Greek dark electro / industrial duo Siva Six are marking two decades of activity with the anniversary clip “20 Years Siva Six – fraters and sorors edition“. The video runs over 10 minutes and includes the period from 2005 to 2025 and is built not only on archive material from Siva Six themselves but also on contributions from people who have worked with them on the road and in the studio over the past twenty years.

In the announcement for the “fraters and sorors video edition”, Siva Six thank “everyone that has participated in this video, our crew, friends, fans, bands and artists we shared the stage with… From the depths of our hearts…we love you all !”. The video itself was created by Artstinks.com.

Here is the video:

About Siva Six

Siva Six is a dark electro / industrial act that originated in Athens, Greece and now operates from Leipzig, Germany. The current line-up consists of vocalist Z (Georgios “George” Tamvakologos) and keyboardist Yuri Blavatsky.

The project’s roots go back to 1997, when Z first fronted the band Wintermute together with keyboardists Evi and Noid. They issued two demo CDs and contributed a cover of The Cure’s “Pornography” to the tribute compilation “15 Imaginary Songs – A Tribute To The Cure.” After Evi’s departure, Z and Noid continued, drawing on experience in other Greek bands connected to the metal and dark scenes before re-emerging in the 2000s under the name Siva Six.

Siva Six released their debut album “Rise New Flesh” in 2005 through the Italian label Decadance Records, followed in 2006 by the second album “Black Will.” They included tracks such as “See The Six,” “Heart Of The Master,” “Now It’s Dark” and “Her Eyes Black” which became club hits in the scene and were also featured on compilations. A double-disc remix edition, “Rise New Flesh (Flesh and Will Resurrected),” followed in 2008, collecting reworks by artists including Dope Stars Inc., Noisuf-X, Dark Soho, Soman, Aes Dana and Alien Vampires.

In 2010 Siva Six signed with the Belgian label Alfa Matrix. Their third studio album “The Twin Moons” appeared in 2011, blending dark electro and orchestral elements, with expanded editions “ZERA (The Twin Moons / Japanese Edition Remixes)” and “Alfa & Omega (The Twin Moons / European Edition Remixes)” extending the material through collaborations with remixers such as Metroland, Killus and Christian Cambas. The 2013 “Superstition” EP added new songs and a large set of remixes.

The band’s fourth full-length album “Dawn of Days” followed in 2016 via Alfa Matrix, introducing tracks like “To The Light,” “Twenty Eight,” “Superstition (2k16 Edit)” and “The Messenger.”

At Side-Line introduced Siva Six with the track “To The Light” on our very own Face The Beat series.

In 2018 the band released the 17-track strong digital remix album “nyx” and continued remixing other bands including the Theatre of Tragedy track “Forever is the World“. The band also revealed the 13-year old previously unreleased video of “Heart of The Master”‘ when releasing the 2022 remastered / re-release edition of “Black Will” on Advoxya Records.

In 2021 Siva Six launched the digital single “Ghost Dance” on Alfa Matrix, followed later that year by their fifth studio album “DeathCult,” which brought together songs like “The Cult,” “Club Macabre,” “Alpha,” “Omega” and “…December.” Further singles and videos continued to appear. The standalone clip “Club Macabre” and the follow-up “Superstition” extended the “DeathCult” cycle and reconnected to earlier material from the “Superstition” EP. In 2023 the band issued the digital EP “Fight the Machine” on Alfa Matrix with an accompanying video.

Over the years Siva Six appeared on more than forty compilations and generated over sixty remixes by and for other artists. They have performed in at least nineteen countries, with shows alongside acts such as Type O Negative, Front 242, Soman, Grendel, Theatre of Tragedy, Apoptygma Berzerk, Die Krupps and Hocico.

Across this history, the line-up has evolved from the original Wintermute formation with Z, Evi and Noid, through a long duo phase with Z and U-Ri / Herr Khaos on keyboards, to the current configuration with Z and Yuri Blavatsky.

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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Alfa Matrix, the renowned Belgian label, commemorates its 22nd anniversary with yet another mastodont compilation on Bandcamp. The latest installment in the acclaimed “Matrix Downloaded” series, titled “Matrix+ Downloaded 011”, is now available as a free download on their Bandcamp page. Packed with 60 tracks, including new signings and a preview of the upcoming Spleen+ label releases, this compilation showcases Alfa Matrix’s diverse music repertoire.

“Matrix+ Downloaded 011” soared to the top of the industrial Bandcamp charts within hours of its release, claiming the coveted number 1 position.

The collection holds 60 tracks in total including several new signings. These are the bands present on this brand new free download compilation: Hanging Freud, The Ultimate Dreamers, The Breath Of Life, Psy’Aviah Feat. Sorrow Stories, ImJudas, Star Industry, Halo In Reverse, Lovelorn Dolls, The True Union, Freakangel, Avarice In Audio, Siva Six, Alien Vampires, Synapsyche, Helalyn Flowers, Neuroactive, Elektrostaub Feat. Stefan Netschio, Technoir, Entrzelle, Llumen, Noemi Aurora, Aiboforcen Feat. Jan D., Reichsfeind, Mondträume Feat. N-Frequency, The Psychic Force, Digital Factor, Implant, Darkness On Demand, Aesthetische, Komor Kommando Vs. The True Union, Matthew Creed, C-Lekktor, First Aid Tech, Pouppee Fabrikk, ELM, Die Robo Sapiens, Plastic Noise Experience, Armageddon Dildos, Stahlgeist, AD:keY, Kant Kino, Suicidal Romance, Miseria Ultima, First Aid 4 Souls, Neikka RPM, Circumpolar, Venal Flesh, Helle9, Diffuzion, Acylum, Circuito Cerrado, Aengeldust, Studio-X, 808 Dot Pop, Cubic, Metroland, Rector Scanner, Elektroklänge, Cosmic Armchair, Lights A.M.

You can download “Matrix+ Downloaded 011” for free via Bandcamp.

Eldrina Mich

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

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The Belgian electro-industrial act Suicide Commando releases an all new song “God Of Destruction (Lies Lies Lies)” through Out Of Line. The EP deals with issues of religion and mankind.

Johan Van Roy: “While religion is meant to be something constructive, positive and should bring people hope, it unfortunately often is destructive and one of the biggest dangers of mankind. Whether you believe in a Jesus or a God in whatever religion. Religion often brings war, destruction, pain … just think about all those terrorist attacks of the last decades, think about all those wars going on in Africa or elsewhere, and not to speak about the 2 faces of the church and their years of child abuse etc …”

Musically you can expect Johan Van Roy’s signature dark electro.

Besides the main song, the EP contains remixes by the American EBM project Kreign and the Greek act Siva Six. Furthermore you can find a new remake in 2 chapters of “Destroyer of worlds”.

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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Greek dark electro band Siva Six has released a new EP titled “Fight The Machine” through Alfa Matrix. The title track is part of the group’s fifth studio album, “DeathCult” (2021).

The band’s frontman, Z, describes the track as representing Siva Six’s opposition to the Metaworld, corruption, injustice, inequality, prioritization of profit over human life, and the moral decay of society. The lyrics convey the message, “In a world of chaos, be a whore or join the Metawar…!”

Siva Six, consisting of Z (vocals) and U-Ri (keyboard), is joined by seven other bands on the EP: Φωνόπτικoν, Euphrosyne, Infected Sound System, Xentrifuge, Hell:Sector, Asylum Promises, and To Avoid. Each participating band contributes its unique sound, resulting in remixes that take the track in new directions.

A music video has also been released to accompany the EP. The production was a collaboration between Siva Six and Death Mask Productions, with direction and editing by Thanos Kallianiotis.

Siva Six is a Greek dark electro band that originated in the early 2000s. The group primarily consists of two members: Z on vocals and U-Ri on keyboards. Their music is characterized by a fusion of dark electro, industrial, and EBM elements, creating an intense and atmospheric sound.

Siva Six gained recognition in the dark electro scene with their debut album “Rise New Flesh” released in 2005. Over the years, they have released several more albums, including “Black Will” (2006), “Superstition” (2013), “Dawn of Days” (2016), and “DeathCult” (2021). Their music often delves into themes of spirituality, existentialism, and societal issues, creating a thought-provoking experience for their listeners.

In addition to their studio albums, Siva Six has also released numerous EPs and singles, featuring collaborations with various artists in the dark electro scene.

Eldrina Mich

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

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After their recently released new EP “Witch Heart Apparition”, the Finnish dark elektro duo Miseria Ultima (Aleksi Martikainen on vocals and Kimmo Huhtala on synths) now strikes back with their 3rd studio album on their new label Alfa Matrix.

The band’s trademark sound is clearly present again, so you can expect cold melancholic atmospheres and strong melodies with harsh aggressive vocals and dark elektro assaults. “In Colors of Void” will feature 11 songs dealing with mortality and tragic death and how we are facing grief and such sudden loss.

“It is all about chaos theory, choices, and causality – and also about psychic vampirism…”, says Aleksi Martikainen. “In songs like ‘Shutter’ and ‘Devoid Of Coloration’, I write about the sudden decay of mind after manipulation and also about the total death of self-consciousness…”

You can check the full album below. The release is also out on CD, next to the download version on Bandcamp.

Also check out the below videos including the official video clip for “Witch Heart Apparition” and one for “Caressing The Pale” in a Siva Six remix. Read the review of ‘In Colors Of Void’.

Eldrina Mich

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

www.side-line.com

Out now is a brand new video for “Superstition”, a track taken from Siva Six’ previous album “Dawn of Days” out on Alfa Matrix. The video is featuring Live footage from the band’s show in Athens (GR) at the Kyttaro Club on December 21st 2014. The animation and editing was executed by Georgios Chouliaras of www.zeroraid.com .

Here is the video.

You can check out the full album below.

Eldrina Mich

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

www.side-line.com

George Klontzas got recognition being involved in the EBM/Dark-Electro project PreEmptive Strike 0.1. He got also involved with Croona and Cynical Existence. After the last PreEmptive Strike 0.1 album “Progeny Of The Technovore” (Infacted Recordings) he set up Teknovore. The sound reveals a hard mix of EBM, Trance and Industrial with guest singers. This is a modern piece of Electronic music with solid- and fully accomplished songs. I talked about this astonishing debut with George Klontzas.

(Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries)

Q: I can’t start this interview without asking you about a short look back to your involvement with PreEmptive Strike 0.1? What do you keep in mind and what has been the main goal when setting up Teknovore?

George: First of all, I’d like to thank you for reviewing my album and for this interview of course. Taking a look back, PES0.1 was a project that was born in a simpler time in my life. It was just a couple of friends having fun together, making the music we liked. Regrettably, along the way and over the years that slowly changed. I spent 16 years with PES0.1 and it gave me many wonderful experiences and the opportunity to meet so many amazing people. Leaving was definitely not a decision I made lightly, but simply put, it was time to step away and that chapter of my life is now closed and no longer has any bearing on me personally or musically with Teknovore.

As for the second part of your question, Teknovore as a wholly ‘me‘ project has given me the opportunities to make more of the music I want to make for myself, and the option to collaborate with a lot more artists for different types of vocal styles which has really let me be more creative in the sounds I make. Music is something I’ve always done for myself first and foremost because I enjoy the process so there was never any doubt that I would continue to make music. Primarily, it was just about making music as its own reward. For a while, I even toyed with the idea of releasing whatever music I made for free, but in the end I decided to put a label behind it just to give it the best possible chance of cutting through the noise and being heard.

Q: The name of your project is clearly connected with the last album of PreEmptive Strike 0.1 but what does it stand for? Tell us a bit more about the sound you’ve in mind for Teknovore and in which way is it a continuation of previous productions you composed?

George: Between 2016 and 2020 I really got back into Goa-Trance. There were some amazing new-school Goa albums that came out at that time which inspired me to start experimenting with that sound. I just love the pumping, spiraling energy and melodic peaks that Goa-Trance can achieve. At first, I thought I would start a Goa side-project with a dark or Industrial edge and that’s how “Progeny Of The Technovore” was born. Basically, the last PES0.1 album was initially supposed to be the first Technovore album. However, I generally dislike the idea of spreading my focus over different projects and abandoned that idea in favor of bringing those tracks into PES0.1.

Hence the name of the album, “Progeny Of The Technovore” -to signify that those tracks are literally ‘begotten of’ Technovore.  I switched the ‘ch’ to a ‘k’ for aesthetic reasons later on. There’s no deeper meaning to the name itself. Its definition would be ‘one who eats or is sustained by technology’ but I honestly just chose it because I thought it would be eye-catching and easy to remember.

There are clearly elements of what I did with PES0.1 in Teknovore, but I’m not trying to emulate what I have already done before. It’s a new project so, despite any expectations there might have been because of my past work, it was a chance to try new things, experiment with different genres. There are many other Electronic genres that I enjoy, Techno, Psy-Trance, mid-tempo Cyber-Punk-inspired stuff, so tried to bring all those influences into the Teknovore fold into one cohesive whole.

Q: How does the debut opus “The Theseus Paradox” saw the daylight and what did you want to reflect by the album title?

George: “The Theseus Paradox” is a reference to a well-known thought experiment known as “The Ship Of Theseus” which poses the question of whether an object that has had all of its components replaced remains fundamentally the same object or not. If the ship of Theseus were kept in a harbor and every part on the ship were replaced one at a time, would it then be a new ship? Cognitive science would view the Ship not as a thing, or even a collection of parts, but rather as an organizational structure that has perceptual continuity. What mainly interested me is how all this pertains to the Self. What is it that makes us the same person through time? Are we even the same person or are we continuously dying and being reborn through the process of cellular regeneration?

I saw this concept reflected not only in my own life, but also in how I approached making this album. I didn’t want it to be simply a collection of tracks. It had to be a singular, complete entity where each track worked as part of a greater whole in creating that continuity.

Q: You worked with guest singers so did you handle specific criteria to ask the artists you worked with? How did this collaboration happened and what has been the true input of each singer?

George: There are three guest vocalists on “The Theseus Paradox”: Jay Taylor of J:Dead, Jay Ruin of RNZR/Ruinizer and of course Fredrik Croona. I’ve worked with Fredrik on various projects over the last 10 years and we have a great friendship and understanding, so he was a natural choice.

Jay Taylor, in fact, I met in the process of making the last Croona album “Ascend”. We worked on a track for Croona that would however eventually evolve to become the J:Dead vs Teknovore-single “Tearing Me Apart” and I also contributed a remix for his single ‘I’ll Wait’. We really enjoyed working with each other and he is such an amazing vocalist I just had to ask him to take part on the album and thankfully he agreed to record two tracks. I’m sure we’ll work together again in the not too distant future.

Jay Ruin is someone whose work I’ve followed for many years and have wanted to work with for a long time. I was convinced he was a good choice because he often bends genres in his own music much in the same way I do. He also recorded some additional synths for our collaboration track. I think we were very successful in creating a track that is both instantly recognizable as being rooted in Harsh EBM but also sounds fresh. He is currently recording vocals for another track for me.

Finally, I mustn’t forget to mention Z from Siva Six who contributed vocals for a cover of Dark Soho’s “Save Me God”. It ended up being on the “Anachronist”-single, which preceded the album, but he did an awesome job too. I knew he loved Dark Soho as much as I do so there was no other option other than him.

Q: It’s quite fascinating to see the multiple influences running through your work while the songs are carried by impressive, hard kicks. It for sure says something about the music styles you already mentioned, but do you handle specific criteria and/or references when it comes to the production process?

George: Ha ha, yes, the kicks! They were a bit of a talking point in your review. So about those actually, one of the genres I enjoy listening to is Tech-Trance. I especially like the production, a defining characteristic of which is that the tracks are usually driven by a loud kick drum, while the synths and basslines are side-chained to emphasize the kicks even more. This is actually one of the first things I knew I wanted to be a part of the Teknovore sound.

I don’t have specific criteria about what my sources of inspiration will be. I listen to a lot of music for inspiration so if I hear something I like, I’ll experiment with it and see how it works and if I can consolidate it within the context of Teknovore.

Q: I noticed you already made a few noticeable remixes for other artists. How do you proceed when working on it? And what are the further plans about remixes, new Teknovore stuff, concerts ao?   

George: I was a bit surprised by the number of remixes I was asked to do especially when I hadn’t even released anything yet. Last year, I put a couple of tracks up on YouTube just to test the waters and see how they would be received –and almost immediately I got a couple of remix requests. It was quite flattering honestly and it solidified my conviction and belief in what I was doing with Teknovore. Since the release of “The Theseus Paradox” the remix requests haven’t stopped coming. In the past two months I’ve already delivered five remixes and committed to doing another three. Of course I’m also working on new tracks of my own at the same time. The tentative plan is to release another single and an EP by the end of the year hopefully, so, overall, there is a lot more Teknovore coming in the near future.

Finally, I’ll be making my live debut with Teknovore at a very special event later in the year. The announcement should come any day now, maybe even by the time this interview goes live.

Thank you again for this interview.

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

Two weeks ago we announced that the Finnish dark electro duo had signed a record deal with the Belgian label Alfa Matrix. Out now is the band’s label debut, namely the 10-track EP “Witch Heart Apparition”. The EP is a teaser for the release of their forthcoming 3rd studio album “In Colors of Void”.

On the new EP Aleksi Martikainen (vocals) and Kimmo Huhtala (synths) offer 2 brand new songs presenting their trademark sound merging cold melancholic atmospheres and poignant sorrowful melodies with harsh aggressive distorted vocals and powerful dark elektro assaults. In addition to the release of a video clip of the title song, which you can view below, their track “Caressing The Pale” was reworked by 8 diverse electro/industrial bands each offering a totally different reinterpretation of the song. In the rework seats we find Acylum, Siva Six, Ad:Key, Neikka RPM, Venal Flesh, Avarice In Audio, Ocean Black and Teknovore.

Here is the full EP available for download on Bandcamp with other platforms to follow soon. We have been following this band for quite some time, good to see they are back with a very strong EP!

Here is the official video for the title track “Witch Heart Apparition”.

Eldrina Mich

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

www.side-line.com

The dark electro / industrial duo Siva Six returned with their 5th album “DeathCult” (out via Alfa Matrix) in November 2021 on Alfa Matrix Records. Today they release the video clip for the song “Club Macabre” which is featured on “DeathCult”.

The video is a production of Siva Six and Death Mask Productions and was directed / shot and edited by Thanos Kallaniotis.

The content of the video has to do with the nightmarish case of Charles Milles Manson, American criminal, musician and leader of a cult a.k.a Manson Family. In the video, Christina Vane plays Sharon Tate, while the other members of the Manson Family are David Adam, Strutter Strutter, K.V, and The Empress.

In the next week you can see the band live at work in Greece:

• May 13, Thessaloniki (GR), The Host Club
• May 14, Larissa (GR), Skyland Club

Check out the full – excellent – album below.

Eldrina Mich

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

www.side-line.com

Out now is the official lyric video for the Siva Six track “December”. The video was directed and edited by Death Mask Productions and can be seen right below.

“December” is taken from the band’s very recent album “DeathCult”, the 5th Siva Six album so far, which is out now on CD and download on Bandcamp apart from being on a ton of streaming platforms.

The new album features 12 songs all centered about the concept of the great mystery and the awful tragedy that death is. For the recording of this new album Z (vocals) and U-Ri (keyboard) counted on Psychon for the mix, mastering and production of the material.

Here’s the video for “December”.

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: Dark-Electro.

Format: Digital, CD.

Background/Info: “DeathCult” is the fifth album by the Greek formation Siva Six. The title of the work is an indication about the inspiration behind this work; death!

Content: Is there a darker theme for a Dark-Electro band than death? “DeathCult” takes off with the previously released single “Ghost Dance” revealing an extreme dark and tormented sound with enraged vocals on top. The song is fully representative for the rest of the work. The songs are characterized by hopping rhythms and sequences, raging choruses with dark strings on top while some epic arrangements now and then inject an extra dramatic touch to the production. Among the tracklist you’ll also notice a few, short intermezzos.

+ + + : Siva Six returns with an inspired and accomplished production; Dark-Electronic music in its purest form. The band isn’t reinventing the music genre, but they have something apart, which is mainly accentuated by the hopping cadence running through the songs. The cold leads only accentuate the icy aspect of the songs. It’s a powerful production characterized by some pretty cool dance cuts like the already mentioned “Ghost Dance”, but I personally prefer “Psychopath” featuring a simple, but efficient female sampling. Another attention grabber is “Fight The Machine” while I also recommend “Lily Dale”.

– – – : I’ve never been a huge fan of short intermezzo tracks so these cuts are perfectly presented.

Conclusion: Siva Six returns with a well-crafted and mature production, which will for sure appeal to all lovers of Dark-Electronic music.

Best songs: “Psychopath”, “Fight The Machine”, “Lily Dale”, “Ghost Dance”, “Alpha”.

Rate: 8.

Artist: www.sivasix.gr / www.facebook.com/sivasix

Label: www.alfa-matrix.com / www.facebook.com/Alfa.Matrix Read the news on ‘DeathCult’.

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

Spotify, Apple Music, Deezer, … all have released 10 new streaming albums and EPs this morning from the Belgian Alfa Matrix label from artists such as Armageddon Dildos, Circumpolar, Cubic, Elektrostaub, First Aid 4 Souls, Imjudas, Rector Scanner, Siva Six and Suicidal Romance.

All in all a mix of good oldschool darkwave, EBM, synthpop, electropop, industrial and harsh electro.

If your prefer HQ audio downloads, then you can head for the Alfa Matrix Bandcamp page where are all available as well since a few days.

Below are the releases in alphabetic band-order. Enjoy!

Armageddon Dildos – Destruction EP

Circumpolar – Awaiting The Dawn

Cubic – Phonic Lessons Part 3 EP

Elektrostaub – Reliance

First Aid 4 Souls – Beyond The Galaxy (Rework)

ImJudas – Ritual EP

Rector Scanner – Das Mädchen Aus Dem All EP I

Rector Scanner – Das Mädchen Aus Dem All EP II

Siva Six – Deathcult

Suicidal Romance – Love Promise EP

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

Out now is a brand new video by the Greek electro project Siva Six: “Alpha”. The track for the video is taken from the band’s brand new album “DeathCult” which is out now on Alfa Matrix.

“DeathCult” comes right after the release of the “Ghost Dance” EP earlier this year, and is the band’s long-awaited 5th album to date.

Here’s the video for “Alpha”.

The new “DeathCult” album features 12 songs all centered about the concept of the great mystery and the awful tragedy that death is. For the recording of this new album Z (vocals) and U-Ri (keyboard) counted on Psychon for the mix, mastering and production of the material.

You can check the new tracks below and on Bandcamp. The CD version is available right here from the Alfa Matrix webstore.

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: EBM, Body-Pop.

Format: Digital.

Background/Info: This year, American formation DV8R returned with “IO”. It rather looks like a mini-album instead of a true full length, the work featuring six new songs plus four remixes. “IO” was released three years after the debut full-length “Zero Hour”.

Content: “IO” stands for dynamic, hard and elaborated EBM. But it moves further than simply ‘classical’ EBM; it’s an elaborated production, which more than once reminds me of the genius of sound guru Seb Kommor.

The remixes were made by Siva Six, Funker Vogt, ES23 and Grendel.

+ + + : This is what I should call ‘progressive EBM’! It sounds like music for the ‘new’ generation of EBM freaks; a hard and sophisticated production with great sound treatments and impressive manipulations. “Nemesis” and “Beat Alive” both illustrate the potential of the formation, but still their impressive writing skills. A few other tracks have been refined with Electro-Pop arrangements, which mainly emerge during the choruses. The list of remixes is also impressive and I especially recommend the great job accomplished by Siva Six remixing “Nemesis” and Grendel remixing “Anatomy Omega”.

– – – : I can’t find noticeable minus parts here.

Conclusion: DV8R is not like most EBM formations, which simply reproduce the codes, but this band stands for great and alluring modernism!

Best songs: “Nemesis”, “Beat Alive”, “Output”, “Nemesis – Siva Six Remix”, “Anatomy Omega – Grendel Remix”.

Rate: 9.

Artist: www.dv8r.net / www.facebook.com/DV8RBAND

Label: www.infacted-recordings.de / www.facebook.com/pages/Infacted-Recordings/124099254321690

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 the release of the “Ghost Dance” EP earlier this year, “DeathCult” the long-awaited 5th album of the Greek electro project Siva Six is finally to be released on November 19th.

The new album will feature 12 songs all centered about the concept of the great mystery and the awful tragedy that death is. For the recording of this new album Z (vocals) and U-Ri (keyboard) counted on Psychon for the mix, mastering and production of the material.

The band’s last new studio album was the 2016 released “Dawn Of Days”.

You can already check 2 new tracks below and on Bandcamp. The CD version is available right here from the Alfa Matrix webstore.

And if you missed out on the ‘Ghost Dance” EP, you can check it out below.

The video for “Ghost Dance” was released as well. Read the review of ‘DeathCult’.

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

Out now is the newest single (and official lyric video) from the Greece based electro industrial act Siva Six: “Ghost Dance”. The single is the first sign of life from the band since the “nyx” remix album (2018) and actually the first new material since the “Dawn Of Days” album (2016). The single can now be downloaded on Bandcamp and will hit all other platforms next week.

With this single the duo reveals the first song from their much awaited new studio album.

The track itself is constructed on the foundations of the 19th century “Gnossienne No1” masterpiece by French avant-garde pianist and composer Erik Satie. The band explains: “This new song expands the haunting atmosphere of the original piece and takes it to a darker and macabre dimension once reflected through the obscure sonic kaleidoscope of our band.”

Beside the normal edit the single holds 3 radically different reinterpretations by Mach Fox, Conjecture and Mystical Proletarian.

This is the official lyric video for the track.

Previous releases

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

It has been a hectic year, also for Alfa Matrix, but luckily their bands took the time to work in their studio to record new material. Out now via the Alfa Matrix Bandcamp page is the label’s 10th edition in the “Matrix Downloaded” compilation series, again offering you a – free – insight in what the Belgian label is all about. You can discover 64 tracks right here on Bandcamp.

The download holds tracks from Cubic, Psy’Aviah, Aesthetische, Digital Factor, Reichsfeind, Llumen, Zombie Girl, Diffuzion, Matthew Creed, Circuito Cerrado, Circumpolar, Venal Flesh, Mentallo & The Fixer, Freakangel, Alien Vampires, I:Scintilla, Schwarzblut, Totem Obscura, Reactor7X, First Aid 4 Souls, Lederman / De Meyer, Implant, AD:keY, Kant Kino, Die Robo Sapiens, ELM, Pouppee Fabrikk, Armageddon Dildos, Plastic Noise Experience, Synapsyche, Avarice In Audio, Elektrostaub, Junksista, First Aid 4 Souls, Benestrophe, Mental Exile, Star Industry, Halo In Reverse, Lovelorn Dolls, Helalyn Flowers, Essence Of Mind, Rector Scanner, Elektroklänge, Metroland, Lights A.M, Cosmic Armchair, Aiboforcen, H.O.W., 808 DOT POP, Suicidal Romance, Entrzelle, Technoir, Neuroactive, Mondträume, The Psychic Force, Studio-X, Studio-X Vs Simon Carter, Neikka RPM, Komor Kommando, Siva Six, Aengeldust, Acylum, Dunkelwerk and Növö.

Exclusive face masks

Next to that you can also get the download together with a face mask, out in a very limited series. You can either buy them separately or get all 3 in one. Check the set of 3 Face Masks (Blue Matrix + Endzeit + Red EBM Alert) or the separate masks.

Note that EVERY face mask order comes with a free compilation CD on top: “Sounds from the matrix 022” with 20 extra tracks.

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

In 2006 the Greek electro act Siva Six New released the album “Black Will” via Decadance Records. It featured the track “Heart of The Master” for which a video was made in 2007 by Georgios Chouliaras/Zero Raid Studio. After collecting dust for 13 years Siva Six finally releases this video, which you can view below.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

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

side-line.com

Available now for free (or pay-what-you-want) via Bandcamp is the 9th volume in the “Matrix Downloaded” compilation download series by the Belgian electro label Alfa Matrix. In the past these compilations have been downloaded by ten thousands of fans around the world and we don’t expect it will be different this year.

The label also announces that it will invest all donations in nurturing new bands and getting their careers launched.

Here’s what Seba Dolimont, A&R at Alfa Matrix, has to say about it: “The music market has shifted a lot over the years and in many ways losing its solid footing. CDs sales are collapsing entirely and the shift from downloads to streaming has not yet shown a revenue that is replacing what has been lost. (…) This evolution has created an environment where many labels have almost stopped playing their key-role of talent scouting, no longer daring to invest in new talents who deserve to be heard by you! Alfa Matrix is one of the very few record companies in this scene who try to keep the right balance between releasing renowned artists and supporting younger bands who still need to catch the attention and reach your ears.”

61 bands and tracks

The compilation holds the work by 61 label bands who joined hands to deliver you 61 songs representing the label’s most recent singles and albums while giving a preview of some promising forthcoming 2020 productions including announced new releases by POUPPEEE FABRIKK, NEUROACTIVE, ALIEN VAMPIRES, HELALYN FLOWERS, DIE ROBO SAPIENS, IMJUDAS, 808 DOT POP, ACYLUM, ARMAGEDDON DILDOS, PSY’AVIAH, AVARICE IN AUDIO, SIVA SIX, NEIKKA RPM, AESTHETISCHE, KANT KINO, KOMOR KOMMANDO, AD:KEY, H.O.W., CIRCUMPOLAR, SYNAPSYCHE, LLUMEN, ENTRZELLE, LIGHTS A.M, REACTOR7X, FIRST AID 4 SOULS, etc.

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

(Interview / photo by Eldrina Mich) While the charity download compilation “Face The Beat: Session 5” is still reigning the charts on Bandcamp, we decided it was time again to speak with Bernard Van Isacker, the brain behind this compilation. He is also Side-Line’s chief editor and resides with his family (and 2 cats) in Ypres, a small town nearby the French border in what’s called the Westhoek or Maritime Flanders. During the First World War, Ypres (or “Wipers” as it was commonly known by the British troops) was the centre of the Battles of Ypres between German and Allied forces, nowadays it’s a bit calmer.

I meet Bernard on a cold Friday evening at The Times, a small pub on the border of the Ypres market square.

SL: The previous interview was in June of 2015 when the 2nd volume of “Face The Beat” had just been released. It’s like yesterday!

B: Time flies very fast indeed. Good to see you are still looking great (laughs)!

SL: The compilation has been doing quite well since its launch, it went straight to the number 1 spots on Bandcamp in the alternative, industrial and goth charts.

B: Yeps, and it even was the 2nd most downloaded release on Bandcamp the day of its release, so yes, quite spectacular. It’s not really a surprise though, all of the volumes kept on being downloaded ever since the project started and I kept getting questions when the new volume would be released. But most importantly, I think we have a very strong list of tracks on this volume.

Next to that, the power of Bandcamp has become very clear here. The moment the new volume was launched Bandcamp’s notification system sent out a huge blast to a massive amount of people informing them and as a result you saw the release climbing very fast in the charts.

SL: I don’t know of any other scene compilation which has succeeded charting that fast and so high on Bandcamp?

B: Me neither (smiles). I have already been asked by a lot of people from inside the music industry how this is possible with a compilation that doesn’t feature the biggest names from this scene like Front 242, VNV Nation, etc.. But it’s especially the fact they can discover new and less wellknown bands that makes people wanting to get hold of it. Speaking of which, I especially want to thank Raphael Beck (darkTunes), Andy Skyqode (Skyqode) and Seba Dolimont (Alfa Matrix) who have been good allies in the past few years – and again this time – in getting the series up and running. They have valued the series since day 1 and I really appreciate that.

SL: Was the start so difficult?

B: When I started with this series a few years ago, in 2011 that is, not many labels believed in the concept, some did like the ones I mentioned earlier. The hesitation was mainly because I decided to feature a lot of smaller and starting bands. For me that was THE reason to do it that way because this is actually the core idea behind Side-Line since day one: being an indie magazine that is a platform for bands to get noticed, unknown and known, starters and established acts. Since the start of the series, the influx of submissions for the compilation never stopped, a lot of bands want to be on it and especially those who stand behind the charity causes that we support.

SL: It took you a while to come up with this 5th volume, I think I have seen some preliminary cover artwork some 2 years ago already?

B: Yes (smiles). It would initially have been released in early 2018, but something came up in mid-2017 that jeopardized the whole project. Let’s say that some mainstream label thought they could just harass us in taking over the concept. It kept on causing problems till mid-2018. I won’t say more about this, suffices to say, we won, they lost (smiles). The first cover artwork you refer too (Editor’s note: you can see it below) was made in November 2017 during a stay in France, at Le Mont Saint-Michel, together with my wife and newborn son Magnus.

SL: The cover artwork produced at that occasion had ‘the final side-line’ as subline? What was the meaning of that?

B: Back then I was really doubting if I would go on with the magazine or not. So that artwork would have been my final word on the matter.

Sorry I didn’t inform the rest of the team, but it was really on my mind to pull the plug. It isn’t all that unlogical, it takes lots of time to keep this doing and with a new baby in the family, I wasn’t sure to be able to handle this all. My other ‘companion de route’, Stef, also has had his fair share of not so pleasant news, so the toxic mix was there and it played around for a while…

I think we all have those difficult moments when there’s too much going on. Plus, and that’s on a personal level, often you don’t really get any ‘thank you’ back for all of the work that you do, and I’m not only talking about Side-Line or so. When you do a lot of (mostly unpaid) work for very little return on several levels, it starts nagging.

Then in February 2018 I was in Oslo with my wife and I visited Jan Ronald Stange, our local correspondent there. We have gotten along really well since meeting I think in 2010 and when I’m in the Nordics I always try to pay him a visit. And believe it or not, his enthusiasm is kinda infectious (laughs). My wife also noticed that, and said something like: “It’s time you get the same enthusiasm like Jan in your work again”. That made me thinking… Anyhow, here we are (smiles).

As a result I binned the first cover artwork idea and went for a completely new approach. But it was only last month after visiting Maastricht in The Netherlands together with my oldest son Sebastian that I found the perfect artwork idea. I saw this great bronze lion face on a big door, watched it closely, took a picture and in the hotel I started playing with some ideas. I sent those to Simon Helm from Cold War Night Life to ask his opinion and we picked the final one.

SL: Why Simon?

B: Long story cut really short. I knew Simon was behind Cold War Night Life, and one thing led to another and I got to meet him a few months ago when he was in Brussels. Jean-Marc Lederman told me he was a decent guy so the more reason to meet up. We ended up talking for hours in a small restaurant, the Arcadi in case you wonder, about all kind of things. And Simon got to learn to eat Stoemp with saussage, a typical dish from Brussels (laughs)! Cool intelligent guy he is with a clear view on a lot of things. I like straightforward people and he for sure is one. On top we kinda share the same humor, something really important. Simon also has been writing some stuff for Side-Line since then. I trust him and value his feedback, hence why I asked for his feedback.

SL: In the press release for this compilation it’s noted that the release is by far the darkest you ever compiled. I tend to agree with this. Personally, it reminded me of “040 Hamburg Strikes Back!”, the compilation released by the defunct label Hypnobeat in 1992.

B: I love that compilation! For me it was the first time I got to hear from Fortification 55, the band formed by Björn Petersen and Jan Kruse. They made some great albums back in the days. Thanks for the compliment, it was really that feeling that I had when going through the selection here!

SL: I noticed you also had a megamix prepared to promote this release, how did that come about?

B: I actually hadn’t prepared this at all. It was pure coïncidence. Shane Aungst, who made the megamix, contacted me a few days after the release was out saying he had picked 20 something tracks of the compilation to create a megamix. It turned out to be one that was 1 hour, 33 minutes and 21 seconds in length featuring 23 tracks and the quality was excellent! After mailing back and forth I created a cover for the megamix and Shane edited the megamix into 2 because Bandcamp was unable to feature the full length in one cut. Perhaps they should increase the 600 MB limit when you want to release a megamix (smiles).

It’s a nice extra on which Shane has been working for hours. We plan an interview with him in the next days actually.

SL: Something else. You informed us a few weeks ago that Side-Line had opened a channel on the mobile app Telegram?

B: Yes, that’s correct. The reason behind this is that Facebook is more and more becoming a no-go for indie news discovery. I for instance use Twitter a lot more for my news digestion, because Facebook really is rubbish at getting decent news in my feed even though I follow some really good sources. At Side-Line we could easily write clickbait articles that would get spread a lot. But that’s not what I want, and on top the team really wants to continue bringing news about smaller bands. But that’s not what Facebook wants, so it deliberately doesn’t push those newsitems to our readers since the ‘engagement’ is lower.

Facebook is really becoming a graveyard as far as non-commercial news is concerned. Unless you pay and even then. I don’t expect Facebook to get any better, on the contrary, it will get worse, because the shareholders will want more and more. Facebook can only deliver this by squeezing more and more money out of our pocket. And with their Libra project becoming a nightmare, you can be sure we the publishers all will have to pay for it (laughs)!

You know, Facebook has censored a ton of our articles because they didn’t like the artwork used by the band’s featured. Rammstein, Apoptygma Berzerk, Siva Six, Alien Vampires, Combichrist, articles from all of these bands and many more were simply censored and banned from the network … pretty frustrating.

SL: So Telegram is the way to go?

B: Yes. The service offers you the possibility to send out newsupdates to an unlimited number of people in one go without it being stopped, hidden away or censored even. I prefer this kind of news updates where I chose what I want to get.

People can join us on Telegram via this link https://t.me/sidelinemag (install the app as well, on desktop or mobile) and they will get our news first before it gets posted on Facebook. The good thing is that the channel is ad free. You just get our news and you can leave a like or dislike, and that’s where the comparison with Facebook ends. I’m personally also using Telegram a lot more to connect with people instead of Whatsapp. If you haven’t got an account yet, make sure to sign up!

SL: What’s coming up next?

B: As far as Side-Line is concerned I’m working on a few projects, but it’s too early to announce anything yet.

SL: Last question, what keeps you busy besides Side-Line?

B: Ha, a lot of things, too many things really. Besides my daytime job as a social media marketeer and CRM responsible at the Belgian branch of a multinational, and running 2 small holiday houses, I’m still heavily involved in Alfa Matrix, Bob De Moor, collecting original drawings by comic masters and a lot of local ‘policy work’, the latter is often draining a lot of my patience (laughs). I also have started running to stay fit. Every 2 days I try to do my 5 kilometers, early in the morning before having a breakfast at the local Panos, which opens at around 5.30 AM. It’s a perfect way to start the day with fresh energy I must say.

Eldrina Mich

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

www.side-line.com

Out on July 12th 2019 via AFM Records on coloured double vinyl and digipak CD (available here on Amazon) is the Theatre Of Tragedy album “Remixed”. The Greek dark electro act Siva Six was invited to remix the track “Forever is the World”.

Siva Six joins a lit of other reputable artists such as Das Ich, VNV Nation, Icon Of Coil, Funker Vogt who revived those hit tracks in their own interpretation.

Here’s what the band says about the project: “We in Theatre of Tragedy have always been interested in a variated range of musical styles ranging from electronic music, through rock and to more extreme metal. This has been a huge part in creating the sound of the band over the years. Since the foundation of the band we have had a fascination for other people’s interpretation of our music. How others perceive our sound and compositions.”

It was in 2010, when Theatre Of Tragedy announced their break-up and drew a line under their impressive career. This year, the Norwegian artists return with a compilation of different remixes of their biggest successes.

Fans will definitely want to order the below double vinyl.

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

Fresh news from the dark electro act Siva Six. The band is currently working on a new (5th) album, with Dimitri Douvras (Nightstalker, Rotting Christ, Tethrippon) behind the mixing desk once again.

Here’s what the band’s frontman (Z) has to say about the process: “It’s always hard and painful for me to go through this procedure, I make albums because I have reasons to do so and this is the first album that was written outside Athens, in Leipzig, which was the ideal ghost town for me to concentrate on the concept. A projection of my latest experiences and adventures is what it’s all about.”

The album will be released somewhere next year.

The band’s most recent release is “NYX”, featuring reworks. You can listen to the album below.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

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

side-line.com

Infest is the UK’s premier festival of alternative electronic music. This year the 20th edition takes place from 23-26 August with an amazing line-up featuring: Empirion, Peter Hook & The Light, Zeitgeist Zero, Grave Diggers Union, Cubanate, Iszoloscope, Siva Six, Def Neon, SΛRIN, Mesh, Liebknecht, ACTORS, YURA YURA, Adam Is A Girl, Flesh Eating Foundation, Aesthetic Perfection, This Morn’ Omina, Strvngers, Elegant Machinery, VaLHaLL, Massenhysterie and Promenade Cinema.

The venue is the University of Bradford Students’ Union, in the City of Bradford (near Leeds), West Yorkshire, UK. Besides concerts there are also afterparties featuring renowned DJ’s from all over the world.

Additional info on the official website
Tickets are available here

(Promo picture via Siva Six) “nyx” is the title of a brand new 17-track strong download album by one of the most famous dark electro bands from Greece (rising in Berlin now), Siva Six. Named after the Ancient Greek Goddess of the Night, “Nyx” brings a string of remixed tracks from the band’s last – excellent – studio album “Dawn Of Days”.

The tracks were remixed by a long list of well-known names in the industrial electro scene such as C-Lekktor, Metroland, Technolorgy, Venal Flesh, Wolfchild, In Misery, Unhuman, The Dead For A While, Christian Cambas, A-7IE, Cyborgdrive, Anna Stereopoulou, Antibody, Jimmy Tott, Sakis Darkface, Anakin Lightning and Freakangel.

The release can now be downloaded from all platforms plus of course directly via the Bandcamp page of Alfa Matrix.

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

Background/Info:

Read the news on ‘Zucht’.

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 now is a brand new Siva Six video. The track chosen is “Twenty Eight” taken from the “Dawn of Days” album. The track features George Diamantopoulos (on theremin) and Boog from Junksista (on guitar). The track itself is a cover to John Murphy’s main theme from the OST “28 Days Later”.

The animation and design was completed by Jean Christophe Tremblay with band scenes from Die Industrie. Produced by Siva Six and Pandemic Videos you can watch it below.

In further news, here are the Siva Six 2018 live dates so far:

• 5/5 Prague (CZ)
• 20/5 WGT (DE)
• 14/9 Hannover (DE)
• 27/9 Cologne (DE)
• 28/9 Landgraaf (NL)
• 29/9 Bochum (DE)
• 30/9 Hamburg (DE)

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

C-Lekktor’s 4th full studio album “Out Of My Way” will be released at the end of December. Expect a modern production style and a deliberately ‘back to the old school’ song writing and sound referring back to the project’s debut album “The Silence Procession” from 10 years ago.

The album will also see a double CD edition limited to just 200 copies issued as a hardcover 2CD digibook edition. In this version “Out of My Way” comes with an EP of an additional 4 completely new and exclusive songs. You can order this 2CD set right here.

The release was mixed and mastered at the Mount Olympus studio facilities of Greek dark scene engineer Dimitris N. Douvras (see also the high quality mixes for Siva Six to name just one band).

Here’s the track “Out Of My Way”.

Read the review of ‘Out Of My Way’.

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

Aengeldust is an electro-industrial solo-project set up and driven by Nadine ‘Cooraz’ Engel. She’s one of the few women involved with this ‘hard’ kind of music revealing a sound, which is much harder than the other projects she’s been involved with. You maybe remember her from HausHetaere, but you for sure know her from Totem Obscura and especially Acylum, which are all projects she’s running together with her husband Pedro Engel. Aengeldust has now unleashed her second album “Agent Orange” on Alfa Matrix while there also is a new EP entitled “Zucht”. Nadine ‘Cooraz’ Engel’s new work has been introduced as ‘the bitch is back’ and this is what she has to say.

(by Inferno Sound Diaries)

Q: Nadine, we all know you from you involvement with Acylum and Totem Obscura, which are bands you’re running together with your husband. So what means Aengeldust to you as an artist and as a woman?

Nadine: Aengeldust is my own baby. I can realize this project and do all the crazy things I always wanted to do.

Q: Aengeldust clearly sounds more into industrial influences although I noticed an evolution from “Freakshow” towards “Agent Orange”. How do you see this evolution and tell us a bit more about this new opus?

Nadine: It always depends on my mood, as the song sounds at the end of the day. It is important to me that I continue to develop. I think that I succeeded well.

Q: What can you tell us about the song writing referring to your way of working, sound research/creation, favorite equipment and potential sources of inspiration?

Nadine: It always comes out of my stomach. No rules. That’s the difference to Acylum and Totem Obscura.

Q: The title of your album is pretty intriguing, referring to chemical/herbicidal warfare used by the US during the Vietnam war. What did you try to express on “Agent Orange” and tell us a bit more about the numerous spoken samplings you’re using (instead of vocals)?

Nadine: I am a big fan of Asia, the culture and architecture and people as well. “Agent Orange” is the worst war crime of our time and therefore it should never fall silent.

Q: Next to the “Agent Orange”-album you’ve just released the “Zucht”-EP featuring new songs that haven’t been featured on the album. What did you want to accomplish with this extra release and tell us a bit more about the choice of the remixes?

Nadine: I had the need to tell and finish the story a bit further. Since I deliberately had no remixes on the album, they were realized on the EP. Cool bands like Acylum, Siva Six, Parasite of God and some more have made really good remixes.

Q: Why are there less women involved with industrial music and do you notice any form of macho attitude against the women (like you) who are involved?

Nadine: I do not care who does industrial music. Woman or man, it does not matter to me. It just has to sound different from others and only that counts to me.

Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries

Inferno Sound Diaries

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

www.side-line.com

Read the review of ‘Zucht’.

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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The 69th track on our free download compilation “Face The Beat: Session 4” (featuring 92 tracks) is by the Greek, but now Berlin based, dark electro act Siva Six.

The originally Athens based act Siva Six signed with Decadance Records (Italy) in April of 2005 and released their debut album “Rise New Flesh”. It was an immediate hit which was quickly followed up by their 2nd album “Black Will” in November of 2006. Again, this release was extremely well received, including by Side-Line.

After these 2 albums (topped with a reissue of their debut as a 2CD set) they signed with Japan’s top scene label Death Watch Asia, for the territory of Japan/Australia and Asia pacific and joined Alfa Matrix records (Belgium), which would soon handle the worldwide releases of the band. Their first album for Alfa Matrix/Death Watch Asia was “The Twin Moons” followed by the 15-track (!!) “Superstition Ep“ on Alfa Matrix.

Their latest release is the brilliant 2016 released “Dawn of Days” from which we offer you the first track “To The Light”. Check them out on Facebook!

Listen to “To The Light” below and download it right here.

Check our “Face The Beat: Session 4” page on Bandcamp to discover the other 91 bands. All donations will go to charity.

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

The 66th track on our free download compilation “Face The Beat: Session 4” (featuring 92 tracks) is by the Helsinki, Finland based dark electro act Shades​:​Of​:​Hell.

Behind Shades​:​Of​:​Hell is DJ Shades FIN, co-organizer and resident DJ of Hellfire Club, Dead Souls Gathering and Goths On the Rocks. Remixer and producer of Electro-Industrial music you will probably know him from the remixes he has done for C-Lekktor (Castle Party 2014 compilation), Totem Obscura vs. Acylum, Cynical Existence, Siva Six, Kuroshio, Zombie Girl and from his high quality appearances on Endzeit Bunkertracks VII. New songs are being prepared, but for now enjoy this great dark tune!

Listen to “Bastards Screaming​​” below and download it right here.

Check our “Face The Beat: Session 4” page on Bandcamp to discover the other 91 bands. All donations will go to charity.

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

It was Record Store Day this past weekend and for the occasion the Belgian label launched a special 30% discount code ( RSD2017 ) which is available to use until the end of this week. You can apply the code in the label’s webshop or on the label’s Bandcamp page. You will get 30% off on everything that is added in your basket (except on the forthcoming Metroland and Alien Vampires box sets).

Happy hunting!

Included in this massive discount action are releases by 32CRASH, Acylum, Aengeldust, Aesthetische, Agonised By Love, Aiboforcen, Alien Vampires, Ambassador21, amGod, Armageddon Dildos, Avarice In Audio, Ayria, Bruderschaft, Cosmic Armchair, Crisk, Cynical Existence, Depeche Mode (the tribute releases), Diffuzion, Diskonnekted, Dive, Dream Recall, Dunkelwerk, Elektroklänge, ELM, Entrzelle, Epsilon Minus, Essence Of Mind, Freakangel, Front 242, Gaytron, Glis, Halo In Reverse, HausHetaere, Headscan, Helalyn Flowers, Hungry Lucy, I:scintilla, Implant, Internal, Inure, Junksista, Kant Kino, Klutæ, Komor Kommando, Krystal System, Leaether Strip, Lovelorn Dolls, Malakwa, Male Or Female, Mari Chrome, Mentallo and the Fixer, Metroland, Mind:State, Mnemonic, Mondträume, Monolith, Nebula-H, Neikka RPM, Nitzer Ebb, Növö, O.V.N.I., Plastic Noise Experience, Pouppee Fabrikk, Prozium, Psy’Aviah, Razorfade, Recoil, Regenerator, Saeldes Sanc, Schwarzblut, Sebastian Komor, Seize, Sero.Overdose, Shaun F, Simon Carter, Siva Six, Star Industry, Stray, Studio-X, Suicide Inside, Tamtrum, Technoir, The Cure (tribute), The Psychic Force, Totem Obscura, Trisomie 21, Unter Null, Venal Flesh, Virgins O.R Pigeons, Virtual Embrace, XMH, Zombie Girl, … plus a long list of compilations.

And in order to save on shipping costs, it’s recommended to combine this with the label’s 2 newest releases although they are not discounted.

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

“Today he has no means He’s alone and anonymous, but written in his cells he’s got the marks of a genius”, with these Front 242 lyrics (“Headhunter”) the Belgian electro label Alfa Matrix has launched quite an impressive EBM day action offering no less than a 30% discount on all of it’s physical (and download releases) including the much wanted Front 242 vinyls sets.

All you need to do is use the code ebmday242 to get 30% off on all of the labels releases (ltd editions, boxsets, t-shirts, vinyls, …) purchased via the Alfa Matrix webstore and the official Alfa Matrix Bandcamp page.

The code ebmday242 is only valid today and this weekend and will be applied on all products you have added in your basket.

And that’s not all! the label has also added a huge list of VERY low priced compilations right here.

Included in this massive discount action are all physical and download releases by 32CRASH, Acylum, Aengeldust, Aesthetische, Agonised By Love, Aiboforcen, Alien Vampires, Ambassador21, amGod, Armageddon Dildos, Avarice In Audio, Ayria, Bruderschaft, Cosmic Armchair, Crisk, Cynical Existence, Depeche Mode (the tribute releases), Diffuzion, Diskonnekted, Dive, Dream Recall, Dunkelwerk, Elektroklänge, ELM, Entrzelle, Epsilon Minus, Essence Of Mind, Freakangel, Front 242, Gaytron, Glis, Halo In Reverse, HausHetaere, Headscan, Helalyn Flowers, Hungry Lucy, I:scintilla, Implant, Internal, Inure, Junksista, Kant Kino, Klutæ, Komor Kommando, Krystal System, Leaether Strip, Lovelorn Dolls, Malakwa, Male Or Female, Mari Chrome, Mentallo and the Fixer, Metroland, Mind:State, Mnemonic, Mondträume, Monolith, Nebula-H, Neikka RPM, Nitzer Ebb, Növö, O.V.N.I., Plastic Noise Experience, Pouppee Fabrikk, Prozium, Psy’Aviah, Razorfade, Recoil, Regenerator, Saeldes Sanc, Schwarzblut, Sebastian Komor, Seize, Sero.Overdose, Shaun F, Simon Carter, Siva Six, Star Industry, Stray, Studio-X, Suicide Inside, Tamtrum, Technoir, The Cure (tribute), The Psychic Force, Totem Obscura, Trisomie 21, Unter Null, Venal Flesh, Virgins O.R Pigeons, Virtual Embrace, XMH, Zombie Girl, … plus a long list of compilations.

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

We enter the final few hours to enjoy a 50% reduction on all of your purchases via the Alfa Matrix Bandcamp page. You get a discount of 50% when using the discount code january50432. Just enter it when checking out. The code is valid on ALL of the releases on the label’s Bandcamp page.

Included in this massive discount action are releases by 32CRASH, Acylum, Aengeldust, Aesthetische, Agonised By Love, Aiboforcen, Alien Vampires, Ambassador21, amGod, Armageddon Dildos, Avarice In Audio, Ayria, Bruderschaft, Cosmic Armchair, Crisk, Cynical Existence, Depeche Mode (the tribute releases), Diffuzion, Diskonnekted, Dive, Dream Recall, Dunkelwerk, Elektroklänge, ELM, Entrzelle, Epsilon Minus, Essence Of Mind, Freakangel, Front 242, Gaytron, Glis, Halo In Reverse, HausHetaere, Headscan, Helalyn Flowers, Hungry Lucy, I:scintilla, Implant, Internal, Inure, Junksista, Kant Kino, Klutæ, Komor Kommando, Krystal System, Leaether Strip, Lovelorn Dolls, Malakwa, Male Or Female, Mari Chrome, Mentallo and the Fixer, Metroland, Mind:State, Mnemonic, Mondträume, Monolith, Nebula-H, Neikka RPM, Nitzer Ebb, Növö, O.V.N.I., Plastic Noise Experience, Pouppee Fabrikk, Prozium, Psy’Aviah, Razorfade, Regenerator, Saeldes Sanc, Schwarzblut, Sebastian Komor, Seize, Sero.Overdose, Shaun F, Simon Carter, Siva Six, Star Industry, Stray, Studio-X, Suicide Inside, Tamtrum, Technoir, The Cure (tribute), The Psychic Force, Totem Obscura, Trisomie 21, Unter Null, Venal Flesh, Virgins O.R Pigeons, Virtual Embrace, XMH, Zombie Girl, … plus a long list of compilations.

The discount code only lasts till January 31st midnight, so make sure to use it asap!

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

Out now is the official video for the Siva Six track “Apocalypsis”, taken from their recently released “Dawn Of Days” – available here on CD, and right here as download.

The video was edited by Die Industrie and directed by Diana Rachmanina assisted by Evi Christopoulou. “Apocalypsis” (in Greek “Αποκάλυψις”) is one of several tracks which have hit the best club nights and is of course also featured on our Spotify playlist.

You can watch the video right below:

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

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

side-line.com

This morning IKEA Ghent (Belgium) was the place to be for bands wanting to know something more on the future of the music business and how to make the best of it. More precisely, the Belgian electronic music label Alfa Matrix was presenting a workshop at IKEA to the musicians behind the bands Llumen, ELM, Psy’Aviah and Mildreda (Diskonnekted), respectively Pieter Coussement, Peter Elm, Yves Schelpe and Jan Dewulf. For the label it’s the first time it has organised a joined workshop with other bands inside Belgium, but it surely won’t be the last.

Side-Line talked with Alfa Matrix’s promo manager Bernard Van Isacker who gave the workshop.

SL: First of all, you also work as an online marketeer during your daytime job?

B: Yes, I’m the online marketeer for a major seed company (number 5 in the world) for whom I develop the social media strategy, and in that role I have been giving several trainings regarding social media tricks in Belgium and in the Netherlands, but also regarding CRM since one doesn’t go without the other. For those who don’t know, CRM stands for customer relationship management and is an approach to managing a company’s interaction with current and potential future customers. We then analyse this data to improve business relationships with customers. But that’s another story.

SL: Why did Alfa Matrix decide to do this workshop?

B: This is not the first time we do this, in the past I have organised a couple of such workshops with Alfa Matrix bands but then more face to face, so one band at the time. I did several in Belgium, in Scandinavia and in Greece (where I had sessions with Siva Six and Virgins O.R. Pigeons).

But the idea to get a few bands together only started a year or 2 ago when I had a very interesting networking diner in Oslo (Norway) where several of the Alfa Matrix bands were joined by such people as John Fryer, Paul Kendall and the Electro Spectre duo. You immediately could sense there was an energy that you don’t often see.

I also know that there is a need for bands to discuss about the topics we talked about today such as marketing, communication and an insight on how the algorithms work for such companies as Spotify, Apple Music and so on.

Anyhow, when I was at an intimate event at the Club 52 here in Belgium a few weeks ago, I talked with the people behind Llumen, Psy’Aviah and Mildreda who were playing there and suggested them a joined workshop in the near future. They all agreed, so a few days later we decided upon a precise date, a location and I prepped the workshop itself. In the meantime I had invited a few other bands over too, so that’s how Peter (ELM) also joined us, the others will be joining me during a future workshop that fits their agenda.

I also plan a few of these workshops outside Belgium with the next one being in Oslo where Kant Kino, Essence Of Mind and a few other acts will be joining.

SL: What was the purpose of this meeting?

B: It’s always good to meet the artists from time to time, so that is already a good plus. But the main purpose of the workshop is to help the participating bands with their communication, their online presence, and explain them a few things which the general public and most bands are not aware of (because often their label doesn’t know either). Today for instance I presented them my future vision on the (online) press and club scene.

SL: And that is?

B: That’s classified, but it’s safe to say that my vision is quite radical. Back in the days (let’s say 10 years ago) people told me I was mad to start investing in digital distribution at such a fast pace. 10 years late I’m not so mad anymore so it seems, at least what that aspect is considered :). You have to know that I talk a lot with people from inside the business (digital distributors, major promo companies, …) to know the ins and outs of what happens and what is going to happen. I also have a few trusted people from within the scene (distributors, musicians such as Yves Schelpe, other label owners) with whom I discuss quite often about what directions the music industry might take. From that input and my own knowledge and intuition I distill a vision for Alfa Matrix which I then share with my 2 other colleagues in the label.

SL: How did you come up with the idea to do this workshop at IKEA?

B: I’m an IKEA addict basically… :). Ghent is in the centre of the Belgian cities where our bands come from, so it was kinda logical to choose this city as the central place. And since it isn’t the first time I do meetings at IKEA, it kinda was logical to keep it here. Plenty of coffee and plenty of space, I only asked the bands to be here at 10 AM so we were sure to have the space we wanted.

SL: What came out of this workshop?

B: Well, besides the content of my presentation which gave these bands a nice insight in how the business works these days, there were also a few new and exiting things that have come out of our interaction, which we hope to materialise soon. Add to this that a few really nice surprises appeared which opened opportunities. I personally strongly believe in the 1+1=3 setting if you have people sit together who are all very driven by the desire to learn. That was the case here.

SL: Do you plan to publish this guide on the net?

B: No, nice try though! This presentation and its explanation is strictly restricted to the bands signed to Alfa Matrix and is not for external distribution. In the past I have worked for labels on consultancy basis giving them ‘intel’ on a few things, but that’s only because they contracted me for this. Since I’m now only busy with Alfa Matrix, it will remain for the Alfa Matrix eyes only :).

SL: Can we expect some more of these workshops taking place in Belgium?

B: Sure, we plan one in Brussels as well in the near future, probably at IKEA Zaventem :). Next we also plan one in the Netherlands and in Mexico where we also have a few bands under contract.

Eldrina Mich

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

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(By Dlanod P) The Greek cult duo Siva Six return with their 4th full length studio album “Dawn Of Days”, to be officially released on November 11th. (available right here on CD or right here as a download via Bandcamp). But today, Side-Line can offer you an exclusive stream of the full album “Dawn Of Days” and an interview!

First the album’s exclusive stream on Side-Line – you can check the interview below whilst listening.

SL: Hi Z, its been 3 years since your last release “Superstition EP” what has happened in between ?

Z: We had gigs at some countries that we had never visit before like France (Ex Fest) Ukraine, we did our 1st appearance at WGT, played at a few great venues in Athens but mostly it was all about hard work for our new album “Dawn of days”. It took me more than 2 years to finish it, that period was the most intense of my life, I went through some extreme spiritual changes which inspired the concept of the new album ,it was the time for some groundbreaking steps overall so I moved to Leipzig in Germany. My band mate & techno super hero for the last 3 years Christian Cambas left the band due to personal issues so I hired back my old comrade U-RI, he was behind the keyboards between 2006-2008 so we know each other pretty well.

SL: So Siva Six is now located in Leipzig, how does it feel?

Z: I liked Leipzig from the very first time we arrived for WGT. Athens is a hard and bad ass city, I had enough from it, I needed some peace of mind, which my new location is offering now. It’s also a userfriendly city gigwise since travel expenses have been an issue several times in the past, it looks good, sounds and tastes good…

SL: On 11th of November your new album “Dawn of days “ will be released via Alfa Matrix, it took you some time as you pointed out earlier on.

Z: I started to write the music and lyrics for “Dawn of days” more that 2 years ago, it was a hard but pleasant road, and it became the most personal album I have ever released. The experiences that I went through and the agony of my every step has left its fingerprint on this album. It’s a concept album about the Apocalypse and a life time trip that finally reaches its destination.

SL: I noticed that you have done a cover of the main music theme from the “28 days” movie, I guess its not a coincidence that in your previous album “The twin moons” you had done a cover of the main music theme from the epic sci-fi movie “Bladerunner”

Z: I love movies and soundtracks, you can hear some of the greatest music that has ever been produced on soundtracks. I think that making covers from soundtracks is a subconscious choice, at the other hand I feel free to do it instead of covering one of the pasts club hits or any other track I would feel a fan would do. I added my own lyrics so somehow I participate more plus I love our covers otherwise we would not do it. As for this cover it has been divided in two parts “The dead walk the earth “ and “ Twenty eight “. I had in mind to do this cover for a long time, so when the concept of the new album was revealed to me I knew it was about time.

SL: What do you mean when you say “the concept of the new album was revealed to me“ ?

Z: I wish not to speak about this.

SL: Fair enough. Next question then, what’s your relationship with the occult?

Z: Since I was a kid I used to look at the stars, wanting, needing answers. I have read the way of several spiritual paths, I was a theoretical thelemite for more than a decade, never more ….that path fulfilled its cause. The darkness I experienced was one of the driving forces of my transformation, I strongly recommend to each individual to be extremely careful with the occult and the spiritual path of its choice… respect the balance, do not enter with arrogance or ignorance otherwise the dark side will chew and spit you out in pieces…

SL: Quantity or quality ?

Z: A balance between that contrast could be an easy answer but when it comes to “art “ you can not really measure it, a lot of artists fall into that trap I guess, repeating actually themselves. As for Siva Six we do release an album only when I am feeling 100% sure that the result pleases my soul. There is always a lot of work music- and lyricswise and a mission to accomplish in each of our releases.

SL: Although Siva Six has been around for 11 years you have adapted your style, but the occult feeling when listening to you work remains the same.

Z: We have done 4 albums, 1 EP and 1 remix album so far. All I can tell you is that we were always devoted in doing it our way. I love so many different kinds of music and I guess I do get influenced and inspired from them, but we never tried to copy or to sound like anyone. I know from the very first moment when I play the first notes of a new song that this is me, this is Siva Six. I do not know exactly how this happens even though I have co-written and produced tracks with most of my bandmates so far or a lot of tracks were not actually produced by me but I know it does. Thank you for the compliment by the way!

SL: Siva Six has a good live reputation I noticed.

Z: The stage is our natural playground… what happens on stage is a quite unique experience that we share with the audience, It’s a 2 way road, a never ending give and take of power. I like to shout out loud my words.

SL: What’s coming up next for Siva Six ?

Z: We are working on a new videoclip and a lyric video, we also have some gig offers that have arrived and I am thinking of doing a new EP on 2017. We have also done a duo with Vas Kallas from Hanzel und Gretyl for the track “Until death reunites us” and I just love it, so I want a special release for this track which will be probably accompanied with a few remixes from the “Dawn of days” album and a few new edits. As for the rest I have no idea and that’s what counts, ha!

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

The Athens based cult dark electro duo Siva Six return with their 4th full length studio album, “Dawn Of Days“. It took them 3 years to complete this new album since their well received “Superstition” EP (this EP is available here on CD or here as download).

The band’s harsh dark elektro style also integrates traditional eastern instruments such as oud, yayli tambur or yet theremin played by the well known theater musician G. Diamantopoulos. You will also recognise guitar parts by Boog (Junksista) on a cover version of the “28 Days Later” movie-soundtrack’s main theme.

Whilst listening to an early promo copy the album we noticed the nods to Project Pitchfork although the band was not especially looking after that sound: “We never look after a certain style, but it could be yes… will have to listen again now that you mentioned this! We get influenced by all of our favourite bands – from goth to electro to alternative – but we never try to sound like a particular band. It’s more like a variety of dark influences. So invite people to listen to the material and let us know what they think!”

You can already enjoy 2 streaming tracks on Bandcamp where the download version can be bought. The CD version, with the same track list, is available right here. An album that will please many dark electro acts due to its refined production.

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: Dark-electro, EBM, gothic, new-wave, punk-rock.

Bands: PreEmptive Strike 0.1, Roppongi Inc Project, Freaky Mind, Siva Six, Wynardtage, W.O.M.P., Oniric, Acylum, Von Thronstahl, The Pussibats ao.

Background/Info: The German label based in Duisburg was rather active during the 90s and early millennium years releasing albums of bands like Forthcoming Fire, Von Thronstahl and their label compilation series “VAWS”.

It’s a while ago now since I’ve heard something new from VAWS, but they here strike back with a beautiful and deeply artistic book & double disc featuring a total of 24 songs. The title and concept of the artwork will appeal for all Nachtmahr fans.

Content: The book is absolutely artistic and focuses on –like the title indicates, ‘girls in uniform’. We get beautiful and sexy pictures of young girls in uniform. Some of the pictures clearly remind me of the image of Nachtmahr. It definitely appears to be a concept that will please the audience.

Sound-wise the 1^st disc is totally devoted to dark-electronics and some dark EBM formats. There’s an interesting selection of established- and less familiar names. Globally speaking it’s a pumping and pretty cool disc with a great song by Freaky Mind and other noticeable cuts by R.I.P. and Mordacious.

The 2^nd disc is more diversified covering multiple genres and influences. It’s not exactly what I would call a gothic album but more like bands that are dealing with orchestral arrangements, cinematographic inspiration, minimal electro-wave music, ethereal electronics, body-pop, a kind of chanson and even a punk-rock apotheosis.

+ + + : The 1^st disc will definitely please the dark-electro heads and features a nice selection of cool songs. The 2^nd disc is quite different, revealing an exciting eclecticism of influences. But the main strength of this compilation for sure appears to be the great artwork and book-concept.

– – – : There’s a serious chasm in music genre between both discs.

Conclusion: If you’re a freak of artistic music design featuring cool music and a unique artwork, you definitely will like “Mädchen In Uniform”.

Best bands: Freaky Mind, Mordacious, Infernosounds, Lucifer Christ, Von Thronstahl, Deadly Injection.

Rate: (8).

Label: www.vaws.de / www.facebook.com/vaws–musicfactory-254972201199351

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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