Across numerous projects, collaborations, and incarnations, Matt Howden has built a body of work that consistently blurs the borders between song, ritual, spoken word, and sonic experiment. Best known to many for Sieben, yet never easily contained by one format or one scene, Matt Howden has long followed a path where language, texture, and atmosphere matter as much as melody. On Language For Stone, created around the poetry of his father Keith Howden and the extraordinary sound of Skiddaw’s “musical stones,” he moves into especially evocative territory: part composition, part excavation, part landscape study. The result is an album that feels intimate and elemental at once, shaped by geology, memory, craftsmanship, and the strange life of resonance

Matt Howden interview

Q: When you recorded the singing stones for Language For Stone, did you approach them more as a field recordist documenting an acoustic phenomenon, or as a composer translating raw material into form? Where do you place yourself between preservation and transformation?

Matt: I’m definitely more the composer. But I was also keen to compose around the harmonics and foibles of the sounds I gathered, most notably the metres-long lithophone, think huge stone glockenspiel, that I sampled in Keswick Museum, and my father’s voice as he read his own poetry.

Q: The concept behind this release feels close to “music archaeology.” On a practical level, what surprised you most in the studio: pitch behavior, resonance, dynamic range, or the way stone interacts with microphones and processing?

Matt: Exactly that, the pitch behaviour of the lithophone is special, flawed, and inconsistent. How you hit each note, the harmonics, or more likely lack of them, in the resonance. The dead stones, the lively stones, the imperfect hit. The window cleaner doing his job outside, and fucking up my sampling. These were all positives to accentuate and bring out in the melodies I wrote for it. To play free with them, and with a beautifully inconsistent lithophone in the controlled and predictable environs of a studio. To roll with it, feel the nuances of its unique sound, and then pick wisely from the things you create, jam, record, tweak.

Q: You followed a route tied to Peter Crosthwaite and the Skiddaw area. While shaping the album, what ultimately became the true score: geography, story, the samples themselves, or your embodied memory of the landscape?

Matt: The plan was to pull each of these together into the project, including hidden references to the stones and the area within the artwork. We, Giulio from Archaeological Records and I, documented, photographed, took videos, and made sound recordings as we went along on a trip there. There was a lot of pawing over maps, which I love. Maps are fabulous. Some planning over which local pubs had good ales and food also took place.

Q: This is your third collaboration with your father. On Language For Stone, what felt different in your working method, your trust, or your division of roles compared to the earlier projects?

Matt: Set in stone, for each of these three projects. No “collaboration” at all. My father is a poet, and writes his poetry. I set it to music after. Of course, there are the themes we’ve set out before that get it all going, and this work was the first where there were themes for both of us to work to. Previously, I’d simply taken my father’s existing work and set it to music. Collaborations are common and usual in the DIY and underground scene I exist in. It would just seem weird with my dad, and not how either of us works in our natural states.

Q: Keith’s poetry here is intensely musical, with alliteration and hard consonants doing real rhythmic work. When language carries that much internal tempo, do you tend to let the text lead the structure, or do you build a counterstructure that reframes it?

Matt: I always work around the voice, is the simple answer. The words are king, are primary, here. I found that Elgar-style strings and slow-flowing melodies worked well under the voice. The lithophone can fill in, and even be adventurous, behind the words, due to its percussive nature and the way I shaped its sound with multiple time-based effects in the mix. It’s worth noting here just how very rhythmical my father’s reading of his poems was. After recording them, I would sit with them and a metronome click and would always find a tempo that the voice wove into perfectly. And the sonic elements within the plosives, consonants, and timbre of my dad’s voice are a pleasure to work with. Less so when he’d had whisky towards the end of the recording session.

Q: In Language For Stone the stones act as genuine percussive melody, not decorative texture. What compositional decisions helped you integrate them into violin and electronics without sanding down their geological character?

Matt: The lithophone is allowed to dominate the mix as it doesn’t interfere with the main element, the spoken word. It can dance above, set patterns opposed to the voice that don’t make the listener choose, or distract. Then there was the simple choice I allowed myself with other instruments. I stuck solidly to only bass and violins, for the most part, backing up and underpinning the voice and stones. And some nature sounds woven in, for good measure.

Q: The record sits in a rare zone between folk memory, neo-classical sensibility, and experimental sound practice. Did you imagine it primarily as a cycle of songs, or as a suite shaped by conceptual continuity more than by “song form”?

Matt: I mostly worked in a simple song form, depending on which poem it was. The spoken word forms a natural verse, stanza by stanza, and the music swells in the “chorus” in between. The melodies are often longer than pop or song melodies, more free, more thematic, but underpinned with pop, struggling for a good word there, sensibilities. Shorter phrases and drums help simplify the sound and add the ritual elements. I wanted it melodic and listenable, soaked in the landscape of the stones, and as a power bank for the words and their deep resonance.

Q: The physical edition includes a map locating the recorded stones, which is such a specific invitation. Was this meant to encourage listeners toward pilgrimage, or to underline that the landscape itself is a co-author of the work?

Matt: The landscape sprung the work. And I’d definitely encourage people to visit, the Lake District is the most beautiful set of hills in Cumbria, Northern England. Such landscape cannot help but inspire. As said, I love maps, and I love how they represent the land. Digital maps offer even more possibilities, but don’t have the pleasurable physicality of a large-scale 25,000:1 double-sided map you have to wrestle with to enjoy.

Q: There’s a striking restraint in the production. The album feels ritualistic, but it avoids pastoral nostalgia and avoids “fantasy nature” clichés. Were there particular aesthetic temptations you consciously rejected to keep the tone truthful?

Matt: Absolutely so. I tend to drift to the romantic with the violin when I drift off and play without thinking or shaping. And you wouldn’t believe the hours I spent with this, and the last Sieben album, recording strings of multiple layers, masses of edits and production tasks, only to find I’ve done the same old thing, filled the frequency spectrum too much, been predictable. The joy, and pain, of the studio is that you start again, and again, and create something special and unusual that lasts on the recording forever once it’s there. Playing that melody is never hard, finding the right part to play so often is.

Q: Looking at your wider body of work, where do you place Language For Stone now? Does it feel like a continuation of your long-standing interests in language and sound, or does it mark a quieter recalibration of what you want composition to be?

Matt: I think it harked back to some of my earlier works, “Pastoral Howden,” as someone once phrased it to me, that focused on nature, language, and landscape. As always, I tried to put the lessons learned in the previous albums to good use, and develop my sound further. I also came at this album with better production sensibilities, and the clarity that comes with making each record. And as always, this was also a reaction to my previous album, Sieben: Brand New Dark Age, where it was sonically more heavy, pounding, and electronic. I did sneak some gentle electronics into Language For Stone too, though. My father’s poems, his words, make this album what it is. A real pleasure to work with them, and make this album with him and my good friend Giulio. My mother even wrote the sleeve liner note on Peter Crosthwaite, the original finder of the “musical stones of Skiddaw.”

Funnily enough, I’ve started the next Sieben album, which may end up being called In The Strange, far heavier music than Language For Stone, but I’ve carried over my use of the lithophone into this album. It has a cold-wave keys feel to it when mixed with beats and my heavier violin style.

Karo Kratochwil

Based in Wrocław, I work as a music journalist and photographer covering electro, industrial, EBM, gothic, and darkwave. My work includes features and live coverage, as well as concert, portrait, promo, and theater photography. What interests me most is the connection between artistic intention, what the work communicates, and what unfolds live on stage, all in pursuit of the bigger picture behind the music.

Matt Howden returns with ten new tracks, delivered alongside his trusted companion, Kev, the violin. Sieben remains an experience beyond easy description; it’s unmistakably Experimental, with elements of Chanson woven through socially conscious lyrics, and often has a Cinematic quality that lends a haunting, melancholic feel. Howden’s violin work is as unparalleled as ever; at times, he conjures riffs reminiscent of Led Zeppelin, and moments later, he brings an eerie, atmospheric touch. There are even highly danceable passages featured. His lyrics are delivered with a unique blend of passion and enchantment, capturing something almost otherworldly. Matt Howden isn’t just a musician; he’s a sorcerer of sound, wielding his violin with an artistry all his own. Notably, the digital edition of this album also includes live versions of all 10 tracks, offering an added dimension to the experience. (Rating:8).

Listen to “Stay The Hand”:

https://sieben.bandcamp.com/track/05-stay-the-hand

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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Genre/Influences: Cinematic, Experimental, Chanson, Dark-Wave. 

Format: Digital, CD.

Background/Info: Inanis Yoake was set up in London (UK) in 2020 by Simone Skeleton and Risa Hara. “How Things Seem” was released early 2023 and got the assistance of multiple guests like Matt Howden (Sieben), Tony Wakeford (Sol Invictus) ao.

Content: Eleven songs of melancholic grace featuring different vocalists. It sounds eclectic and yet there’s an explicit connection between all songs. From revery and heavenly vocals to powerful passages featuring guitar and electronic arrangements this work has a lot to offer. 

+ + + : I especially like the deep, melancholic, expression running through most of the songs. The different guest artists contributing to this work sound in real symbiosis with the band. I recommend listening to “Nowhere” for the impressive vocals by Roberto Conforti and “Abandonned” for the graceful vocal performance by Vivienne Cure.  Another noticeable song is “Left Behind” featuring magic trumpet playing.

– – – : I can’t say there’s really one song emerging from the tracklist; no ‘hit’s here but simply songs to listen and enjoy.

Conclusion: “How Things Seem” is a deeply artistic and achieved piece of music; a sonic caress to embrace winter evenings.

Best songs: “Abandonned”, “Left Behind”, “Nowhere”.

Rate: 7½. 

Artist: www.facebook.com/inanisyoake.bandcamp

Label: www.darkvinyl.de / www.facebook.com/darkvinylrecords

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

In 2017, the electronic duo from Sheffield, UK, known as In The Nursery, unveiled an album titled “1961”. This number isn’t only unique because it’s strobogrammatic (the next one will be 6009), but it also signifies the year of birth of the twin brothers behind the band, Nigel and Klive Humberstone.

Conceptually the album “1961” draws from historical, literary, and personal aspects associated with this year, hence also the Ford Consul on the cover artwork.

Today, they’ve launched an instrumental version of “1961” as “1961 (instrumentals +)”, featuring a never-before-released track, “Sieben”. Also part of the album are initial mix versions and an early rehearsal recording titled “Retrofire (inception)”. The artwork has also been changed accordingly leaving the twin brothers out of the picture, it’s an instrumental album after all (nice detail we must say).

For those interested in purchasing this album, use the discount code ‘August20’ at checkout for a 20% off. As it’s Bandcamp Friday today the band returns the waved fee (and more) to the fans.

This is the original release so you can compare the recordings.

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: Cinematic, Tribal, Industrial.

Format: Digital, CD.

Background/Info: Nicolas Van Meirhaeghe aka Sal-Ocin strikes back with a new chapter from the “Mortusae”-series which brings different songs from the artists together. This new compilation gets back to the EP’s “Lueur” (2017), “Œuvres Au Noir” (2020), “SHäk” (2023) and “Uzupis” (2018) remixed by Sieben.

Content: The main part of the work is driven by an explicit Cinematic approach which has been empowered and completed with the more familiar Tribal side of Empusae. From uplifting passages by crescendo percussion sections and heavy bombast to horror-movie like atmospheres this work is mainly characterized by the progressive build up from the tracks. The remix by Sieben featuring vocals and violin parts by Matt Howden sounds different although delicate and subtle.

+ + + : I like the idea bringing different EP’s together and especially when there clearly is a common threat branded by the Cinematic music style. I however like the Tribal side from the percussion and the overwhelming bombastic / epic arrangements. “Guiding Light” and “Asok” both are great pieces. The songs have a visual appeal accentuated by the slow progression gaining a true climax.

– – – : I regret there are no more chants and/or choirs featured, the music being totally appropriated to get mixed by it. The song remixed by Sieben sounds cool but it has less in common with Empusae. Why not set up a collaborative production?

Conclusion: A cool compilation by one of the absolute masters of the Belgian Ritual and Cinematic style.

Best songs: “Asok”, “Guiding Light”, “Obsidian”.

Rate: 7½.

Artist: www.facebook.com/empusaemusic

Label: www.facebook.com/Old-Captain-175993889160335

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

Out via the Brussels based label Antibody in April 28th is the compilation “Fatal Strategies” featuring 17 tracks. Released as download and in a very limited run of 80 copies on cassette (with colour sleeve and on-body print (no stickers)), it is conceptually based on “Fatal Strategies”, a book written by French sociologist, philosopher, and cultural theorist Jean Baudrillard, published in 1983.

Pre-orders are available here.

The label bases it’s compilation specifically on this quote: “To the truer than the true we will oppose the more false than the false. We will not oppose the beautiful and the ugly, we will seek the uglier than the ugly: the monstrous. We will not oppose the visible to the hidden, we will seek the more hidden than the hidden: the secret. We will not seek change and will not oppose the fixed and the mobile, we will seek the more mobile than the mobile: the metamorphosis…”

Here is some background to understand the concept better. The 1983 book delves into the concept of “fatal strategies,” which refers to the idea that modern society has become so saturated with meaning and information that it has started to implode upon itself. Baudrillard argues that this implosion leads to the creation of new forms of meaning and power that are self-destructive and self-consuming.

In “Fatal Strategies,” Baudrillard examines various aspects of contemporary society, such as politics, economics, and culture, and explores how they have become trapped in a cycle of excess, simulation, and hyperreality. He claims that these elements, which were once thought to be progressive forces, have now become sources of their own demise.

Baudrillard’s writing style in this book is dense and often difficult to decipher, as it is filled with complex concepts, metaphors, and theoretical arguments. Nevertheless, “Fatal Strategies” offers an insightful examination of the paradoxes and contradictions that characterize modern society and continues to be an influential work in the fields of sociology, philosophy, and cultural theory.

The tracklist:

1. Tot Onyx (Group A) – Sasshobun
2. Hörde – Moon Repetitions
3. Caroline Profanter – Sieben
4. Näcken Du Naon – Forecast
5. Cédric Dambrain – Going Out / Coming Back
6. Francisco Meirino – Purgatory Causality Self
7. Beyt Al Tapes – Alice
8. Stuart Argabright & After After – Pacific Rim Noosphere
9. MT Gemini – Hear What I Say rework
10. Carrageenan – Night Corrupts
11. Perchten Scyla – Lerouquine
12. Marta Zapparoli – Shot In A Dark Code
13. Charlemagne Palestine – RRRRROARRRRR
14. KakofoNIKT – Anxiety In The Cracks
15. Heather Stebbins – We Become Nightbirds
16. Psalm 23 – Les Roses Crémières
17. Iva Bedlam – Macbeth (Instrumental)

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: Experimental, Neo-Folk, Chanson, Electronic.

Format: Digital, 2CD.

Background/Info: Matt Howden and ‘Kev’ (his violin) have been highly active and prolific during the entire lockdown and ongoing pandemic. It resulted in numerous studio-live sessions, recordings and this new work featuring ten songs -which have been released as ‘studio’- and ‘live’ edits.

Content: The studio work takes off with a surprising, sensual driven and more Electro sounding cut. Quite progressively, Sieben gets back to its ‘familiar’ Chanson style revealing engaged -and sometimes a bit cynical, themes. The music becomes melancholic leading the listener into reverie. The live recordings are quite recognizable. I get the feeling Matt is sometimes improvising extra passages this way adding a bonus to the record.

+ + + : “Obscene Wealth Hymn” is a great opener. It sounds a bit unusual for Sieben, but one of the best and most accessible pieces I’ve heard from Sieben. The other songs left are less surprising although delivering a great production. Sieben’s music has something of a traveling effect and even if Matt Howden deals with serious themes -which he transposed into ‘hymns’, it has a dreamy effect on me. I like Kev’s melancholia, but Sieben first deals with a kind of ‘free-style’. I’m more into the studio edits although the live recordings bring a little extra. I also have to say a last word about the production of the vocals, Matt Howden being next to a great musician also a talented and expressive singer.

– – – : As I already mentioned I’m more into the studio-edits.

Conclusion: Sieben remains a unique experience in sound featuring a kind of crossover style. The music is poignant and diversified.

Best songs: “Obscene Wealth Hymn – Studio”, “Harvest Festival Of Closed Borders – Studio”, “Populist Hymn – Studio”.

Rate: 8.

Artist & Label: https://matthowden.com / www.facebook.com/TheMightySieben

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, Body-Pop, Cinematic, Punk.

Format: Digital, CD.

Background/Info: Fusspils 11 is a project driven by Gerrit Thomas (Funker Vogt, Eisfabrik, Ravenous, Fictional). Two previous albums were released by Fusspils 11 while this is the first new work since 2005. The work features three original songs and a majority of surprising cover versions featuring guest singers/artists. The contributors are Bastian Polak (Intent:Outtake), Andreas Engleitner (Intent:Outtake), Charly Barth-Ricklefs (Eisfabrik), Tim Schulschenk (Alienare), Dirk Scheuber (Scheuber, Project Pitchfork), Jan Bertram (Eisfabrik), Alexander ‘Fischy’ Fischer (Tourmanagement, Yeti), Stefan Winkel (Gecko Sector), René Dornbusch (Funker Vogt, Eisfabrik) and Stephan Herrmann (J-SOC, Scheuber).

Content: Soundwise this work has less in common with previous Fusspils 11 albums except Gerrit Thomas is the steersman. The cover versions are pretty diversified ranging from Rammstein to Kraftwerk to Bots to Torfrock. Most of those bands are pretty popular in Germany and inspired Gerrit Thomas to achieve an own interpretation. The original songs by Fusspils 11 are easier to recognize. Gerrit Thomas’ typical sound arrangements reminding Funker Vogt but still his other projects are coming through while these songs are more powerful as well. He sings on two of these songs. 

+ + + : This work was for sure pure fun; working on some funny- and other unexpected German covers while joined by some mates. I however prefer the original Fusspils 11 songs which are probably not as fun but definitely more powerful. It’s however cool to hear Gerrit Thomas transposing “Haifisch” (Rammstein) and “Das Modell” (Kraftwerk) into his own sound and approach. One of the most funny cuts might become a hit. I’m referring to the legendary “Sieben Tage Lang” originally written by Bots. If you remember the free adaptation of this song by Scooter (cf. “How Much Is The Fish?”) which became a famous hit you never know where the Fusspils 11-cover will end.

– – – : This album is fun and featuring some cool dancefloor cuts but it’s the less convincing work I ever heard from Gerrit Thomas -who I still consider as one of the greatest artists from this scene.

Conclusion: Definitely fun and something different from Gerrit Thomas’ studio but not totally convincing!

Best songs: “Die Drei Säulen Des Wahnsinns”, “Zombiewelt”, “Bambule In Kindergarten”, “Schwartz Zu Blau”, “Sieben Tage Lang”.

Rate: 7.

Artist: www.facebook.com/Fusspils11

Label: www.reporecords.de / www.facebook.com/pages/Repo-Records/119590774857404

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

After 29 years in existence as a band, the UK act Inertia are back with a brand new single, released on their very own label, Cryonica Music: “Scowl”. “Scowl” features bandleader, Reza Udhin with members Ollie Cater (Guitars), Andrew Lowlife (Keyboards) and Circus performer Blue Jigsaw on drums. And, good news, coming back to the Inertia fold after 7 years is co-leadsinger and ex drummer, Alexys B, lending her vocals to the track.

And that’s not all, we also hear 3 more guitarists: Steve White (KMFDM and PIG), Tim Stephens (ex-Inertia, ex-EMF, Mojiles) and Nick Bayford from Alexys B’s own Rockabilly band Lady Luck Lexy & the Riverside Boys.

Next to the title track we also get 2 remixes by CyberIndustries and Modulate. Out today, you can check the lyric video below, and get the 3-track single right here on Bandcamp.

Welcome back guys!

About Inertia

Inertia was formed in 1992 Reza Udhin and was signed to Germany’s Celtic Circle Productions in 1994 through which the debut MCD “Infiltrator” was released in June 1995. This CD was actually a re-recording of the band’s first demo tape. The band returned to the studio in February 1996 to start work on the “Programmed to respond” album and the “Mind-Energy” MCD. The album and MCD were released respectively in February 1997 and December 1996. By then 1996 Alexys B had joined Inertia on electronic drums.

1997 Mark Barrett leaves Inertia., Ed Luxmoore joins Inertia on Synths.

February 1999, the band released the remix album “Demagnetized / Remagnetized” which featured remixes by artists such as Das Ich, Spahn Ranch and Julian Beeston (Nitzer Ebb). The same year a brand new album, “Negative Prime”, was released in May 1999 on Nightbreed Recordings. A year later the remix CD “Positive Angel” was released on Inertia’s own label Cryonica Music.

November 2001, the new single “No Defect” is launched while the band complete their brand new album “Advanced Revelation” due for release in February 2002. In 2004, the album “Black Ice Impact” hits the streets followed in December 2005 by a best of Double CD “Decade of Machines – 1994-2004”. This DCD is released by Cryonica Music in Europe and Cleopatra Records in the USA.

May 2007, a brand new self titled album “Inertia” is released on Cryonica Music. The album features several guest musicians, including Kneill Brown (Killing Joke), Client E / Emily Strange (Client) and Phill Good (Libitina/Pinion). Inertia also recruit a new member, Bob Malkowski as guitarist. 2 years later the remix album “Interpret”, with remixes from Youth (Producer/Killing Joke), Die Krupps and Armageddon Dildos featured, is released by the Japanese label Deathwatch Asia. In the meantime Reza Udhin becomes the keyboard player for the legendary band Killing Joke.

2010, Inertia emerge with a new line up with Kneill X on Guitar (ex Killing Joke, Killer B Movie) and Andrew Lowlife on Synths (Swarf). In early 2010, they release the covers album “Kloned”, it is followed by the single “Repeat & Follow” later that year. November of the same year sees the new album “Deworlded” being released. At at the end of the year they collaborate with UK band Mechanical Cabaret to release a cover version of the classic John Leyton/Joe Meek track “Johnny, Remember Me”.

2012 Inertia signs with Metropolis Records. A new single “Alive” is released in October, followed by a brand new album “Universal Blood” in November 2012. 2 more albums follow on Metropolis, “Existential” (2015) and “Dream Machine” (2017), plus a string of singles, the last one being “Only Law” in 2017.

4 years later the band returns with the single “Inertia” featuring Sieben on Cryonica Music, and now the new single “Scowl”.

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: Electro-Industrial, Minimal-Electro.

Format: Digital, CD, Vinyl.

Background/Info: Behind Frett ishiding Maciek Frett, a Polish artist who you may know from his involvement with Job Karma and 7JK (a collaboration with Matt Howden from Sieben). He’s also organizing festivals in his homeland.

Content: This album is driven by Electronics, which are now pretty minimal and then into Industrial. The songs are meticulously built up, achieved with multiple effects and vocals alternating spooky- and enraged passages. There’re also a few spoken female vocals injecting a cold and sterile touch to the work. The global sphere supporting this work is dark. One of the most Electronic pieces (cf. “Judge”) reminds me a bit of The Klinik. 

+ + + : This debut work sounds as a true revelation, but the artist is not a debutant, but an experienced musician. Maciek Frett brought different influences together, creating a perfect electronic osmosis between Industrial-, Experimental-, Minimal- and even Ambient Electronics. The work sounds mainly retro-like, which is mainly because of the sound treatments (analogue equipment has been used). There’s a great dynamic and bombast emerging from the drum sections, creating a cool contrast with the album’s minimal approach. “Isolation” is for sure the absolute masterpiece from this album.

– – – : There’s just one single song that couldn’t convince me and it unfortunately is the last one.

Conclusion: Frett has accomplished a work appealing for all lovers of early Electro-Industrial and Minimal-Electro music, transposing these influences into a refreshing approach.

Best songs: “Isolation”, “Two Cups”, “The Light”, “Trust”.

Rate: (8½).

Artist: www.facebook.com/maciek.frett

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

Hailing from Sheffield (UK) Matt Howden claims ‘providing the soundtrack to your apocalypse experience’! Matt Howden set up Sieben in 1999 as a solo-work, but it also is a very specific project where he is singing and playing a Kevlar violin. The way of playing is something unique, definitely experimental, but still sensitive. Sieben has released multiple productions and collaborative albums. We this year welcome the new album “2020 Vision” released on Howden’s own Redroom label. It’s a reflection about the world we’re living in, but still a truly artistic creation accomplished by a passionate artist. I think you’ll feel Matt’s passion in this interview.  

(Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries)

Q: I think the lockdown also has its good sides; you never have been that prolific –releasing the “Lockdown Sieben”-series and creative -referring to your lockdown streaming concerts where you played in your socks! Tell us a bit more about both concepts and the experiences properly speaking?

Matt: 2020 started normally enough. I was writing an album about the impending apocalypse (as usual, of course) ready for European dates, tour and release later in the year. Then Covid 19 changed all that. All concerts, including my two-night ‘live DVD Recording Concerts celebrating 20 years of Sieben’ got cancelled, and the release of the new album “2020 Vision” seemed somehow pointless.

I moved to online, with the Music Technology teaching I do with my learners in a local college here in Sheffield. I made a lot of extra content for them, and in the process learned some new video and broadcasting skills. It seemed natural, therefore, to think of ways to still play music, perform and express myself, with the four days I don’t teach. That was kick-started by a very kind music reviewer/fan in Finland, Tuomas, offering to pay me to produce some video content of his favourite Sieben songs, as a way of supporting artists he liked. Once up and running, this became a concert online and some videos of songs. And people suggested I play the next week. And then the same the next. And another suggested I record my songs again, in Lockdown, revisiting them with the new sound of Kev, my new Kevlar five-string violin I now use. This became “Lockdown Sieben”; a concert each Friday at 8pm (UK time, my Sieben Facebook page); a series of individual videos of me performing a song from home, in my studio, in my socks; and a series of 10 albums. The concerts and 24 videos, are all added to my Youtube channel; and 3 of the 10 “Lockdown Sieben”-albums are now released via my Bandcamp.

Q: The Covid 19 pandemic and the lockdown is something we probably would never have expected. So did you –as musician and human being, discover some aspects from yourself you never could have imagined? What’s your perception of the situation?

Matt: Initially I was in absolute Zombie-apocalypse hyper-mania 😉 My ability to teach my students was compromised, by moving online and lack of access to studios etc- and all my music work and plans were sunk in an instant! As well as creating lots of extra content for my learners, I did a lot of DIY round the house and garden, trying to occupy myself.

As a musician, one of the first things I noticed was that I was not having to work so hard subconsciously to block out the endless noise of the world. I was making a front gate, next to the road, where normally cars would pass by regularly. I hear a ‘really’ loud noise behind me- which turned out to be dry leaves blowing up the road. I realized the master volume control in my head had been turned up, because the world had been turned down.

But to go back to your question directly, I don’t think I have particularly discovered new aspects about myself, I think I have affirmed things I pretty much already knew: that I’m happy in my own company. That I love my work, my music. That I really need an outlet! That I work really hard, and work a lot smarter these days.

Revisiting and re-working my old songs has been a beautiful chore- each time, I find it tiresome to find the notes, find the lyrics, only to feel that the old arrangements are clunky and vague – and then suddenly I’m playing a song I haven’t played for twenty years and loving it, and wonder why the hell I stopped playing it! Mostly it felt to me like this new weird ‘normal’ of the world was no more weird or stupid than the daftness of ‘normal life’, its endless ‘more’, it’s endless rush and consumption of resource and ourselves. We have made dreadful systems that we are chained to, that are eating up everything around us. Aside from the dreadful tragedies, the deaths playing out and totting up, nature seemed to be at least getting a chance to recover from us.

Q: You earlier this year released your newest studio album “2020 Vision”, which is a critical- and somewhat cynical perception of the world we’re living in, which you shared with your fetish instrument, the violin (Kev)! What did you try to exorcise or simply share with your audience? And how do you transpose the themes into music?

Matt: The album I released before “2020 Vision” was my first real foray into anything directly political in my music. What I would say is that “Crumbs” tried to reason with the world without preaching. “2020 Vision” decided to ‘take the piss’, humour is the last resort, both for my own personal sanity, and as a positive weapon to question things. Again, I didn’t wish to preach. Any song or lyrics that started to sound like ‘I think this, you should too’ would be vetoed, and in fact never really entered the picture. I have no wish to ram my views down other people’s throats. These were personal-political, these were my open letter to the world. “Crumbs” tried to cajole, occasionally, but was more a mixture of my anger at, and hope for the world. “2020 Vision” need to sound upbeat, and with the distance of awry look at the world. Imagine me and Kev (my violin) sat on a fence watching the world trying to make a wall out of leaves, standing on bricks to do so.

As for transposing themes into music, it is something only experience has enabled within me. I could never ‘write to order’ as a younger artist. Stuff just came out. Then I shaped it to have form, and went with the direction the music suggested to me. With “2020 Vision”, I wanted upbeat, a comic lilt and a heavy undertone to it. So I kept writing and shaping until I had sculpted that.

Q: I’m always a bit reticent when artists are transposing political themes into their work, but at the other side musicians can be also a kind of gatekeepers to protect human values! How does it feel for you and how did you see yourself evolving over the years?

Matt: I’ve always had an interest in politics, in current affairs, in the way we live our lives and treat others. From the beginning of my musical career there have been threads of this; stories of people who inspired me with their cleverness, their altruism, kindness, their strength; people’s endeavor, our enquiring, beautiful, and sadly destructive nature. I never wanted to bring politics, party politics, preaching of any kind into my music. I went to my studio, shut the door, and with each new album tried to make my own perfect little world in miniature, where every strand was beautifully and intricately connected to another, where there was beauty and harmony and a ‘fuck the world outside’ shrug, just for those moments.

But the bad smell of rising populism, the idiocy and tiny-island thinking (to my mind) of the UK with Brexit, of the chancers taking power offering all but unable (and disinterested) to deliver anything positive to the world, simply asset-strippers of rights, wealth and power, with the new Wild-West of the digital age, I could not block it from my music. I didn’t choose to let it in. It overwhelmed me. My music turned more punk and angry, because to me it felt like massive alarms were going off all around the world, with people impervious. Like the sickest of silent discos.

Q: It remains nearly impossible to label your music, which according to me rather sounds as the offspring between multiple influences. But your way of playing the violin also remains a very unique experience. What are your main sources of inspiration and eventually references?

Matt: My main asset appears to have come from the teenage stubborn me. At fifteen, at school, I would play football EVERY dinner time, every break etc etc. When the field was mud-pit and the rain heavy and we weren’t allowed, I would sit in the music room with a couple of mates. They’d play stuff on bass and keyboards. I’d join in a bit, eventually. It seemed quite easy to find the notes and the notes that went, but almost impossible to do it at the right time! Occasional attempts at this turned into practicing round at someone’s house, with someone’s brother’s friend, because they had an amplifier. This culminated in my first ever ‘concert’ – fifteen minutes of badly played Stranglers covers, out of a bedroom window to ten grannies, queuing on the street for a Jumble Sale. I loved the playing, the experience. But somehow vowed to myself that I was going to learn music entirely myself, without learning other people’s songs, or the way you are ‘supposed’ to do it. No teacher, no coping of things I liked to work out how they did it. Just play, and improve what I can in my playing and composition, and see where I could go from there. I suppose the thing I was most drawn to in other people’s music was where I liked dexterity and creativity in the words. And music with a darker edge.

Q: And can you give us an idea about the different stages to compose a song?

Matt: It used to be a really painful process, as a younger artist. Now it seems more ‘matter of fact’, with the same passion, but without the labour pains of giving birth. The same frustrations, of course. Sometimes you work for hours, excited you have found a new path for the song, a new angle. Only to take a break and discover you have done the obvious or the ‘same as before’, gone to the same physical and metaphorical ‘muscle memory’. In practical terms, I generally sit, loop on, studio ready to record, violin in lap, pen and paper on the desk in front. I might write some words, a line that I like the way the words trip off the tongue and start to form a rhythm in my mind. And think of what I am trying to say, to express. I may start with riff, or quite often bassline that compliments the idea. Or I might just get up and beat fuck out of my violin and loop and loop and loop until I go slightly insane. But not insane enough that I forget to press ‘record’ beforehand. Listen back, scan, re-do, re-record. Repeat, repeat, repeat. Time dilates. A simple thing takes hours. Everything shifts massively, all in one go. You learn to let it, or restrict it, where appropriate. More frustration, occasional despair. Always a ‘this is shit, why did I even bother wasting any time on it / starting it / actually existing?’ (*note to younger song writers reading: ‘This is entirely normal and necessary to the process. Don’t just start something new. Just take a break from it. And learn when to be cruel and kind with it.’) Then all’s good, and all’s right with the world. Sure, your family might have gone or holiday without you, or left you entirely without you noticing. But you got the song finished, at least. Easy-peasy 😉

Q: After such a dystopian or prophetic album like “2020 Vision” what will come next? And what are your personal, artistic goals and dreams for the further years?   

Matt: My initial thought after Austerity, Brexit, and Coronavirus, was possibly Disco. This may have been beer-induced in a lighter moment, I concede. Earlier that evening I might have gone with Death or Destruction.

I’ll probably go with ‘more general fucking of the Earth, it’s resources, its general population for the sake of a few psychopathic narcissists who seek baubles and control, and pretty soon drive our species to extinction and the general greater good of the planet and other species if it actually survives them’. It’s not that catchy a slogan, I concede.

They, at least, will have some fun this year telling certain parts of the planet to despise and disregard other parts of the planet, so that they can continue stripping without distraction. And we all shall continue to breed, consume, beautifully create and wreck the fabric we drape around us. And I shall write a catchy little song about it, I suppose. It’s a tough ask. And possibly an opera. I may just have to return to my ‘happy place’, making my own Doll’s-house intricate little world, removed from the actual monstrously-beautiful one.

“Lockdown Sieben” has most certainly been my happy place for the last four months. A beautiful outlet for me. A most beautiful bringing together of the ‘disparate tribes of Sieben’. In that world where you left your house and got on a plane, arrived somewhere, played to a great audience, and then were gone from there for a year. And the same many other places. The people rarely ‘come together’, except for some, together at the bigger festivals. Online, all come together, and enjoy the fact they are there together as much as the concert itself. A lovely tribe has formed. I’m loving this- and many aspects of online performing, despite the apparent ‘divide’ of being ‘virtual’. I don’t feel this anymore, not since my very first online concert in May. People can merrily chat-type without it being over the music; I’m getting sound I could only dream of at a live concert; fantastic to sing through a sensitive studio mic, and get the dynamics I truly intended in the music. All through beautiful analogue processors that I wouldn’t take (or get) out on the road. In the “Lockdown Sieben”-Facebook group (come join it!), people discuss their evenings, what they’re drinking, what songs they’d like to hear, and whatever they like- for an artist this is a true blessing. That people care about, and get something from your music. All that work, all that frustration, that search for a chord that doesn’t exist, or an emotion that truly does, but is indescribable, dissipates in an instant 😀 Come join me online, on a Friday evening 😉

https://www.facebook.com/TheMightySieben/live/ 

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, chanson, experimental.

Format: Digital, CD.

Background/Info: The lockdown because of Covid 19 is a rather prolific time for artists. Matt Howden is giving lockdown performances, releasing a series of “Lockdown Sieben”-albums plus a totally new work entitled “2020 Vision”. It’s Matt Howden’s very personal vision about what our world will be like although the vision became reality…

Content: Sieben remains a unique experience in sound. Matt Howden is still playing his violin in a very personal way. Sometimes delicate, but also rough and even enraged because he has a lot to express. This album is once again very engaged because of its lyrical content. Matt Howden has a very critical- and sometimes cynical view upon the world we’re living in. You feel some anger and rage, which has been transposed in the composition. He got the help of a few guests (mainly singers) to achieve his “2020 Vision”. Sometimes ghost-like, often deeply melancholic, the work also moves towards dreamy passages. Sieben once again reveals impressive writing skills.

+ + + : This album has it all: sadness, melancholia, evasion, drama… The songs aren’t always easy to catch and that’s because of the particular and singular style of Sieben. This artist can’t be linked with established music genres, but brings different influences together. He experiments with his violin, creating atmospheric noises, but still a kind of industrial scratches. But the magic and authenticity of the violin playing also resulted in a few more ‘classical’ songs, which are simply beautiful. “Shirt Of The Apocalypse” is one of these little, artistic pearls from the album. But I also have to mention “You, My Cult Of Blight” And “Come And Ride In The Cult Of Light”. The violin remains the essence of Sieben’s creation, but there also is a real harmony with rhythmic and synths.

– – – : I can’t say that the first songs of the album are hesitant, but it’s just that the most artistic and accomplished cuts are in the midst- and the end of the work.

Conclusion: Sieben’s new work in a way made us forget the terrible tragedy we’re going through this year and that’s rather funny as his work is a severe perception of this situation.

Best songs: “Shirt Of The Apocalypse”, My Cult Of Blight”, “Come And Ride In The Cult Of Light”, “Berylsinperil”, “Enzosonbenzos”.

Rate: (8).

Artist & Label: www.matthowden.com / www.facebook.com/TheMightySieben  

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

Nicolas Van Meirhaeghe better known as ‘Sal-Ocin’ and involved with his solo-project Empusae for more than 20 years now, released by the end of 2019 his newest album “Iter In Tenebris”. The album is a new conceptual work around four demons, but still the exorcism of personal demons. The Belgian artist probably released his most personal-, but for sure his darkest- and most accomplished album to date. Released by Consouling Sounds, the four tracks bring together elements of dark-ambient, industrial- and epic music with a solid cinematic touch on top. “Iter In Tenebris” is a truly masterpiece, which also became one of the best releases from the past year.

(Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries)

Q: “Iter In Tenebris” is not only a dark title for an album, but it probably also is your darkest work to date! Introduced as the continuation of an exorcism, each track seems to deal about a demon. Tell us a bit more about the concept and in, which way this concept has to be understood as a metaphor of personal demons?

Sal-Ocin: I discovered, after finishing my previous album “Lueur” that I’m using Empusae as personal therapy. I think it has always been like that since the start, more than two decades ago, but I only realized it with “Lueur”. I needed to make that album to help me cope with my inevitable coming blindness. And it helped. So yes, “Iter In Tenebris” is in a way the continuation of it, but even more deliberately to confront some of my personal demons. The concept though, is that each demon can be interpreted and linked in a very personal way. The music has its own power to the listener, a musical illustration of inner demons. The inspiration came from deep down the abyss, I decided to give the compositions a certain name, but don’t let the name mislead you; each song has a link to your own demons. It’s up to the listener to find out which one. Hopefully with the same therapeutic effect. So listen at your own risk…

Q: When I saw the title of the album I immediately linked it to your visual handicap, which you’ve been talking about in different posts. What can you say about it right now and how do you see things evolving as the person you are and your artistic creation?

Sal-Ocin: Like I said earlier, my eye disease greatly influences my latest work, but not exclusively. I’ve been diagnosed about 5 years ago, the impact (in my everyday life) gets stronger every year. This year, I had to quit my job as a caretaker due to my handicap, which was extremely painful to decide, with a huge negative impact as result. At the moment I’m still trying to recover from it as well as trying to find a new professional direction. But it’s not easy, as my eye sight continues to degrade, which makes this quest very difficult.

As for my artistic activities, I didn’t gave up concerts so far (with Empusae as well as playing drums with Ordo Rosarius Equilibrio and Triarii). The people I work with are aware of my handicap and are very supportive, which enables me to continue. It’s not easy, but I really don’t want to give this up.

As for my studio work, with some small modifications and adaptations in my home studio, I can still compose nearly the same way as I used to. And I don’t plan ever to stop this, even if I’m completely blind, I’ll always find a way to produce music.

Q: Back to “Iter In Tenebris”, which I also experienced as your most elaborated and accomplished work to date. I always feel something authentic and intimate running through your music, but this album feels like the ‘opus magnum’! Can you tell us the different stages you’d to go through to achieve this work and what kind of work did you finally tried to compose?

Sal-Ocin: Thank you. I really enjoyed working on this album, as it had a different conceptual approach. Each song was inspired by a certain personal demon as starting point.

For the more practical part, I started sampling old 78rpm records from the early 1900’ I inherited from a relative. I used these recording as a starting point for each song by deforming them, manipulating the sound and structures, to be able to invoke the demons. I guess you could see those old records as the medium between the demons and myself.

The rest of the music was composed around those recordings. I used various different techniques and instruments, much less electronics/software compared to the albums I released on HANDS or Ant-Zen. So those old Century-old records combined with my voice (which I started using since “Lueur”) as well as many unorthodox home-made instruments, were a big challenge for me to make it sound like I desired. Luckily I was aided by Marc T. (with who I collaborated on the “Deugden Van Angst En Het Kwaad”), known from his projects Dirge and Dither, who did a wonderful job with mixing and mastering the album, as well as some added guitars on one song.

Q: I get the impression your work is progressively becoming more epic/orchestral in the arrangements, which I think is totally appropriated to the title of this album and the vision of darkness. But how do you perceive your own evolution as musician and possible influences/interactions in your work with all the other projects you’re involved with?

Sal-Ocin: The evolution of Empusae does not happen deliberately, it just happens. It is true that it has become more epic and orchestral. I have more experience, possibilities and resources than 20 years ago to achieve this kind of sound, but is was always on my head nevertheless. I guess projects I was involved in (Ordo Rosarius Equilibrio, Triarii, In Slaughter Natives) within the last decade, probably had an impact on that. Those projects are completely different from my solo-project and except for Ordo Rosarius Equilibrio, I’m only involved for concerts. But since they were my musical idols decades ago, they already influenced me back then, so being close to them now as friends, probably amplified it. Same for my other projects such as Tzolk’in, Onus and collaborations with artist like Marc T., Nick Grey, Lamia Vox, Sieben, etc… all these joint artistic experiences are influential for Empusae.

Q: “Iter In Tenebris” is much more than simply an album! You again collaborated with your partner Christel Morvan who realized a visual work for each of the songs. The visual side of the work is only accessible through an application on your smartphone, which is a kind of premiere in this scene. How did you get this idea and what’s the idea behind? And how did this new collaboration took place?

Sal-Ocin: The idea came from Christel. We’ve been working together for several years now. She has become the visual representation of Empusae. We had the idea of one illustration for each demon, she found a way to put the demons to life trough the technology of Augmented Reality. She worked with the company (EyeJack) which developed this in the past, so this was the perfect occasion to work together again for this project. The concept of amplifying the music with visuals has always been our concern of collaboration (for cover design as well as live visuals/animations) so with “Iter In Tenebris”, she could do both. The only frustration she has was the lack of time. It was hard to develop what she did, combined with her day job and a tight deadline. Her aim was to do something even more elaborated, but of course, time is the enemy. But personally I’m extremely satisfied with the result.

Q: Your latest productions have been released by the Belgian label Consouling Sounds, while before you were signed to Ant-Zen. The German label decided to stop printing CD formats, which simply says something about sales and music industry today. In which way are you affected by this evolution and how do you see things evolving?

Sal-Ocin: I personally never lived the golden age of music industry. My first release came out during the Napster phenomenon, so somehow, I was prepared for the changes until today. Also, it was never my aim to make a living or to make profit (other than reinvest in musical gear and instruments) out of my music. So on a personal, financial level it never really affected me that much. On the other hand, seeing cult labels such as Ant-Zen and so many others being forced to end their physical release era, if a very painful and frustrating thing.

As for Consouling Sounds, I praise myself lucky to be able to work with them. They are very smart, inventive and passionate business people, but most of all, very warm human beings. These two elements make the label more than just an ordinary one; it’s a community of friends, like-minded people with passion for art and quality, mixed with love and solidarity. Not that obvious one might think, considering the very dark nature of the artistic expression represented such as doom, black-metal, dark-ambient, post-rock, etc

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: Rock, folk, experimental, chanson.

Background/Info: Matt Howden is back on track unleashing this EP, which is the extended edit of the single (only featuring 2 songs). This extended format features three original songs plus the three same songs adapted by the ‘band’ and three remixes. Matt Howden has been joined by Estelle Varley (drums), Jamie Rupik (bass), Sean Ryan (guitar), Jake Austin (keys), Will Sandbach (synths) and the chanters: Jake Austin, Jonny Butler, Jamie Rupik, Sean Ryan, Will Sandbach and Estelle Varley. 

Content: Sieben remains faithful to its familiar sound mixing folk together with rock and chanson, but I also noticed danceable kicks. Matt Howden again plays the violin in his very own and proper way, literally injecting a spirit into the songs. He also sings a charismatic way while the lyrics are once again a kind of critical perception of the world we’re living in.

The songs together with the band are easily recognizable, but they sound more elaborated by different extra layers. The remixes have been accomplished by Charlie Eades, JG Stockton and Dis The Poet.

+ + + : Matt Howden took me by surprise. I already great things by this man, but what he accomplished here is absolutely amazing. He mixes his different influences together with a danceable kick on “Kickstart”, realized a kind of B52s going folk on “Way To Harness”while revealing an astonishing B-side track on “Who Whips”. The ‘Band’-versions are easily recognizable, but adding an extra dimension to the songs. I’m once again impressed by the great and charismatic vocals of Matt Howden while his way to play the violin is unique.

– – – : My only regret that I can define it as ‘regret’, is that the remixes don’t really add a bonus compared to the original versions. This EP also deserved to have been released on CD format.

Conclusion: Matt Howden already did great things, but what he accomplished at this EP went beneath my expectations. This is a major work!

Best songs: “Way To Harness”, “Kickstart”, “Who Whips”, “Kickstart – Band”, “Who Whips – Band”.

Rate: (9).

Artist & Label: www.matthowden.com / www.facebook.com/TheMightySieben

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, folk-noir.

Background/Info: Morgue Poetry is the solo-project of Konstantin Michaely who’s involved with Wisborg. Wisborg last year released its debut full length “The Tragedy Of Seconds Gone” on Danse Macabre. “In The Absence Of Light” was released by the end of 2018 and is an acoustic project.

Content: If the sound of Morgue Poetry has been defined as ‘folk-noir’ it’s for sure because of the dark approach performed by acoustic instruments. The main instrument is the guitar, but you also will discover piano arrangements and real drums. Konstantin’s deep timbre of voice is fitting with the obscure sound approach. There’re 2 songs featuring backing vocals.

+ + + : This work has a conceptual feeling, but it first of all creates an intimate atmosphere reinforced by the ‘dark beauty’ of the lyrics. The authenticity of the music injects a sensible touch to the work. “In The Absence Of Light” is an appropriate  title for an evasive dark voyage. This is the kind of music that might appeal for lovers of Rome, Sieben and other related artists.

– – – : The single reproach I could imagine about this work is the similarity between the songs.

Conclusion: Even if the sound is dark I think this album is an enlightening discovery!

Best songs: “To Love Is To Lose”, “Enlightenment”, “Tonight”.

Rate: (8).

Artist: www.facebook.com/pg/morguepoetry

Label: www.dansemacabre–group.de / www.facebook.com/dansemacabrerec

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: Cabaret, cinematographic, experimental, punk.

Background/Info: “Crumbs” is the newest album by Matt Howden under the Sieben moniker. The British musician, mainly known for his particular violin playing introduced this work as one of his best while being different from what he has done.

Content: “Crumbs” is for sure one of the most varied Sieben album I’ve ever heard. It remains a mix of influences, centered on the unique, experimental violin play of Matt Howden. He invited several extra musicians to join in so in the end Sieben became a ‘band’ (like revealed on both last songs).

This work also sounds a reflection and cynical view about our world we’re living in. The Brexit theme is just one subject that you’ll find back. Is it a political- and/or engaged work? Only Matt Howden knows, but I think the lyrics are satire and the music a modern cabaret-style, which can be also used as soundtrack. I also noticed some punk-inspired pieces, which is quite unique when played with a violin.

+ + + : Matt Howden revealed himself as a true sound wizard. The way he’s playing and handling his violin remains pure magic, but the global production has something poignant. It’s somewhat cynical, but the music is there to make you realize the themes are serious. This is an album with a massage and that’s a feeling that comes through in the somewhat enraged vocals. I also like the diversity of the work, which makes me think to a kind of theatre play featuring different parts. I also want to say a word about the great digipak format and the artwork perfectly reflecting the spirit of this album.

– – – : There are a few forgettable pretty short cuts (from only a few seconds) on this work where the title seems to be more important than the content.

Conclusion: Sieben has already accomplished great and poignant releases, but “Crumbs” might be considered as the truly ‘opus magnum’! Respect Mr. Howden!

Best songs: “Is It Dark Enough?”, “Crumbs”, “You Want Some?”, “Forge A Better World”, “Here Is The News”.

Rate: (8½).

Artist & Label: www.matthowden.com /  www.facebook.com/TheMightySieben

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: Cinematographic, experimental.

Background/Info: 7JK is the fusion between Sieben (7) and Job Karma (JK). This Half British, half Polish formation released the debut album “Anthems Flesh” in 2012. The new opus only features one member from the Job Karma duo. 7JK now is Matt Howden (Sieben) and Maciek Frett (Job Karma).

Content: It’s nearly impossible to define the genre of this album, which consists of Matt Howden on vocals and playing his violin on one side plus Maciek Frett taking care of the electronics on the other. It’s an accessible experiment resulting in some dreamy and poignant songs revealing Matt Howden’s charismatic and passionate vocals.

Some of the songs are driven by a rather slow and sensual cadence, which makes it all very enjoyable. There’s a kind of magic operating between both musicians. Notice by the way that the last song features female guest vocals by Hanna Stubbs.

+ + + : “Ride The Solar Tide” is a beautiful album with a perfect balance between the magic of the violin and the electronics. The down tempo together with the electronic treatments and multiple sound effects are sometimes reminding me a bit of Björk. “Guidance Is Eternal” is a remarkable song in the genre. But I also fully enjoyed the sensuality emerging from “Barry The Astonishing” and especially “Undergrowth”. Matt Howden is a musician who likes to work with other artists, but “Ride The Solar Tide” definitely is one of the most successful albums.

I also have to say a word about the beautiful digipak format revealing a dreamy and somewhat surreal artwork.

– – – : “Ride The Solar Tide” is hard to label and that’s maybe why some people will ignore this little sonic treasure.

Conclusion: Side-projects between artists is always fun, but not as convincing. 7JK must be one of the exceptions to the rule “Ride The Solar Tide” being an accomplished composition featuring many beautiful songs.

Best songs: “Undergrowth”, “Barry The Astonishing”, “Guidance Is Internal”, “Slow Flow Snowflake”, “Starseed”.

Rate: (8).

Band & Label:  http://7jk.eu /www.facebook.com/7JKband

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: Folk-rock, chanson, ballad.

Background/Info: Jérôme Reuter has gained a serious reputation since his debut work released in 2006 on the now lost Cold Meat Industry. Rome rapidly became a recognized artist dealing with neo-folk and martial orientated music. The Luxembourger progressively evolved towards a more open-minded sound, which brought him to experiment with other influences like ballads and acoustic rock music. Rome is prolific artist and still one of Trisol’s flag holders. We now welcome his newest opus featuring 11 new songs.

Content: Rome remains faithful to the open-minded sound he deal with on albums like “A Passage To Rhodesia” and the earlier this year released “Coriolan”. The songs are driven by elements of acoustic rock-folk music carried by great guitar playing. Other influences like dark and sad ballad passages are joining in while there still is this typical ‘chanson’ aspect inspired by some Belgian and French masters like Jacques Brel and Léo Ferré. If you know those artists you for sure know they passion and talent for poetry. That’s an important element in the work of Jérôme Reuter. His lyrics are rather dark and desperate. It’s definitely not the kind of music you can listen to when you feel sad, but throughout the lines I also perceive a message of hope.

“The Hyperion Machine” also reveals a few extra refined parts and I’m especially referring to the cello adding an extra sad, but beautiful touch to the work. Reuter’s deep timbre of voice, but still several songs still remind me of artists like Nick Cave and even Leonard Cohen. A few guest artists contributed to this work adding something extra to the songs. Talking about guest artist I hope maybe one day Rome will join hands with an artist like Matt Howden (Sieben). I’m sure it could be a genius match.

+ + + : I sincerely get the impression that Rome went on there where an album like “A Passage To Rhodesia” stopped. The new work sounds even more intimate and therefore sensitive. It’s a beautiful composition mixing different styles with each other. There’s no compromise, but just a passion for music that comes to touch you. All influences together create a real harmony revealing beautiful although sad passages. It sounds evasive and full of melancholia. It reflects maturity and intelligence and resulted in several outstanding songs.

– – – : Only the 2-3 last songs of the album can’t totally convince me. I here got the impression that Rome has suddenly lost his creative mind and artistic elegance.

Conclusion: Sadness never has been that beautiful! This is a beautiful work featuring poignant songs.

Best songs: Skirmishes For Diotima”, “The Alabanda Breviary”, “Celine In Jerusalem”, “Adamas”.

Rate: (8½).

Band: http://rome.lu / www.facebook.com/romeproject

Label: www.trisol.de / www.facebook.com/pages/Trisol–Music–Group/104166526285471

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-classical, soundtrack, ritual-folk.

Background/Info: Matt Howden aka Sieben is an artist who gained a respectable reputation as violinist. Based in Sheffield (UK) this musician is already been active for numerous years now and has worked together with many other artists (even with his own father) while he recently together with Jo Quail set up a new project called Rasp. “The Old Magic” is an album featuring 8 songs and gets back to the EP-trilogy “Lietuva”, “Norse” and “Briton”. Matt Howden is not just playing the violin, but he also takes care for fascinating concepts getting us back into history and old rites.

Content: Matt Howden is playing the violin his very own way. It’s not just playing, but mainly experimenting with violin sounds he manipulates to create a unique sensation. The final result mixes deep and sensitive violin parts, intriguing atmospheres and a ritual aspect ending into a kind of soundtrack creation.

Matt Howden also is a talented singer who injects true passion into his work. It creates a dramatic approach, which I think totally fits to the global and lyrical concept. “The Old Magic” takes us away to melancholic passages on one side, but still into pure reverie on the other.

+ + + : Evoking poetry makes us directly think about beautiful words and rimes, but Matt Holden has a mystic power to transform music into poetry. He remains a visionary artist transforming familiar neo-classical music into a kind of future-classical-music. This a sound universe where his instrument can speak revealing to us the secret of old rites. I especially like the diversity of the work, which is only created by one single instruments and the magic of transformation by effects. This album also confirms the great vocal skills of Matt Howden.

– – – : One of the main regrets about this work is that it only features 8 songs. I simply wanted more tracks and more emotions. Matt Howden is not reinventing his work and is not into innovation so in the end you might have a déjà-vu effect.

Conclusion: The title of this album perfectly summarizes the essence of the sound; music has to be into the power of magic and Matt Holden clearly appears to be a sound magician or simply a poet playing violin instead of an acoustic guitar.

Best songs: “Come, Raven King”, “Black Moon, Rise Again”, “Modron”, “Hillfort Mindset”.

Rate: (8).

Band & Label: www.matthowden.com / www.facebook.com/MHsieben /  www.facebook.com/TheMightySieben

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-classic, cinematographic.

Background/Info: Jo Quail is an English cello player from London. I got the opportunity to discover her very first work (cf. “From The Sea”) released in 2010, on which she revealed a bewitching and melancholic cello playing. She also joined hands together with Matt Howden (Sieben) on the Rasp project. Jo Quail is back on track with new work featuring 5 new cuts meant as 5 incantations.

The work has been explained by the artist as ‘a suite of interlinked movements, each individual yet essentially drawn from one theme; each movement describes a personal reflection on one of the four cardinal points, with the fifth aspect being spirit’.

Content: “Five Incantations” invites the listener to embark on a journey of mysteries and fantasies. The sound universe of Jo Quail reveals a talented cello player who has the magic touch to let her instrument speak. The sound is filled with emotions, which once more are moving on melancholic paths.

Jo Quail puts a lot of dramatic passages in her work. It’s all meant as ‘incantations’, but some aggressive sequences and other chilling passages and low, dark vibes emerging from the strings will guide the listener into a fantasy. This is the kind of work appealing for your imagination. There’s a poignant cinematographic flavor emerging at the surface, which even reminds me of the impressive tune of Ennio Morricone’s “Man With A Harmonica” taken from the mythical movie “Once Upon A Time In The West”. Jo Quail did a similar experience with her cello. It’s a great artistic exposure of her work.

Jo Quail got some help from James Griffiths for the mixing and mastering.

+ + + : Jo Quail is simply playing her cello and is using a few effect pedals. She creates an impressive dark and melancholic atmosphere, which is also filled with reverie. “Five Incantations” stands for emotion and an impressive artistic exposure, which will appeal for fans of Sieben, Rome and related artists. I also have to mention the great and artistic artwork, which once more reflects the refined taste of this artist.

– – – : My only regret is the total absence of vocals. Some mystical kind of vocals or chants would have given an extra dimension to the work.

Conclusion: Jo Quail is one of those authentic artists deserving more recognition, but I’m sure she one day will get it. Her work reflects such a finesse and sensuality she can only, but become recognized for her talent. Respect!

Best songs: Gold”, “Salamander”.

Rate: (8).

Band: www.joquail.co.uk / www.facebook.com/JoQuailCello

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-classic, chanson, cinematographic, folk.

Background/Info: Matt Howden is back on track unleashing a 2^nd EP from a trilogy, which took off with the “Lietuva”-EP. A final EP “Britannica” is in the pipeline. It all concerns digital releases ‘in their own right’ that will together form the new Sieben album “The Old Magic” on CD.

Content: Matt Howden is a talented and experienced musician and that’s what instantly comes through on “Norse”. He creates a somewhat mysterious sound universe, which invites the listener to move in between haunting and dreamy passages. The work has a transcendental power, which would totally fit into a cinematographic music category.

Howden is a great violinist who has the power to bring emotions to life. I get the impression of being embraced by the sweet and imaginary arms of melancholia. The songs are accomplished by the passionate vocals of the artist. And here again different feelings are coming through, mixing passion and sadness.

+ + + : “Norse” sounds like it is picking up there “Lietuva” left off. Different influences and styles are joining together resulting in a deeply artistic and emotional work.

– – – : I regret this EP is only available on digital format. There are releases which definitely have to be immortalized on vinyl and/or CD format.

Conclusion: “Norse” is the fruit of a refined musician and pure sound elegance.

Best songs: “Loki 2015”, “Ready For Rebellion”.

Rate: (8).

Band & Label:  www.matthowden.com / www.facebook.com/TheMightySieben

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-classic, ritual.

Content: Matt Howden strikes back with a digital only release featuring 4 songs. He has released an impressive number of productions, which all reveal this delicious, but somewhat mysterious neo-classic touch emerging from the violin.

“Lietuva” doesn’t sound that different although this EP took me by surprise. Both main songs (cf. “Black Moon Rise Again” and “Užupis”) have been constructed a quite progressive way revealing a divine merge between the captivating violin parts and a kind of poignant ritual approach. The vocals become a real important feature on both of the songs, which might sound a bit new-wave’-like as well. However it’s not that easy to classify these compositions as one real style rather than the result of different influences.

Both songs are elevating pieces of captivating music. The magic of the violin playing sounds in perfect balance with the electronic arrangements. All the ingredients together create a somewhat spooky and sacred rite.

As a bonus we get two reworked songs that were originally released on the album “Ogham Inside The Night” originally released in 2005. “Cult Of The Fallen” is a new version (and title as well) of the song “Ogham The Blood” while there also is a 2015 version of “Knudlustysummer”. The First song totally matches with the somewhat ritual character of the previous “Lietuva”-songs while “Knudlustysummer” is more into a kind of dark-reverie. “Cult Of The Fallen” sounds a bit harder while the evasive last piece is totally appropriate as the final song.

Conclusion: Sieben never stops to surprise me, now with some more experimental work and then with more ‘classical’ songs. This is for sure one of my personal favorite releases from the past few years.

Best songs: (DP:8)DP.

Rate: “Užupis”, “Black Moon Rise Again”.

Band & Label: www.matthowden.com / www.facebook.com/TheMightySieben

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