Genre/Influences: Electro-Pop, Electro-Punk-Pop, Trip-Pop, EBM.

Format: Digital, CD.

Background/Info: Driven by Maria and Lena, theUkrainian-Swiss duo this summer struck back with their second full length album, which comes two years after “Unification”.

Content: The work remains a true sonic mishmash or just a collage of multiple influences. It’s a diversified piece of music, which also comes back in the production of the vocals, alternating German- and English language. Some parts remind me of Björk while others might appeal to fans of Grausame Töchter. The songs have been boosted by surprising Metal guitar riffs, but globally speaking the work is, in my opinion pretty Pop-driven.

+ + + : The least I can say is that Twins In Fear have seriously improved their production while seriously empowered by guitar riffs. The album stands for a creative- and original sound mixing passion, fun, rage, and power. But the main strength of this work is that it’s all remains compact, which is not an easy thing considering the multiple influences running through this work. There are several great songs, but I recommend listening to “Disappearance” for its styled composition and ‘hot-pop’ style. Another noticeable cut is “Illusion” for its harder, Industrial touch on top of the Pop basis.

– – – : There are a few passages leading you into reverie, which is not my favorite side of the work.

Conclusion: After an hesitant debut album Twins In Fear strikes back with a true sonic smasher; girls with testosterone!

Best songs: “Disappearance”, “Illusion”, “Stoff Für Meine Seele”, “Nothing But A Dream”, “Creep-Py”, “Nothing Be Like Twins In Fear”.

Rate: 8½.

Artist: www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063560821950

Label: www.darkdimensions.de /  www.facebook.com/pages/Dark-Dimensions-Label-Group/486014725206

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: Experimental, Electronic, Punk-Pop, EBM.

Format: Digital.

Background/Info: We welcome the Ukrainian-Swiss project Twins In Fear. The female duo driven by Maria and Lena, was previously active as background singers and dancers in different bands. They started their own band unleashing their very first album by Scanner.

Content: Most of the songs have been sung in German, but you’ll also notice 3 tracks sung in English. The German vocals and especially the way of singing sometimes has something theatrical, which creates a match with the music. The sound is hard to define, but mixing elements of Electro-Experimental music together with Electro/Punk-Pop, Trip-Hop and harder EBM influences (especially for the English sung tracks). Some elements of the production remind me of Grausame Töchter. There’s some minimalism running through this work, which makes me think of songs made for a visual goal.

+ + + : This album stands for originality although it also is a real challenge. Most of the tracks aren’t easily accessible pieces, but that’s just the strength of Twins In Fear; this duo dares to innovate and explore new paths. I like the minimalism running through the songs; you sometimes get the feeling parts have been composed as a lullaby while others with piano arrangements for theatre. But the harder pieces –sung in English, have the power to entertain the clubs. You also can feel drama and passion in the production of the vocals.

– – – : I’ll always support originality, but it’s not easy to conquer a wider audience with this kind of music. It maybe depends if those girls will bring their music to the stage; a great show might for sure catch the attention of the audience.

Conclusion: Twins In Fear is a band with different faces; it’s a bit complex, but definitely worth giving it a listen and making up your own mind.

Best songs: “Angst”, “The Hunt”, “Unification”, “Abseits”.

Rate: (7).

Artist: www.facebook.com/TWINS-IN-FEAR-410678636387630

Label: www.darkdimensions.de /  www.facebook.com/pages/Dark-Dimensions-Label-Group/486014725206

Inferno Sound Diaries

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

www.side-line.com

Genre/Influences: EBM, Dark-Electro, Electro-Pop, Body-Pop, Electro-Wave.

Format: Digital, 2 CD.

Background/Info: Scanner is a subdivision of Dark Dimensions, which this year celebrates its twentieth anniversary. Set up by Francesco D’Angelo, Scanner has been always and mainly devoted to Electronic genres like EBM, Dark-Electro and Electro-Pop. The compilation features twenty six artists and songs reminding us of the great artists from this label.

Artists: Gin Devo, BhamBhamHara, Autodafeh, Kreign, DSTR, Fractal Age, Destin Fragile, Blue Images, Twins In Fear, Cyan Inc, Vomito Negro, [:SITD:], Eden Synthetic Corps, Mechanical Moth, Centhron, Intent:Outtake, Disorder:Mankind, Das Werk, X-Fusion, Spetsnaz, Grausame Töchter, Epinephrin, Black Heaven, A Spell Inside, Absurd Minds, Straftanz. 

Content: This sampler is a perfect way to (re)discover the Scanner label roaster, which features some great EBM names such as Autodafeh and Spetsnaz while other names such as [:SITD:], Vomito Negro + Gin Devo, Eden Synthetic Corps and Absurd Minds were more active in a darker EBM format, getting pretty close with pure Dark-Electro. Centhron and X-Fusion are for sure Dark-Electro! Other bands like BhamBhamHara and Straftanz are more representative of the progressive (Techno)-EBM format. A Spell Inside remains one of the ‘oldest’ bands from the roster and still one of the few to deal with Electro-Pop. And then there’s Grausame Töchter, which remains a very unique experience in sound. The compilation also features a few bands we’ve a bit forgotten like Fractal Age, Destin Fragile, Epinephrin. It’s also a while ago we’ve heard something from Cyan Inc. And there’re new signatures like the promising EBM formation Kreign and the Experimental-Electro Twins In Fear plus a few totally unknown names like Das Werk and Disorder:Mankind.

+ + + : When you take a brief look at the names featured at this compilation you can only, but agree Scanner has been for numerous years one of the leading labels from the Dark-Electro scene. But this compilation becomes really interesting when you’ll know that nearly all of the tracks are exclusive ones and/or rare edits. Frank D’Angelo always has had a nose to sign great artists, Kreign being the new sensation! My favorite cuts from the album are the ones by X-Fusion and Grausame Töchter remixed by And One.

– – – : This compilation doesn’t cover the entire Scanner roster, which says something about the Electronic welfare from the label. Some artists that haven’t been featured (because they’re no longer part of the label) are Amnistia, Stromkern, Distorted Reality, Sleepwalk, Page 12, The Eternal Afflict, Cycloon, Sara Noxx, Re:Work, Spiritual Reality, Inside, Das Präparat.. More than enough to fill an extra disc and they all are still part of this great label’s history.

Conclusion: This compilation is a part of history; 20 years of great underground music by Scanner!

Best bands: X-Fusion, Grausame Töchter, Autodafeh, Straftanz, BhamBhamHara, [:SITD:].

Rate: (8½).

Label: www.darkdimensions.de /  www.facebook.com/pages/Dark-Dimensions-Label-Group/486014725206

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

(Photo by Martin Peterdamm) Twins In Fear is a new electro project by the Ukrainian-Swiss singers Maria and Lena, who have now settled in Hamburg. Both of them have already worked as background singers and dancers for many bands in various genres until they decided in spring 2019, to finally start an own project focusing on dark electro pop.

A first album will be released on Scanner by the end of this month featuring 13 tracks.

The lyrics on the album are both in German and English, with some Russian bits. To find out how they actually sound like, check out “Abseits”

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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