh Industrial music mixed with extra influences like D’N’B and techno to more sophisticated compositions touching ground with IDM.

+ + + : Hands remains one of the ‘oldest’ and still leading labels from the Industrial fields. Old servants like Ah Cama-Sotz, Greyhound and Mono No Aware but also Maschinenkrieger KR52, MS Gentur, Nullvektor, 16Pad Noise Terrorist and the intelligent Industrial sound of Cervelllo Elettronico and Orphx will bring you power and joy. My personal favorites are Ah Cama-Sotz for its Technoid orientation revealing an artist who remains in constant progress and Maschinekrieger KR52 for its surprising Minimal/Techno-Industrial cut. Orphx remains another great and visionary formation revealing a Techno/EBM cut with Industrial elements on top. Other attention grabbers are Sans-Fin with a Technoid approach as well but also harsher cuts from Shrouds, Greyhound and the more Techno-Industrial MS Gentur. This compilation remains a must-have for all the exclusive cuts.

– – – : Still a great compilation, but from a very personal point of view not my favorite one from the impressive list which started in 2001.

Conclusion: This label compilation remains a great addition and souvenir to the festival night. Industrial rules!

Best bands: Maschinekrieger KR52, Ah-Cama-Sotz, Orphx, Sans-Fin, Nullvektor, MS Gentur, Greyhound, Cervello Elettronico, Strobo Lolita

Rate: 8.

Label: www.handsproductions.com / www.facebook.com/hands.official

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

Clément Perez is a French DJ and producer who’s already active for several years now. He released an impressive number of EP’s on different labels such as Tripalium Records, Gobsmacked Records, i-Traxx Recordings, Green Fetish Records ao, but he this year joined hands together with Ant-Zen to unleash his first full length album. “The Poison Tree” is a hard-danceable work featuring a perfect harmony between Techno- and Industrial music. The album features twelve heavy cuts (revealing a song together with HYPNOSKULL) plus four remixes by ANTECHAMBER, SHROUDS, CRYSTAL GEOMETRY and MONO-AMINE.

(Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries)

Q: You’re involved with electronic music for years now, but who do you consider as your personal ‘Godfathers’; those who inspired you to DJ and make your own music? And how do you see yourself as musician/producer?

Clément: I have quite a list of ‘Godfathers’; from Aphex Twin to Jeff Mills or Converter to Ed Rush. I’m listening to a lot of different stuff and for each genres I have favorites for sure. I like artists that have their own visions and keep walking their own path all along their career. A lot of them don’t even tour or do gigs in fact.

DJing is maybe another thing as I have always liked the techniques of DJing itself. For example, I really like DJs like Jeff Mills, or The DJ Producer, Manu Le Malin or Stephanovitch back in the days; artists who are able to blend a real savoir-faire (playing on 3 decks, mixing tracks very quickly) with a great sense of tracks selection to tell their own story in a party. I try to keep it that way, even if it’s a very ‘90s’ attitude.

Speaking about that, that’s also how I see myself as a musician and producer. I’m trying to keep this very ‘hardcore’ and lowkey attitude from the 90s nowadays, moving forward with my own music, using the past without trying to recreate things from the past. Pretty difficult in fact when even kids are trying mostly to make 80s or 90s music.

Q: 14ANGER has released an endless list of EP’s, but “The Poison Tree” is your first album ever, released this year by Ant-Zen. What does this album mean to you and do you think there still a future for full length releases? How do you see things evolving?

Clément: It means quite a lot, as you said I’ve done a lot of EP’s along the years and it was a challenge for me to start doing a full LP. I’ve trying to make music in a different way, keeping things simple and with less editing than usual. Also doing a ‘real’ industrial album was something I wanted to do for a long time. I’m really happy with it and even happier to be featured on Ant-Zen, which is surely the label I’ve listening to the most in my life.

I’m sure full length releases have a future, as it’s (for me), the best way to listen to something seriously, to really enter into someone’s work. Maybe it’s a generational thing, but I listen to a lot of full LP and I will continue doing some in the future.

Q: You just said composing a full length was a challenge so what have been the main ideas and inspiration to compose this work? How did the writing of the songs happened and is there a different approach in writing an album or an EP?

Clément: The main idea behind the album was to focus on the relationship with nature and humans. I’ve spent a lot of time in the forests and mountains around the place where I’m living. I did that for some months, under the very hot sun of Southern France. That certainly shaped the sound of the album. I’ve worked and finished the album on a pretty short period of time, using a sound library I’ve made and using the same synths and FX to have a special sound overall. I also worked with a lot of audio samples, a bit like I was doing when I first started to produce as I was using audio trackers only. It was really different for sure to make a full album and not a Techno EP, it’s way more personal and demanding.

Q: The sound of the album is mainly dominated by a fusion between techno- and industrial music. What makes both genres complementary and how do you perceive both music styles?

Clément: Techno and Industrial are my roots, my 2 main and bigger influences. I basically can’t imagine Techno without Industrial sounds and Industrial music sometimes miss the energy of Techno. I just see the 2 styles fitting together even if the scenes were not the same. It’s less true nowadays though.

Q: You seem to like working with other artists, but especially with Dep Affect. What makes the chemistry between both of you and what did you learn and maybe discover from yourself throughout these collaborative productions? 

Clément: We started to work together 5 years ago and it  really happened naturally, fun and easy. Even if we’re living at the opposite sides of the planet (Dep Affect is Australian), we somehow have pretty close tastes in music, and a lot of common things in our backgrounds. I sure learned a lot of things working with him, and I can say exactly the same about working with Daniel Myer in RENDERED. That could be about mixing, sound design or working more on themes and arrangements – I can definitely say I’m much better in making themes and working on details now.

Q: I noticed you together with an impressive list of French electro/techno artists contributed to a statement about the danger to see electronic artists/music disappear. It’s all because of the Covid-19 pandemic, but can you give us more details and how do you as artist try to manage this situation?

Clément: I was part of the artists who signed this as it’s just hard to watch things disappearing now mainly because politicians are doing again such a bad work. The situation could be so much better right now if good things and preparations have been done. However, I have a fulltime day-job so I’m not really affected by the situation on a financial side, but I definitely miss gigs a lot. I hope things could be better soon with maybe quick tests at doors for gigs and concerts. We have to wait and see, hoping not too much people will struggle and just quit the scenes for good…

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-techno.

Format: Digital.

Background/Info: Clément Perez is a French artist who has been active as a DJ and became interested in different music genres. Like a painter he experienced and moved throughout different periods and genres. Under the 14anger moniker he released an impressive number of EP’s on very different labels such as Tripalium Records, Gobsmacked Records, i-Traxx Recordings, Green Fetish Records and many others. This year he joined hands together with Ant-Zen to unleash his debut full length album.

Content: Clément Perez has been clearly inspired by techno music, which is an influence he transposed into a hard-banging sound to mix it with industrial harshness. Some tracks are clearly getting very close to good-old power-noise, but there always is this dark-techno touch on top. One of the tracks has been composed together with Hypnoskull. The album features 12 tracks of terror plus 4 remixes by Antechamber, Shrouds, Crystal Geometry and Mono-Amine.

+ + + : Industrial-techno became a kind of trend, but more than this it simply becomes a modern sonic hybrid between 2 music genres, which clearly have much more in common than we originally thought. This album is a sonic bridge between these heavy styles. The techno inspiration of 14anger is a merciless and somewhat perverted interpretation, which has been empowered by the coldness of industrial sound treatments. I noticed several attention grabbers, but my favorites are “Turned To Dust And Ashes”, “Train To Nowhere” (which is an imposing opener) and “Adown The Glade”. “5 Minutes Left” featuring Hypnoskull is another merciless piece. But the absolute masterpiece appears to be “Night Swallows Day”. Among the remixes I especially recommend the “Ruins” remix by this other talented French artist: Crystal Geometry.

– – – : Don’t ask me why, but I get the feeling 14anger is even able to do better than what has been exposed here.

Conclusion: “The Poison Tree” stands for the modern edit of industrial-techno music. This is a highly recommended debut album by a project that has already released numerous EP’s.

Best songs: “Night Swallows Day”, “Turned To Dust And Ashes”, “Train To Nowhere”, “Adown The Glade”, “5 Minutes Left”.

Rate: (8).

Artist: www.facebook.com/14anger

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

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: Dark-electro, electro-industrial, industrial-ambient.

Background/Info: This album was originally released in 2017 and consisted of songs originally composed by Throbberstalk and, which got reworked by Vore Complex. The German solo-project Throbberstalk was mainly active in the 90s while the British Vore Complex is a contemporary project. The original “Petrichor”-album has now been remastered.

Content: If you’re a bit familiar with the original stuff of Throbberstalk you for sure will recognize the dark-electro & ambient format reminding me of bands like Mortal Constraint, Mentalo & The Fixer, Skinny Puppy and co. The original approach has been mixed with a more contemporary input injecting a new life into the songs. The music of Throbberstalk has been a bit polished and in a way reinvented by Vore Complex

+ + + : This concept is nothing new although I can’t remember to have heard a band, which is no longer active remixed by a contemporary formation. It’s a meeting between different generations, but the love and passion of music has no limits. I’m sometimes missing the original ‘rough’ format of Throbberstalk, but at the other side I really enjoyed some reworked cuts featuring modernism and refinement. One thing is for sure, both projects are perfectly fitting with each other and it could incite Throbberstalk to start writing new music with Vore Complex as producer. I also want to say a word about the great, informative booklet, which will give you more details about Throbberstalk and the way this album came to life.

– – – : Both bands definitely deserved (for the first one) and deserve (for the other one) more recognition.

Conclusion: Dark-electronic music with attitude! It’s a pity Throbberstalk didn’t get more recognition when the project was active than today.

Best songs: “Shrouds”, “Bloody Marks”, “As Black As Incest”, “As Black As Incest – Demo”, “Remind Your Innocence”.

Rate: (7½).

Artists: www.facebook.com/throbberstalk / https://vorecomplex–released.bandcamp.com

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: Dark-ambient, cinematographic.

Background/Info: American solo-project Council Of Nine aka Maximillian Olivier is back on track, unleashing a             new conceptual work. The fourth solo-album is inspired by a horrible drama that happened on March, 22^nd, 1997 in Rancho Santa Fe (California) where 39 members of the ‘Heaven’s Gate’-cult committed suicide.

Content: “Exit Earth” sounds like an invitation to dive into a dark sonic abyss where the listener will be submitted to overwhelming- and vibrating sound waves. You now and then will get the impression to feel a presence, which is only accentuated by ghost-like voices in the distance. Quite progressively the ‘travel’ becomes a bit more dreamy-like although flavored by a solid dark sound atmosphere.

+ + + : Council Of Nine has proven over the past few years to be a real reference when it comes to dark-ambient/cinematographic music. The new work doesn’t sound that different and is mainly characterized by an impressive sound mix and –production. I get the feeling of hearing resonating sound waves in a cathedral, which is something freaky and will give you goose pimples. Especially the opening tracks create this sensational effect, which for this kind of music can be considered as a qualitative criterion. The music already reveals this unique visual appeal, which will get you throughout imaginary cellars and other abyssal depths.

– – – : I first listened to the album and next discovered its concept. It remains a cool opus, but I have to admit I would have expected something darker and especially more disturbing when considering the concept that has inspired the music.

Conclusion: Despite of the horrible drama behind this conceptual release, it rather feels as a dark sonic caress.

Best songs: “Time Is Running Out”, “This World Has Not Been Kind”, “Red Alert”, “Death Shrouds”.

Rate: (7½).

Artist: www.facebook.com/Council–Of–Nine-728531383895261

Label: www.cryochamberlabel.com /  www.facebook.com/CryoChamber

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: Dark-electro, industrial-ambient.

Background/Info: This album is something special; it’s the meeting between 90s formation Throbberstalk, which has been remixed by the contemporary project Vore Complex. Behind Vore Complex is hiding Ben Power, who seems to be a prolific artist and a real huge fan of remixes. I noticed he already released an album entitled “Pavane” on, which he only remixed established names from the dark-electro and EBM scene.

Content: If you’re a bit familiar with the original stuff of Throbberstalk you for sure will recognize the dark-electro & ambient format reminding me of bands like Mortal Constraint, Mentalo & The Fixer, Skinny Puppy and co. The original approach has been mixed with a more contemporary input injecting a new life into the songs. The music of Throbberstalk has been a bit polished and in a way reinvented by Vore Complex

+ + + : This concept is nothing new although I can’t remember to have heard a band, which is no longer active remixed by a contemporary formation. It’s a meeting between different generations, but the love and passion of music has no limits. I’m sometimes missing the original ‘rough’ format of Throbberstalk, but at the other side I really enjoyed some reworked cuts featuring modernism and refinement.

– – – : I’m not sure this album will get its deserved recognition. When a forgotten and rather unknown 90s formation is remixed by an unknown contemporary artist you don’t really expect it will rapidly become a work everybody will talk about.

Conclusion: I think this work is a late consecration for Throbberstalk, which never expected to get remixed by a new and contemporary formation. Well, it’s an original idea bringing the sound of Throbberstalk into a new dimension.

Best songs: “Shrouds”, “Bloody Marks”, “As Black As Incest”, “As Black As Incest – Demo”, “Remind Your Innocence”.

Rate: (7).

Bands: www.facebook.com/throbberstalk / www.facebook.com/VoreComplex

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: Neo-folk, industrial, neo-classical, cinematographic. 

Background/Info: Larrnakh is a Hungarian solo-project set up by Sörös Gergö (still active as the singer in Cawatana). It’s not exactly a solo-formation as Gergö got the contribution of several guest musicians. “Necrofolk – Like The Silken Shrouds Of Death” is the third album of Larrnakh.

Content: The influences running through this opus are clearly a mix of neo-folk, neo-classic and industrial music plus some cinematographic passages. The debut part is a beautiful experience in sound with an artistic neo-classic approach. It progressively moves towards a mix of neo-classic and neo-folk and next moves into more industrial fields.

The very last songs get back to the artistic beauty of the opening cuts, but it now all becomes more film-like with some melancholic touch on top.

Some of the songs feature a few vocals adding a sort of heavenly flavor to the work.

+ + + : This is a beautiful and artistic album. The influences are complementary creating many outstanding songs. The composition with acoustic instruments like violin, bass, cello and the multiple piano arrangements inject an authentic touch to the work. This is a beautiful piece of music, which sounds harmonious and perfectly fitting as a soundtrack.

– – – : The opening- and final cuts are simply amazing, but some of the other cuts in the midst are a little less convincing like missing the true spirit of the other songs. It however just concerns a few pieces.

Conclusion: Larrnakh is not creating a new format of neo-folk, but a successful symbiosis between different genres. This work will appeal to a wider audience of music lovers who like authentic instruments.

Best songs: “December”, “For A Dead Man”, “Internal Storm”, “A Dream In Grey”, “Private Passion”, “Dewdrops On My Wings”.

Rate: (8).

Band: www.facebook.com/Larrnakh-144753175606599

Label: www.rageineden.org / www.facebook.com/rageinedenrecords

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