Tragic Impulse &#8211; SIDE-LINE

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!

‘Click Interview’ with Tragic Impulse: ‘I’ll Never Consider Myself A Finished Product’

Inferno Sound Diaries — Sat, 10 Sep 2022 17:00:00 +0000

American Paul M. Graham this year unleashed the fourth album of his Tragic Impulse sonic project. It’s the third opus released by Distortion Productions. “Distant Worlds” takes the listener away to visit a dark- and danceable experience of EBM empowered by Dark-Electronics and Industrial, but also polished with Pop elements. Most elements of the production process have been improved so in the end you get a varied, danceable and efficient work.

(Picture credits by Sergei Photography / Interview courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries)

Q: I remember a previous interview you were talking about growing maturity and studio equipment, which both are essential aspects in the evolution and development of an artist. How did you see both elements evolving from your very first song till the new album?

Paul: I’ve definitely had growth in my production skills since the first album (“Machine Parts”). I felt great about the writing on the first album, but I just didn’t feel the mixing and such was at a similar level. I was still very much a newbie at the time. Rather than farm out that work to a more accomplished producer, I’ve stuck with it and feel pretty good about where things are now. There’s always lots of room for improvement though and I’ll never consider myself a finished product.

As for studio equipment evolution, almost all of that has happened in the form of soft-synths and software tools. I’ve found that I can create the music I want without the extra expense and physical space it takes to keep all the hardware. There are advantages to hardware for sure, but I’ve found that for my needs, I really don’t need that anymore. “Distant Worlds” was done entirely without any hardware synths.

Q: I can imagine “Distant Worlds” was mainly –or entirely, written during the ongoing pandemic. In which way did COVID affected your artistic activities and your mood plus creativity when composing the opus?

Paul: The album is definitely a product of the pandemic and the track “Oubliette” is a great example of that. The term by definition means: ‘a dungeon with the only entrance or exit being a trap door in the ceiling’. It’s a dark song that parallels the confinement, fear, and uncertainty we all felt/have been feeling during this time. Other tracks also have hints of this mood and feel as well.

Q: What have been the different stages from the moment you started writing the first song for “Distant Worlds” till the moment you got the production finished? What have been the main challenges when composing this album and what are your biggest points of satisfaction?

Paul: I tend to ‘nibble’ with my song creation, moving around from one song to the next and back again, and this album was no different. Sometimes everything falls into place with a song and I finish it in one pass but that’s rare. Giving me time between songs helps me prevent listening fatigue and keeps me inspired. My method might seem strange to some artists, but it works for me.

For “Distant Worlds”, the bulk of the album writing was done during the pandemic and since I had spent more time indoors, I created lot more material I considered viable for the album. At one point, I had considered doing a double-album but the ten I went with just felt right. Having all that material is both a blessing and a curse because while I had a lot to choose from, deciding what stays and goes is always hard.

I’d say the biggest point of satisfaction is that the album seems to have successfully provided a little something for everyone and avoids pitfalls like repetition and predictability. I asked fans shortly after the album was released what their favorite songs were, and the answers were all over the place. Hearing that kind of feedback is always very satisfying and rewarding.

Q: I experienced “Distant Worlds” as your most diversified album to date; from familiar EBM/Dark-Electro songs to sophisticated passages reminding me Clock DVA to a furious cover version of Ministry. Tell us a bit more about the content and different influences running through the work?

Paul: I touched on this a little bit in the last question, but I feel great about the diversification on this album and that’s probably because that’s an approach I favor in the artists I listen to as well. “Oubliette” is dark and brooding, “Failed Reality” up-tempo/high energy, and “Dance Till You Die” stompy so there’s some ground covered there. “Parasite” is also an interesting example of that diversification because it feels so very different than the rest of the album. It’s actually been a very popular track and that’s probably because of the throwback EBM vibe it has to it. As for the Ministry cover of “Just One Fix”, I really wanted to pay homage to a song that was a gateway for me getting into Industrial music. I was mostly into Metal music back-in-the-day and when I transitioned on from that I was looking for something with an edge to it and bands like Ministry, Front Line Assembly and KMFDM bridged that gap. To this day I’m still heavily influenced by those bands.

Q: I think you’ve live dates planned in the US so tell us a bit more about Tragic Impulse on stage? What might people expect when going to a live show and how do you transpose the studio sound to the stage? What about European shows?

Paul: Our live shows have always translated well from the studio and part of that is by design. For example, I never use too many FX or heavily process my vocals for that reason. When you hear me sing live, I want you to have a similar experience to our recorded material, so I put an emphasis on that. Also, I’m not sure why, but we tend to surprise people (in a good way) with our live shows. It’s happened so many times, we started referring to it as “The Response” lol. I think this may happen because we don’t have the same name recognition as some of the bigger bands so we surprise people when they see us. So while they expect someone like Suicide Commando to be amazing (and rightfully so), us…?, not so much. We’re working hard to change that however!

As for live dates, a few months ago we played the Dark Side of the Con festival and that was an amazing experience. We also just finished performing at the Distortion Productions (Jim Semonik) 200^th show extravaganza and we had an awesome and energized crowd for that one as well. Upcoming shows in 2022 include a date in New-York City with Rain Within, Red Lokust and Interface, and one in Pittsburgh with Solar Fake. We had hoped to tour more in support of the album this year but have had some unexpected interruptions in our schedules so we’re looking to hit that hard next year.

We haven’t played anywhere in Europe yet but that’s definitely on our ‘to-do’ list. Playing at something like WGT would be a dream for us. For you promoters out there, we can be contacted at info@tragicimpulse.com

Q: What place did Tragic Impulse take in your life? What are the further plans and ultimate goals?

Paul: Since the live show is my wife Heidi on keys, and me on vocals, it’s been a great way for us to travel and meet new people. The recorded music is great but the real thrill for us is live shows since we get to connect with fans, other bands, promoters, DJ’s, etc. We’ve been into the Goth/Industrial scene the entire time we’ve been together (almost 19 years) and the band is just another way we get to spend time together doing what we love.

As for the future, we’ll keep making music and keep playing shows with the intention of playing more gigs in more places. Hopefully we can keep that momentum going!

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.

Tragic Impulse – Distant Worlds (Album – Distortion Productions)

Inferno Sound Diaries — Tue, 19 Jul 2022 07:00:00 +0000

Genre/Influences: EBM, dark-Electro, Industrial.

Format: Digital, CD.

Background/Info: American Paul Graham is back on track unleashing the fourth album of his Tragic Impulse project.

Content: The work takes off with the previously released single title-track “Oubliette” reminding us of the main influences of Tragic Impulse: EBM empowered with Dark-Electro and Industrial elements. The songs also reveal a catchy touch emerging at the choruses. I also noticed a few unexpected songs reminding the Industrial fury of Ministry or the Electronic sound intelligence of Clock DVA. You’ll also discover other tracks with Technoid elements.

+ + + : Tragic Impulse has evolved in the global writing- and production process. The composition is more elaborated and intelligent -especially when listening to “Parasite”. But the main approach remains a perfect sonic symbiosis between EBM and Dark-Electro with catchy elements on top. Sometimes the work reminds me of the imaginary offspring between God Module and Assemblage 23. The opening cuts of the album are mind-blowing and featuring the best exponents I’ve ever heard from Paul Graham.

– – – : The Ministry-like “Just One Fix” is a cool song, but not exactly fitting among the tracklist.

Conclusion: I’ve always supported the work of Tragic Impulse which has achieved its most mature production to date.

Best songs: “Parasite”, “Failed Reality”, “Oubliette”, “The Beast Within”, “Energy”, “Singularity”.

Rate: 8½.

Artist: www.facebook.com/tragicimpulse

Label: www.distortionprod.com / www.facebook.com/distortionproductions

About Tragic Impulse

Tragic Impulse is the EBM and industrial project of American musician Paul M. Graham. It grew out of his earlier project Eisengeist, whose track “Apocalyptic Visions” appeared on the extended version of the compilation “Electronic Saviors 2: Recurrence”. Graham retired that project to work in a more club-oriented direction.

The independently released debut album “Machine Parts” came out on Hyperreality Records in 2014, followed by the self-released track “Mr. Stompy” in 2015. Tragic Impulse began playing live in 2016 and signed to Distortion Productions, which issued “Devil On Your Shoulder” in 2017, “Echoes Of The Unseen” and the “Space Force” EP in 2019, and “Distant Worlds” in 2022. The project has also contributed to the “Electronic Saviors 3” and “Electronic Saviors 4” compilations and to remix EPs for artists including Interface and Sonik Foundry.

Graham told Side-Line that “Distant Worlds” was made entirely with software: “There are advantages to hardware for sure, but I’ve found that for my needs, I really don’t need that anymore.” The full conversation is in the ‘Click Interview’ with Tragic Impulse.

Industrial band Panic Lift launches ‘Stitched’ 4-track single and ‘Every Broken Piece’ video

Bernard - Side-Line Staff — Fri, 27 May 2022 10:15:32 +0000

Industrial band Panic Lift has just launched its first release of 2022 titled “Stitched”. This four song EP features two new songs titled “Every Broken Piece” and “Bitter Cold” with remixes from Mechanical Vein and Tragic Impulse.

For “Stitched”, the band went back to their first album and EBM roots. James Francis explains: “I’ve always tried to find a happy medium between what I’m doing now, and where I started, but now that I’m doing smaller releases, I have the ability to experiment with different styles without having to worry much about how they fit with the rest of my catalog.”

Here’s the video for “Every Broken Piece”.

Here’s the full EP to check out.

Stitched by Panic Lift

Panic Lift began in 2006 and has released music and toured consistently for the last 15 years. The band has released 4 full length albums on Metropolis Records, and countless EPs, remixes, and collaborations. James Francis is accompanied by his longtime live band which consists of Dan Platt (keyboards), Ben Tourkantonis (drums), Cristian Carver (drums) and Kenzi Burke (bass).

Subliminal Code – The Cancer Of The World Is Human Beings (Album – Advoxya Records)

Inferno Sound Diaries — Thu, 25 Nov 2021 08:00:00 +0000

Genre/Influences: Dark-Electro.

Format: Digital, CD.

Background/Info: Set up in 2010 by Raúl Junior Padrón and Raúl José Padrón, this Venezulian duo is operating from Hungary. This is also the place of their label Advoxya Records. The album was released early in 2021 and is also available as a double disc featuring remixes by bands like First Aid 4 Souls, Viscera Drip, Nohycit, Tragic Impulse ao.

Content: Subliminal Code is not what I can call a band, which repeats itself. They already revealed different sources of inspiration, from pure Dark-Electro towards a harder Industrial sound. I think this work rather sounds like the offspring of both styles; a perfect match between typical Dark-Electro sonorities and a harder Industrial side driven by guitar riffs. You’ll discover songs at full speed, but refined with melodies. The vocals accentuate the rage running through this work, which is symbolized by its title.

+ + + : What I like is the kind of harmony subliminal Code found between rage and melody. They really created a crossover between both genres, working on songs like “No More” and “To Night”. I especially recommend the second part of the album featuring the most interesting cuts.

– – – : I can’t say the debut songs are worse, but without a similar harmony between power and melody. The songs are driven by nervous sequences and rhythms, which are sometimes maybe too fast.

Conclusion: Subliminal Code is definitely not a copyist, but a Dark-Electro band with a different approach and vision.

Best songs: “No More”, “To Night”, “Malevolencia”.

Rate: 7.

Artist: www.facebook.com/groups/subliminalcodegoups

Label: www.advoxya-records.com / www.facebook.com/pages/Advoxya-Records/265765706059

The Cancer Of The World Is Human Beings by Subliminal Code

About Subliminal Code

Subliminal Code was founded at the beginning of 2010 by Raúl Junior Padrón and Raúl José Padrón, who name EBM, industrial, metal, synthpop and gothic music as starting points.

The first EP “Soldier Of Hell” appeared on Engraved Ritual in 2011, followed by the single “The Beautiful People” in 2013. “Another Day” was issued through Advoxya Records in 2014, ahead of “Karma In Mortem” the same year, the covers album “Karma In Covers” in 2016 and “Soldier Of Hell, Reborn” that same year.

Side-Line covered the first single from this album, “Malevolencia”, in February 2020. The singles “Push Me Down” and “I Never” followed on the label in 2022.

Pete Crane – XV (EP – Infacted Recordings)

Inferno Sound Diaries — Tue, 27 Oct 2020 20:30:30 +0000

Genre/Influences: EBM, Cinematic-Body-Music, Industrial.

Format: Digital.

Background/Info: Shiv-R frontman Pete Crane released his debut-album earlier this year with the album “That Annihilated Place”. He also released the EP “You Are Not Your Body” and now strikes back with a new EP featuring four new tracks plus two remixes.

Content: The sound is somewhat comparable to Shiv-R, which is not that surprising, but the instrumental cuts create a different sensation. Pete Crane is mixing Industrial together with harsh EBM sounds resulting in a pure, dynamic Cinematographic style. The compositions are elaborated and sometimes driven by menacing bass lines and dark atmospheres with some extra Technoid elements on top.

Both remixes by Les Berrtas and Tragic Impulse are songs originally released on the album.

+ + + : If you don’t know this work has been composed by Pete Crane you would think it’s an instrumental album composed by Shiv-R. There for sure are common elements in the sound treatments and the sophisticated writing, but the instrumental edit creates a pure cinematographic style. And this composition is original as it creates a kind of Cinematic-EBM dimension. I like the filtered bleeping sequences running through “Total Annihilation” and the solid bass line –reminding Front 242, at “Numb”. Les Berrtas made a cool remix of “Fear”, but I prefer the powerful remix of “You Are Not Your Body” by Tragic Impulse. This EP is featuring 4 new cuts and that’s also a good reason to discover this work.

– – – : I’m sometimes expecting some vocals; just a few parts here and there, but that’s not the concept of this solo-work!

Conclusion: Pete Crane moves on composing well-crafted and modern electronic music; this is a unique, but cool imaginary Soundtrack for EBM freaks.

Best songs: “Total Annihilation”, “Numb”, “You Are Not Your Body – Tragic Impulse Remix”.

Rate: (8).

Artist: www.facebook.com/pete.crane

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

About Pete Crane

Pete Crane is one half of the Australian electro-industrial duo Shiv-R, alongside Ben Bulge, active since 2010. In February 2020, Crane released “That Annihilated Place” as a solo artist, followed by the EP “You Are Not Your Body”. “XV” is his latest EP, featuring four new tracks and remixes by Les Berrtas and Tragic Impulse.

Deathline International – Spin Zone II (EP – Distortion Productions / COP International)

Inferno Sound Diaries — Wed, 26 Aug 2020 19:31:55 +0000

Genre/Influences: Industrial, crossover.

Format: Digital, CD.

Background/Info: American formation deathline International gained a serious reputation during the 90s. I honestly didn’t know the band was still active, but I noticed they’re active again for a few years and have just released a single, which is a cover version of The Exploited’s “Troops Of Tomorrow”. This EP was released earlier this year and moves back to a song originally released in 2018 on the EP “Lip Service”.

Content: “Lip Service” has been exposed to the remixing skills of Solemn Assembly, 16 Volt, Tragic Impulse, GW4, Stoneburner and Red Lokust. The artists are rather diversified, which also resulted in a very varied work. From the future-pop like remix by Solemn Assembly to the darker electro approach of Tragic Impulse to the industrial driven remixes by 16 Volt and Stoneburner to the experimental approach of GW4 and a final dark-electro edit by Red Lokust, “Spin Zone” has been sonically re-adapted into something new.

+ + + : I have to say the future-pop driven remix by Solemn Assembly (a band from Texas, USA) is absolutely great; this is ‘the’ club edit of the EP. Another noticeable remix is the one made Tragic Impulse, which is a project I’ve always liked for its simplicity versus efficiency. Red Lokust did a cool job as well so in the end I’ve to say the electronic inspired remixes are definitely the best ones.

– – – : I honestly expected a bit more from the remixes by Stoneburner and 16 Volt. It could have been an idea to put the original song back on this record as well.

Conclusion: Deathline International is alive although on this EP the band is kicking thanks to some noticeable remixes from other artists.

Best songs: “Spin Zone – Solemn Assembly Remix”, “Spin Zone – Tragic Impulse Remix”, “Spin Zone – Red Lokust Remix”,

Rate: (7).

Artist: www.facebook.com/deathlineinternational

Label: www.distortionprod.com / www.facebook.com/distortionproductions

About Deathline International

Deathline International are Th3Count, SLam, James Perry, also of Ashes Fallen, and producer John Fryer. The Oakland, California, industrial rock group released four studio albums on COP International: “Reality Check” (1993), “Zarathoustra” (1995), “Arashi Syndrom” (1997) and “Cybrid” (2001), before a long period of inactivity. The band returned with the “Spin Zone” single in 2020, remixed here as the “Spin Zone II” EP, and went on to release the album “Pax Americana” with Fryer producing, followed by the “Parasite” EP featuring a Stabbing Westward remix in 2021.

V/A Respect The Prime – The Constructed Cold (CD EP – Distortion Productions / Electronic Saviors)

Inferno Sound Diaries — Sat, 27 Jul 2019 18:00:00 +0000

Genre/Influences: Dark-electro, electro-wave, EBM.

Background/Info: This compilation was already released a while ago, but is an interesting concept I’d like to talk about. Distortion Productions and Electronic Saviors (industrial music to cure cancer) joined together featuring the first limited edition EP in the “Respect The Prime”-series: “Constructed Cold!”. The concept deals with bands, which have been asked to pay tribute to the “Transformers”-comics books. They all have to first read a story from the comics and next to compose a song about it. This is a teaser to a full length album, which is in the pipeline.

Artists: Panic Lift, Tragic Impulse, ThoughtForm, Doors In The Labyrinth, Boxed Warning, Red Lokust.

Content: The concept is original resulting in a rather diversified EP of 6 songs. From the dark-electro and EBM driven Panic Lift (featuring Red Lokust), Tragic Impulse and Red Lokust to the more bombastic-ambient instrumental piece of ThoughtForm to the dreamy electro & guitar wave by Doors In The Labyrinth to another instrumental track by Boxed Warning, this compilation has something to offer for each of us.

+ + + : The concept is great, but there’s also a few cool songs featured. The collaborative efforts between Panic Lift and Red Lokust on “Constructed Cold” are really successful. The Red Lokust song is worthy of examination as well while Tragic Impulse confirms its growing status of promising and intelligent EBM band. It’s also an opportunity to discover rather unknown names such as ThoughtForm and Doors In The Labyrinth.

– – – : Unfortunately I can’t say that the bands I didn’t know have fully convinced me, but let’s not forget that this is just a compilation featuring one single song by each band.

Conclusion: Some compilations, especially with such a great concept, make sense!

Best bands: Tragic Impulse, Panic Lift feat. Red Lokust, Red Lokust.

Rate: (7).

Label: www .distortionprod .com / www .facebook .com /distortionproductions / www .electronicsaviors .com

About Distortion Productions & Electronic Saviors

Distortion Productions is an independent industrial and electronic label run by Jim Semonik, who also compiles the Electronic Saviors series, a long-running charity compilation project supporting cancer research, aided by Chase Dudley. The series has grown across multiple volumes, including a 2018 six-disc fifth edition with Pig, Mindless Faith, Psy’Aviah and Red Lokust among more than a hundred tracks, and a 2025 seventh volume, “ReUnion.”

“Respect The Prime: The Constructed Cold” paired the two outlets for a Transformers-themed teaser EP ahead of a planned full-length follow-up, with songs from Panic Lift, Tragic Impulse, Red Lokust, ThoughtForm, Doors In The Labyrinth and Boxed Warning. Tragic Impulse discussed its approach to songwriting in a 2022 Click interview, and Red Lokust did the same in an earlier one, while Panic Lift returned in 2021 with the five-EP “Split” cycle on Distortion Productions.

Tragic Impulse – Echoes Of The Unseen (CD Album – Distortion Productions)

Inferno Sound Diaries — Mon, 15 Jul 2019 18:30:10 +0000

Genre/Influences: Dark-electro, dark EBM.

Background/Info: Two years after the excellent album “Devil On Your Shoulder” American artist Paul M. Graham strikes back with the third album of his sonic brainchild Tragic Impulse.

Content: The first 3 songs will clearly give you an idea about the sound and potential of this work. It’s a dark and somewhat frightening electro sphere carried by hard-beating kicks, aggressive sequences, some Trump-samplings and anguished vocals. The format creates a sonic bridge between dark-electronics and EBM. Some of the bass lines remind me a bit of Leather Strip. Most of the songs are pretty hard and danceable, but you’ll also discover a few softer cuts where the atmospheric content is emerging.

+ + + : I first of all noticed a great evolution and improvement in the global writing process and sound production. The songs are well-crafted, elaborated and clearly reflecting some maturity. The first part of the album reveals astonishing tracks, “Space Force” being the potential hit! The songs have been progressively built up with cool sound treatments. It’s a powerful release and definitely an album to watch out for! I also have to say a word about the cool artwork of this digipak.

– – – : The ‘softer’ cuts aren’t bad at all, but they can’t convince me a similar way. They’re just adding a little break in the midst of the tracklist.

Conclusion: “Echoes Of The Unseen” sounds a bit like entering a sonic danger zone! Get ready to hear one of the most promising dark-electro/EBM projects from the moment. Tragic Impulse simply confirms the potential that was already shown at previous albums.

Best songs: “Space Force”, “Unseen”, “Skin Deep”, “Painbringer”, “Down In Flames”.

Rate: (8½).

Artist: www .tragicimpulse .com / www .facebook .com /tragicimpulse

Label: www .distortionprod .com / www .facebook .com /distortionproductions

About Tragic Impulse

Tragic Impulse is the solo dark-electro and EBM project of American artist Paul M. Graham. After the debut album “Machine Parts”, Graham released two further albums on Distortion Productions, including “Devil On Your Shoulder”. “Echoes Of The Unseen” followed in 2019, preceded by the “Space Force” EP, which was remixed by Panic Lift, Third Realm, nTTx and Red Lokust. Graham continued the project with a fourth album, “Distant Worlds”, in 2022, discussing its all-software production in a Side-Line Click Interview.

Tragic Impulse – Space Force (CD EP – Distortion Productions)

Inferno Sound Diaries — Sun, 14 Jul 2019 19:30:57 +0000

Genre/Influences: Dark-electro, dark EBM.

Background/Info: The EP “Space Force” marks the return of Tragic Impulse. It’s a teaser to the third full length “Echoes Of The Unseen”.

Content: The EP takes off with the title track, which is a terrific piece of hard & dark-electro-body-music. This song is driven by icy sequences, an aggressive bass line and pumping kick. You’ll notice some spoken samplings from Donald Trump and the powerful charismatic vocals of Paul M. Graham.

“Space Force” has been remixed by Panic Lift, Third Realm, nTTx and Red Lokust. The B-side cut is a surprising cover version of Beborn Beton’s “Another World”.

+ + + : The least I can say is that the title song is the right track to get released on an EP. It simply is the best tragic Impulse-cut I’ve heard so far and I’m sure it will set dancefloors on fire! It’s an accomplished and sophisticated piece of modern dark-electro/EBM. Among the remixes I especially enjoyed the one made by Third Realm while red Lokust did a cool job as well.

– – -: I expected a bit more out of the remixes. None of the featured artists can really compete with the original version. The Beborn Beton cover is surprising, but not exactly a successful edit. It all feels like Paul M. Graham doesn’t feel comfortable singing on this track.

Conclusion: What I especially keep in mind from this EP is the impressive title track!

Best songs: “Space Force”, “Space Force – Third Realm remix”, “Space Force – Red Lokust Remix”.

Rate: (7).

Artist: www .tragicimpulse .com / www .facebook .com /tragicimpulse

Label: www .distortionprod .com / www .facebook .com /distortionproductions

About Tragic Impulse

Tragic Impulse is the solo dark-electro and EBM project of American artist Paul M. Graham, released through Distortion Productions. The “Space Force” EP served as the teaser single for Graham’s third album, “Echoes Of The Unseen”, also released in 2019. Graham continued the project with a fourth album, “Distant Worlds”, in 2022, discussing its production in a Side-Line Click Interview.

Cleopatra Records to release ‘The Unquiet Grave 2019’ compilation

Bernard - Side-Line Staff — Tue, 04 Jun 2019 18:07:18 +0000

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.

I:Scintilla announces 5 finalists for remix contest

Bernard - Side-Line Staff — Sat, 21 Jul 2018 08:37:33 +0000

The Chicago-based female fronted industrial metal act I:Scintilla have announced the 5 finalists for a remix contest for their new single, “Carmena Saturna“.

The winning remix will be released as the b-side to the band’s third single, to be released on August 31. All income generated from sales of the contest will be donated to the charity Darkest Before Dawn.

The five finalists have been selected: Digital Shadows, Skyline, Tragic Impulse, Axon Rise, and Restriction 9. Each finalist’s remix is now available as part of a “Carmena Saturna Remix Contest” release via Bandcamp.

Fans (and all philanthropists) can “vote” by purchasing their favorite remix(es) for $1.00 USD or more. The track that generates the most income by Friday, August 10 is the winner. For those that would like to purchase the entire release without casting a specific vote, there is an option to purchase all five tracks for $5.00 USD or more. All sales generated by the remix contest (minus BandCamp fees) will be donated to Darkest Before Dawn.

Third Realm – The Suffering Angel (CD Album – Distortion Productions)

Inferno Sound Diaries — Sun, 29 Oct 2017 19:30:01 +0000

Genre/Influences: Dark-electro, EBM, electro-wave.

Background/Info: Third Realm is an American formation, which has already been active since the early millennium years. Driven by the creative spirit of Nathan Reiner, the band gained some recognition through a few productions released on Radio-Active-Music. The band also self-released a few more albums and now joined hands together with Distortion Productions to unleash this new opus.

Content: Third Realm is a band dealing with different genres. The opening cuts reveal a harsh and alluring dark-electro format mixed with some EBM elements. The vocals are harsh and distorted. But quite progressively the influences evolve towards other music fields, becoming more electro-wave and feature clearer vocal parts. There are several cuts in this genre, which remind me a bit of Diary Of Dreams. And just at the point I got the impression this album become more gothic, Third Realm again experiments with harder electro-driven cuts.

One of the last songs is a remix by label mate Tragic Impulse.

+ + + : This is an album featuring 2 different sides. Speaking for myself I was more impressed by the harder and dark-electro/EBM style, which doesn’t bring that much new, but clearly reveals an accomplished and intelligent writing. The songs have been composed with cool sound treatments and carrying leads. I also like the hard, spooky vocals running through the songs. But Third Realm also feels comfortable experimenting with dark-wave music. One of the biggest potential ‘hits’ (cf. “Neon Lights”) is a song in this genre.

– – – : You quicky get the impression that there are 2 bands hiding in Third Realm. This versatility is somewhat schizophrenic and a bit like a challenge as I can easily imagine all listeners will not necessarily love both sides.

Conclusion: “The Suffering Angel” is an album switching from dark-electro and EBM driven cuts into electro-wave/gothic pieces. It’s all about a choice and artistic freedom, but I think it could be an idea to simply run 2 separate bands instead of one album with 2 faces.

Best songs: “Neon Lights”, “Bringer Of Evil”, “Command And Conquer”, “Prisoners Of Life”, “Closing Time”.

Rate: (7½).

Band: www .facebook .com /ThirdRealm

Label: www .distortionprod .com / www .facebook .com /distortionproductions

You can order the CD right here.

Snog celebrates 25th anniversary of breakthrough hit ‘Corporate Slave’ with a brand new megamaxi-single CD

Bernard - Side-Line Staff — Mon, 17 Jul 2017 18:30:21 +0000

Celebrating the 25th Anniversary of the breakthrough club hit “Corporate Slave”, Snog now presents “Corporate Slave 2525”, a super charged single CD. The CD offers 16 new takes including reworks by Angelspit, Null Device and more.

Here’s the original version of the track, below the complete tracklist.

Corporate Slave (Sirus RMX)
Corporate Slave (Angelspit RMX)
Corporate Slave (iVardensphere RMX)
Corporate Slave (Divider RMX)
Corporate Slave (Tragic Impulse RMX)
Corporate Slave (Steven OLaf RMX)
Corporate Slave (Nick Woolfson RMX)
Corporate Slave (Shinjuku Thief RMX)
Corporate Slave (Monster Zoku Onsomb RMX)
Corporate Slave (Ross Healy RMX)
Corporate Slave (Solid State RMX)
Corporate Slave (About Yesterday RMX)
Corporate Slave (Null Device RMX)
Corporate Slave (Scrotal Tear RMX)
Corporate Slave (2017 Remaster)
Corporate Slave (I+T=R Remaster)

‘Click Interview’ with Tragic Impulse: ‘I Really Just Wanted To Make An Album That Had Good Dancefloor Appeal’

Inferno Sound Diaries — Mon, 01 May 2017 18:15:10 +0000

Tragic Impulse is a rather new EBM-minded solo-project set up and driven by Paul M. Graham. The second album “Devil On Your Shoulder” released on Distortion Productions will be for sure an opportunity to discover this American artist dealing with a dark EBM format.

(by Inferno Sound Diaries)

Q: Tell us a bit more about your artistic background and activities, which finally brought you to set up Tragic Impulse?

Paul: I started experimenting with electronic music in the early-mid 2000’s and to be honest, I was pretty bad at. I remember getting a remix kit for one of Informatik’s songs and I gave up on it pretty quickly because I just didn’t have the skills to pull it off. I kept working at it though and in 2012 I submitted the song “Apocalyptic Visions” to the “Electronic Saviors 2”-compilation under the project name Eisengeist. The song had no lyrics/vocals and it was pretty raw from a production standpoint, but it got accepted and appeared on the bonus track section of the compilation.

Gaining confidence from the Eisengeist track, I decided to put more time and energy into making electronic music. However, I wanted to go in a different direction musically so Tragic Impulse was born.

Q: I guess you must notice a serious move in sound, writing and global production from “Machine Parts” (debut album released in 2014) towards the new work “Devil On Your Shoulder”?

Paul: I do feel that “Devil On Your Shoulder” represents a degree of maturation in my overall sound, writing and production. When I was working on “Devil On Your Shoulder”, I remember being very critical of the production value on “Machine Parts” because it felt so inferior to me at the time (still does). I think the biggest reason for this is that between albums I continue to get better at translating my ideas into finished and more refined products. New synthesizers, studio gear, and equipment upgrades always has some impact on this as well. I’ve already started working on the next album and feel that the sound, writing, and production is superior to “Devil On Your Shoulder” as well. I’m excited about it! I see all this as growth so it’s a good thing.

As far as sound goes, I dabbled with things like pitch-shifted vocals on “Machine Parts” (cf. “I’ll Be Your God” & “I Hear Footsteps”) but none of that appears on “Devil On Your Shoulder”. That’s something I probably won’t go back to but you never know. “Devil On Your Shoulder” is more representative of the vocal style/feel I’ll be using going forward. I do love a good vocoder though so that’s not going anywhere LOL.

Q: Tell us a bit more about the new work and especially the kind of album you’d in mind?

Paul: I originally considered making “Devil On Your Shoulder” a concept-album but it never really materialized. Although not electronic, I always loved Queensryche’s concept-album “Operation Mindcrime” and wanted to do something in that vein lyrically (I still might).

Beyond that, I really just wanted to make an album that had good dancefloor appeal. I love knocking back a pint or two at the local goth club to loud stompy music and Tragic Impulse I think reflects that. Otherwise, I tend to mix things up from song to song thematically.

Q: What’s the deeper meaning of the title “Devil On Your Shoulder” and what’s the importance of the lyrical content of your songs?

Paul: The song “Devil On Your Shoulder” is largely about temptation and schadenfreude. People do some horrible things at the expense of their fellow humans and the song explores that metaphorically. As for the title, I like albums with a title/track relationship and I thought “Devil On Your Shoulder” stood out so I went with it.

The rest of the album covers a lot of ground lyrically and thematically. “Flesh And Blood” is about how being different is OK. “Evolution Revolution” is about reinventing yourself and “Lightstpeed” is about the vastness and wonderment of our universe. Ultimately though, the songs are about whatever the listener wants them to be and I have to say nothing feels better than when a fan tells you a song resonated with them on a personal level. That’s happened more than I expected on this album and it’s always a delight to hear.

Q: Do you have some referential musicians, bands, producers… and what make them ‘special’ to you?

Paul: There’s so many artists and people who have influenced me that it’s a hard question to answer in this limited space. To pick a few though, I would say that Project Pitchfork – particularly their early works – has had a big influence on me. From the music to the lyrics to their live shows, everything that band does just resonates with me. I also love the way Daniel Graves (Aesthetic Perfection) works a stage. I’ve seen him play to both small and large crowds and he brings the same amazing energy and intensity each time. Claus Larsen is also a big influence. One of the highlights of my burgeoning musical career has been sharing a stage with him. He’s an incredible artist and an even better person.

I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention Jim Semonik (Distortion Productions/Red Lokust) as a big influence as well. I don’t think I’ve met a person with as much perseverance, passion, and dedication to the EBM/Industrial scene as him. I feel pretty lucky to have him as a friend as well.

Q: Referring to live performances, Tragic Impulse doesn’t have a real live experience so far. How comes and what kind of show might the audience expect during the next months? How do you transpose the studio work on stage and will you get some help from extra members?

Paul: Although it’s taken a while to get going, the live show is actually up and running. Over the last year I’ve shared the stage with Leaether Strip, Ludovico Technique, and Kite to name a few. The response so far has been overwhelmingly positive and future live performances, such as a “Distortion Prod”-tour in Summer and “Danse Macabre 2” in Pittsburgh around Halloween, are being planned.

The big reason the live show took a while to get going is that I wanted finished music I could put into the hands of people who wanted it after a live performance. I know a lot of bands get started doing live music before moving on to recording but I’ve always found this counter-intuitive. I’ve had people buy my music after every gig I’ve done so I think the strategy works. Another reason the live show took a while to get going was just translating the studio work to the stage. I had to invest in new portable gear and this took some time and money to sort out. It was time well spent however and I’m pretty happy with the results.

I’m definitely looking to add more people for live performances. At a minimum, I’d like to have someone on keys and maybe add a drummer for bigger gigs. I’ve talked to a few people about that so we’ll see how it goes. Other than that, I’d love to catch on with a festival or two as well. I went to WGT in Germany for the first time last year and all I could think about – other than Schwarzbier and bratwurst (yum!) – was how awesome it would be to perform there.

Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries

Tragic Impulse – Devil On Your Shoulder (CD Album – Distortion Productions)

Inferno Sound Diaries — Thu, 20 Apr 2017 18:30:27 +0000

Genre/Influences: EBM, dark-body-music.

Background/Info: Tragic Impulse is an American solo-project set up and driven by Paul M. Graham. He started under the Eisengeist moniker and rapidly went on as Tragic Impulse, releasing a somewhat unknown album “Machine Parts” in 2014. Tragic Impulse now joined hands with Distortion Productions unleashing his newest work and probably reaching a wider audience.

Content: From the very first sequences you can easily recognize the EBM influence supporting the work of Tragic Impulse. Mixing icy leads, heavy sound blasts, dark atmospheres and numerous sweeps, this album is quite elaborate resulting into a dark-body production.

The songs are pretty powerful while there also is an interesting evolution in the tracklist reaching a few climaxes and a great, final song as a truly apotheosis.

+ + + : “Devil On Your Shoulder” is an interesting opus characterized by a sophisticated sound approach and made by cool sound treatments. It also is album with several noticeable cuts and even a few potential hits such as “The Fear” and “Chain Reaction”. I like the power emerging from the songs and dark ambience hanging over the work while I noticed some great leads. I now and then noticed a little touch of Leather Strip. The vocals are perfectly matching with the sound.

– – – : This is an interesting work, but without any real surprise in the global writing and sound approach. Tragic Impulse composed a well-crafted, but somewhat predictable album.

Conclusion: Even if Tragic Impulse is not reinventing EBM you clearly can hear that the artist doesn’t spare any effort to achieve a refined- and passionate work. This album will please all demanding EBM fans, but will not take them by surprise.

Best songs: “The Fear”, “Chain Reaction”, “Expectations”, “Hindsight”.

Rate: (8).

Band: www .tragicimpulse .com / www .facebook .com /tragicimpulse

Label: www .distortionprod .com / www .facebook .com /distortionproductions