This Eternal Decay is an industrial dark-wave project formed by Riccardo Sabetti (Spiral69), Pasquale Vico (Date at Midnight), Andrea Freda (Spiritual Front), and Alessio Schiavi (Avant-Garde). Out now is the single and video “Rise & Fall”. “Rise & Fall” is the first single from “Spettro”, the new album by This Eternal Decay, set to be released on January 10, 2025 (Trisol Music Group). Musically the combo channels their passion for romantic darkwave, blending it with industrial rhythms and echoes of synthpop.

“Rise & Fall” will be available on all digital platforms from October 18, 2024 (pre-save here), but you can now exclusively view the video for the track right below. The video for “Rise & Fall” was created by editing together all the footage sent in by fans recorded during the concerts of the last tour. “It is intended to be a kind of “love letter” to our audience,” so the band says.

“Rise & Fall” addresses the issue of gaslighting so the band says: “A form of psychological abuse that is becoming increasingly common in many relationships due to the growing individualism in modern society. It explores the destructiveness of relationships centered around one person’s ego, which leads to the annihilation of the other, ultimately resulting in the complete loss of self-esteem and the desire to engage with the world. A toxic relationship from which the only escape is to disappear.”

About This Eternal Decay

This Eternal Decay made their debut with the album “I Choose an Eternity of This” (Trisol Music Group), which was followed by a tour through Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, supporting Samsas Traum twice that same year.

In April 2020, they released their second album, “Silence”, featuring guest appearances from Then Comes Silence and Theatres des Vampires. However, the global pandemic forced them to cancel several European tour dates. In June 2021, they bounced back with the maxi single “Leave”, which included the title track, two remixes by Kurs Lestat, and an acoustic version with Luigi Rubino (Ashram) on piano.

On January 7, 2022, their third studio album, “Nocturnæ”, was released, featuring collaborations with Hapax and Avant-Garde, as well as remixes by ACTORS, Ash Code, Wisborg, and A Copy for Collapse. The release was followed by the 15-date European NocTour in October 2022.

In 2022, the band recorded their fourth studio album, “Absølutiøn” (Trisol Music Group), which was released on May 18, 2023. The album’s release was followed by an extensive European tour, playing over 30 shows across the continent.

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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(The visual is AI generated) In July 2024, German composer, musician and producer of electronic music Uwe H. Schmidt (aka Lassigue Bendthaus, Atom™, Atom Heart, or Señor Coconut) headlined the Russian Outline festival, which returned after its last edition in 2016, and this amid the ongoing conflict with Ukraine.

Run by the team behind Moscow club Mutabor, the house, techno and experimental festival took place last week (18-24 July) in Taldom, a small town on the outskirts of the capital. Playing were international acts like Atom™, Margaret Dygas and Le Syndicat Electronique who joined local DJs and live acts including Tim Aminov, Denis Kaznacheev and Sofia Rodina.

Present at the festival also was a military recruitment tent and vehicles marked with the letter “Z”, symbols associated with the Russian military effort against Ukraine.

Moscow region July 2023. Outline festival. I pointed out that u should remember those artists in the lineup. Can we tell now that they are officially support genocide of Ukrainians and act as an entertainment at the points of recruiting (mobilization) of russians for the war? pic.twitter.com/gxi5G6SgJf

— Maya Baklanova (@mayabaklanova) July 7, 2023

It didn’t take long before critics, such as Ukrainian activist Maya Baklanova, said that Western artists performing in Russia were normalizing the war and supporting the Russian regime by their participation.

Schmidt responded to the criticism by calling it a “smear campaign” against him. He defended his performance, implying that the accusations were unfounded and intended to damage his reputation. And he added: “It is also painful that at this point in my career I have, for the first time, to make a non-musical public statement of that sort, yet it seems that times require this to be done. (…) I consider myself a profoundly non- or rather trans-political person. Many years ago I had decided to take the path of making true human bonds through music. Unlike politics, which is the mode of separation, I had chosen music, which is the mode of connection.”

Surprisingly Schmidt’s recent performance in Russia was backed by an official support letter, issued by the German Embassy in St. Petersburg.

Liebe deutsche Techno-Community, um @Atom_TM_news, liebes deutsches Generalkonsulat in Sankt Petersburg @germania_online, habt ihr sie noch alle? Im kriegführenden russland die kriegsbejahende Masse mit deutschen Techno-Acts belohnen und damit diesen Terrorstaat normalisieren? pic.twitter.com/8BdGFjA7z8

— Ukrainki_UA (@Ukrainki_UA) July 28, 2024

This letter was accompanied by a meeting with the general consul Mr. Schimandl of which an official post was made on VK by the German Embassy itself. We took a screenshot of said post below.

Criticism continues as for instance even Russian techno producer Pavel Milyakov (aka Buttechno) accused the artists at the festival of attracting people to a war effort, stating that their performances indirectly supported the military budget used for the invasion of Ukraine.

Und wie wird sich versucht rauszureden? @Atom_TM_news will Verbindungen schaffen. Ich bezweifle, dass auf dem Festival Ukrainer sind. Zwischen wem werden also diese Verbindungen geschaffen? Zahlenden Kunden und einem deutschen DJ…? pic.twitter.com/9rfXdDRLaC

— Ukrainki_UA (@Ukrainki_UA) July 28, 2024

His official statements contains some disturbing clues, such as, “this link may be blocked in your free, democratic country,” “this situation, the one of being forced into political obedience,” and “(it) has poisoned music and other arts as it enslaves them to ideology.” He seems to suggest that condemning Russian aggression equates to political obedience.

And that is when, regrettably, we recognize a kind of responses that are typical among artists who support Russia, like for instance Simone Salvatori (Spiritual Front). It’s clear now that Uwe H. Schmidt decided to follow the Russian propaganda narrative instead of using is name and fame to condemn the Russian invasion. His defensive line as if music should be non-political is hereby completely destroyed. Rumor has it also that the DJs playing at the fest received exceptionally high fees.

Sad to see this happening from an artist we used to admire. Not anymore after this.

About Uwe H. Schmidt

Uwe H. Schmidt, born on August 27, 1968, in Frankfurt, Germany, began his musical journey in the early 1980s. Initially playing drums, he soon transitioned to programming a drum computer inspired by the sounds of the Linn Drum. In 1986, Schmidt co-founded the cassette label N.G. Medien, releasing works by international artists, including Frontline Assembly, and his own project Lassigue Bendthaus with “The Engineer’s Love”. His first official Lassigue Bendthaus album, “Matter”, was recorded over four years and released in 1991, establishing his early career.

Living in Frankfurt, Schmidt was influenced by the burgeoning house and acid house scenes. He adopted the alias Atom Heart and released several dance-oriented 12-inch vinyl records under various project names. In 1992, he produced tracks for DJs Pascal F.E.O.S., Ata, and Heiko M/S/O, contributing to the early trance movement. Collaborations with Tetsu Inoue led to the formation of the Datacide project in 1993. Despite challenges with record labels, Schmidt continued to innovate, founding his own label, Rather Interesting, in 1994 to explore diverse musical ideas.

In the mid-1990s, Schmidt collaborated with artists like Bill Laswell and Haruomi Hosono, producing albums under multiple aliases. He met Chilean musician Dandy Jack, and in 1997, they relocated to Santiago, Chile, where Schmidt completed the first Señor Coconut album, “El Gran Baile”. This period marked the creation of his “electrolatino” style, blending traditional Latin music with electronic elements. He continued to release a monthly album on Rather Interesting.

Schmidt’s last Lassigue Bendthaus album, “Pop Artificielle”, released in 1999 under the name LB included electronic cover versions of famous pop songs. His next major project, “El Baile Alemán” by Señor Coconut, featured cha-cha-cha versions of Kraftwerk songs and received approval from Kraftwerk themselves. The album’s success led to international tours, including Europe and an intended U.S. tour. During this time, Schmidt also released innovative works like Geeez ‘n’ Gosh and collaborated with Bernd Friedmann on the Flanger project.

Schmidt continued to remix prominent artists, including Depeche Mode and Air, while touring extensively with his 9-piece Señor Coconut orchestra. The album “Yellow Fever!”, featuring covers of Yellow Magic Orchestra songs, became a major hit in Japan. Schmidt also released the Señor Coconut album “Around the World”, collaborating with artists like Stephan Remmler and Louie Austen.

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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Update: Yesterday Russia deliberately hit Ukraine’s largest children’s hospital, Okhmatdyt (abbreviation for “Mother-and-Child Care”, Okhorona Matery ta Dityny) resulting in the death of over 30 people and many wounded children, including babies. Simone Salvatori – as usually – spread the Kremlin propaganda that Ukraine would have hit the hospital themselves, whereas all available evidence clearly shows it was a Russian missile.

Spiritual Front, signed to the German label Prophecy Productions, is getting more and more backlash from the general public due to its founding member Simone Salvatori (online also active as ‘Alex Vice’) being a very vocal pro-Putin fan supporting the war launched against Ukraine.

That he is quite pro-Putin is not exactly news, you can see it clearly below.

On Friday 10 November 2023 for instance, Simone Salvatori announced two special solo shows in Moscow and Saint Petersburg, Russia, right after dates planned in Tbilisi (Georgia), Almaty (Kazakhstan) and Istanbul (Turkey). The announcement led to a huge shitstorm to the point where Salvatori deleted the announcement and issued a rather poorly formulated ‘apology’.

Fans from Ukraine and elsewhere started to point out certain posts that were liked by Simone Salvatori, now nicknamed ‘Zimone’, including a post by Fabrizio Giannese (Aborym). Simone replied that he ‘didn’t understand the post’ which was posted in Italian to start with, Simone’s mother tongue…

As a result the concert in Warsaw (Poland), scheduled on 12 November – just two days after the Facebook post on 12 November – was immediately cancelled by the promoter upon learning about Simone’s Russian concerts. Also the concert in Vilnius (Lithuania), scheduled on 20 April 2024, was canceled by the promotor. It didn’t stop there, the promotor Pink Hearts furthermore canceled the concerts in May in Tbilisi (Georgia), Almaty (KazakHstan) and Istanbul (Turkey).

Oh, and also Side-Line gets mentioned, although we never had any dealings with Simone.

Simone is also a regular troll on our Instagram page where he tries to push Kremlin lies and continues to attack Side-Line for its role in denouncing vatniks like Simone and their creepy agenda.

You can read a whole lot more on how Simone acts online and his real agenda from this website that is going to list all bands from the dark scene who have been pushing Putin’s agenda. It’s clear: Side-Line will not entertain or propagate Kremlin rhetoric.

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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Celebrating its 30th year, Audioglobe, the most important distributor in the darkwave scene, just shared a statistical review, revealing the shifts and trends in the darkwave (and related) music genre.

Our readers will surely remember that we have reported on these stats for years, until 2018, the first year that Audioglobe didn’t communicate these stats. Sebastian Koch from Audioglobe explains: “Some customers never really cared that much about these, as they have better things to do than reading boring mails from the undersigned. But… Surprisingly there are quite a high number of customers, that sort of ‘complained’ about the fact, that no stats were being done any longer… The reason is: I was simply always far too busy in past years. Anyway: Here we go with the first new stats since 2017!”

So here are some export facts.

Top 10 Bestselling Labels of 2023 (export)

1. FABRIKA/DEAD SCARLET
   • She Past Away, Lebanon Hanover, Selofan, Kaelan Mikla, M!R!M, Doric…
2. METROPOLIS
   • Birthday Massacre, Delerium, Front Line Assembly, A Projection, KMFDM, Legendary P.D…
3. ICY COLD/MANIC DEPR.
   • Twin Tribes, Je T’aime, Traitrs, Kill Shelter, Closed Mouth, Talk to Her, Schonwald…
4. ALFA MATRIX
   • Alien Vampires, Front 242, Metroland, Die Robo Sapiens, Elm, 808 Dot Pop, Helalyn Flowers…
5. RUSTBLADE
   • Claudio Simonetti, Ennio Morricone, Lycia Lunch, Spiritual Front, Ketvector, Legendary Pink D…
6. OUT OF LINE
   • Blutengel, Hocico, Solitary Experiments, Suicide Commando, Signal Aout42, Erdling…
7. TRISOL
   • Sopor Aeternus, Rome, Clan of Xymox, Asp, Ostara, Skinflicks, Nachtmahr, Mantus, Soman…
8. DEPENDENT
   • Kirlian Camera, Girls Under Glass, Spectra*Paris, Mildreda, Black Nail Cabaret, Beborn Beton…
9. ARTOFFACT
   • Actors, Noise Unit, cEvin Key, Kaelan Mikla, Ploho, Sacred Skin, Kauan, Ken Mode, Spectres…
10. AUERBACH
    • Spiritual Front, Sol Invictus, Tenhi, Moon and the Night Spirit, Haavard, Hekate, Orplid…

Best Export Territories of 2023

If we look at the Audioglobe stats, we notice that Germany and Greece remain the company’s strongest markets, continuing a trend that has been consistent for ages. However, the 2023 statistics reveal some notable shifts.

Canada, once a prominent market for Audioglobe, has surprisingly disappeared from the export landscape. In contrast, the United States and the United Kingdom have re-emerged as significant territories, marking their return to prominence in the darkwave music scene after several years.

The most unexpected development in 2023 is the rise of Australia as a key market. This growth stands in stark contrast to Switzerland, which, despite its affluence, has seen a sharp decline in sales. Sebastian Koch adds: “The (by far!) lowest sales of all countries where we export to, was to Switzerland… The rich Swiss don’t buy records! Since I left the country (1990), something is wrong back home!”

Here is the top 10 list of export territories:

1. Germany
2. Greece
3. Netherlands
4. Portugal
5. USA
6. United Kingdom
7. Australia
8. Spain
9. Russia
10. Poland

Not in the top 10, but France, Japan, Malta, Brazil, Sweden, Mexico, and Perù are also good export territories for Audioglobe.

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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(Photo by Eliana Giaccheri) “The Heart of a Lover” is the second single from the Italian industrial darkwave act This Eternal Decay. The track is taken from their upcoming album, “Absolution”, set for release on May 19th, 2023. This dark synth ballad explores the concept of love as time passes, revealing how what once excited us can eventually become frightening.

“The Heart of a Lover” is available on all streaming and digital platforms from today, April 14, on. It features an Exfeind remix and an acoustic version of the track. And today Side-Line can exclusively reveal the all new video that will accompany the new single.

This non-traditional video showcases digital artwork created by Roman artist Alessandra Meneghello, also known as @disagire. The digital painting evolves in tandem with the song’s sounds, expressing the emotions woven into its sonic layers.

Watch the official video below.

This Eternal Decay, a group focused on industrial-dark-wave music, consists of members Ricardo Sabetti (Spiral69), Pasquale Vico (Date at Midnight), Andrea Freda (Spiritual Front), and Alessio Schiavi (Avant-Garde). Their sound is a fusion of romantic darkwave, industrial beats, and synthpop elements. Their first album, “I Choose an Eternity of This” (Trisol Music Group), garnered positive reviews.

In April 2020, the band launched their sophomore album, “Silence”, featuring collaborations with artists from Then Comes Silence and Theaters Des Vampires. Despite pandemic-related cancellations of several European tour dates, the album saw three repressings within its initial five months.

In June 2021, they released the maxi single “Leave”, accompanied by two Kurs Lestat remixes and an acoustic rendition of the track with Luigi Rubino (Ashram) on piano. Their third studio album, “Nocturne”, was released on January 7th, 2022, and included guest appearances from Hapax and Avant-Garde, as well as remixes by ACTORS, Ash Code, Wisborg, and A Copy for Collapse.

In October 2022, This Eternal Decay began their 15-date European NocTour. Throughout the year, they worked on their fourth studio album, titled “Absolution”.

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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(Photo by Eliana Giaccheri) “Absolution”, the fourth studio album by Rome-based This Eternal Decay, will be released on May 19, 2023. The album will be preceded by three singles, featuring remixes from Ductape and Zeromancer, and the first single/video is out now: “Perfection” which you can view below.

The album itself showcases eleven what the band describes as “murder synth-ballads” that delve into love as a simultaneously nurturing and destructive force. The album sees the band departing from their previous industrial sound to embrace their darkwave roots more deeply. The whole was recorded in 2022 at the Big Room Studios in Rome.

About This Eternal Decay

This Eternal Decay, an industrial-dark-wave project, is composed of Ricardo Sabetti (Spiral69), Pasquale Vico (Date at Midnight), Andrea Freda (Spiritual Front), and Alessio Schiavi (Avant-Garde). Their music combines romantic darkwave, industrial rhythms, and synthpop influences. The band’s debut album, “I Choose an Eternity of This” (Trisol Music Group) was quite well received.

In April 2020, they released their second album, “Silence”, featuring guests from Then Comes Silence and Theaters Des Vampires. Although the pandemic forced the band to cancel several European tour dates, the album was repressed three times within the first five months.

June 2021 saw the release of their maxi single, “Leave”, which also included two remixes by Kurs Lestat, and an acoustic version of the song featuring Luigi Rubino (Ashram) on piano. January 7th, 2022 marked the release of their third studio album, “Nocturne”. The album featured guests from Hapax, Avant-Garde, and remixes by ACTORS, Ash Code, Wisborg, and A Copy for Collapse.

In October 2022, This Eternal Decay embarked on their NocTour, a 15-date European tour. Throughout 2022, the band worked on their fourth studio album, “Absolution”.

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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Fire + Ice have signed a comprehensive deal including their full catalogue with Auerbach Tonträger. The project formed by British neofolk veteran Ian Read, who is also well known for his work with Death In June, Sol Invictus, and Current 93 will announce further news in due time.

As a first step in this collaboration, original Fire + Ice pressings as well as associated releases from Ian Read’s own imprint Fremdheit can now be obtained via Auerbach.

About Fire + Ice

Fire + Ice were created by Ian Read in 1992. Ian Read was a major contributor to the development of the neofolk genre. He performed on several of the scene’s formative albums such as Death In June’s “Brown Book” (1987), Current 93’s “Swastikas for Noddy” (1988), and Sol Invictus’ “Against The Modern World” (1987). Sol Invictus he had even co-founded with Tony Wakeford in 1987, who continued the band after Ian Read left to start his own project Fire + Ice.

With his own creative outlet, Read has ever since explored themes surrounding magic, myth, and mysteries, which are often associated with Germanic or Northern mythology, Odin, runes, and English history. Fire + Ice consider themselves as a genuine continuation of the Britsh Folk music and represent an original poetic expression of its traditions based on Ian Read’s own mystical vision and deep immersion in occult lore.

About Auerbach Tonträger

Auerbach Tonträger are an international label that was founded by its owner Martin Koller to offer a dedicated home and long-term collaborations to bands from the neofolk spectrum in the year 2003. Prominent singings include Sol Invictus, Orplid, and Spiritual Front.

Auerbach Tonträger are part of the Prophecy Productions label family under the umbrella of the independent media group SPKR.

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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Genre/Influences: Neo-Folk, Industrial.

Format: Digital, CD.

Background/Info: Hailing from Dallas, Texas (USA) Awen has already released multiple productions. Front man Erin Powell got the idea to ask other artists to remix songs of the bands. We get a work featuring seventeen songs remixed by an interesting palette of much diversified artists.

Content: Most remix-albums are often filled with bands from the same music style. Awen voluntarily asked a very diversified number of artists. Patrick Leagas (Sixth Comm, Mother Destruction), Ostara, Nachtmahr, David E. Williams, Murderous Vision, Spiritual Front, Church Ov Melkarth, Beastinaity, ANTIchildLEAGUE, Static Of Masses, Patterson-Gimlin, Et Nihil, Boyd Rice, Samsas Traum, Thomas Nöla, Void Prototype and Delphine Coma have been invited to rework the original Awen songs. The result is absolutely surprising, mixing pure Neo-Folk (Ostara), Electronics (Nachtmahr), Tribal (Spiritual Front), Industrial (Static Of Masses) and even Electro-Minimalism (Patterson-Gimlin).

+ + + : I’ve never been a huge fan of remix-albums, but I can appreciate artists thinking out of the box. And that’s precisely what Awen has done selecting artists who’re totally different from their beloved Neo-Folk style. It’s just great to see artists like Nachtmahr, Void Prototype and Samsas Traum accepting the challenge. It’s of course also more than simply a bonus to get Patrick Leagas and Boyd Rice at board. And it also is interesting to have another Neo-Folk driven formation such as Spiritual Front. All together it creates a very eclectic work, which feels a bit like a compilation, but which is fascinating to see how other artists have reinterpreted the work of Awen.

– – – : If you’re not open-minded and just loving Neo-Folk and nothing else, this compilation will reserve for you a few bad surprises –especially some Electro-driven remixes.

Conclusion: This album tents to prove that a compilation can be also original; just asking for the creative mind of other musicians.

Best songs: “Il Re Grigio Cupo – Static Of Masses”, “The Death Of Reynard – Patterson-Gimlin”, “The Sickle And The Setting Sun – Nachtmahr”, “Brigid The Dark, Brigid The Light – Spiritual Front”.

Rate: (7½).

Artist: www.facebook.com/AWENTRISKELERECORDINGS

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

Inferno Sound Diaries

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

www.side-line.com

Genre/Influences: Dark-wave.

Format: Digital, CDR.

Background/Info: I never heard of This Eternal Decay before “Silence”. It’s the band’s second full length opus. This Eternal Decay has been set up in 2018 and features the trio Riccardo Sabetti (Spiral69), Pasquale Vico (Date At Midnight) and Andrea Freda (Spiritual Front). This album features nine songs with guest contributions by Alex Svenson (Then Comes Silence) and Sonya Scarlet (Theatres Des Vampires).

Content: The opening tracks are clearly revealing the sources of inspiration used by the band. This is clearly wink to good-old dark-wave music carried by linear, fast rhythms and masterly lead by a charismatic singer. There’re a few softer cuts featured as well, but the ‘harder’ pieces definitely reveal the best out of this band. I also noticed some passages accomplished with electronic arrangements while the duo together with Sonya Scarlet also has something mystic and Eastern-like.

+ + + : Both opening songs are simply terrific! There’s such an overwhelming power emerging from the songs while the 80s influence brings us back to the darkest hours of that legendary decade. “I Am Nothing” even moves a step further and simply sounds as an absolute hit song. The tracks have been accomplished with great electronic treatments, but there’s a right balance between all influences, which makes the strength of the song. Another potential hit is “White Moon – Cold Nights” featuring female vocals by Sonya Scarlet. There also is an intriguing sphere hanging over this song, which has something Eastern-like.

– – – : I’m less convinced by a softer track such as “Fade Away” although the song features a cool chorus.

Conclusion: This Eternal Decay doesn’t exactly innovate when it comes to their influences, but the way this album has been achieved is grandiose. “Silence” is an album you have to discover and to adore!

Best songs: “I Am Nothing”, “White Moon – Cold Nights”, “Future Anthem”, “I Want”, “Silence”.

Rate: (8½).

Artist: www.facebook.com/thiseternaldecay

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

Inferno Sound Diaries

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

www.side-line.com

The dark folk, ethereal, darkwave, neoclassic, experimental act Corde Oblique returns with a brand new album, “The moon is a dry bone”. The 7th studio album by Corde Oblique includes 11 unreleased songs written and produced by Riccardo Prencipe and also includes a cover from Anathema.

For the occasion the project worked with such guest musicians as Rita Saviano, Edo Notarloberti, Umberto Lepore, Alessio Sica, Luigi Rubino, Michele Maione, Carmine Ioanna, Caterina Pontrandolfo, Denitza Seraphim, Maddalena Crippa, Sergio Panarella, Andrea Chimenti and Miro Sassolini.

You can listen to the release below.

From Corde Oblique to music for the italian national TV braodcast RAI

Corde Oblique is the artistic project directed by M.tro Riccardo Prencipe and was founded in 2005. Since 2005 the band has released 7 full-lenght albums with different labels. Over the years the Corde Oblique albums have featured a lot of guests musicians, some of them from the following bands: Anathema, Daemonia Nymphe, Officina Zoé, Spakka Napoli, Synaulia, Spiritual Front, Argine, Ashram, Pinknruby, Gothica, Hexperos, Mediavolo and Dwelling.

Before Corde Oblique was formed, Riccardo started in 1999 with his first band Lupercalia with whom he released a first album with the English label World Serpent. Riccardo has also been writing music and lyrics for other musicians.

Riccardo Prencipe also wrote the soundtrack for the DVD-documentary “I Longobardi del sud” attached to the catalogue of the exhibition in Rende (CZ) in 2008. His music was also used as the soundrack for the italian national TV braodcast RAI.

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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“Wapenrustning” is the title of a brand new – super strong – 5-track download single/EP by the Swedish oldschool EBM sensation ELM. The single is the final one to be taken from the “Hardline” album released earlier this year. Earlier on you already got the very strong “Kampftrinker” and “Edge which both made a very fast appearance in the better industrial music playlists around.

The single will pop up on other platforms in the next 2 weeks, for now the Bandcamp fans get it exclusively before everyone else.

Besides 3 remixes of the title track (including one by that other great dark wave act Mildreda and one by the equally refined Spiritual Front) this delicious single also holds 2 non-album tracks: “Burial” and “Blackout”.

You can download the single right here from the official Alfa Matrix Bandcamp page or listen to it below.

This were the 2 previous singles: “Kampftrinker” and “Edge”.

For those who missed out on the full album “Hardline”, check it out below (or get the 2CD boxset instead).

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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Out this Summer (incl. in a limited vinyl quantity which is available here) is “Under the covers”, an 11 track strong cover album by Lydia Lunch and Cypress Grove. This album also marks the third collaborative effort by Lydia Lunch with British guitarist Cypress Grove after “A Fistful of Desert Blues” and “Twin Horses” (with Spiritual Front).

Included are the following tracks covered by the duo: “Ode to Billie Joe” (Bobbie Gentry), “Breakdown” (Tom Petty), “A Thousand Miles of Bad Road” (Aaron Lee Tasjan), “Blaze of Glory” (John Bon Jovi), “Red, White and Pink Slip Blues” (Mark Stephen Jones/Bud Tower), “Midnight Rider” (Gregg Allman/Robert Payne), “The Spy” (Jim Morrison), “I want You” (Elvis Costello), “Won’t leave You alone” (Lydia Lunch/James Johnston), “Do it again” (Walter Becker/Donald Fagen) and finally the 11th track, “Low” (David Lowery/Johnny Hickman/Davey Faragher).

You can already pre-order this fine album on CD and 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.

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Surprising news from the Alien Vampires headquarters. The band and its label Alfa Matrix have announced the release of a deluxe 6CD box, not only making their full back-catalogue available again in remastered versions, but also adding a bunch of previously unreleased material on CD plus massive exclusive new remixes, alternative versions and special rare songs. In total more than 450 minutes of dark electro à la Alien Vampires.

This massive 6CD set can be pre-ordered right now from the Alfa Matrix webstore.

The set comes packed in a deluxe 6CD box edition augmented with a 32-page booklet full of band photos, original artworks and liner notes by the band members themselves and 3 posters. This anthology box holds remastered versions of the band’s long time deleted early releases “Evil Generation”, “Fuck Off And Die”, “No One Here Gets Out Alive” and “Nuns Are Pregnant”. Add to this, the release on CD for the first time of their highly successful digital EP’s “Clubbers Die Younger” and “Harsh Drugs & BDSM”. The duo also excavated their very first 4-track demo “I’m Dead Fuck You” (originally released in 2004) plus some 31 (!!) exclusive and previously unreleased songs and newly made remixes all spanning the band’s repertoire before the release of the band’s last 2 studio albums “Harshlizer” and “Drag You To Hell”.

Besides collaborations with bands like Suicide Commando, Theatres Des Vampires or yet Spiritual Front we also get remixes/collaborations with such acts as Helalyn Flowers, C-Lekktor, Noisuf-X, Amduscia, NZ, Venal Flesh, Centhron, Cutoff_Sky, Avarice In Audio, Left Spine Down, Nano Infect, and so on.

You can find the full tracklist for this mega set right here. In short, the ultimate Alien Vampires experience.

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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Victor Love, frontman of the Italian alternative and industrial rock band Dope Stars Inc., will be launching his debut solo album “Technomancy” in early May and this on CD (available here) and a very limited vinyl version (although expected in early June, you can already order it right here).

The album features several guest musicians: Sascha Konietzko & Lucia Cifarelli (KMFDM), Simone Salvatori (Spiritual Front), Christian Ceccarelli (Deflore), Whiplasher Bernadotte (Deathstars), Lord Kalidon (Army Of The Universe), Fabban (Aborym), Luca T. Mai (ZU, Mombu), The Enigma TNG, Vincent Vega (Hate Inc.) and ORAX.

Here’s some of the pixel artwork Valenberg executed for the occasion.

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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