Genre/Influences: Cold-Wave, Dark-Wave.

Format: Digital, CD.

Background/Info: After having released last year albums on Unknown Pleasures Records and ScentAir Records, Italian artist Marco Cattani (Halo Effect, The Mark) strikes back with a new opus on Wave Records. Chemical Waves have again invited numerous guest singers. Vocalists from Bedless Bones, The Arch, The Purge, Death Loves Veronica, Sara Stuttgart, Then Came The Rain, Velvet Kills, Iris Capricorn, XTR Human and Social Station contributed to the work.

Content: The sound formula hasn’t really changed. Chemical Waves remains driven by the dark legacy of 80s Cold/Dark-Wave music. The singers again each inject a very personal touch to the work, which creates an interesting diversity. From sensual vocals to low, resonating vocals there’s a lot to experience while you’ll also notice two instrumental cuts.

+ + + : Chemical Waves holds on the true spirit of Dark/Cold-Wave music, which is mainly created by the magic of the guitar playing. I heard some good matches with the singers of The Arch, The Purge and especially Su Eko/Velvet Kills, reminding me a bit of Placebo.

– – – : The global approach of this project remains interesting and sometimes exciting although I’m missing ‘the’ singer of this band. I also preferred previous productions, the sound becoming a bit too predictable while the songs are less efficient. Being too prolific is sometimes undermining quality…

Conclusion: This is not the album from Chemical Waves I would recommend listening to first.

Best songs: “Rangers On The Road”, “Demon In Me”.

Rate: (6 ½).

Artist: www.facebook.com/chemicalwaves

Label: www.waverecordsmusic.com / www.facebook.com/waverecords

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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The Rome (IT) based post-punk act Chemical Waves returns with an all new album on April 30th via Wave Records. “Stories From The World Before” is the next chapter for the solo project of Marco Cattani (Halo Effect, The Mark) in collaborations with several international artists.

This time Cattani worked with Bedless Bones, Gerd Van Geel/The Arch, The Purge, Death Loves Veronica, Sara Stuttgart, Then Came The Rain, Su Eko/Velvet Kills, Iris Capricorn, Xtr Human and Social Station.

The result is a 12-track release for which a first video has just been released, namely one for “Kiss The Ring” featuring Bedless Bones. Note that the album will also be out as a CD ecopack limited to 200 copies.

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.

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In honour of the 20th anniversary of the first volume of “The Unquiet Grave”, Cleopatra Records presents “The Unquiet Grave 2019”, a compilation that features 25 international Post-Punk, Goth, Industrial, Darkwave and Experimental artists from across the dark music spectrum.

The label’s original concept behind “The Unquiet Grave” varied from other Cleopatra compilations they completed such as “The Goth Box” (1996) as well as “The Black Bible” (1998), that included legacy acts such as Bauhaus, Virgin Prunes and Legendary Pink Dots along with a variety of up-and-coming bands. On the other hand, “The Unquiet Grave” (1999) exclusively featured new artists that deserved the opportunity for exposure to a larger audience. That original 1999 edition would include such bands as Bella Morte, Diary of Dreams, Android Lust and Rhea’s Obsession, to name a few.

“The Unquiet Grave 2019” applies the same formula as that original volume by showcasing 25 artists that equally deserve your attention. “The Unquiet Grave 2019” will be available on June 14th via all digital and streaming outlets.

The Unquiet Grave 2019 features: The Ink Bats, Social Station, The Sedona Effect, Antidote for Annie, Silver Walks, New Zero God, The Long Losts, Schedule IV, Hypofixx, Lorelei Dreaming, Fear Incorporated, Metamorph, Angel Metro, Abbey Death, The Drowning Season, May May Graves, Red Lokust, Acclimate, Traumabond, ENGRAM, Tragic Impulse, Spider Lilies, RCH IV, Dreamchild, Moss Garten.

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.

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