(Photo by Emilie Elizabeth) Out 4 October on Mute, followed by UK, European and American tour dates, is the brand new album from Nine Inch Nails member Alessandro Cortini, “Nati Infiniti”. Today the Italian musician releases a first track, “IV”.

Watch the video for “‘”IV” with imagery by Marco Ciceri.

The 40-minutes album “Nati Infiniti” is composed of five movements and debuted as an audio installation commissioned by Sónar Lisboa 2022 that ran across four floors of the Museu de Lisboa’s Fábrica da Moagem, a disused flour mill.

The work – which utilises the Strega instrument that Cortini co-designed with Make Noise – was mixed and mastered by Marta Salogni (Björk, Depeche Mode, Lucrecia Dalt). The album will be out on vinyl (featuring an embossed silver mirror board sleeve), CD (with a clear varnished gatefold mirror board sleeve), and digitally.

About Alessandro Cortini

Alessandro Cortini is best known as a longstanding member of Nine Inch Nails (from 2005 to the present day), He has been releasing a steady stream of his own music on labels including Mute, Hospital, and Important Records for the past decade.

Throughout his career he has collaborated with the likes of Lawrence English, Daniel Avery, and Merzbow and found time to create the Strega (used on his previous album, “Scuro Chiaro”) and the forthcoming module, Bruxa, with Make Noise.

Additionally, he has remixed tracks for Depeche Mode, Mogwai, Death Cab For Cutie, Yann Tiersen, and Vatican Shadow.

Alessandro Cortini on tour

Cortini will embark on a tour of North America and Europe throughout ’24 and into ‘25 – with more dates to be added.

• 5 Sept 2024 – Reykjavik, Extreme Chill IS
• 19 Sept 2024 – Glasgow, Sonica Festival UK
• 3 Oct 2024 – Albany, NY, Empire State Plaza Performing Arts Center, “The Egg” US
• 4 Oct 2024 – Queens, NY, Knockdown Center US
• 6 Oct 2024 – Boston, MA, Sonia US
• 7 Oct 2024 – Minneapolis, MN, The Cedar US
• 9 Oct 2024 – Chicago, IL, Empty Bottle US
• 10 Oct 2024 – Austin, TX, Central Presbyterian Church US
• 11 Oct 2024 – Seattle, WA, Age of Reflections at Seattle First Baptist US
• 12 Oct 2024 – Portland, OR, Age of Reflections at Trinity Cathedral US
• 13 Oct 2024 – Los Angeles, CA, Teragram Ballroom US
• 20 Nov 2024 – Brussels, Bozar BE
• 6 Dec 2024 – Berlin, Silent Green DE
• 17 Jan 2025 – Paris, Trabendo FR

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

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

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(Photo by Amanda Trumbull) New Orleans based dark duo The Palace of Tears today presents their sophomore album “Veiled Screen, Woven Dream”. This fan-funded seven-track album represents “the transformational fires of the Phoenix archetype and the cyclic nature of death and rebirth” as the band says.

The Palace of Tears is Leah Kahn aka LV Darkling (vocalist, lyricist) and Erick r Scheid (guitars, electronics, engineering), who met in Germany in 2018 when Erick was performing with his band Mercurys Antennae (Projekt Records) at the WGT Festival. After a collaborative exercise in co-writing long distance, the duo released their debut album “Of Ruination” in 2020 with Erick also moving from the Bay Area to join LV in New Orleans.

This new album was preceded by the single “The Embers of Your Being Glow Still” and video for the title track which you can view below.

“This album is dedicated to my brother, best friend and soulmate Kirk, who left this Earthly realm last October. I would be remiss to not mention my own recent personal loss, as I would be denying and omitting the special place that it holds in the journey of the making of this album. I truly have never known grief until now. There are songs on this album that remain difficult for me to listen to, let alone actually perform and sing, as I usually end up in tears,” says LV Darkling.

And he adds: “As vulnerable as it is to share some of this here, I am propelled by the deep spiritual connection that he and I held throughout our lives. He is inherently a part of this work, perhaps collaborating with us from beyond. I hope that by channeling this and honoring those we love, it can provide a healing catalyst and human connection can be unearthed.”

As of April 8, the “Veiled Screen, Woven Dream” album is available on CD, limited edition vinyl and digitally directly from the band via Bandcamp.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

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

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Psyclon Nine has announced a European tour baptized “The Infection Divinum European Tour featuring Psyclon Nine, Antania and Devil M (Antania and Devil M on selected dates).

“The Infection Divinum Tour” will commence April 18th in London. You can find tickets and VIP meet-and-greets at psyclonnine.bandcamp.com. Antania is a new revitalized ‘doom Bass’ version of Luna 13 with a brand new lineup, recently signed to the Italian label Triad Recs and Devil M is an industrial metal band native to Europe.

Psyclon Nine tour dates

• 04/18 Reptile Club-London, England
• 04/21 Dark Malta Festival, Malta
• 05/15 Kuudes Linga-Helsinki, Finland
• 05/17 Westbad WGT-Leipzig, Germany
• 05/19 Futurum Music Bar-Prague, Czech
• 05/18 Klub Pod Minoga-Poznań, Poland
• 05/20 Backstage Club-Munich, Germany
• 05/22 Kulttempel-Oberhausen, Germany
• 05/24 O’Sullivan’s-Paris, France
• 05/25 Le Ferrailleur-Nantes, France

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

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

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Still Patient? was originally set up in 1988 by Andy Koa. The German formation which went through different line-up changes released their official debut album “Salamand” in 1992 on the legendary and unfortunately defunct Hyperium Records. They moved on releasing new Goth-Rock/Dark-Wave inspired works on Hyperium and Alice In… till the band split up in 1999. But Still Patient? came back alive in 2012 and started writing new songs. New albums were released on Alice In… and Schwarzrock (both subdivisions from Dark Dimensions). “Love And Rites Of Rage” released in 2023 deals with love, pain and melancholy. Andy Koa (vocals & programming), Guido Holzmann (bass), Bec Kes (guitar), Pogue-O (guitar) and Wolfgang Tëffner (keyboards) achieved a great Dark-Wave-production which is maybe the band’s best work ever. I got in touch with core member and front man Andy Koa.   (Picture credits by Dan Rawkt / Interview courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries)

Q: There’re two significant periods in the band’s history. You’ve been active in between 1988 and 1999 and after a break you reactivated Still Patient? in 2012. How do you perceive both periods in the band’s history considering aspects like line-up changes, influences, spirit, way of working etc?

Andy: When we split up in 1999, we were no longer able to work together musically. Many new influences and ideas had come in and we had moved too far away from our original roots. We could no longer see a future together. After 11 years of changing line-ups, we had achieved a lot and built up a certain fan base. But we were often too dogged and frustrated and weren’t satisfied with most of our productions, as we often had the misfortune to work with the wrong people who didn’t produce our music the way we wanted. We simply lacked the know-how and the possibilities. Working in the studio was often very exhausting and disappointing because we had always prepared our songs well at home. Of course, according to the possibilities at that time, which are much greater today.      

When I had the idea to revive the band in 2012, after some musical projects and excursions, I had already gained a lot more skills and was now able to produce music in a way that wasn’t possible for us back then. Originally, I just wanted to re-record a handful of songs that I thought could be done better. The re-recording of “Mascara Osiris” was the result. After this experience I felt that it would be sensible and right to get the band back together. We started working on new songs with some old and some new musicians. The new members added different influences to our previous ones and we didn’t necessarily want to continue where we left off in 1999.

When the request came from WGT to play a reunion show in 2013, the pace changed abruptly and we worked hard on both new and old material. It really helped us to find each other as a band and to this day we are a close-knit group who work well together. There’s also a certain calmness that wasn’t there in the 90s. The songwriting has become very efficient because of course we can’t spend as much time on it as we did in the 90s. We have released 2 EPs and 3 albums so far, which also reflects a certain development. With the last album “Love And Rites Of Rage” we went back to our roots and put a lot of heart and soul into it. I think you can hear that very clearly. It’s an album we would have liked to have made in the 90s.

Q: You last year released the EP “Leitbild Angst” featuring 4 exclusive, new, songs. Tell us a bit more about this work and the possible connection to the new album “Love And Rites Of Rage”?

Andy: After the release of the album “Zeiteist Weltschmerz” in 2018, we immediately started writing songs for the follow-up album. Initially we had the idea of writing a quieter and more atmospheric album. However, as we can rarely plan what will come out in the end, the new songs were very different. The first two songs were “Sacrfice In Paradise” and “Heart Shaped Box”. Then followed songs that were very similar to the style of the last album and at some point, also due to Corona, we had a lot of songs that wouldn’t have worked and fit on a more homogeneous album. For this reason we decided to release the songs digitally in advance as the “Leitbild Angst”-EP and stylistically assign the songs more to the “Zeitgeist Weltschmerz”-album. This gave us the opportunity to put together the album “Love And Rites Of Rages” in such a way that all the songs fit together.

Q: You already mentioned the new album is a kind of  ‘going back to the roots of the band’. What has been the  modus operandi to achieve the work? And does it really sound that different to you as previous albums “Shape Shifters” (2015) and “Zeitgeist Weltschmerz” (2018)?

Andy: “Love And Rites Of Rage” is very different from its predecessors in many ways. We worked a lot more on the songs and wanted to reflect a very specific atmosphere. We also took a lot more time and wanted to get everything right. We also channeled a lot more emotion from everyone involved and that really shaped the basic mood. Where “Shape Shifters” was more Electronic, “Zeitgeist Weltschmerz” was more Rock. But basically it’s not always the way you hear it as a musician. Often everybody hears it differently and that’s absolutely fine.

Q: Still Patient? remain connected to the dark sound of 80s Dark-Wave/Post-Punk music. What makes this period that special to you but also to most of the younger bands dealing with this kind of music?

Andy: 80s Dark-Wave/Post-Punk music was our gateway drug, like for a lot of people from our age. We will always listen to our gateway drugs, no matter how old we are. And I, in particular, realized at some point that it’s important to be true to yourself. It doesn’t mean that you have to keep repeating yourself. You have to stay true to your roots and above all stay authentic. The music back then was also something new and exciting. It shaped a massive subculture. And as with all subcultures, there are always revivals. Young people discover the music of the older generation and learn to love it. This also immortalizes the type of music and brings us new audiences.

Q: What did you keep in mind from the entire composing and production process of “Love And Rites Of Rage”? What have been the main points of satisfaction, challenges and eventually deceptions?

Andy: There were a lot of ideas and emotions we wanted to express. A lot had happened, there was a pandemic that forced us to slow down our songwriting for a few months, but also gave us time to reflect more on our writing. We wanted to sound more like the 90s again, but we didn’t want to compromise on today’s quality standards. We also changed our sound engineer because we felt that our new man had a better understanding of where we wanted to go musically and atmospherically. We had already worked with him for the “Leitbild Angst”-EP and were very satisfied with the result. We also worked with a lot more ambience and atmospheric sounds again, with lots of choirs and percussion elements. If you listen to the first track from the album, “The Beginning”, you’ll know exactly where the journey is going. The challenge was basically that we wanted to finish this album as best we could. We still see it as the most important album in our long band history.

Q: The album seems to reflects themes of ‘love, pain and melancholy’. What do these feelings evoke to you and why are they that inspiring?

Andy Koa: Love, pain and melancholy are the driving forces of our lives. Without love everything is dead and lifeless. Love is the most important thing a human being has to have. But it often brings pain and despair. But sometimes it dies in order to be reborn somewhere else and to give new strength. Sometimes something has to come to an end in order to start growing again. Like a phoenix rising from the ashes. This accompanies us throughout our lives. That was our main thematic inspiration, mixed with personal experiences of recent years and some losses.

Q: How important are live performances? How do you prepare live shows? And do you’ve a favorite live song? 

Andy: Live shows are really important to us. Unfortunately a lot has changed since Corona and people prefer to go to bigger festivals rather than the smaller ones where bands play that need the support so much more.

As always, we will prepare ourselves very well for the upcoming shows this year. Maybe we’ll include one or more songs from the current album in the set list. Be curious. We’ve often been told that you can tell we have fun while performing. Also, the direct contact with the fans is also very important and essential for us. Talking to the people after the show has become very important to us.

I think we have different favorite songs on stage within the band. Our closing song is usually “Anavryn”, I think we all really enjoy playing that one.

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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Grey Gallows is a Greek duo hailing from Patras. The band is driven by Konstantin (vocals & keys) and Dionisis (guitar, bass & keys). They this year released their fourth full-length album “Strangers” which also is the second one released by Cold Transmission Records. The band take us back to the darkest hours of Dark-Wave and Post-Punk while adding a personal touch on top of the composition. “Strangers” deals about different themes which can be summarized to human psyche, love, pain, alienation, and the redemption of the individual, concerning social issues that plague the modern era. I got in touch with Konstantin to know a bit more about this cool formation.

(Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries)

Q: Grey Gallows is now active for a couple of years. How did the band saw the daylight and what do you consider as your main accomplishments so far?

Dionisis: We formed as a band in 2016 when I moved to live in Patras and met Konstantin. We became close friends and as we understood that we shared the same taste in music, we decided that we would like to make our own band and express ourselves.

I believe that signing with a label like Cold Transmission and be given the opportunity to perform abroad and especially at WGT is something that we didn’t expect back then and that makes us really proud.

Q: I think your music sounds obviously 80s Dark-Wave / Post-Punk inspired with something extra on top which makes me think to an imaginary hybrid between The Sisters Of Mercy and She Passed Away. Does this description fits to your own perception of sound and what have been the main sources of inspiration?

Konstantin: Well, this is an interesting description, we definitely love The Sisters Of Mercy and we have high respect for She Past Away. We are obviously into 80s Dark-Wave / Post-Punk, listening all those great bands of the past, such as The Cure, Joy Division and Deine Lakaien, but we also like more recent bands, like Lebannon Hanover.

Τhe latest years, being on Cold Transmission, I think that we have been influenced by its distinctive sound and musical approach in general.

Q: You already released several albums but especially both last productions released by Cold Transmission Music give you a wider exposure. How do you analyze the evolution of the band and what’s the impact to be signed on a leading label of the Dark-Wave / Post-Punk scene?

Konstantin: Signing to Cold Transmission gave us both the artistic freedom to express ourselves musically without limits and, on the other hand, to have the chance to reach a broader audience, especially in Germany and central Europe. So, being on a label as supportive as Cold Transmission, is very benefic for us.

We share with Suzy and Andreas our music ideas, discuss the evolution of the band which resulted in friendship.  Moreover we are now family, we belong to the Cold Transmission family and we are very happy and proud of it.

Q: Tell us a bit more about your new album “Strangers”. How did this album saw the daylight and what did you try to express by its lyrical themes?

Konstantin: Some of the songs, for example “Strangers”, were written during the pandemic, so in one aspect they reflect a state of sentimental and social isolation we found ourselves being into those days.

Musically, we tried to evolve our sound, combining a traditional Dark-Wave sound with Cold-Wave and experimenting with more Electronic elements than our previous albums.

Of course we had the honor to have two great female singers in two songs, Kriistal Ann from Paradox Obscur and Irini Tiniakou from Incirrina, a fact that we believe gave a different kind of emotional approach to our songs.

Lats but no least, we had the opportunity to work again with Nick ‘TheMute’ Chalntoupis, our sound engineer, who gave to ‘’Strangers’’ its distinctive sound.

Q: I experienced “Strangers” as your most accomplished and best work to date. Do you think the last album is always the best one? Do you handle specific criteria and/or references when it comes to composition and production?

Dionisis : For Grey Gallows I think that this is true. “Strangers” is our most complete work until now in terms of composition and production. We tried to add more elements in our sound and explore more genres and so we loved that we were able to do different things in each song of this album.

We try in every release, to have let’s say a ‘pallet’ of songs that shows our influences and in “Strangers” we experimented more so that we could broaden our musical horizons.

Q: I noticed you last year also released a live EP/mini-album featuring five songs. How important are live shows to you -and especially after the lockdowns all over Europe? How do you look back at WGT you played this year?

Dionisis: These songs were recorded during the last lockdown for a stream event and later on we came up with the idea to release it as EP.

It was a strange and hard era during the covid for every musician and for their fans also, because gigs are the best way to share your energy and feelings with people who support you and listen to your music.

WGT was an amazing experience and I would say that it was the best gig we had until now. The feedback that we got and the support during the show was something that we really hadn’t expected so we couldn’t be happier. It was a really memorable experience.

Q: What comes next for Grey Gallows?

Dionisis: We are currently working on some new songs for our next album, this is our fuel that keeps us evolving and moving forward.

Furthermore, we have scheduled some live gigs for September, we are a band who loves playing live. In one of those we are supporting the mighty Covenant in Athens on December, along with our friend Night In Athens. So we would like to thank you for this interview, it was a real pleasure and honor for us.

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

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!

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

Timo Revna this year released the third official full length album of his sonic alter-ego Reichsfeind. He once more brings different influences together. Techno- and Pop elements have been merged while a darker touch is hanging over the songs. The vocals are robotic-like, but you’ll also notice multiple spoken samplings. “Darken” definitely sounds as Reichsfeind’s magnum opus, but it first of all confirms the visionary approach in the way different influences have been mixed together. I talked about it with Timo Revna.

(Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries)

Q: You set up Reichsfeind in 2011 and already released several albums plus EP’s. How do you perceive the evolution of your sonic alter-ego and what do you consider to be your greatest accomplishments?

Timo: It’s already more than ten years since I self-released my first demos. When I look back I am really satisfied with how things developed over time. Listening to my old demos is quite an experience for me. Comparing them to my official albums starting with “Living In Space” (2017), I get the impression that there’s always been a certain emotional depth to my lyrics and melodies, whereas the overall sound quality as well as a certain catchiness still had to be developed. In that respect the first album was a big milestone for me. As for now I would consider my latest album “Darken” as well as this year’s performance at WGT Leipzig to be the greatest accomplishments so far.

Q: You signed to Alfa Matrix so what does it mean to you to get signed to one of the leading labels of this scene? As a German project would you not have preferred to get signed on a German label?

Timo: Getting signed to Alfa Matrix has indeed been a great honor! My first two albums were released via German label Equinoxe Records. It was a nice deal and I really liked the label mentality. However with Alfa Matrix it was clear that they would have the capabilities to introduce Reichsfeind to a bigger audience so I considered it to be the next logical step. There has never been any kind of thought on limiting possible deals with new labels to the German market.

Q: In a previous interview I asked you about the significance of Reichsfeind and you said that ‘As history repeats its darkest times over and over again, I find it of greatest importance to emphasize and preserve the inter-human qualities that make us equal in the first place. Through my music I try to reveal that behind all these walls we build around us, we’re still united by the same pleasures of love and friendship, similar joys and sorrows.’ When you see what’s actually happening in our world and society today I should say you still have to compose a lot of music to fulfill your goal… What’s your perception of the world we’re living right now and how do you transpose it to your music?

Timo: Broad levels of the population are being left behind, leading to frustration and resentment. Capitalistic driven western moral is increasingly contradicting itself in the face of a war-ridden international situation that finally appears on our doorstep. On top of that, progressing climate change is already taking a heavy toll on human lives. How do we fix all this? I don’t want to switch places with politicians who have to deal with tremendous decisions these days.
Music alone can’t change the world, we need conscientious politics and comprehensive international cooperation to change things for the better. However music still functions as a sanctuary, where you can free your mind from the overwhelming chaos surrounding us −at least temporarily. I’m proud if I can somehow contribute to that through my music.

Q: What have been your main sources of inspiration when writing the “Darken”-album? Did you’ve something like a plan and/or did you focus on specific elements during the production process?           

Timo: The songs on “Darken” are mostly inspired by real life events that happened either to me personally or to people around me. There’s been a lot of stuff going on in the last couple of years so I never really ran out of material to write about. There was no such thing as a polished plan for this album. It was more about staying in the flow over a long period of time, creating new authentic material without too much overthinking. However, I definitely had the plan to emphasize on the Pop elements this time.

Q: What have been the biggest challenges when composing/producing “Darken”? What have been your greatest satisfactions and what are the points you still want to improve?

Timo: “Darken” was produced over a timespan of 2 years. At the same time my taste in music seemed to change a bit more drastic than usual, making it kind of a challenge to maintain some sort of recognizable unity from the beat-making perspective. Fortunately I got two talented and experienced studio musicians who again proved being able to keep sight of the big picture. In general I definitely want to further improve my beat-making skills.

Greatest satisfactions during the production phase of “Darken” have always been situations where things just seemed to work out without interruption or setback, such as a whole song being completely finished in almost a day. To me that happens very rarely but when it does it’s more than satisfying.

Q: You already played a few live gigs this year and there’s more to come. How do you transpose the energy from the studio recordings to the stage –and especially as a solo-project?

Timo: I’ve loved presenting things in front of an audience since I was a kid. Having the opportunity to perform your own music in a room full of people is simply amazing so the main thing for me is to enjoy the moment. I always have a great time being on stage and hope that I can transpose this feeling to the crowd. On stage I am being supported by live musician Tom S. who does a great job in additionally heating up the audience.

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: picture alliance/dpa, Alexander Prautzsch

After a two years break, due to Covid-19, the annual Wave-Gotik-Treffen 2022 (29th edition) will take place from 3rd-6th June in the Agra-Halle and surrounded area of Leipzig, Germany.

WGT focuses especially on the gothic, (steam)punk, new wave, electro, EBM, industrial and medieval music and (sub)culture. It is a total-concept world festival including concerts, renaissance fairs, viking and pagan markets, exhibitions, CD/DVD and film premieres, lectures, artist signing events, fetish events, and (late-night) parties.

Approximately 200 artists are on the list, spread over more than 50 locations and the festival has about 20.000 visitors. As usual a lot of names out of the dark scene will play WGT: Lacrimosa, IAMX, Clan of Xymox, Combichrist, Rabia Sorda, Corvus Corax, VNV Nation, Orange Sector, Tanzwut, Xotox, Eisfabrik, Unzucht, Nachtblut, NNHMN, Linea Aspera, Minuit Machine, Dark, Fïx8:Sëd8, Letzte Instanz, Nosferatu, …

Tickets for WGT soon can be ordered here (entrance tickets purchased in the years 2020 or 2021 remain valid for the WGT 2022).

Swedish formation Red Mecca was originally set up by Jan Strandqvist (music) and Frida Madeleine (vocals). Frida Madelaine left after four albums and got replaced by Susanne Jonsson. The brand-new duo first released “Truth” in 2019 and this year stroke back with the sixth album “Away” featuring eight songs and again released on Massproduktion. Red Mecca is a band mixing different influences like Electro-Pop, Indie-Pop, Shoegaze,  Electro-Wave… but “Away” definitely sounds as their most accomplished work to date. I asked a few questions to Jan.

(Picture credits by Lia Jacobi / Interview courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries)

Q: Red Mecca has been set up for while now. What do you consider as being the major facts in the band’s history? And what have been the main points of satisfaction so far?

Jan: As from the reboot of Red Mecca in 2013, when Frida Madelaine joined in as vocalist and together we steered in a direction of, mostly mine, Post-Punk roots, we planned to have an open mind and refused to be boxed-in into a typical genre. When we released“Electricity”in 2016 and got the chance to meet up with people working with the alternative scene in Berlin and we played at Urban Spree and the day after NCN-festival, it was like an awakening. The pieces came together.

Later that year we were nominated to best Electronic act from Sweden at the Manifest Award and we won. That was of course a confirmation, which was fun and a self-confident boost. For some days. Then I was back in doubt which seems to be 90% of my waking time.

WGT 2018 was also a fucking blast! And the soundtrack sync for two episodes of “Killing Eve”with “I See Darkness In You”was of course surreal joy. “Killing Eve” was one of my favorite TV-shows beforehand and I think the composition of the scenes were quite as sublime and perfect as I wished them to be.

But, to be honest, I think the main point of satisfaction is the privilege to be able to create something that could be important to other people. In one way or another. Something that maybe can give people strength. I don´t know. I mean, music givesmecourage and strength. It´s one of the most important ways to just to feel. And to travel in your mind. With your mind.

Q: You earlier this year released your sixth album “Away”, which is the second full length together with singer Susanne Jonsson. How did the collaboration evolved from the “Truth”-album (2019) towards “Away”?

Jan: Every album is sort of an experiment and the end result is somewhat surprising every time in comparison to the naive plan you have from start. When we made “Truth”, we hadn´t got to know each other so well in a musical sense and there´s maybe a lack of a red thread. There´s less of a pronounced integrality so to speech. When working with “Away”, we were more comfortable with what we were to accomplish. We were more secure in our roles. Susanne added much atmosphere both in various vocal style and in the lyrics, which were important for the end result. We both felt what direction it should go.

Q: Tell us a bit more about the writing- and recording process of “Away”? What is this new work all about and what has been the main focus –and eventually challenge, in the accomplishment of this work?

Jan: We always begin the process with an album to paint up a rough sketch of a plan and then hopefully launch the flow-machine and then it turns out to form into something else, haha. We were in the middle of a pandemic and the Trump administration were crazier than ever and there was much fucking turmoil in the world. The state of affairs colored the work and the album, and it came to be about just that. Not as poster politics, but in a more subtle way. What was happening to our emotional life due to what was happening… sort of.

Music is, in my opinion, all about emotions and I wanted to tune in. Receive and broadcast. But it´s always a challenge to tame and harness the flow of things that wants to come out. It´s such an abstract process and hard to describe.

Me and Susanne managed to start up a new level of interaction and interplay and the goal was clearly something we both understood.

Q: I personally consider “Away” as your greatest accomplishment so far. But do you consider each new/last album as being the best one? And how do you see and consider this album in Red Mecca’s discography?

Jan: Thanks! It´s in the nature of the work process. It would be devastating, speaking for myself of course, to feel that during work, that this is not sufficiently good enough in comparison with former work and releases. I think I would consider to stop doing what I´m doing and call it a day. As an artist, I don´t know. I think all the albums we´ve done are in one way or another an exactly mirror of the music we were able to perform in that moment of time. I´ve thought a thousand times: ‘I couldn´t possible have more music left to create’, but I´ve been wrong every time.

I´m not kidding if I say that I’ve got about one thousand songs/tracks in my computer that never will be released. It´s like a surplus of composing. “Away” is a successful snapshot, if I may say and I like it a lot. But you get a  healthy distance to every album after a while.

Q: You also have a new single out, “Into Prayer” featuring KMRS. Can you tell us a bit more about the song and this collaboration? And what do you think about people affirming releasing albums make no more sense since most of the people today are using  streaming platforms?

Jan:  I discovered KMRS by chance and liked her harsh lyrics and flow of British style Rap/spoken word and came curious if it would fit in anything. I was in the process of making “Into Prayer” and contacted her (and she really liked us)  and got an acapella and it was like perfect. The only kind of Rap I like is British artists like Ghostpoet, M.I.A, Sleaford Mods and Dan Le Sac vs Scroobius Pip for an example. It´s not Hiphop you know. It´s something else. I was really into the Hiphop scene in the beginning of the 90’s. Public Enemy, Disposable Hereoes Of Hipoprisy and such.

Anyway, there´s more to come in that collaboration. Probaby a new really heavy club track 12″ stand-alone maxi for the dancefloor.

Well, I work in a vinyl record store and I was raised with LP’s, so I don´t really care about it´s not making sense. Since when did anything in life make sense? I still think albums are awesome in every way. I listen to albums all the time on streaming platforms as well. Yeah, I know, the kids just listen to fast playlists. They listen to music in a new way. Ok. Let them. But I really don´t think that albums are vanishing because of that. We still have books, don´t we?

Q: How do you see Red Mecca evolving and what are the further plans?

Jan: We´re currently in the finishing state of a double album, which will be released mid 2022 in shallah. May seem like hubris, but hopefully it´s going to be our Magnum Opus haha. Some remixes are on their way too. We´ve, however, decided to not play live until 2022. The unintentional pause of live performances 2020-21 have made us realize that we have to reboot and invent ourselves again before entering the stage. We have to come up with something new regarding stage plot and everything. We haven´t been rehearsing anything in almost a year. We’ve just been focused on composing.

And I´m an addict and alcoholic and after ten years of sobriety, I plunged myself into a relapse, mid pandemic, which almost killed me. So it´s been some time of rehabilitation and finding spirituality again, so to speak. But now I´m back on track. So we´re not going to tie us up with things feeling stressful. We have a rough plan, but we´ll leave the BIG plans just for now. But I´m getting eager to come out and play live again. That´s for sure.

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

Gustav Jansson and Jonatan Löfstedt set up Sturm Café now twenty years ago. The Swedish duo is devoted to old-school EBM. They this year released their third full length album “Fernes Land” on their own label SCR. All songs are again sung in German. The new work sounds like the band’s most accomplished work revealing traditional EBM refined with Electro-Pop treatments. Gustav and Jonatan accepted to answer a few questions about this new opus.

(Picture credits by HR-Picture.de / Interview courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries)

Q: You both started composing music together as teenagers. What did you hold on from this early sound and spirit and how did you see yourself evolving as musicians and band?

Jonatan: We just loved Electronic music and good synth melodies so we wanted to do something similar ourselves. Over the time we have improved the sound adding more synthesizers while I increased control over the vocals.

Gustav: We started out with very limited amount of equipment, which forced us to have a very efficient and simply sound, that’s probably why started to do EBM in first place. We have tried to keep that kind of spirit even when we added more synthesizers into the mix.

Q: Tell us a bit more about the writing and production process of the new album “Fernes Land”? And what does the title reflect versus the lyrical themes, which seem to mix a kind of engagement and sense of humor?

Gustav: This was the first time we worked in compressed studio sessions. I made most of the drumbeats, effects and production of the songs and Jonatan created most of the melodies and basslines, so we must meet to make music together. Since we at the time didn’t live in the same city Jonatan came down to me in Southern Sweden during a week in June 2019. We just had such a creative blast and made 7 songs in 7 days. We repeated this process again in June 2020 and wrote more songs. Then I worked all Autumn long to mix and polish the album to its finished state.

Jonatan: Since Gustav had set up the studio with all new sounds and samples it was very easy for me to just dive in and create melodies and basslines. It was like an unlimited flow of creative energy during those two weeks.  Concerning the text writing we dug into it with a word or an idea for the song at hand; sometimes we wanted to make something humoristic and for other songs some deeper hidden meaning. But in conclusion, it´s up to the listener to determine what they think we mean. Regarding the title track (and album title), the name just came naturally when I first heard the heroic and distant synthpad during the intro of the song.

Q: What did you experienced as the main difficulties and challenges in the writing of “Fernes Land”? And when do you know a song/album is finished? 

Jonatan: The lyrics was a big challenge as we wanted it to be as good as possible grammar-wise, but still with a nice musical flow to it. It just took much longer than the music creation and was sometimes extremely tiresome. Fortunately, we got help from a Bavarian friend, Tim Böhm, with errors and suggestions.

Gustav: For me it was to get the final product in order. We wanted to take the production to the next level and improve the mixing and sounds. It took many late nights/early mornings to get it the way we wanted it to be.

Q: Sturm Café is now active for more or less twenty years, but you don’t release new albums at regular basis. It all feels a bit like you don’t have stress and just want to have fun, but was it really all about? And does an album still make sense today considering more and more people are using streaming platforms preferring own playlists instead of albums?

Jonatan: We both have good day time jobs and run our own label, so there is really no point for us to stress out making any new music. Gustav also lived an 8-hour car drive away from our hometown Gävle for the last 8 years so we couldn’t create new music that often; making music together was the only option for us with our vintage equipment like our 80’s Atari computers.

Gustav: I think albums make sense for a lot of people, but not all. We know for a fact that a lot of our fans are a bit older, and we still sell a lot of physical CD’s/vinyl’s, at least for the amount we press. But it seems for some people it’s all about the hit songs and they’ve stopped caring about albums (at least in the mainstream). I like the art and effort that artists put into an album release where all songs don’t have to be hits and you work with the dynamics of the tracklist for the overall experience. 

Q: I noticed you last year released a selection of ‘rarities’ featuring a few tracks by Jonatan’s side-project John Steiner Explosion. Tell us a bit more about the Sturm Café rarities and what brings John Steiner Explosion you couldn’t deal with in Sturm Café?

Jonatan: John Steiner Explosion was me sitting in my boy room during high school improvising some kind of dance music that didn’t really fit into Sturm Café. It was just for fun and I still think the songs hold up today. Maybe one day I will continue doing something similar.

Gustav: We released a “Rarities”-album back in 2011 with unreleased songs; we had a lot of those from the early years of the band. Then Corona came and Bandcamp started to do Bandcamp Fridays where they waived their profits to the bands. We thought it would be nice to release additional unreleased songs for a couple of those Fridays to keep up the interest for the band while we were finishing up the new album.

Q: The pandemic is still going on, but it all looks like artistic life is progressively coming back again. How do you look back at the past months and what are the further plans for  Sturm Café about live shows ao?

Jonatan: There’s a live show planned at a private event in Germany at the end of August. I really look forward to this as it will be the first live concert since our Russian tour in February 2020; it will be fun to perform some of the new songs. Next planned shows are WGT Warm Up and Amphi next year so let’s hope for some more shows in Autumn. We are back into business!

Gustav: It feels like the last 6-8 months have been some of the busiest ones in quite a long time, releasing 2 singles, our new album and shipping out orders to all over the world. I also just moved back to my hometown Gävle after 8 years in the Southern Swedish city of Lund. Since I’m back, just a few minutes apart from Jonatan, you can probably expect new music somewhat more frequently from Sturm Café in the future.

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

Hailing from Sydney (Australia) the duo Warren Bones (‘BONES’) and Craig L. Saunders (‘<Sik>’) are active for more than twenty years now as NOVAkILL. They release albums at irregular basis, the newest opus “Iconoclast” being released in 2020 on RepoRecords. It’s the band’s fifth full length and without a shadow of doubt also the most accomplished one to date. It’s a great production appealing for EBM fans in search of well-crafted and intelligent body music.

(Picture credits by Virginia Young / Interview courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries)

Q: You guys last year released your fifth album to date, which I think was meant as a search for new ideas and progression. What is this all about and in, which way(s) is “Iconoclast” different from previous works? 

BONES: Not so much a search as a deliberate effort to do things a different way. Our first four albums were all done using the same software, Synapse Audio’s Orion, and we had basically approached things the same way. But Orion was discontinued quite a while ago and we ended up moving to Cubase, which led us down quite a different path, which we were keen to follow. It introduced us to a whole lot of things, many unexpected, and we wanted to explore those possibilities.

<SiK>: For us, the progression was in the process. It initially started the same way, developing a few song ideas and sharing them, though once Bones made the decision to do a song a month it gave it real impetus and a coherence. We were building on our usual style, and had a few strong EBM based tracks, that then allowed us to play more and deviate a little, and we kind of expanded the idea of what can be a NOVAkILL track..  The idea for the intermezzo tracks is something we have talked about for a couple of albums, though never did it. This time we of course did, and I feel they lend a lot to the album listening experience.

Q: One thing is for sure, this new work definitely sounds as the most accomplished and mature production to date; retro EBM elements mixed with a very own, powerful and contemporary touch! Did you handle specific references and/or criteria to achieve this work? 

BONES: Not at all. The big difference for us this time around was that we put a time limit on things. We set a goal to write one new song every month in 2018 so that we would have an album’s worth by the end of the year. It worked really well, we had something like 15 songs by September, which meant that for the first time we had new songs that didn’t make it onto the album.

We did all that while we were still using Orion and by the end of March 2019, we had it finished. But during that time we had started working with Cubase and we ultimately decided to re-do all the songs in Cubase and choose the versions we liked more. That meant another year of work but, in the end, “Strike” and “Descent” were the only Orion versions that made the cut.

I don’t normally work with my influences front of mind, but it is inevitable that they will find their way into what you do. If you like the way a certain artist does something, it will always affect the way you approach the same thing. Most of my inspiration comes from the instruments we use. “Twisted”, for example, came from a beautiful pad sound I got from one of our plugin synths that I spent a whole evening just playing from one of my keyboards.

<SiK>: We have a set idea of what constitutes a NOVAkILL track, and though, as mentioned above, we expanded on that a bit there are still elements to our process and style that push us down a certain path to achieve a sound we like, so of course other artists/music we like will be reflected in that. We never think we want to sound like a particular or specific artist, we always set out to make a NOVAkILL track, but of course influences come through. I take a very Post-Modern approach, the whole ‘everything is a remix’ idea, and take influences/concepts/styles and kinda blend them together, then they go through the Bones filtering and production process.

Q: The title of the album “Iconoclast” needs some extra explanation; what or who did you’ve in mind to find the title and how does it reflect the lyrical content of the album?

BONES: To me it is an obvious title for what we do. In ancient times, iconoclasts were people who went around smashing craven idols. Today it is associated with people who speak out against the status quo, which is exactly what we try to do. I actually think “Iconoclasm” would have been a better title, but I didn’t think of it in time.

<SiK>: Our albums often go through a few titles before we settle on one.. and the word “Iconoclast” felt good, and is sorta what we do…  it doesn’t relate to one specific song or idea, but reflects our basic political/ideological standpoint..  ‘don’t blindy trust icons, idols, authority etc.., question them, pull back the curtain,  tear them down if you have to’. 

Q: Tell us a bit more about the writing and production process of the album. What have been the different stages you’d to go through? What were the biggest challenges, the main difficulties you encountered and finally the points of satisfaction and/or improvement?

BONES: First off, I hadn’t written a song in a long time, maybe 8 or 9 years. For “Kill Everyone” and “I Hate God”, Sik had come up with pretty much all the musical ideas and a lot of the arrangements, too. If I’m honest, I had lost motivation and was really only going through the motions. That’s why there was such a long break between “I Hate God” and “(D)anger”.

On the back of “(D)anger”’s success we got to play Wave Gothik Treffen in 2017 and we spent several months rehearsing, far more than we’d ever really done before, and that got me motivated again. I was keen to keep things on the boil, which is why we decided on the schedule I mentioned earlier.

Our production process is pretty simple. Whichever one of us comes up with the idea works on it until it’s in some kind of usable shape, then we share it with the other, who continues the process, refining it and adding extra bits and pieces. They all end up back with me and I add vocals, do the final mixing and mastering.

Obviously we are very happy with “Iconoclast”, it turned out better than maybe we thought we were capable of. Still, we can hear areas where we can improve further still, so we’re keen for a follow-up, although we haven’t started anything yet.

<SiK>: As Bones outlined, this album went through a couple stages, the initial gathering of some sounds and ideas, then the process of building them into songs, with a reasonably strict deadline, and in that process a few tracks were written from scratch.  At the end of a year we had an album that was 90% or more complete, bar final touches and processes, but we had the album done.  We weren’t in a rush to release it, and gave it a little time to ‘rest’, and then, partly as a learning exercise and partly as a ‘what If’, we thought we would try to rebuild the tracks in a different DAW, which forces you to re-examine the elements, and make/remake some of the writing/production decisions. The albums always go through a stage of adjustment/change/etc though usually that is working with what was there, this time it was kind of a tear down, build again, and that process either affirmed what we had, or exposed things that could be improved which, overall strengthened the end product…

Q: What are the main differences between NOVAkILL and all the other (side)projects you both are/were involved with? What makes this project so special?

BONES: That’s easy, we both have the same musical tastes and we (hopefully) never let our egos get in the way of making the right calls. It’s a simple case of the whole being more than the sum of the parts. It’s a rare and special thing that’s allowed us to achieve way more than I could ever have hoped when I first got up on stage, solo, in 1985.

Until recently, I’d never really had any side-projects, but I think at one stage Sik had more than half-a-dozen on the go. But last year I started working on a few cover versions and during that process I realized that it might be a good way to get some live gigs (we haven’t played since WGT in 2017) so I’ve been working on that. I’ve got about 50 covers, mostly successful 80s stuff, and we’re in the process of trying to turn that into gigs. With COVID, it’s been a challenge.

<SiK>: NOVAkILL is Bones and me. We have a process and a sound unique to that combination. My ‘side-projects’ are often ways for me to just try things and experiment, or just ‘do’. NOVA STATE MACHINE started with the idea of doing a ‘pure’ EBM album, but with a different flavour, and I was after vocals in Russian to create a particular sound,  though in the process of making the first album (which was also a deliberate homage to some of my favourite artists) things evolved… which working with others always brings. I like the collaboration process, and some of my projects are specifically that… a way to work with certain people…  It challenges me to try different things, in ways I wouldn’t normally do. If it is just ‘me’ then I can do whatever the hell I want, be it good or bad… but it is about doing something different to NOVAkILL, sometimes in a small way, like a change to a drum sound, or sometimes in bigger ways, be it song structure or overall sound, but it is all about continuing to work, experiment, learn, develop… and it all feeds back into NOVAkILL through production and writing. ‘Everything is a remix’ some NOVAkILL tracks began life in a ‘side-project’.

Q: We last month celebrated the ‘international EBM day’ (24/2). Does it have a special meaning to you and what’s your perception of EBM?

<SiK>: EBM day has never been a ‘thing’ for us… Every day is Halloween, I mean EBM day… I don’t really go out of my way to mark the occasion. The ‘scene’ down here in Australia is very small, and while there are a few ‘club nights’ here and there,  it is not something I tend to do… though having said that, Bones and I had been discussing resurrecting our Industrial club night “Virus”, but then COVID hit and the idea was shelved. Maybe this year we will do something ‘special’,  start the next NOVAkILL album perhaps…  BONES: I’d never even heard of it until a couple of weeks ago. The scene here in Sydney no longer exists. It’s just gone and I can’t see or think of any mechanism that will change that.                                                                    

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

André Lellitko, Kay Lipka and Casi Kriegler set up Rroyce a few years ago now. The band’s debut album “Dreams & Doubts & Fears” got released in 2014 on Thexoomo.net. The second full length “Karoshi” got released two years later on Kayal Records and got re-released in 2017 on Infacted Recordings. The growing enthusiasm in their homeland, Germany, brought the band to perform at bigger festivals. The electro/future-pop sound of the band stands for the revival of future-pop. Their newest album “Patience” only confirms the growing talent of the trio. This work has been again released on Infacted Recordings, which is a label with a nose for talented electro-pop music. The songs remind me to an imaginary hybrid between Mesh, OMD and Beborn Beton. I asked Casi Kriegler for more info.  

(Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries)

Q: How did the story of Royce all started and what have been the main facts in this story so far?

Casi: Our journey started exactly seven years ago, where we participated in a band contest, which was called ‘UNBACO’. We won the contest out of  numerous bands coming from the wave- and synth-pop-genre and we played the fifth gig in the band’s history at the ‘WGT 2013’, which was quite impressive for us. Later on we went on tour by supporting great bands like Eisfabrik, Solitary Experiments and Welle:Erdball.

We are glad to work together with our label Infacted Recordings. Our booking agency is Eisland Entertainment, which provides us with memorable festival appearances, like ‘Amphi Festival’, ‘E-tropolis’, ‘Plage Noire’, ‘NCN’ and many more. We´re glad that we found reliable partners to work with on our way whatever the future will bring.

Q: You’ve already released three full length albums so what’s your personal analysis from the evolution in sound and production from the debut album “Dreams & Thoughts & Fears” to “Karoshi” to “Patience”?

Casi: Our first album was self-produced, which was quite exciting as we didn´t know the people´s reaction on that. Okay, at that time our fanbase was quite small, but we already set ourselves high standards in the production.

For the 2^nd album we convinced Dirk Riegner to work with us as a producer. The outcome was fantastic and we decided to rerun the collaboration for the 3^rd album. Our success confirms that this was the right approach.

I think the evolution is quite obvious, because we always want to improve ourselves as musicians and our products and we´re working every day to achieve that.

Q: “Patience” has been preceded by the EP “Parallel Worlds”, which can be easily considered as your biggest ‘hit’. Tell us a bit more about this song, its writing, the lyrical content and the clip that has been made?

Casi: The song is based on our private experiences in keeping up the balance between the daily routine on the one hand and being a musician on the other hand. Sometimes it´s hard to switch from one world to the other, especially when you spent a weekend on stage and you´ll find yourself exactly 24 hours later, sitting in an office, in front of a computer and you ask yourself: ‘What the heck I am doing here’??!

So I had the idea to point out the inner struggle in a visual way by setting up two dancers dressed in black and white, fighting with each other –but also in very close interaction to underline how close the feelings and emotions are linked together, while hopping in between these two worlds. We wanted to produce a very clear and stylish video. We are grateful that we could achieve these visions with our friends from Tiefgang Erleben, who realized this lovely video project.

Q: When you listen to “Patience” right now, what are your biggest satisfactions and do you also notice some elements you want to improve?

Casi: We’re satisfied with all the different aspects from the album, otherwise we wouldn´t have released it. As I said, there are always aims for improvement, in song writing and in setting up the lyrics, as well. When you are not constantly moving, you might get fat and dull. That´s not our intention.

Q: So far you did interesting tours, but always as support band from a bigger name like the aforementioned bands Eisfabrik, Solitary Experiments and Welle:Erdball. How do you look back at these tours and live experiences generally speaking? How do you see yourself as stage band?

Casi: We love being live on stage. I love to see these faces, the reactions, the smiling people having fun. For us it has been a great honor to perform on huge stages, in front of hundreds of people. The number of supporters is steadily increasing and we are grateful for every occasion to present RROYCE live on stage. When I think of all these special tour-life/live-moments, I can say that we made friends with the bands. One could even go so far as to say we became good friends. Without exception. memories, that will stay with me forever.

Q: I noticed you already did an impressive number of live performances during the past years, but mainly in Germany! What about RROYCE and live shows abroad Germany? Do you feel to be unknown or misunderstood outside Germany? What brings 2020?

Casi: We already played in Switzerland, The Netherlands and England and we would love to play wherever you can imagine. Every gig abroad was a big success. If there´s any promoter, who wants to see us on its stage, feel free to contact our agency. But to see it realistic and considering the costs (flights, hotels, fees) it´s not that easy for a quite unknown band to realize these dreams –apart from their outstanding live qualities (lol).

Inferno Sound Diaries

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

www.side-line.com

Out on April 17th is a remix album of Boytronic’s latetst studio effort “The Robot Treatment”. Named “The Robot Treatment – Remix Pack Piece Of Entertainment and Dancing Wild for You” the remixes were delivered by such bands as The Invincible Spirit, Ant People, Flemming Dalum, Leaether Strip, and Antoni Maiovvi.

Here’s the tracklist:

• You Can’t Get Fooled By Love – (Flemming Dalum Remix)
• She Gave Me Money – (Antoni Maiovvi Remix)
• No Sad Songs – (Oren Amram Club Remix)
• Venus Covers Mars – (Ant People Remix)
• Bark – People Theatre – (Eternity Mix)
• Smell Of Fire – (Antoni Maiovvi Remix)
• Under The Red – (Leaether Strip Remix)
• You Can’t Get Fooled By Love – (Antoni Maiovvi Remix)
• Wayward Sister – (The Invincible Spirit Remix)
• Venus Covers Mars – (Matt Mancid & Rename Mix)
• You Can’t Get Fooled By Love – (Neil Delta Extended Mix)
• She Gave Me Money – (Mindmodvl Extended Mix)
• All You Can Eat – (Ant People Remix)

If you want to see the band live at work, here are the first confirmed dates.

• 18.04 Golden Krone Darmstadt (DE) (LIVE PA)
• 31.05 WGT Leipzig (DE) (FULL SHOW)
• 31.10 Musikpark Halloween Party – Homburg (DE) (FULL SHOW)
• 14.11 Takt Bizzare Festival – Reutlingen (DE) (FULL SHOW)
• 21.11 Kulturbahnhof – Greifswald (DE) (LIVE PA)

More shows to be announced… Read the review of ‘The Robot Treatment’.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

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

side-line.com

(Picture by Daniela Vorndran) Almost 20 years ago (it’s like yesterday if you ask us) the influential goth-electro-industrial-cyberpunk band The Cassandra Complex released “Wetware”, a milestone in the dark wave scene. Now it is finally being made available again, fully remastered and resequenced, in three linked releases.

First up is the 3 track “Twice As Good” EP on November 22, featuring legendary electronic acts Front 242 and Apoptygma Berzerk, who were now both called in to do remixes. December will see the release of the other songs from “Wetware” split into two parts: “Hardware” and “Software”.

Rodney explains this special re-release treatment of the “Wetware” material: “When we were originally working on Wetware we ended up writing so many great songs that we couldn’t fit them all into one 70 minute CD, so we had to leave some songs off. When it came time to remaster it for streaming I realised that I could now add in the missing stuff, and split the whole thing into two albums instead. So now Hardware contains the harder, faster, more in-your-face songs, while Software contains the longer, slower, more psychedelic pieces. Listening to each one individually is a much more coherent experience – it’s the two halves that make up the totality of The Cassandra Complex.”

“We had gotten fairly burnt out”

The “Wetware” songs were originally written in 1999 in Los Angeles and Hamburg, and were seen by the band as the culmination of the work they had been doing in the previous 15 years of near-constant recording and touring.

Rodney Orpheus: “From the moment I started The Cassandra Complex we had basically never stopped working on music – when we weren’t touring we were in our studio in Hamburg doing production and remix work for other European alternative bands. I literally lived in our studio. We had gotten fairly burnt out by that stage which left us wondering where to go next.”

With the band lineup down to just Rodney and guitarist Volker Zacharias, Rodney was offered a job with music software company Steinberg in Los Angeles, and things looked bleak for the band’s future.

“Getting out to LA forced me to look at our past from a new perspective. I started listening to our older records in order to rediscover what had made them so good in the first place. I had also been doing some work with Kraftwerk, which got me involved with their interest in the Man Machine interface. I realised that was something also intrinsic to what we were doing with The Cassandra Complex – the synergy between very rigorous and computerised rhythms and human improvisation and emotion. That got me thinking about computer systems, where you have Hardware, which is the chips in the machine; Software, which is the information running on it; and Wetware, which is the biological operator controlling and directing the whole thing i.e. us. That became the working basis and title for what we wanted to do next.”

Working on the record meant frequent trips back to Hamburg where Rodney and Volker would feverishly work on finishing songs in the limited time they had together. The final mix was then completed back in LA.

Formed in 1980, still going strong today

The Cassandra Complex was originally formed by Rodney Orpheus, Paul Dillon, and Andy Booth in 1980 in Leeds, England. Over the years, the band’s sound has included elements of EBM, industrial, goth rock, new wave and synthpop.

Earlier in 2019 the band remastered and re-released their two earliest albums “Grenade” and “Hello America”. In recent months Rodney and Volker have again joined up along with band co-founder guitarist Andy Booth and keyboard player and “button-pusher” Axel Ermes to tour across Europe with The Cassandra Complex. This year they have successfully played to thousands of fans at WGT Festival and Amphi Festival in Germany, W Festival in Belgium, and DarkMAD Festival in Spain; and have a forthcoming headline performance in December at BIMFest in Belgium. Coming into next year the band have already committed to major shows in Germany and Greece, with more European dates to be confirmed.

You can view a full video of the band’s recent concert at WGT Festival in Leipzig, Germany below.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

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

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Fade Kainer (Batillus, Tombs, Jarboe) set up Statiqbloom in 2013 as a solo-project. He got joined in 2016 by NY, Denman C. Anderson. Based in Brooklyn, NY (USA) they recently released their new full length “Asphyxia”, which is their fourth full length to date, but the first one released by Metropolis Records. The album reveals a post-industrial sound which might appeal for lovers of Mentallo & The Fixer, early Revolting Cocks, but especially Yelworc for the dark and tormented atmosphere recovering the songs.

(Picture credits: Katrin Albert / Interview courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries)

Q: How did Statiqbloom saw the daylight and what were the initial music purposes?

Fade: I initially started Statiqbloom to write music for myself after the band I was in at the time called Batillus had dissolved. Then close friends encouraged me to share the music I was writing.

Q: Considering aspects such as influences, the composition process & production skills how would you analyze the evolution from the early work till “Asphyxia”?

Fade: I’m always trying to progress and evolve and try to create what I envision in my mind, a lot of it has to do with the feeling, the atmosphere I’m trying to capture. My intention is the evolution gets more focused and more provoking.

Q: “Asphyxia” has something retro-like, but still pretty contemporary with a very dark and sometimes tormented atmosphere on top! Tell us a bit more about this opus?

Fade: I’m proud of the lyrics on “Asphyxia”, and being able to capture a bit of claustrophobia with staying more minimal that previous releases. Every day is a struggle and a challenge when trying to create.

Q: The cover of “Asphyxia” has something pretty symbolic so what’s the link with the title and the global lyrical content?

Fade: Tthe Statiqbloom logo has an ouroboros around it, so the cover of Asphyxia has the serpent in motion it’s a visual play on the album title.

Q: I noticed you already released several official videos, which I think perfectly represent the dark and disturbing atmosphere of the Statiqbloom-sound. Tell us a bit more about these experiences?

Fade: The majority of the videos I worked with Katrin Albert and Gretchen Heinel. They are photographers & film makers. A lot of the video concepts we’re their interpretation of the music. There’re videos in the works for “Asphyxia”.

Q: For your newest album you’ve joined hands together with Metropolis Records. You also played several dates here in Europe including the famous WGT in Leipzig (Germany). What do you expect from a ‘bigger’ label and how did the European concerts happened, which have been for sure an opportunity to gain a wider recognition on the old continent?

Fade: Being on a bigger label helps with reaching more people and better distribution. WGT reaches out to us to play and we were excited to do so, and I reached out to Aufnahme + Weidergabe to do the Berlin show, and then were able to do more Euro dates with Spit Mask. Overall It was a great tour and the shows were amazing. A lot of people in Europe are familiar with the older content, but I’ll keep playing Europe & The States. I am grateful to have an audience and being able to watch this grow.

Inferno Sound Diaries

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

www.side-line.com

Out soon is the “Base Box” boxset by the Italian dark wave act Kirlian Camera. Be fast to order this set as it will be sold out soon. You can order it right here on Bandcamp.

The boxset holds the DVD “Memorabilia” (incl. official videoclips, TV-appearances, live-recordings, interviews, and much more). The DVD comes in PAL, Region Code 0 and has a duration of a lovely 150’ 30″, that is 2 hours, 30 mins., 30 seconds.

Next there the exclusive “Odyssey Europa” 7” featuring the tracks “Odyssey Europe” and a special version of “Coroner’s Sun” by Lux Anodyca. You also get some extra’s such as a ‘Base MMXVI’-Card with metallic letterings and hand-signed by Angelo Bergamini & Elena Alice Fossi, next to the triangular badge with the old logo of the band next to a ‘Gladiators of Light’ t-shirt.

The tracklist of the DVD is as follows:

• HYPNOSIS – Aegonauts (1983) Communicate (1984)
• Blue Room (1995 Official Video)
• Blue Room (1995) Ocean (1986)
• Ocean (1986) Ocean (1986)
• Ocean (1987) Heldenplatz (1987)
• Heldenplatz (1987 Festivalbar Bergamo)
• Heldenplatz (1987 Festivalbar Padova)
• Kirlian Camera Special at “Video-Music” (1994) Ragazze della Notte (1995 – extract from Documentary Film, Swiss National TV)
• SPECTRAparis/SIDERARTICA – Antland (2009 Rudolstadt, Germany)
• SPECTRAparis – Spectra Muder Show (2010)
• SPECTRAparis – Carrie Satan (2010 Official Video)
• SPECTRAparis – Behind the Scenes and Beyond Infinity (2010 Official Outtake Video)
• Nightglory (2010 Official Video)
• Edges (2013 Markthalle Hamburg)
• Blue Room (**2013 Markthalle Hamburg) 21 Materia Oscura (2013, Lyrics Video)
• BLANK feat. KIRLIAN CAMERA – Lost Simmetry (2013 – Official Video)
• Black August (2013 – Official Video) 24 The Fountain of Clouds (2013 – Official Video)
• ELENA ALICE FOSSI – Mini-Interview (2014 – Promovideo for ‘Benefiz for Kids Festival)

FAN-MADE Live Videos (Unknown Videomakers)

• Comfortably Numb (2013 M’Era Luna Hildesheim, Germany)
• E.D.O. (2009 Lübeck, Germany)
• Eclipse (2013 M’Era Luna Hildesheim)
• Ascension (2015 WGT Leipzig)

The next tracks were all are recorded during the 2014 Runes and Men Festival in Leipzig.

• K-Pax
• Neither Honour nor Glory
• Black August
• Erinnerung

Last track

• Nightglory (**2014 Dresden)

(*) Italian TV Showcase
(**) Live Showcase

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

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

side-line.com

French solo-project Sylvgheist Maëlström this year released its fourth full length album in history. Driven by Julien Sylvgheist the sound can be the best defined as a sonic osmosis between different genres such as industrial-, experimental-, rave- and intelligent dance music. The new work entitled “Norillag” and released on Hands again reveals a fascinating, visionary approach of industrial music.

(Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries)

Q: There’s a hiatus of 4 years between your previous album “Pripyat” and “Norillag”. The least I can say is that you weren’t in a rush to achieve this new work. So when did you start the writing of “Norillag” and what kind of album did you want to accomplish?

Julien: The process of composition has started slowly in 2015 with the first sounds. I played a new track at each live performance. There was not conceptual idea. Music is a feeling and the right emanation from experienced feelings. It is a direct and raw reaction, out of control, without premeditation. A new part of life started with the work around mental confrontation, mental alienation by work oppression and so you can find a new context in life getting you to compose music.

Q: Most titles of your albums refer to very explicit places on earth so what inspired you for “Norillag” and the titles of the tracks?

Julien: “Norillag” stands for alienation by labor, dehumanization by accepting the inacceptable, a bleak subject matter, an inspiring moment of music. For the fourth time, I take on a tour of the world, way off the beaten tourist track, but to a location that bears witness to man’s propensity for self-destruction like no other: Norillag, which is a former Soviet gulag and nowadays the (arguably) most polluted city in the world, where people work in conditions that are inhumane beyond comprehension. Acid rain and smog -by some estimations, one per cent of global sulphur dioxide emission comes from Norilsk’s nickel mines. And yet, local authorities and the Norilsk Nickel complex directions attract people with large sums of money -to suffer the most horrendous work conditions. The workers accept the pollution and the severe health hazards as a condition for profit, effectively turning todays Norilsk into a revenant of the Soviet gulag and its dark history of forced labor –and death.

Q: Sound-wise ‘industrial’ music remains the guideline of your music, but it has been mixed with diversified influences such as techno-, experimental- and trance music. Where does this eclectic approach comes from and what’s your personal vision about ‘music’ and ‘sound’?

Julien: Industrial, techno, experimental, trance music, ambient, drum&bass, dubstep, jazz, new wave, metal… they represent all my music influences and background. I’m listening to these different kinds of music for 30 years now and with a real appetite to discover new universes and new ways of expressions.

I (Sylvgheist Maelstrom) began to play electronic music between 1995 and 1999. In addition to the universe of scholarly music (contemporary, in particular) in which I bathe since childhood, the musical influences are clearly identified: Einstürzende Neubauten, first, Orphx then. From this noise influence is born Sylvgheist Maëlström. In 1999, I went to Sweden for my architectural studies. It is there, in a country where the natural immensity is everywhere – colossal, dominant -that the concept Sylvgheist Maëlström really took shape. Sylvgheist Maëlström -literally ‘ghostly spirit of nature’ -is indeed the sonic translation of the uncontrollable movement of the environment taking back its rights over civilization. Nature regulating itself, without regard to the human traveling through its lands. Thus, at the heart of the Sylvgheist Maëlström project, a question emerges as to the cyclical nature of catastrophic phenomena but also, more fundamentally, to the inevitability of destruction, the inexorable nature of deaths and disintegrations.

Q: Do you’ve personal criteria and/or references when you’re composing music and do you’ve a kind of procedure when writing your songs?

Julien: If I’m a musician, I’m also architect and painter: so three media and three ways of exploring the same themes -nature, death, destiny -which allow me to express and transcend my feelings and obsessions. I’m collecting images (films and photos) of various destructive climatic phenomena for years now. This approach, started following the loss of loved ones, comes first from an ‘unidentified’ need; which becomes conscious around 2008, date on which it becomes systematically. These annihilations at the scale of the climate and the world (floods, storms, cyclones, lahars …) -founders of the artistic process of Sylvgheist Maëlström -are the thousand times magnified image, planetary, destructions of the intimate. This reflection reflects the insurmountable shock faced with the disappearance, the absolute idleness experienced in the face of what can not to be mastered. My musical work is therefore the result of an extremely intellectual and artistic constructed process (begun almost twenty years ago) as the fruit of a sensitive personal journey. It is also an affirmation and the possibility of fighting through creation the inevitability of annihilation. Creation as an antidote to loss, as ‘anti-fate’. An anti-destiny all the more powerful as creation is collective.

The composition process takes place at the very first beginning and takes shape as a sound collage, with a ‘color palette’ created for each track. The track construction starts with sound confrontation.

Q: I think you’re one of those ‘visionary’ artists composing the ‘industrial music from the future’. What means industrial music to you and especially when you’re looking back to the real pioneers in the genre such as Test Department, Throbbing gristle, Einstürzende Neubauten ?

Julien: If I look back to the pioneers, ‘Industrial’ means to me performing art with our video musical media, but especially noise experimental, based on recorded sounds (percussion and urban sounds) or sampled sounds (synthesizers, sequencers); originally my project was aimed to become the fusion of electronic music and death metal.

Q: How do you see yourself as live performer and what’s the importance of playing live for Sylvgheist Maëlström?

Julien: Since 2011, as part of the festival “FDLMEI” in Paris, the concept of Sylvgheist Maëlström is based upon video art. Indeed, thanks to my brother lighting creator Sebastien Michaud, the project takes on an unexpected scale. The music and the themes literally take shape with the images manipulated live. The work of my brother, totally connected to the rhythmic (via MIDI), marries the sounds, the nuances as well as the movements of the pieces. The result is breathtaking: the listener is then plunged, as penetrated by this universe; the scenic device leaving room for images (“Maschinenfest Festival” in 2014, “Transient Festival” in 2016, “WGT” in 2017, “Forms Of Hands 2018”.

Sébastien Michaud brings the themes of Sylvgheist Maëlström, he makes my reflections live, but also deploys a clear visual universe, to really enter in his deep music production, to feel my chaotic mental seasons, as a life variation.

For live performances, Sylvgheist Maëlström focuses on video to hypnotize the audience. Raw nature expressive images have been transposed into sounds revealing an hypnotic and mesmerizing power. As an actual mental control by images, the process of this combination loses the audience in a duality of sensations and meditations. My current set is also turned to narcosis, the dream, the memory and the reminiscence.

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

I last year discovered Damage Control by the successful debut full length “Ultranoia”, which is a real masterpiece revealing intelligent and sophisticated electronics. Set up by Australian core members Bill Barsby and Damian Davis they got joined by Markus App (Germany) and Jason Podmore (UK). “Ultranoia” became one of my personal favorite albums of 2017 so I get in touch with Bill and Damian to ask them a few questions. And they had a lot to say…

(Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries)

Q: I get the impression Damage Control is a project driven by a few core members joined by extra musicians who can join in and go whenever they want. Is that right and can you tell us a bit more about the background of Damage Control, the concept and the coordination?

Bill: At the project’s core at all times you will find Damian Davis and myself. Markus App has also been a part of the inner core of the band, he’s still involved, but more on a casual basis these days. I’m glad we did some music with Jason Podmore, an old friend of mine in the UK. New members are Richard Thacker and Craig Saunders. Richard has been involved with synth jams we had over the years and is a talented guitarist and sound designer. Craig joins us from Sydney industrial band Novakill. Craig is a great programmer and percussionist and is driven by similar influences to us with his approach to music production.

The core line up for the new album “Oblivion Grid” is now Bill, Damian, Richard and Craig. We also owe a lot to Craig Huxtable and Chris Peterson from Ohm along with Claus Larsen from Leather Strip. This collective effort and push to get things done helped get our debut release “Ultranoia” off the ground.

I’m always looking to forge new musical relationships with people on the same or a similar page to us. I can’t imagine any other people in the world I’d trust our mix and masters with than Chris and Greg Reely. It feels to me like Craig Huxtable and Chris are in the band too. We will always try to collaborate with them creatively on tracks as and when schedules allow. We collaborated with Ohm on a few tracks on “Ultranoia” and they have performed “City Of Ruins” in Germany and Canada in their live sets. I’m happy to have such a great team of talented and nice people around me (albeit dotted around the world).

I can reveal exclusively to Side Line a new Remix-EP of tracks from “Ultranoia” is well underway called “Hypernoia – The Remixes”. We are currently collaborating with Brian Bothwell of old-school industrial legends Manufacture on this project we are excited to confirm. This will be released later in the year.

An album of new material called “Oblivion Grid” which is half written and sounding epic to us so far is well underway, featuring the solid new line up. We expect to release that album in 2019. We have began collaborating with other artists in Germany, Slovakia and the US who are new to Damage Control. These guys have excellent track records for industrial music. Watch this space for more details on that. I’m excited that Chris Peterson and Greg Reely are on board for mixing and mastering on both “Hypernoia” and “Oblivion Grid”.

Please keep an eye on our website www.damagecontrolofficial.com and Facebook page www.facebook.com/damagecontrol for updates.

We are so very appreciative and thankful to all the cool folk around the world who have supported us with purchases of “Ultranoia” and the positive reviews we have received. Your support means a lot to us. It makes a huge difference to help kick start the next writing and recording project for Damage Control. We cannot thank Side-Line/inferno Sound Diaries enough for their excellent review of “Ultranoia” and it polling at number 13 in the top 25 reviewed releases of 2017 by Side Line Reviews! Thanks for your 9/10 review!!!

In regards to the concept and the co-ordination of the project, being a music technology, gear head, and huge music fan along with my fellow artists in this project, over the years we have always been determined to create something we like ourselves. We have tried various real-time recording technologies, but have found the perfect workflow for us is to simply use dropbox and exchange audio multi tracks (stems) and use a google calendar to help keep organized with who is working on what and when, and what the deadline is. This also of course addresses the time difference issue. I very much push this agenda from the ground up and start mini projects with each member, and collaborator and that can take on a life of its own and go in any direction without creative boundaries other than making sure we have a central vibe and sound people can identify with Damage Control’s music.

With a lot of material we can pick and choose what works together to make a cohesive sounding release. It’s very important to me that everyone is enjoying themselves when working on a record and that it does not feel like a chore or for anyone to feel trapped creatively at any point. We are pretty free form with how we work. This allows for great creative accidents and collaborations to mutate naturally. A collective pool of individual creative strengths working together to achieve something great is the goal. It’s also good to have disagreements in creative direction at times so the compromise can make for interesting results. This to me gives a certain kind of tension and unpredictability to the music in how it flows together and hopefully makes for an interesting and varied listen.

Knowing Chris Peterson will be producing us requires everyone to bring their A game so we are all of course motivated by that too. Chris helps us make important decisions in the writing process and we have a good laugh along the way with analogies of a track and its mix at times. It’s certainly not a project for the easily butt hurt! You have to have a good sense of humour with all this. I would like to mention how two talented friends of mine here in Melbourne have had an impact on the image of Damage Control’s “Ultranoia”. Adam Verspaget (Photography) and Roberto Massaglia (CD Design and artwork).

Q: I can imagine it’s not that easy to accomplish a full length album featuring multiple members. How did the writing and recording of “Ultranoia” happen and what has been the input of each member?

Bill: Well that was an interesting rollercoaster ride to get the thing off the ground! It was a struggle at times although it had its moments of excitement, fun skype conferences, and brainstorming. My challenge was to work with everyone individually to focus on their strengths and come up with solutions for the recording process and workflow, something Mitrefinch TMS helped us with. Dealing with different opinions on how things should be done, and finding a common ground and plan of action. The brief was to make something cool and then bring it all together through trial and error and finding the right creative path to tread and people to work with. What I love about working with a few like minded people is when you hit a brick wall with an idea, someone else picks up the ball and runs with it and then comes back to the with a fresh and new inspiring perspective on a track which reignites the creative process. This keeps things moving forward.

The standard has to be high or why bother is my motto. I think collectively we made something really cool that achieved its sound by our individual differences. That was an interesting point you picked up on in your review last year. The song lyrics themselves are often derived from Damian’s interpretation of my stories, fact or fiction and his. It’s always a fun part of it to brain storm the lyrical ideas and set the scene for the track. Damian is very talented in this area we feel. He usually hits the spot for what we had in mind for the vibe and the delivery. We focus on painful world affairs and the unpleasant realities of what’s going on in the world. I often come up with the concept and the idea and then we flesh it out until the song unfolds. Damian just goes for it with the lyrics and vocal delivery and I will edit the results until I’m happy and then go back to him with suggested fine tuning. Other times he just nails it straight away. It was awesome working with Craig Huxtable and Markus App on the tracks they sung on.

With us coming from different countries and cultures, it mixes things up nicely and keeps it interesting for us. In the spirit of keeping the international collaborative approach to how we make music, we are now working with other artists in other countries including Slovakia.

As far as the input of each member on “Ultranoia” goes, to highlight individual strengths and our approach with that project. I like to drum program and experiment with a lot of synths including the rare vintage collection at the Melbourne Electronic Sound Studio and to bring interesting rhythms, sounds and vibes to an idea, ambient drones and pads are also my thing. I’m fussy about the signal flow and sonic flavours different equipment brings. I often re-record other people in the band’s midi through high-end hardware synths like Moog, Doepfer and Oberheim, DSI etc.

Markus was always good at arranging and some of the melody along with great programming and sound design in the software world such as Omnisphere but I think it’s safe to say Damian is our melody man, vocal meister and bass are also strengths and atmospheric pads. He also collects hardware synths and vintage samplers like myself. Jason and I used to like messing around with weird samples and Damian too to try and have something sublime in there that might mess with your head when you’re listening in the dark by candle light.

Craig Huxtable I believe recorded his vocals for “City Of Ruins” in a van if my memory serves me correctly as not to upset his neighbours in Victoria, BC, Canada where he lives. I think he was able to record “Trauma” at home as that one’s a little less angry! Having Markus sing in German on the track “Angst” was also a highlight and with Ohm taking care of a lot of the music on that one. This was intended to be a remix so that was a happy accident how that one turned out.

Damian: Yes, I agree that accomplishing this album had challenges, having multiple members. It was a blessing as well as a trial. There was so much to gain from having a few extra sets of ears, which were willing to put their money where their mouth was. This is crucial this fact, because there is only so much external opinion and advice a musical outfit can tolerate and absorb. I often drew parallels to the trials and tribulations of The Beatles, where too many cooks could spoil the home-brew. But in the linear fashion of Exporting Stem tracks to each other, cyclically, the music could do round-robin and end up sounding soul-less, or it could build a serious shit-load of power. It was hit-and-miss really. But we could always revert to the original stem package at any stage of the way. Bill’s mastery at co-ordinating this, at certain times, ’world-circus’, was nothing to be envied, and yet totally astonished with.

Q: Right now you’re in between 2 albums so how do you look back at “Ultranoia” and what can you already reveal about “Oblivion Grid”? What will be the main differences and sound evolution?

Bill: It’s nice to reflect on “Ultranoia” being well received so far, the effort to create our debut and find our sound has been very rewarding on all fronts.

For “Oblivion Grid” Markus, Craig, Damian and myself have had a good push to write new material and it’s going well. Richard has started adding to our demos and we are reworking some older stuff we did not finish from years ago with the Oberheim Xpander classic old synth from the 80’s. You will also soon have a sneak preview of the new remixed version of “Ultranoia” we are calling “Hypernoia  The Remixes” which debut’s Craig Saunders and Richard Thacker to Damage Control. It’s great to have Craig and Richard on board who bring diverse skills with a common ground to what we are doing. I would say that so far, the new material for “Oblivion Grid” is sounding very much like a fine-tuned evolved version of us. There might be more guitars on this one and some new vocalist talent. We have some awesome new songs shaping up. The collaborations we currently have lined up with VIP remixers for this album, we are pretty excited about. We look forward to revealing more about that as it happens with the future releases.

Damian: Well, interestingly, I think that “Hypernoia”, our remix collection, is one way of us to reflect on our efforts with “Ultranoia” in a very hands-on way. We can see where things could easily travel in a direction that could lose the momentum and impact, that a brand new album would have. So “Hypernoia” is a release for us, that deals with this possible issue very elegantly. In the early days of Depeche Mode, sonic variation was critical from album to album, and a deep obsession with technical and musical change was vital for the band to move forward on. I feel that this may be a path we could travel, and it would be remiss of us to settle on a ‘winning formula’ if we refused to experiment with sound. “Oblivion Grid” shows such promise, and I’m sure the final sound will impress us, and all who hear it.

Q: On “Ultranoia” I felt a real strong concern about sound creation. Damage Control sounds not like a band using ‘cheap’ preset sounds, but musicians with a real quest to find unique sounds! What is the sound creation and -approach of Damage Control all about?

Bill: It’s great people have noticed this aspect of what we do. The band is made up of engineers as well as musicians, we believe in experimenting with many combinations of analogue and digital hardware vintage and current. I like nice pre amps and high-end effects. I am part of the team who represent MOOG, Novation, Teenage Engineering and Elektron in Australia.  I am lucky to have access to all of these wonderful synthesizers. We also dabble in a small amount of software we believe to be the best after a lot of trial and error. We generally find ourselves preferring to work with hardware synths again. The machines have a soul of their own. We are using a Kemper profiler on guitars for “Oblivion Grid” so going back to hardware again there too. An extremely cool and unique technology for guitar amp and effect solutions with all the realism you want from actual guitar amps as apposed to regular amp modelling in software. Software is however, awesome in context to certain things. I heard the excellent recent Gary Numan album “Savage” only uses software and I know Gary is a big fan of Omnisphere. It’s just a question of preference and what inspires you. The more sonic colours in the mixing pallet, the better as far as I’m concerned.

Between us we have a pretty large collection of gear and with access to the vintage rare collection of synths at The Melbourne Electronic Sound Studio, this gives us a point of difference. We make the effort to do something interesting rather than just reaching for a plug-in. We do that too, but usually to replay field recordings or sound libraries we have resampled into the computer from older samplers. Damian and I have both been enjoying the Emu Emulator V Sampler with the Z Plane filters from the 90’s in recent times. I grabbed a Proteus 2000 and Morpheus from eBay too for ‘Oblivion Grid’ sessions. I used the EMS VCS3 Putney on “Ultranoia” and a lot of my recordings of that old beast from 1969 are being used on “Oblivion Grid”. That synth is an important part of our sound. We have an interesting and very cool synth community in Australia with access to the M.E.S.S. as I mentioned. https://mess.foundation/

Damian: Yes, I’m amazed at how finely tuned ears, which are used to hearing a lot of this style of music, can aptly spot any differences in sound design (be it digital/analogue/found-sound/acoustic/preset/original). Whether this be true, or whether reviewers can sense that musicians are also in it for the sonic discovery, is a true talent. The one thing I can’t do without, is instant access to a device that samples your voice, and can do immediate manipulations, all without booting a computer. There is no creative killer worse than feeling compelled to check your emails, just as you get a musical idea in your head. Some bands who use laptops seem to be doing this onstage, and seriously, who could tell otherwise? Original sound creation is VITAL in this preset-soaked era. I would shudder and wince if I heard a preset on a recording, that I would possibly ever regret using. If the project called for that type of sound, yeah then great, but for this project, there is no compromise.

One great thing about some types of hardware, and outboard gear, is that they are either too rare to clone virtually or mass produce Behringer-style, or they can have presets made on them, that can’t be replicated easily any other way. I personally feel that the approach of Damage Control is a mix of discrete sonic-design, and blatant outright gear endorsements and plugging. You can’t maintain a mystique for too long, whereby people aren’t inquisitive about what you use to write your music. It’s electronic. We aren’t pioneers. There’s no hocus-pocus voodoo to that…lol. It’s about finding a combined spirit of adventure and a social, emotional, mental release of personal takes on world problems and issues.

Q: The mixing and mastering of an album is such an important aspect, which I think is sometimes neglected by bands. I can imagine that’s the reason why you worked with Chris Peterson and Greg Reely? Tell us a bit more about this aspect?

Bill: The huge difference it made to us having Chris Peterson on board as a producer. I thank Craig Huxtable for helping to make that happen and that also led to having Greg Reely involved with final sonic details. I have been a fan of Chris’s work as an artist and mixing engineer with Decree, Frontline Assembly, Noise Unit, Delerium, Equinox, Intermix, Ohm etc for decades so to be able to just say to him ‘please do your thing’ rather than to a different producer where we would be saying ‘please do it like this Chris Peterson guy does on these records’ that makes a massive difference to me. Chris doesn’t just mix and master Damage Control tracks, he pours his heart and soul into the project. As I’ve mentioned before, we consider him a member. I have a good rapport with Chris and we get along as friends, which makes it a fun project to work on for him as well as us. He takes our music where we need it to go.

It was also fantastic to collaborate with Claus Larsen from Leather Strip on the mixing of “Hate Crime” in which he added the samples to and nailed a fine remix of that track also. We have had success in clubs with “Hate Crime”. It’s been an awesome learning process for Damage Control and gotten the project off the ground. The album is a mixed bag of styles we like. To anyone reading this, please check us out if you have not already.

Damian: A big part of pursuing this project, was to encapsulate a particular sound that all of us pretty much grew up with. As Bill states, our relationship with Greg and Chris, extends to utilizing these guys as members of the band, as their fingerprint on the final sound is vital to our cause. Otherwise, we would have floundered along with leagues of other acts, who shun, or are ignorant to the power of experience provided by these geniuses, and other such super talents we collaborate with along our journey.

Q: You guys are experienced musicians who’re into music for years now so what does Damage Control mean to you and how do you see this project evolving during the next few years?

Bill: Well we know what we like and how we like it done. We also need to make sure everyone working on the project is having fun. To me Damage Control represents therapy using Cubase and creating an outlet for creativity and collaboration. To be releasing musical outcomes of sonic experiments and compositions that turn out good enough that we like it ourselves while keeping standards high. I know I can speak for all of us; we are long time fans of electronic music, industrial, goth and post punk kind of stuff and a bit eclectic across the board too. We hope to play some one off shows from time to time when possible. It would be nice to play WGT but for now we are a studio project. We will see what happens. Making good records and enjoying the process of making them is the number one priority for us.

Thank you for the interview and your support. It’s very much appreciated and we love Side-Line!

Damian: I want to get to the difficult third album stage, and destroy that cliché once and for all… Haha, but seriously, I believe that no matter what fate may bring to the Damage Control viking table, music will still exist in our hearts. I would love to perform live again, but we shall see what the future brings for us. Thank you for your amazing level of support for us, and I fully appreciate the time you have spent with us on this interview. Cheers.

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

Based in Leipzig (Germany)  Andreas Engleitner (lyrics & vocals) –  Bastian Polak (composition) set up Intent:Outtake in 2014. The band name is ‘a play on words, a stark contrast in itself’, which was found ‘during a brainstorming’ with their producer and label boss Tommy Steuer. The third full length “Schmerzmaschine” released on Sonic-X is a great and well-crafted production, which will appeal for all lovers of dark-electronics. This is what Andreas Engleitner has to say about his band and the newest work.

(Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries)

Q: Let’s traditionally start by asking you about your personal musical background and the way you set up Intent:Outtake?

Andreas: We both have been in the dark/alternative scene for quite a long time now and have also played in other bands before. In 2014 we met and fortunately felt that this was a good match right away. Shortly after that we played our first live gig at Wave Gothik Treffen and six months later our first album was released.

Q: You define your music as ‘dark-electro’. What fascinates you in this music genre and what are your personal references when it comes to the composition?

Andreas: Our music gives us the opportunity to convey a lot of emotions; they can range from melancholic to angry – everything is possible. It gives us space to express our feelings, to deal with things that happen in the world. Unfortunately, negative events seem to have prevailed in the last few years.

Q: I experienced your new album “Schmerzmaschine” as your most accomplished work to date; it’s powerful, bombastic, melodic and sophisticated. What’s your perception about this new release and tell us a bit more about how this album came through?

Andreas: Yes, we feel exactly the same way about it. Whereas our first album “Wake Up Call” is definitely a little more edgy and rough when it comes to the compilation of songs, there is a lot more harmony in “Schmerzmaschine”. We are strongly influenced by things that happen around us and therefore our songs reflect this energy by coming across more powerful and dynamic.

Q: Can you a bit more specify the lyrical and what does the ‘dark’ content of your songs reveal about your own perception about life and human being?

Andreas: We want to appeal to the common sense of the people. We find it hard to come to terms with how superficial and shallow-brained a lot of people have become and are therefore trying to hold up a mirror to society and address obvious deficiencies in a very direct way. We are truly concerned about the future if nothing is changed and we refuse to simply ignore problems and grievances.

Q: I noticed there’s an Intent:Outtake fanclub! I guess you guys must be really proud of it, but what does it really stands for considering the number of fans, their activities and the interaction with the fans?

Andreas: We are indeed very proud of our fans’ activities, but we didn’t have anything to do with the launch of fan clubs and fan groups in social media. They were initiated by people who like our music. Of course we do use these groups to communicate with our fans, but we also enjoy getting in touch with fans personally after concerts or at events within the scene.

Q: Intent:Outtake is located in Leipzig, which immediately makes me think about the famous WGT festival. How many times have you played WGT and what does it mean to you as band and citizens from Leipzig to play there? Can you compare it with other big festivals you already played?

Andreas: WGT is always something very special. This festival takes place not only in the city, but literally all over the city and therefore the special atmosphere can be sensed everywhere. It is unique and stunning to see how a whole city is wrapped in black. This year is going to be our fourth WGT and since we live here, it feels great to have a home run and to be able to play for people from all over the world who do not have the chance to see us live a lot. We simply love it. The only negative aspect from a fan’s point of view is that it can become rather difficult to see bands playing in different venues at roughly the same time due to the long distances the venues are apart from each other. This is much easier at other festivals.

Inferno Sound Diaries

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

www.side-line.com

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

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

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

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

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

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

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Nicolas Van Meirhaeghe aka ‘Sal-Ocin’ and instigator of the dark-ambient/ritual/cinematographic project Empusae is a Belgian artist I discovered since his early years. He also played live percussions and got involved in very diversified bands (Implant, Ah Cama-Sotz, This Morn’Omina, In Slaughter Natives, Sophia, Triarii, Tzol’kin, Ordo Rosarius Equilibrio ao.). With his newest opus (cf. “Lueur”) released on the Belgian label Consouling Sounds, Empusae took me by surprise achieving a poignant and transcendental work.

(by Inferno Sound Diaries)

Q: Nicolas, you’re an artist I’m following since your very first official releases (on Divine Comedy Records) and I’m really impressed about the evolution in the global production process between the early work and what you’re composing today. How much of early Empusae do you recognize in your latest work?

Sal-Ocin: Thank you for your kind words. Since the beginning of Empusae, it was always about creating soundtracks for the imaginary. Certain elements in sounds and compositions you might recognise through my work such as being atmospheric, dark, melancholic melodies, ritual rhythms and a mixture of unearthly sounds and sounds and scenes from our lives (I used to sample a lot from movies, which I changed now to field recordings and recordings in my studio). In all my albums you will find out there is something beautiful within the darkness. Which is exactly the theme of my last album, literary.

Q: I experienced your newest work “Lueur” as an album with a diversified and dark sonic canvas. What kind of work did you’d in mind and how did you came to work together with Chve?

Sal-Ocin: I started to write “Lueur” as a therapeutic exorcism against a recent demon I encountered 3 years ago (genetic eye disease). I had no idea of any particular style or sonic result, it was more about transcribing emotions, fear, pain and anger into music. The result is indeed very dark but you might recognise there also is some light within. When I was at a certain point of composition, I felt something was missing. Since I didn’t know what, I experimented several ways to fill it in, but without results. After a few days it hit me like thunder: It was Colin’s voice who was needed at that passage of the song.

After he said yes to try some things out, I (re-)composed the two songs with his voice in mind. He perfectly did (even more) what I had in mind and I think the end result speaks for itself; an enhancement of the emotions I needed to express with the album. He instantly grasped the concept and it all happened very fast and naturally.

Q: I especially like the balance between music and vocals, but still the progression running through both songs, which are reaching a kind of transcendental final. How did you get such an apotheosis and do you’ve references in the genre?

Sal-Ocin: To be honest I have no idea what to compare it with. I really just did what come out during the writing of it, without thinking how I would do it and especially without any particular result. It’s the first time I used my own voice and someone else’s (except Tom De Doncker’s Vox Demonii). But it felt very natural and I need also to mention the work of  Tim De Gieter (Much Luv Studios) who did an astonishing craftsmanship in mixing the whole album into a perfect result!

Q: You’ve worked with numerous guest artists while you’ve been –and still are involved in numerous other (and sometimes famous) bands. What do you like in the work and exchange with other artists and what’s the impact on your own work and evolution as musician?

Sal-Ocin: Working as percussionist (live) with Triarii definitely helped me finding the way to compose orchestral passages within ‘Sphere From The Woods’, ‘Split’ and ‘Lueur’. Those are elements which were also present in previous albums, but not as well orchestrated and integrated in the dark ambiences and electronics.

This aspect I actually put in “Vision:Libertine” from Ordo Rosarius Equilibrio. I think Tomas (Pettersson) recognised that as well and asked me to integrate that into his songs, together with the tribal rhythms.

What I do as Tzolk’in (with Gwenn from Flint Glass) is something similar as with Empusae in the sense that we create a soundtrack to the pre-Colombian civilisations.

With Onus (with Peter Bjärgö from Arcana and Sophia) it is for me the same principle: creating atmospheric music based on the burden of life.

Q: What means this artistic involvement and creation to you?

Sal-Ocin: Some people have kids, Christel and I have art. It is more than just a passion, it’s our drive of life, our therapy, our essence of life and our catharsis. It’s an obsession, an endless source of pleasure, commitment, self-development, symbiotic interactions.. In other words, hard to describe, but it means the world to me.

Q You’re right back from WGT 2017. How did it happen for you and what’s the importance of playing live plus did you see other interesting bands on stage?

Sal-Ocin: WGT was very intense this year. The Empusae gig was in a full house ‘Volkspalast Kantine’. The sound was amazing, so was the audience, they were very silent (which is not always the case and can be a huge pain in the ass during ambient parts of a concert) and attentive with a huge feedback from then at the end. It’s one of the concerts where myself as well as several people in the audience started crying.

A few hours later we performed in ‘Volkspalast Kuppelhalle’ (full house as well) with Orde Rosarius Equilibrio. One of those concerts where I had a big smile on my face at certain moment and where I had so much fun playing my percussions. Unfortunately, I didn’t visit any other band or venue, I decided to spend some feel good quality time with the band and friends.

Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries

Inferno Sound Diaries

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

www.side-line.com

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

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

picture by dark.edge photography

From 2nd-5th June 2017 the annual Wave-Gotik-Treffen takes place in the area of Leipzig, Germany. WGT focuses especially on the gothic, (steam)punk, new wave, electro, EBM, industrial and medieval music and (sub)culture. It is a total-concept world festival including exclusive concerts, renaissance fairs, viking and pagan markets, exhibitions, CD/DVD and film premieres, lectures, artist signing events, fetish events, and (late-night) parties.

Approximately 200 artists are on the list, spread over 52 locations and the festival has about 20.000 visitors. At this moment the program is not complete yet, but as usual some great names in the black scene are already confirmed, like: Cabaret Voltaire, Skinny Puppy, Revolting Cocks, The Mission, VNV Nation, Noisuf-X, Ordo Rosarius Equilibrio, Peter Heppner, Pouppée Fabrikk, Amorphis, Rotersand, Sex Gang Children, Suicide Commando, The 69 Eyes, …

A lot of pre- and after-parties are organised as well on different locations with DJ’s from all over the world! On 1st June for example there is the “Elektro All Stars meets Schwarzes Leipzig Tanzt! – WGT PreOpening Party” in Moritzbastei featuring Adrian Hates (Diary of Dreams), Daniel Myer (Covenant, Haujobb, Architect, DSTR) and more. The next day (2nd June) our own Side-Line collaborator DJ Wildhoney will play at the same location in the Veranstaltungstonne as well!

Info and tickets for WGT can be found here.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Z: I wish not to speak about this.

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

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

SL: Quantity or quality ?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

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

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From 13th-16th May 2016 the annual Wave-Gotik-Treffen takes place in the area of Leipzig, Germany. WGT focuses especially on the gothic, (steam)punk, new wave, electro, EBM, industrial and medieval music and (sub)culture. It is a total-concept world festival including concerts, renaissance fairs, viking and pagan markets, exhibitions, CD/DVD and film premieres, lectures, artist signing events, fetish events, and (late-night) parties.

Approximately 200 artists are on the list, spread over 52 locations and the festival has about 20.000 visitors. As usual a lot of big names in the black scene will play WGT: Die Krupps, Project Pitchfork, My Dying Bride, Peter Murphy (Bauhaus), Dirk Ivens (Dive, Klinik, Absolute Body Control), Lacrimosa, Korpiklaani, Faun, Plastic Noise Experience, Haujobb, Das Ich, Diary Of Dreams, Gothminister, Leaether Strip, Mesh, Suicide Commando, …

This year the opening-party for the 25th edition will take place at the amusement-park “AbenteuerReich Belantis” in Leipzig, including parties from 8pm until 5am, fireworks and the possibility to visit the attractions until midnight! Tickets for WGT can be ordered here.