Wumpscut’s eighth studio album, “Wreath of Barbs,” turns 25 this year. The German electro-industrial project released the record on 1 October 2001 through Beton Kopf Media in Germany, with Metropolis Records issuing the US edition on 9 October 2001. Wumpscut is the recording name of Bavarian musician Rudy Ratzinger, who wrote, arranged, performed, mixed and mastered the album himself.

“Wreath of Barbs” runs eleven tracks: “Opening the Gates of Hell,” “Deliverance (Album Mix),” “Wreath of Barbs (Album Mix),” “Dr. Thodt,” “Mankind’s Disease,” “Christfuck,” “Troops Under Fire,” “Line of Corpses,” “Hate Is Mine,” “Bleed in Silence” and a remix of Kirlian Camera’s “Eclipse,” titled “Eclipse (Kaelte Container Remix).” Aleta Welling contributes female vocals and wrote the lyrics for “Wreath of Barbs” and “Dr. Thodt.” The album peaked at #13 on the CMJ RPM Chart in the US. Exclaim! described it as “a celebration of darkness and foreboding” and praised “Ratzinger’s talent for writing a catchy song.”

Concurrent with the release, Ratzinger ran a remix contest for the title track, providing samples through his website and inviting any musician to submit a version for a chance at inclusion on the subsequent “Wreath of Barbs” MCD. The album has since seen multiple reissues, including a 2017 “Concentrated Camp Edition” and a DAT edition, and Wumpscut announced vinyl reissues of “Wreath of Barbs” and “Body Census” in December 2021.

About Wumpscut

Wumpscut, stylised as :wumpscut:, is a gothic-influenced electro-industrial project founded in Munich, Bavaria, in May 1991 by DJ Rudy Ratzinger, born Rudolf Ratzinger in 1966 in Gangkofen, West Germany. Ratzinger has remained the project’s sole member throughout its history, occasionally bringing in guest contributors such as vocalist Aleta Welling. He has cited the early work of Leæther Strip as his reason for moving from DJing to recording, saying in a 1997 interview that he “was a DJ for several years and was tired of offering the audience only alien stuff.”

Wumpscut’s first release was the demo cassette “Defcon” in late 1991, followed by the project’s first full-length album, “Music for a Slaughtering Tribe,” in 1993. That album’s track “Soylent Green” drew early attention in goth and industrial club circuits in Germany, the UK and the US. Wumpscut released “Bunkertor 7” in 1995 and “Embryodead” in 1997, the latter reaching #20 on the CMJ RPM chart. The 1999 album “Boeses Junges Fleisch,” built around the life of German serial killer Fritz Haarmann, reached #25 on the CMJ RPM chart and #17 on the German Alternative Charts. The 2000 EP “Blutkind” followed, reaching #5 on the DAC Top 50 Albums of 2000 in Germany and #17 on the CMJ RPM chart in the US.

Ratzinger started his own label, Beton Kopf Media, in 1995 to release Wumpscut material to the European market, and later ran the label Mental Ulcer Forges. “Wreath of Barbs,” released in 2001 through Beton Kopf Media in Germany and Metropolis Records in the US, reached #13 on the CMJ RPM Chart, the project’s highest US chart placement to date. Wumpscut has continued releasing albums since, including “Wüterich” (2016), “Fledermavs 303” (2021), “Schlossgheist” (2024) and “Chew Chew Chew” (2025), while remaining a studio-only project that has never toured. Twenty-five years on, “Wreath of Barbs” remains one of the project’s most commercially successful releases.

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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German electro-industrial project Wumpscut and Betonkopf Media, in collaboration with Italian distributor Audioglobe, will issue two limited vinyl editions on 3 April 2026: a light blue LP reissue of the 2005 studio album “Evoke – Provoke” and the new remix double album “Homicide Bajazzo.” Both Wumpscut titles are pressed on 180-gram vinyl in editions of 300 copies.

Wumpscut – ‘Evoke – Provoke’ light blue LP

“Evoke – Provoke” is presented as a single 180-gram light blue LP in a deluxe gatefold sleeve, with a white poly-lined inner sleeve and an A1-sized “Evoke” poster. The edition uses direct metal mastering and comes with a stickered outer sleeve and cello-lined innerbag.

The release marks the first vinyl reissue of Wumpscut’s seventh regular studio album in twenty years. “Evoke” originally appeared on 4 April 2005 via Beton Kopf Media in multiple formats, including CD, 2CD, box set and a white double vinyl edition that bundled extra material and merchandise.

The 2026 LP focuses on the core eleven album tracks including tracks such as “Churist Churist”, “Rush” and “Don’t go,” the latter previously appearing with additional remixes on the US-only EP “Blondi.”

Wumpscut – ‘Homicide Bajazzo’ remix 2LP

“Homicide Bajazzo” arrives as a 2×180-gram black vinyl set, again with direct metal mastering, a 5 mm spine outer sleeve and two separate cello-lined inner sleeves. The edition is also limited to 300 copies worldwide.

The compilation gathers twenty remixes of Wumpscut tracks recorded between 1997 and 2025, drawing on material from albums such as “Böses Junges Fleisch” (also known as “Eevil Young Flesh”) through to the 2025 album “Chew Chew Chew.”

Remix duties are handled by Advent Resilience, Splitter, The Necessary Evil, Cynical Front, Reaktor, Oordrop and others, with several cuts presented in multiple reworked versions.

Tracklist – “Homicide Bajazzo” (2LP)

Side A

• A1 Loyal To My Hate (original mix)
• A2 Du Neger (Advent Resilience remix)
• A3 Silent Running (The Necessary Evil remix)
• A4 Burial On Demand (Splitter remix)
• A5 Measure Of Hope (Cynical Front Floorshow remix)

Side B

• B1 The Show Will Go On (original mix)
• B2 Du Hast Kein Herz (Splitter remix)
• B3 Ich Will Dich (Advent Resilience remix)
• B4 Churist Churist (Recently Deceased remix)
• B5 We Are Immortal (Splitter remix)

Side C

• C1 Das Deutsche Schwert (Advent Resilience remix)
• C2 Du Hast Kein Herz (Splitter remix)
• C3 Tanz Den Tod (Reaktor Totentanz remix)
• C4 Giftkeks (Advent Resilience Mortified remix)
• C5 Tanz Den Tod (Advent Resilience remixu)

Side D

• D1 Killuh (Oordrop remix)
• D2 Killing A Spider (The Necessary Evil MDMA remix)
• D3 Killuh (Advent Resilience remix)
• D4 The Demon Uterus (The Necessary Evil remix)
• D5 Unser Kleiner Weltkrieg (The Necessary Evil remix)

The tracklist highlights the way recent EP material (“Giftkeks”/”Poison Cookie”, “For Those About To Starve”) and album cuts from “Chew Chew Chew” have been re-worked for the dancefloor, aligning with Wumpscut’s long-running DJ-oriented remix practice that dates back to the 1990s.

About Wumpscut

Wumpscut is a German electro-industrial project founded in May 1991 by Bavarian DJ Rudolf “Rudy” Ratzinger, originally based around club work in southern Germany and later associated with Munich and the wider Bavarian scene.

Ratzinger’s early demo “Defcon” (1991) led into the first full-length “Music for a Slaughtering Tribe” in 1993, followed by “Bunkertor 7” in 1995 and “Embryodead” in 1997.

From the mid-1990s onward, he released much of his work through his own label Beton Kopf Media, while Metropolis Records handled several key titles for the US market. Albums such as “Boeses Junges Fleisch” (1999), “Wreath of Barbs” (2001), “Bone Peeler” (2004) and “Evoke” (2005) continued this pattern of parallel European and US editions in CD and vinyl formats.

Later releases extended the catalogue through “Cannibal Anthem” (2006), “Body Census” (2007), “Schädling” (2008), “Fuckit” (2009), “Siamese” (2010), “Schrekk & Grauss” (2011), “Women and Satan First” (2012) and “Madman Szpital” (2013), many of them accompanied by limited box sets and DJ-oriented companion discs.

After the 2014–2015 albums “Bulwark Bazooka” and “BlutSpukerTavern” and the 2016 studio album “Wüterich,” Ratzinger briefly announced an end to new production. But he returned with “Fledermavs 303” in 2021 and a run of EPs and albums including “For Those About To Starve” (2022), “Giftkeks”/”Poison Cookie” (2023), “Schlossgheist” (2024) and “Chew Chew Chew” (2025), many of which were made available via Bandcamp alongside limited physical editions.

Side-Line also covered Wumpscut’s ‘Zuckerpuppe’.

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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Betonkopf Media announces “Zuckerpuppe” (German for “sugar baby”), a new eight-track album by German electro-industrial project Wumpscut, scheduled for April 3, 2026 on Betonkopf Media in limited LP and CD editions. The album appears as a 300-copy yellow vinyl LP and as a CD in a so-called “Back is Front” edition.

The limited LP “Zuckerpuppe” comes on yellow vinyl in a heavy 3 mm spine outer sleeve with a four-colour printed inner sleeve and uses direct metal mastering. The edition is limited to 300 copies worldwide.

The CD version of “Zuckerpuppe” is issued in a “Back is Front” edition with a 12-page full-colour booklet. The CD shares the same eight-track running order as the LP. Ahead of the album, Wumpscut has already issued the related “Zerebral Date (Zuckerpuppe Remix Contest Kit)” digitally via Bandcamp at the end of 2025, providing stems and material linked to the new track.

Earliet this week we announced that Wumpscut will issue two limited vinyl editions on 3 April 2026: a light blue LP reissue of the 2005 studio album “Evoke – Provoke” and the new remix double album “Homicide Bajazzo.” Both Wumpscut titles are pressed on 180-gram vinyl in editions of 300 copies.

About :Wumpscut:

Wumpscut is a German electro-industrial project founded in May 1991 by Bavarian DJ Rudolf “Rudy” Ratzinger, originally based around club work in southern Germany and later associated with Munich and the wider Bavarian scene.

Ratzinger’s early demo “Defcon” (1991) led into the first full-length “Music for a Slaughtering Tribe” in 1993, followed by “Bunkertor 7” in 1995 and “Embryodead” in 1997.

From the mid-1990s onward, he released much of his work through his own label Beton Kopf Media, while Metropolis Records handled several key titles for the US market. Albums such as “Boeses Junges Fleisch” (1999), “Wreath of Barbs” (2001), “Bone Peeler” (2004) and “Evoke” (2005) continued this pattern of parallel European and US editions in CD and vinyl formats.

Later releases extended the catalogue through “Cannibal Anthem” (2006), “Body Census” (2007), “Schädling” (2008), “Fuckit” (2009), “Siamese” (2010), “Schrekk & Grauss” (2011), “Women and Satan First” (2012) and “Madman Szpital” (2013), many of them accompanied by limited box sets and DJ-oriented companion discs.

After the 2014–2015 albums “Bulwark Bazooka” and “BlutSpukerTavern” and the 2016 studio album “Wüterich,” Ratzinger briefly announced an end to new production. But he returned with “Fledermavs 303” in 2021 and a run of EPs and albums including “For Those About To Starve” (2022), “Giftkeks”/”Poison Cookie” (2023), “Schlossgheist” (2024) and “Chew Chew Chew” (2025), many of which were made available via Bandcamp alongside limited physical editions.

And now there is the new album “Zuckerpuppe”.

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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Wumpscut announces the April 18 release of the new Wumpscut album “Chew Chew Chew” on Betonkopf Media.

The album comes as a Limited Edition of 300 copies on brown vinyl, pressed with direct metal mastering for superior audio quality. Featuring heavy 180g vinyl and a printed inner bag, this edition is of course a collector’s item.

For CD enthusiasts, there is a CD release as well with a slightly adjusted tracklist. The album comes presented in a jewel case with a 4-page booklet.

Just as last year, also this time, there will be no ‘physical’ DJ Dead release.

And also out on the same date is a vinyl reissue of “Fuc*it”, the 16th anniversary edition that is. This special edition comes in a limited edition of 300 copies on red vinyl, with the same direct metal mastering and 180g heavy vinyl. Originally released on April 3, 2009, “Fucit” features the single “Cut the Boo”.

Originally active between 1991 and 2017, before Rudy Ratzinger put the project to rest, Wumpscut returned in 2021 with “Fledermavs”.

About Wumpscut

:Wumpscut: (stylized as :wumpscut: or :W:) is a German electro-industrial project founded in May 1991 by Bavarian musician Rudolf “Rudy” Ratzinger, born on June 3, 1966, in Gangkofen, Bavaria.

Prior to establishing :Wumpscut:, Ratzinger worked as a DJ in Bavarian clubs, where he was influenced by acts like Leæther Strip, prompting him to create his own music.

The project gained significant attention with the 1993 release of “Soylent Green”, a track named after the 1973 film and incorporating samples from its German-dubbed version. This song became popular in gothic and industrial music scenes in both Germany and the United States.

Notably, :Wumpscut: has never performed live, with Ratzinger stating, “I cannot come up to my self-set level.”

In 1995, Ratzinger established his own record label, Beton Kopf Media, to release :Wumpscut: material in Europe. The following year, he founded the label Mental Ulcer Forges, which released albums by artists such as Noisex and Yendri.

By 2017, Ratzinger announced that :Wumpscut: would cease producing new music, releasing a “best of” album titled “Innerfire.” However, in November 2020, he announced a return with the album “Fledermavs 303”, which was subsequently released on April 2, 2021.

Over the years, :Wumpscut: has released numerous studio albums, compilations, and remixes. The project’s discography includes notable albums such as “Music for a Slaughtering Tribe” (1993), “Bunkertor 7” (1995), “Embryodead” (1997), and “Wreath of Barbs” (2001).

Side-Line also covered Wumpscut’s ‘Zuckerpuppe’.

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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The new Maduro album, “End in Noise”, recorded between 2023 and 2024, is now available via Re:Mission Entertainment. Maduro, aka Dave Buracker, describes the album as a reflection of the overwhelming visual and auditory static of a world in perpetual conflict. He explains, “Everything is full of noise – the internet, media, propaganda, warfare, consumerism, data, consumption, entertainment. The Modernist poet T.S. Eliot wrote in his 1925 poem ‘The Hollow Men’ that the world would end ‘Not with a bang but a whimper’ – I disagree. We are saturated with noise.”

The album cover is inspired by the early Dadaists, who embraced the absurd and asymmetric elements of terror and apathy during World War I.

Maduro is the alias of Washington D.C.-based dark electronic musician Dave Buracker, who has been creating music under various names for over two decades. In recent years, he has fused genres such as EBM, industrial, techno, and darkwave with new beat and breaks. Maduro gained popularity in the mid-2000s by producing tribal fusion electronic music. Buracker’s work has been featured on numerous label compilations, from Alfa Matrix to Universal Music Group, and he has collaborated with artists like Miss Kitten, the Horrorist, Wumpscut, Jean-Luc De Meyer, Amon Tobin, Venetian Snares, and Muslimgauze. Additionally, he has remixed tracks for Dean Garcia, HEALTH, Violent Vickie, and others.

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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Genre/Influences: EBM, Industrial, Experimental.

Format: Digital, CD.

Background/Info: This is the second full length album by German formation Tevalik. The work got preceded by several singles.

Content: Tevalik’s new work can’t be labeled as one specific music genre, but rather is the sum of various influences such as EBM, Industrial and something Minimal-Electro-Experimental. Most of the songs are sung in German, but there are also a few, scarce, songs featuring English vocals. The work stands out for its sterile, vocal, production and pumping kicks that make it all quite danceable. The last track is a remix Telavik made for Wumpscut.

+ + + : I can absolutely speak of a total innovation, but either way this work sounds refreshing and somewhere original. I’m totally sold on the mix of various influences resulting in a ‘hybrid’ sound between EBM and Industrial with an irresistible, minimal touch on top. This is an original production that definitely deserves more attention. The female vocals have something demanding and therefore sexy.

– – – : The last song of the album (not the Wumpscut-remix) sounds as a poorly inspired outro although not really a reason to complain.

Conclusion: “Schattenläufer” is a band that took me by surprise; it’s maybe not the most accessible sound although one you gone like if you’re in search of something ‘different’ in Electronic music.

Best songs: “Nur Ihre Tränen”, “Netzhass”, “Schattenläufer”, “Fremde Neue Welt”, Freakstreet”.  

Rate: 8.

Artist: www.tevalik.com / www.facebook.com/Tevalik

Label: www.echozone.de / www.facebook.com/EchozoneMusic

About Tevalik

Tevalik is a German EBM and industrial formation signed to Echozone. The band’s second album, “Schattenläufer”, was released on February 23, 2024, and reached number 2 on the German Alternative Charts (DAC), remaining in the upper ranks for eight weeks. The album was preceded by the single “Netzhass”, followed by “Freakstreet” (DAC number 3, eight weeks in the top 20) and “Tanzarroganz”, released February 2, 2024, which became the album’s most successful single, reaching DAC number 1 and staying eight weeks in the top ten. A fourth single from the album, “Fremde Neue Welt”, followed on May 24, 2024, reaching DAC number 1 for two weeks and spending eight weeks in the top 5. “Schattenläufer” closes with a remix Tevalik produced for Wumpscut.

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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Glis, the electronic music project founded by Shaun Frandsen in 2001, made an unexpected triumphant comeback with the release of the “Gateway To Oblivion” album, a manifestation of the artist’s DNA, blending the raw energy of industrial music with the infectious melodies of future pop. The new album was produced by Sebastian Komor and also features guest vocals by his good old friend AYRIA, and is a strong candidate to be the best future pop album of the year… We did not resist call Seattle for a chat with Shaun…

The album is out now as download and streaming, including from Bandcamp, and on CD, available via the Alfa Matrix webstore.

SL: “Gateway To Oblivion” marks your unexpected return after many years. What motivated you to revive GLIS, and what themes or messages did you want to convey with this new album?

S. It’s partly the 20-25 year anniversary syndrome. I was feeling like I should do something to commemorate the passing of time. The main spark was last summer during a family vacation in Mexico. I was drinking margaritas and talking to my brother-in-law (who’s also a musician in the folk rock scene) about how music is the language of the cosmos and how important it is to create new things. When I returned home I finished “Sunrise v3.0” and then started working on brand new music.

SL:  The album blends industrial music with future pop, showcasing your versatility as a producer, vocalist, songwriter, and instrumentalist. Can you describe your creative process in developing such a diverse and spontaneous sound?

S. I feel like GLIS has always been a blend of different electronic sub-genres. Some albums more than others, but on this one I wanted to kind of showcase the overall aesthetic of the sound throughout the years. I feel you can get a reflection of each of the previous albums on this new album.

SL: Tracks like “Into the Flames” nod to influences such as NIN and DEPECHE MODE. How did these influences shape the mood and direction of “Gateway To Oblivion”?

S. Those are two bands that have been huge influences on me throughout the years (and both still making great music to this day). “Into the Flames” is a kind of intro track that I imagined would also be the intro to the live gig as well. Yes, we want to play live again too! I think you can definitely hear both NIN and DM influences in this track. A bit of “Songs of Faith and Devotion” and “The Fragile”…

SL: Songs like “Ascension” and “Mexico” evoke a straight-up early 2000s synth pop vibe. How do you balance nostalgic elements with contemporary sounds to create something fresh and relevant?

S. Well, I don’t tend hide my influences. “Ascension” is a straight up ode to ICON OF COIL. I met them in 2001 while supporting them in Seattle during their tour with VNV NATION. That’s when I first met Sebastian who helped produce this album and Andy who I worked with a lot in COMBICHRIST. Mexico” is simply supposed to invoke the party vacation vibe in Puerto Vallarta (Mexico). That’s where I decided I was going to bring back GLIS again. Sebastian Komor had a heavy hand in the production of that track. My original demo was more DEPECHE MODE sounding. He made it a lot groovier.

SL: “Cut Away the Demons” and “Damaged” dive into oppressive industrial noise and powerful EBM. What inspired these tracks, and how do they fit into the overall narrative of the album?

G. “Cut Away the Demons” is supposed to be a track that could have been on the “Nemesis” album. Its lyrics and cadence are inspired by Jean-Luc De Meyer’s vocal contribution to that album. It’s about someone who’s overcome by the darkness of addiction and their resolve to conquer it. “Damaged” is a kind of protest track and a musical nod to late 90’s electro-industrial bands such as :WUMPSCUT: and LEATHER STRIP. Two bands I listened to a lot back in the late 90s.

SL: The album features a unique guest appearance by Jennifer Parkin of AYRIA on “Dream Chaser.” How did this collaboration come about, and what was it like working together again?

G. Jenn and I have always kept in touch throughout the years after I produced her first album. We had an amazing time touring together. We even brought her along when I was in COMBICHRIST. We’ve always tried to catch up when she came to town with AYRIA. Last time she was here (in Seattle) in October I told her I was making new music and she said she would love to collaborate again. It was like old times. A full circle moment as she contributed guest vocals on one of my first releases in 2003, which turned into the first AYRIA album soon after.

SL: Like you mentioned it, Sebastian Komor played a pivotal role in shaping the album’s sound. How did his involvement influence the final production, and what elements did he bring to the table?

S. Sebastian went above and beyond what I thought was going to happen when I gave him my original versions of the tracks. He created sounds that we’re begging to evolve from the music. He added a lot of beat elements as well as melodic harmonies. I can’t tell you how happy I am with his work on this album. He took a lot of my tracks and completely boosted their sound quality. He’s a great producer.

SL: “Gateway To Oblivion” tackles themes around the ascension of mankind and the challenges posed by technology. Can you elaborate on these themes and how they reflect both personal and societal struggles?

S. I mean we can all see it happening before us each day. This merging of technologies with everyday life. We’ve basically become part machine by always having smartphones with us everywhere we go. And with the recent emergence of A.I. we’re facing all new challenges and problems as musicians. We’re at the point where we can choose to embrace it all or find some reason to hold back. Will we soon have to validate the fact that we’re human? We seem to be at another turning point in our existence and that’s the overall theme of “Gateway to Oblivion.” It’s a theme commonly addressed on the Industrial music genre, but more than ever it seems these days. We’re moving close to big changes. Are they all for the greater good? We’ll take a dive in and see.

Eldrina Mich

As Eldrina Mich I work as a go-between and a devil’s advocate when it comes to Side-Line. If our own staff needs to be interviewed then ask the questions no one else dares to ask.

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The German duo Acylum, Nadine and Pedro Engel, are back with an all new album, “Zuchthaus”, which is the follow-up release to 2021’s “Kampf Dem Verderb” and the 2023 EP “Kalashnikov“.

The initial release of the album emerges as a limited 2CD digipak edition, featuring remixes by formidable bands including :Wumpscut:, Supreme Court, Diffuzion, Darkness On Demand, Studio-X, Neikka RPM, Rroyce, Project Erratic, Winterhart, Say Just Words, Human Vault, Alien:Nation, Dyskolia and Deadly Injection.

You can order this limited 2CD edition right now via the Alfa Matrix webstore and as download on Bandcamp. Below are two videos from album tracks.

The German electro industrial project was founded in 2004 in Chemnitz by DJ Pedro Engel and he was joined in 2008 by Nadine “Cooraz” Engel. Read the review of ‘Zuchthaus’.

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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Out now is the brand new 10-track strong album “crisis” by the Kraków, Poland based cold wave project Berbeluha. Behind the project we find John Bérb-Eluha who participated in the 7th volume of our ‘Face the Beat’ compilations series. He also delivered remix work for Wumpscut in the past.

The material on “Crisis” was recorded between 2020 and 2022. You can order the download album directly from Bandcamp and other platforms.

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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The cult dark electro act Wumpscut returns with a brand new EP entitled ‘Schlossgheist’. This new EP features 4 new tracks and 4 instrumentals. This new EP was released today by Metropolis Records on CD along with all digital and streaming formats.

Rudy Ratzinger serves as the mastermind behind Wumpscut, occasionally enlisting guest artists like Aleta Welling, P·A·L, and Selene for contributions, though these collaborations have been relatively limited.

Wumpscut’s initial performances trace back to the early 1990s, with Rudy Ratzinger showcasing his music in clubs throughout Bavaria and Southern Germany. In an interview from 1997, Ratzinger shared that his earliest ventures into EBM music were “Pornography” and “War Combattery,” both featured on “Defcon,” Wumpscut’s debut demo released in late 1991.

To this point, Rudy Ratzinger has produced seventeen studio albums, in addition to a collection of demos, compilation appearances, and remixes of previously deleted singles and EPs.

Side-Line also covered Wumpscut’s ‘Chew Chew Chew’.

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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Although Hungarian electronic artist István Gazdag (First Aid 4 Souls, Stahlgeist) has been performing and DJing under the First Aid Tech moniker for years, it’s only now that the first official release of this project comes out. This self-titled techno body 8-track EP reveals 4 tracks and 4 bonus remixes.

Musically you can expect the artist’s industrial/EBM roots merging with acid / rave influences resulting in techno body.

You can download the First Aid Tech EP right now from Bandcamp.

István Gazdag is also the driving force behind the Hungarian musical projects First Aid 4 Souls and Stahlgeist. First Aid 4 Souls is known for its blend of industrial, EBM, dark ambient, trance, and new wave. Active since 2007, First Aid 4 Souls often includes various guest vocalists. Stahlgeist then again brings EBM that refers to the old years of Front Line Assembley or yet Wumpscut Read the review of ‘First Aid Tech’.

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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The Dallas, Texas-based dark electro act, SpankTheNun releases “The Bunker Tapes Vol. III”, thus bringing ‘The Bunker Tapes trilogy’ to its conclusion. The trilogy was – a quite interesting take on things – envisioned to represent a fictitious 30 year career of a band that never really existed, covering influences from 1994 – 2024.

Musically the trilogy see the start clearly rooted in early 90s Belgium and German EBM and dark electro with influences from Leather Strip, Skinny Puppy and Wumpscut. The second volume see’s that influence move towards the early 2000’s influences, adding in influences from new styles and sub-genre’s of industrial music. The final volume finds itself showcasing a more refined yet minimal sound, that is clearly influence by more modern approaches to dark dance music.

“The Bunker Tapes VOL III” covers themes of loss from the pandemic and real world virus that took millions of lives from us. The band envisioned a future where everything is destroyed and hundreds of years from now archeologists are digging in the dirt and find the ruins of Glitch Studios where SpankTheNun has recorded all of their work. They discover a long lost collection of digital audio tapes in this underground bunker and call them ‘The Bunker Tapes’.

For the first two ‘Bunker Tapes’ albums SpankTheNun enlisted Claus Larsen of Klute and Leather Strip. The third album the enlisted the talents of John Mirland to mix and master the new album.

Check out the trilogy 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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The American one-man industrial metal/noise act 8 Hour Animal (8HA) just unleashed a music video (directed by Ben Rinehardt from Hold Me Down) for the song “Under the Sod” via Sentient Ruin which premieres now on Side-Line.

“Under the Sod” is taken from the sophomore LP “Kill Your Boss” by the New York state-based solo artist and has been released on MC/digital on March 17 via Sentient Ruin.

You can expect an onslaught of heavy rhythmics and cold sequences assaults based on concepts like societal alienation, industrial exploitation, rogue capitalism, and depersonalization through modern day slavery. As references 8HA uses the work of Ministry, Skinny Puppy, Godflesh, Controlled Bleeding, :Wumpscut:, Wolf Eyes, Skullflower, Incapacitants, and Coil.

Here’s the video for “Under the Sod”.

You can check out the full album right 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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Last month, we shared news about Maduro’s latest single, “Die As One”, which is released under the fine Oklahoma City-based Re:Mission Entertainment label. The single is the first track from Maduro’s upcoming Spring 2023 full-length album “Pretty Cages,” set to be released on April 18th.

Re:Mission Entertainment has now initiated pre-orders for the new album on its Bandcamp page, and you can also pre-save the album on Spotify.

“Pretty Cages” marks Maduro’s debut full-length album with Re:Mission Entertainment, combining industrial and EBM elements with darkwave-infused, vocal-driven compositions. The album alternates between Maduro’s signature fragmented dark synth sound and tracks that verge on dark pop ballads. “Pretty Cages” was mastered by Adam Stilson, known for his collaborations with Pixel Grip, Hide, Patriarchy, Ritual Howls, and others.

Maduro is the alias of Washington D.C.-based dark electronic musician Dave Buracker, who has created music under various names for over two decades. In recent years, Maduro has been fusing genres such as EBM, industrial, techno, and darkwave with new beat and breaks. Maduro gained traction in the mid-2000s by producing popular tribal fusion electronic music enjoyed by dancers and artists worldwide. Buracker’s work has been featured on numerous label compilations, including those from Alfa Matrix to Universal Music Group, and alongside artists like Miss Kitten, the Horrorist, Wumpscut, Jean-Luc De Meyer, Amon Tobin, Venetian Snares, and Muslimgauze. He also remixed tracks for Dean Garcia, HEALTH, Violent Vickie, and others.

In addition to download and streaming options, the album will also be available on CD.

You can already check out several tracks 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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American one-man industrial metal/noise act 8 Hour Animal premieres a new track, “Under the Sod”, from the project’s the sophomore LP “Kill Your Boss”, to be released on MC/digital on March 17, 2023 via Sentient Ruin.

The New York state-based solo artist brings a blend of heavy rhythmics and cold sequences to instrumentalise the concepts of societal alienation, industrial exploitation, rogue capitalism, and depersonalization through modern day slavery. The project formed its sound respecting the industrial legacy from bands like Ministry, Skinny Puppy, Godflesh, Controlled Bleeding, :Wumpscut:, Wolf Eyes, Skullflower, Incapacitants, and Coil.

Here’s the new track, “Under the Sod”.

And here is the full 5-track strong album from which you can also check already the track “Grind Down”.

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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The Acylum duo strikes back with the “Kalashnikov” EP on Bandcamp which – obviously – refers to the terrible weapon Michail Timofejewitsch Kalashnikov brought the world, namely the AK-47.

Pedro Engels from Acylum explains: “This weapon has been making hundreds of thousands of victims and with the renewed outbreak of war in Europe since 2022 more victims keep falling day after day… With this EP we question whether it’s time to celebrate the creator or blame human’s never-ending stupidity. When shall we ever learn from our mistakes?”

With this move Acylum continues to introduce political topics in their work. Acylum recently also remixed the single “Ukraina” by Iwan Lovynsky & KingSMarine which Side-Line magazine released past December. All proceeds from that single go to Ukrainian aid.

The 7-track EP “Kalashnikov” holds remixes from :Wumpscut:, Wajidan, 13Th Angel, Elektrostaub and Miseria Ultima. You can check it and download it below. A straight in your face EP.

Side-Line also covered Wumpscut’s ‘Schlossgheist’.

Eldrina Mich

As Eldrina Mich I work as a go-between and a devil’s advocate when it comes to Side-Line. If our own staff needs to be interviewed then ask the questions no one else dares to ask.

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The Oakland, California based label Sentient Ruin Laboratories announces the release of “Kill Your Boss”, the brand new album by American harsh industrial metal / power electronics act 8 Hour Animal. The new album arrives almost two years after introducing the band via its 2021 debut offering “Resigner”.

With the new full-length album “Kill Your Boss”, the New York state-based solo artist subverter offers references to acts like Ministry, Skinny Puppy, Godflesh, Controlled Bleeding, :Wumpscut:, Wolf Eyes, Skullflower, Incapacitants, and Coil.

“Kill Your Boss” is slated for a March 17 2023 release on cassette, vinyl and digital formats worldwide. You can already stream the track “Grind down” 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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Genre/Influences: Electro-Pop, Wave-Pop.

Format: Digital, 2CD.

Background/Info: This album is a re-edition which comes to celebrate the twentieth anniversary of Kontrast’s debut album “Programm” which was originally released by UpScene. The original songs of the album have been featured on the first disc while the second disc is a bonus one.The German formation would release four more albums.

Content: “Programm” is an eclectic piece of music which is clearly inspired by good-old Electro/Wave-Pop but still experimenting with other elements like EBM, Industrial sound treatments and a more atmospheric side as well.

The bonus disc brings alternative edits; some have been released formerly and others later on. But you’ll also discover extra songs like remixes -two have been made by Massiv In Mensch.

+ + + : This is an opportunity to (re)discover a great production featuring cool songs which even 20 years later are still dancefloor killers. But Kontrast also stands for a deeply artistic side which is coming through sound arrangements and delicate melody lines. Some lyrical parts are still hilarious but also a bit prophetic when listening to “Einheitsschritt” which became a hit. The second disc is quite interesting as well revealing darker versions like the “Freiheit”-edit together with Nebelgeist which sounds like pure :Wumpscut:. The original edit of “Freiheit” remains a beautiful song as well.

– – – : Kontrast got some recognition in Germany but remained a rather unknown name outside. That’s truly a pity when you’ll hear this great piece of music.

Conclusion: “Programm” hasn’t lost its original magic and remains a great and diversified piece of Electro/Wave-Pop.

Best songs: “Einheitsschritt”, “Freiheit”, “It’s More Fun To Kontrast”, “Todeskünstler” + “Freiheit – Duett”, “Einheitsschritt – Original Isecs Version”.

Rate: 8.

Artist: www.facebook.com/kontrasteinheitsschritt   

Label: https://dansemacabre.de /  www.facebook.com/dansemacabrerec

About Kontrast

Kontrast is a German electro-pop and wave-pop formation whose members have included Dirk Heinrich, Falko “H”, Frank “Lexi” Lange, Holger “Verfolger” Heinrich, Katrin Möller and Roberto “Lorenz” Lindner. The band debuted in 2002 with the album “Programm” on UpScene, followed by “Industrie<>Romantik” (2004) and “Vision und Tradition” (2008), among further releases. Danse Macabre Records marked the twentieth anniversary of “Programm” with the “Programm: Deluxe Edition 2022” reissue, pairing the original album with a bonus disc of alternative edits and remixes, including two by Massiv In Mensch.

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 7th is the all new Wumpscut album “Giftkeks”. Next to a CD version the album will also be out as a llimited (red) vinyl limited to 500 copies. The new album holds 4 brand new tracks and 4 quite different, all instrumental versions.

Next to to these two formats you can also expect a “DJ Dwarf 23” CD, the usual accompanying remix-album. This time the remix CD contains 16 remixes of tracks from ‘Giftkeks’, a remix of the track “War” from the 3rd regular album “Embryodead”, plus two remixes that Wumpscut did for other bands (Decimortus Satanicu and Gulag Kalashnikov).

Next to this new album, you can also expect brand new vinyl reissues of the Wumpscut albums “Bunkertor 7” and “Born Again”. The 1995 album “Bunkertor 7” comes in a 180g black vinyl version (500 copies) while the 1997 album “Born Again” is re-released on 180g transparent green vinyl (500 copies).

The releases will be out via Ratzinger’s own record label, Beton Kopf Media, which he started in 1995.

For our younger readers, Wumpscut is an electro-industrial music project founded in May 1991 by Bavarian disc jockey Rudolf “Rudy” Ratzinger. “Defcon” was his first demo and was released in late 1991.

Since that first demo a string of (excellent!) releases followed:

• 1993: Music For A Slaughtering Tribe
• 1995: Bunkertor 7
• 1997: Embryodead
• 1999: Boeses Junges Fleisch
• 2001: Wreath Of Barbs
• 2004: Bone Peeler
• 2005: Evoke
• 2006: Cannibal Anthem
• 2007: Body Census
• 2008: Schädling
• 2009: Fuckit
• 2010: Siamese
• 2011: Schrekk & Grauss
• 2012: Women And Satan First
• 2013: Madman Szpital
• 2014: Bulwark Bazooka
• 2015: BlutSpukerTavern
• 2016: Wüterich
• 2021: Fledermavs 303

Side-Line also covered Wumpscut’s ‘Kalashnikov’.

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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“Alles wird gut” is the third EP for the Ukranian post-industrial act Ship Her Son and the ninth release for the Dnipropop label. The work on the release started more than a year ago and was finalized during a period of the full-scale war beginning.

In a reaction Anton Shiferson goes further into detail on what effect this had: “This, for sure, was reflected both in the sound/mood in general and in the themes of individual tracks. There are no soul-warming quotes or recipes of traditional cuisine here – it is, rather, a complete story about the crisis state of man and his worldview, where there is still some room for irony and hope.”

The Ukrainian post-industrial electronic one-man band was formed in Lviv in 2020 by Anton Shiferson. The band brings a combination of ironic German speech and a cold mixture of EBM, darkwave, electro-industrial, and techno which is heavily influenced by bands like Einstürzende Neubauten, Front 242, Skinny Puppy, Laibach, Wumpscut, and a big dose of experimental metal. Lyrical themes contain many references to Ukrainian life, culture, traditions, and local meme-heroes.

The project started with two EPs in the summer of 2020 and in May 2021 the debut album “Essen” was released. In June 2021 the Ship Her Son remix of Till Lindemann’s single “Ich hasse Kinder” was released in the digital version and in early Spring of 2022, right after the war started in Ukraine, the band joined 54 other Ukrainian bands to participate in Side-Line’s “Electronic Resistance” mastodont release which raised money for aid towards Ukraine. A band to follow for sure!

Here’s the download on 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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Genre/Influences: Industrial, Cinematic.

Format: Digital, CD.

Background/Info: Brant Showers (∆Aimon) is back on track releasing the second album of Sølve. “Earth Inferno” comes six years after the promising debut album “The Negative” , released on the now defunct Audiotrauma.

Content: The main influences haven’t really changed. Sølve sounds pretty Industrial-like and has been accomplished with heavy, bombastic/epic arrangements. Instrumental parts of the album also reveal a Cinematic approach, which sounds however bombastic, but also evasive. The production of the vocals is once again reminding me of Depeche Mode.

+ + + : Sølve is much more than simply Industrial music. It’s a free-style production, which is hard to define, but accomplished with different Industrial-like related elements. It’s a powerful production, which you can notice in the mix of electronics and guitar playing, but still through the heavy, bombastic, arrangements. One of the best cuts (cf. “Nothing Pure”) is driven by a great chorus while this song makes me think of an imaginary offspring between :Wumpscut: and Depeche Mode.

– – – : This work isn’t the most accessible production so you need a bit time and several tracks before really getting in it.

Conclusion: Sølve confirms the great potential revealed at the debut album and is an elaborated and sophisticated production in a heavier Industrial-driven genre.

Best songs: “Nothing Pure”, “Never + Enough (Inferno)”, “Lost In The Dark”, “Black Silk Stone”.

Rate: 8.

Artist: www.patreon.com / www.facebook.com/solvevlos

Label: https://linktr.ee/remissionentertainment /  www.facebook.com/remissionentertainment Read the news on ‘Earth Inferno’.

About Sølve

Sølve is the solo project of American artist Brant Showers, also known as a member of ∆Aimon. Showers set up Sølve to explore more personal and occult themes, releasing debut album “The Negative” in 2016 on Audiotrauma, a label that has since folded. Second album “Earth Inferno” followed in 2022 on Re:Mission Entertainment, mixing Industrial, Witch-House and Cinematic influences.

Inferno Sound Diaries

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

www.side-line.com

Genre/Influences: Dark-Electro.

Format: Digital, CD, Vinyl.

Background/Info: Last year Rudy Ratzinger took us by surprise bringing :Wumpscut: back alive releasing the album “Fiedermavs 303”. And the resurrection moves on as we again get new stuff.

Content: The work takes off with the familiar “Justin Kohlenklau” (previously released as single) revealing the familiar punchy :W: sound which is danceable and elaborated. We next get three more songs revealing a ‘softer’- but recognizable style. The samplings remain an essential part of the work. The next part of the EP reveals instrumental edits of the same songs. 

+ + + : “Justin Kohlenklau” is a great song reminding us of the genius of Ratzinger. A bit of provocation, aggressive and dark sound treatments, Rudy’s familiar growls and a danceable cadence. The instrumental edit sounds pretty cool as well. 

– – – : I’m afraid the other tracks of the EP can’t totally convince me. The songs are repetitive and without a climax. So in the end we get a great song and EP fillers.

Conclusion: :Wumpscut: will always remain a legendary formation which accomplished multiple essential works in the Dark-Electro style but I can’t count this new work on the list.

Best songs: “Justin Kohlenklau”, “Justin Kohlenklau – Instrumental”.

Rate: 6½.

Artist: www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100050495769385

Label: www.metropolis-records.com / www.facebook.com/MetropolisRecords Read the news on ‘For Those About To Starve’.

About :Wumpscut:

:Wumpscut: is a German electro-industrial project founded in May 1991 by Bavarian DJ Rudolf “Rudy” Ratzinger, originally based around club work in southern Germany and later associated with Munich and the wider Bavarian scene.

Ratzinger’s early demo “Defcon” (1991) led into the first full-length “Music for a Slaughtering Tribe” in 1993, followed by “Bunkertor 7” in 1995 and “Embryodead” in 1997.

From the mid-1990s onward he released much of his work through his own label Beton Kopf Media, while Metropolis Records handled several key titles for the US market. Albums such as “Boeses Junges Fleisch” (1999), “Wreath of Barbs” (2001), “Bone Peeler” (2004) and “Evoke” (2005) continued this pattern of parallel European and US editions in CD and vinyl formats.

Later releases extended the catalogue through “Cannibal Anthem” (2006), “Body Census” (2007), “Schaedling” (2008), “Fuckit” (2009), “Siamese” (2010), “Schrekk & Grauss” (2011), “Women and Satan First” (2012) and “Madman Szpital” (2013), many of them accompanied by limited box sets and DJ-oriented companion discs.

After the 2014 and 2015 albums “Bulwark Bazooka” and “BlutSpukerTavern” and the 2016 studio album “Wueterich”, Ratzinger briefly announced an end to new production. He returned with “Fledermavs 303” in 2021, and “For Those About To Starve” is the first EP of that second run. It was followed by “Giftkeks”/”Poison Cookie” (2023), “Schlossgheist” (2024) and “Chew Chew Chew” (2025), many of them made available via Bandcamp alongside limited physical editions.

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 via Metropolis Records on the 29th of April is the all new Wumpscut EP “For Those About To Starve”.

Last year’s “Fledermaus 303” already saw the return of the cult dark electro act after four years of deadly silence. Now, in 2022, the Bavarian electro grand-master Rudy Ratzinger returns with a new EP which features 4 new tracks and 4 instrumental versions.

Here is the tracklist:

1. Justin Kohlenklau 8:18
2. Scared Half To Death 9:39
3. Kühlwalda 11:38
4. Nullum Crimen Sine Lege 6:51
5. Justin Kohlenklau (Instrumental) 8:27
6. Scared Half To Death (Instrumental) 9:37
7. Kühlwalda (Instrumental) 11:48
8. Nullum Crimen Sine Lege (Instrumental) 6:53

Side-Line also covered Wumpscut’s ‘Giftkeks’.

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

By the end of 2021 Mexican formation Sodomy Down The Cross unleashed the gfull length album “Sodomy Down The Cross”. The album was released by Insane Records revealing a powerful and enraged Dark-Electro format. The band introduced their work as ‘Reborn from the ruins of a country consumed by violence where every day crime steals the front pages of the main national newspapers, where people live in fear of being riddled with bullets, where the sound of bullets becomes in the usual aural landscape inside and outside the big cities Sodomy Down The Cross explores through a new sound the reverberation of constant fury and aggression in a corrupt society.’ This is a production I highly recommend to all lovers of great Dark-Electro music. I asked a few questions to ‘BlackNeyton’ and ‘Ivanov Scylla’.

(Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries)

Q: Can you tell us a bit more about the origins of Sodomy Down The Cross? How did the band saw the daylight and what have been the main sources of inspiration?

BlackNeyton: The origins of Sodomy Down The Cross are going back to 2001 at the border between Mexico and the United States, Texas and Tamaulipas to be more exact.

My personal influences that in turn gave life to the project initially were bands like Mysticum, Samael, Limbonic Art, Ulver, Burzum, Arcturus, Satyricon, Marduk, Deicide, Aura Noir, Nocturnal Breed, Morbid Angel, Mayhem etc and of course bands like Wumpscut, Skinny Puppy that allowed me to merge styles. I was looking for a new sound that combined the brutal atmospheres and riffs of Metal with Industrial and rhythmic sounds, with a heartbreaking voice, a theme of incitement to violence, the macabre, obscurantism, evil and thus influence the music to the listener.

Ivanov Scylla: Sodomy Down The Cross serves as an opportunity for me to share that dark vision of the world through music, to generate a catharsis and allow a bit of liberation for the alter ego that we all have inside.

The inspiration comes from my observation of the world and reality that often surpasses fiction and invites us to reflect, to annoy each other and shout at the world with the things that we do not agree with, the things that we continue to allow to happen thanks to the selfishness that becomes like the hydra in our consumerist society. My influences are bands like Tactical Sekt, Aslan Faction, Hocico , Suicide Commando , Skinny Puppy , Ministry etc…

Q: The name of the band definitely has something aggressive and provocative, which also comes back in the lyrical themes of the album “The Dead Live The Living Kill”. What do you try to express and what’s the importance to externalize aggressive topics throughout your music?

BlackNeyton: The name itself is a metaphor that can have the meaning each person wants to give it, the image that each one forms in its mind, perhaps something religious, satanic, worldly, sexual or perverse.

For me personally it reminds me of the story of Genesis 18.20.21 of Sodom and Gomorrah, everything that these cities represent in other cultures, starting from there I imagine music taking that place as a reference but besieging it in the present and future.

Ivanov Scylla: The lyrics are a reflection and a projection of human wickedness, that which causes us to continually stay at war, that which allows us as humans to remain stoic in the face of human pain, all that anger that remains imprisoned every time we see the news and we realize the decadence in which we live, it is a scream of fury!

The aggression in our lyrics is an invitation! To know and investigate what each of the stories we want to tell with our music is about.

Q: What kind of album did you’d in mind when starting the writing of “The Dead Live The Living Kill”? What’s your way of working and what’s the input of each member?

BlackNeyton: From the beginning we thought of making an album with Industrial rhythms and EBM overtones, more urban sounds and gloomy atmospheres, focused on the dancefloor as an experiment to give way to a new sound and new releases to come.

My way of working could be said to be that of any composer, on a day-to-day basis I begin to create sounds and melodies in my mind, which later accompany me, I put together like a puzzle and you focus on them in the studio until you create and polish what you imagine. There are sessions of 6 hours per day, non-connective, but most of the composition is mental, I travel a lot and my team always accompanies me, that is my case. I’m in charge of music production.

Ivanov Scylla: Definitely something Industrial!! There is no aspect that represents technological evolution and social involution as much as Industrial music, the automatism of the roar and the creak of the machines, mixed with harmonies, melodies and dark atmospheres, the human part of the band.

I try to contribute in the vocals, lyrics and visuals, everything that the musical part of Sodomy Down The Cross projects to me. It is an intense conversation between the rhythmic and melodic sequences, with the lyrics in each of the songs, my job is to achieve that our visions merge to make the message of the band unify, to enter the same journey.

Q: What elements of the album make you proud and what are the elements you would like to improve?

BlackNeyton: The songs give me a good feeling which makes the music more expressive. It creates emotion and allows you to escape from reality. We try to do something different than the standards so we experiment with other styles. The response of the people has been surprising in such a short lapse of time.

Artem from Sleetgrout mastered the album and did a great job. He managed to give quality and strength to the sounds. His work was very professional and got my my respect.

The improvements like new rhythms and more elaborated atmosphere will be heard at the next album which we are working on.

Ivanovscylla: I love listening to the album over and over again and never got a bored feeling. It makes me think that there is something special and addictive coming through the music.  I can’t help it but I move, dunk, sing… so every time I can it feels exciting to rediscover the album again.

If there was something that I wanted to improve, maybe it would be personal. Sometimes it is difficult to deal with that alter ego that we constantly talk about in our songs and let him allow us to work in peace haha it is a constant internal struggle, the point will be to agree more with us ourselves to be able to express everything we still can, through music.

Q: I noticed there’s a lyrical clip for the song “Die Fünfte Sonne”, which I think is not exactly the most representative song for this aggressive album, but it also is the opening track. Why did you make a clip of this song and what’s the importance of a debut track?

Blackneyton: “Die Fünfte Sonne” is a song that tells a story about our culture. We are part of that ‘Preshispanica Aztec, Mayan, Olmec’ culture. We see it everywhere, we live it, eat it and breathe it, it flows in  our blood and spirit. We wanted to tell the story of the fifth sun, the story of a new beginning. People who know that story will understand the clip as it is a journey, which we were looking for to share.

Ivanov Scylla: “Die Fünfte Sonne” is the door that allows us to enter our musical journey, we try to tell a story about our traditions, our past, one that is often unknown even to our own society that allows us to illustrate how life acts in a cyclical way; create and destroy , remember and forget. It is our metaphorical way of creating a bridge between albums (a new beginning).

Q: The album has been released during the ongoing pandemic so I can imagine it’s not an easy thing considering aspects as promotion and live shows. How do you manage this situation and what are the further plans about shows, remixes, releases etc?

BlackNeyton: The theme of the show, which is something that interests us in the future, as soon as conditions allow us. Without a doubt, we will enjoy that energy that is felt in the live shows, but at this moment our priority is to compose music.

It was because of the pandemic that Sodomy Down The Cross began to work on new music and become interested in new projects. This was possible thanks to meeting interesting and talented people like Vladimir Mironov, who introduced us to Evgeniy Fesslav Vorozheykin from Insane Records, who is a very  professional and good friend.

Insane Records is a very good label doing a professional job. We we are already working on remixes and very soon on the next album.

Ivanov Scylla: The pandemic has reduced on a large scale the way in which society relates and we are not the exception, but in pandemic times we have found new ways of working, of conversing and of meeting again musically, it has not been easy by any means, but we will focus our batteries on new releases, on the visual accompaniment of our music, and continue doing what we like. Sodomy Down The Cross is our revulsive, our way of liberating, our way of putting society in front of a mirror to realize how terrific it can be.

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 via Betonkopf Media by mid-April 2022 are 4 new vinyl reissues of the albums “:Wreath of Barbs:” and “Body Census” with direct metal mastering.

Originally released in 2001 and deleted for years, “:Wreath of Barbs:” will get a reissue on clear and black vinyl, both as limited editions of 300 copies each.

“Body Census” was originally released in 2007 and now sees a re-release wine red and black vinyl, again limited to 300 copies each.

What is direct metal mastering ?

Unlike conventional disc mastering, where the mechanical audio modulation is cut onto a lacquer-coated aluminum disc, DMM cuts straight into metal (copper), utilizing a high frequency carrier system and specialized diamond styli, vibrating at more than 40 kHz (i.e. 60 kHz) to facilitate the cutting.

The direct metal mastering technology addresses the lacquer mastering technology’s issue of pre-echoes during record play, caused by the cutting stylus unintentionally transferring some of the subsequent groove wall’s impulse signal into the previous groove wall. In particular, a quiet passage followed by a loud sound often clearly revealed a faint pre-echo of the loud sound occurring 1.8 seconds ahead of time (the duration of one revolution at 33 rpm). This problem could also appear as post-echo, 1.8 seconds after a peak in volume.

Another improvement is noise reduction. The lacquer mastering method bears a higher risk of adding unwanted random noise to the recording, caused by the enclosure of small dust particles when spraying the silvering on the lacquer master, which is the necessary first step of the electroplating process for reproduction of the master disc. As the DMM master disc is already made of metal (copper), this step is not required, and its faults are avoided.

With the groove being cut straight into a metal foil, this removed a number of plating stages in the manufacturing process. This gave rise to more upper frequency levels and less surface noise. Additionally, groove pre-echo problems are significantly diminished. Bass is typically tight and well defined, even described as more accurate than the fat, mushy sound of lacquered vinyl pressings.

However, because of the modulation arising from this cutting method, the sound of such ‘DMM’ records has often been labelled as bright or edgy. Let’s see if you will hear the difference.

Side-Line also covered Wumpscut’s ‘For Those About To Starve’.

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

Out on April 15, 2022, is a brand new EP by :Wumpscut:, titled “For Those about to starve”. The EP will be out in 4 different physical formats.

The EP will feature 4 new tracks (and 4 instrumental versions) and will arrive in a super jewel box, a DJ Dwarf 22 CD (containing remixes by Advent, Resilience, The Necessary Evil, Recently Deceased, Adzix, Eggun and many more), a limited purple vinyl (300 copies with same tracklist as the super jewel box version) and as a limited black vinyl (300 copies with same tracklist as the super jewel box version).

You can view the different layouts below. Read the review of ‘For Those About To Starve’.

Side-Line also covered Wumpscut’s ‘:Wreath of Barbs:’.

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

Genre/Influences: Dark-Electro, Cinematographic.

Format: Digital, 2CD.

Background/Info: Ten years after the band’s last album, Asseptic Room strikes back with their third full length. Carlos Ruiz –previously involved with Dioxyde, has been joined now by Mario González.

Content: This double album clearly has two sides. The main album features 15 songs, which are clearly driven by good-old Electronic standards. Several songs will definitely appeal for fans of :Wumpscut:. There’s a similar tormented sphere mixed with powerful sequences and overwhelming strings. The enraged vocals –mainly sung in Spanish, only accentuate the aggressive approach of Asseptic Room. The last 3 songs are remixes by Acylum, Hiotcan and Nano Infect.

The second album is something totally different. The atmosphere remains pretty dark and you easily recognize the Dark-Electro influence in the song writing, but this album is clearly meant as an imaginary Soundtrack. Most of the songs are instrumental edits –although you’ll notice spoken samplings and a few vocal lines. The songs are sometimes achieved with epic arrangements and constantly driven by rhythms.

+ + + : This work stands for the comeback of Asseptic Room. The first new full length in ten years sounds a bit like a new start and I can assure you the Spanish duo didn’t miss a step. I especially like the darkest and most tormented cuts of the work, which are easily reminding me of the glorious days of :Wumpscut:, but also of Acylum. It’s not of a coincidence Acylum has been asked for a remix and it definitely is one of the best songs of the album. I like the icy sound treatments this album has been made by.

The second disc is different, but Asseptic Room also reveals to have great skills to compose a Dark-Electronic soundtrack. Especially “Syndrome Of Decay” is an impressive piece of music for its epic arrangements; kind of In Slaughter Natives in a more Electronic way.

– – – : The tracklist of both albums could have been a bit shorter; all songs can’t convince me in the same way.

Conclusion: Asseptic Room strikes back with its best album to date: freaky Dark-Electronics for the dancefloors, but still to freak out alone at home.

Best songs: “Extinction Or Reawaken – Redemption”, “Insomnia – Acylum Remix”, “The Rise Of Doom”, “Extinction Or Reawaken” + “Syndrome Of Decay”, “The Destroyer Of Worlds”.

Rate: 8.

Artist: www.facebook.com/assepticroom.official

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

About Asseptic Room

Asseptic Room is the project of Carlos Ruiz, who played in Dioxyde until 2004 before concentrating on his own material. Mario González joined him for this album.

The first album “Morbid Visions” appeared on DSBP Records in 2006, followed by “Visceralofobia” on Advoxya Records in 2011 and “Insane From Hell” in 2015. Self-released material followed, including “The Memory Of Silence” in 2018, the EP “Brutal Ira V.20” and “Introspective Passages. Strange Tracks: 2002 – 2005” in 2020, and “Famished Of Fear (Residual Mix)” in 2021.

“Extinction Or Reawaken” was issued as a double disc in 2021. The duo talked about the record in the Click Interview with Asseptic Room in March 2022, and continued with “Visceralofobia II (Twisted Tracks)” in 2023.

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

Pennsylvania-based industrial band Malice Machine have just unleashed their new full-length album, “Chemical Violence”. Concept wise the lyrics on “Chemical Violence” express some of the the darker sides of our nature. All songs were written by Syn and Ammo and recorded and mastered by Syn at Prototype Studio. The tracks “Restrict” and “Dead Circuit” on the other hand were co-produced and mixed by John Bechdel from Ministry.

For the band “Chemical Violence started as a continuation of their first album, “Digital Scars”, but quickly evolved into a more electronic driven, rhythmic industrial project with guitar being a lesser element. Musically “Chemical Violence” covers a lot of industrial territory. Says the band: “We don’t want to be pigeonholed into one sub-genre so all the songs have their own flavor. Retro and post style, Electronic, driven guitar, grinding Noisecore and Aggrotech elements, Synth bass, Drum-dominant.”

Front line Assembly, KMFDM and Wumpscut fans. Here’s the video for “Restrict”.

Check out the full album 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!

side-line.com

Genre/Influences: Ambient-Electro, IDM, Cinematographic.

Format: Digital, CD, Cassette.

Background/Info: Disharmony has released its first new album in five years. The Slovakian project driven by Aliens Production label owner ‘Ryby’ and Robert Gajdos (Headdreamer) have been inspired by a rather dystopian vision of our world resulting in twelve songs.

Content: Disharmony always has been a project with a very sound approach and the new work doesn’t change this approach. The songs are still driven by sophisticated Electronics, mixing poignant ambient atmospheres together with a touch of Experimentalism, but also daring to revisit the dark-Electro genre at “Reborn”, which could have been a song written by :Wumpscut:. The album features instrumental songs while other cuts feature vocals. One of the songs (cf. “I’ll find The Way”) is featuring vocals by Human Vault. Two songs from the album (cf. “Polyspace” and “Reborn”) were previously released on EP’s preceding this new full length.

+ + + : Disharmony remains a true sonic experience for all lovers of sophisticated and intelligent Electronic music. The band in a way is a true ambassador for the label’s sound. This album sounds more diversified than former productions and that’s a rather good thing, revealing a formation that doesn’t want to repeat itself although holding on the basis of its original sound. Disharmony appears to be a sonic process that evolves and explores new ideas. From refined and subtle arrangements featured at “Loopers” to the already familiar, great Dark-Electro piece “Reborn” to the dreamy “Polyspace” this band reveals using an impressive sonic canvas. Another track I want to mention is “Till The End” for the duality running through the song; at one side there’s a harsh Industrial input while at the other side you’ll notice subtle, bleeping sequences.

– – – : I was not convinced by the opening, intro-like cut, the short instrumental ‘intermezzo’ “Mantra” and the last track.

Conclusion: Disharmony is back, reminding us that composing music is the result of a creative process where the musicians have to be constantly open to explore and experience new ideas.

Best songs: “Loopers”, “Reborn”, “Polyspace”, “Till The End”.

Rate: (8).

Artist: www.facebook.com/dISHARMONY.Offical

Label: www.label.aliens.sk / www.facebook.com/pages/Aliens-production-label/200028820052578

About Disharmony

Disharmony is a Slovakian electronic project driven by Aliens Production label owner “Ryby” and Robert Gajdos, who also records as Headdreamer. The project released the digital EP “Memorized Skin” in 2016 and the album “Fragments Of Time” in 2017, the same year the pair discussed their approach in a Side-Line interview.

“Resonance” followed in 2021 as the project’s first full-length in five years. Disharmony continued with “Cloned III” (2022), the “Mindhunter” EP (2023), the “Abyss” EP (2023) and “Pendulum” (2024), all on Aliens Production.

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

Metropolis Records was set up in 1994 by Dave Heckman. In no time the American label became a truly reference when it comes to Electronic and Industrial music. The label licensed –and still does, European productions, but also signed new artists. Among the Metropolis roster you’ll find bands as VNV Nation, Front 242, Front Line Assembly, Wumpsuct, Project Pitchfork, Juno Reactor, Assemblage 23, The Birthday Massacre, KMFDM, Numb, Haujobb, Leather Strip, Apoptygma Berzerk, Velvet Acid Christ, God Module, Covenant, Informatik and many, many more

(Stéphane Froidcoeur / Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries)

Q: Was there a kind of ‘philosophy’ when you set up your label and did it evolve over the years? How would you define your label activities today?

Dave: No philosophy per se. It was just something I wanted to do for a living, so I needed to go about things in a very professional manner and always stay focused on that goal.

I am going to presume you mean label activities as compared to my activities at the label, although I will go into both.

The first step is to find the talent and that has always been my job. I am the owner and the A&R guy. Then, of course, a deal needs to be worked out and again that has always been my job too.

After a deal is done, we have to assemble the assets for the release such as artwork, photos, masters, videos, and publishing information. This is all needed to setup the releases with our worldwide distributors and to manufacture the albums themselves.

Then comes promotion. Retail, club, radio, video, press, touring, social media, etc. A lot of this is done internally, but sometimes we hire outside companies, particularly for video, radio, press, and booking tours.

Finally, the royalty statements need to be processed and payments made. A tedious and important part of the business.

So, believe it or not, as much as the industry has changed, the setup and promotion is really quite similar to what it was years ago. The revenue just comes from different sources.

Q: I can imagine you must have specific and explicit criteria to sign an artist/band. Can you give us more details about this aspect and how important is it for you to know the person(s) hiding behind the ‘artist(s)’?

Dave: Not really. In general, I sign bands I like and there is no particular sound I am looking for. I cannot really tell you why I liked Numb or Project Pitchfork, I just did. When it comes to art, whether music, film, or paintings I cannot tell you why I like what I do. In some way it has to move me.

That said, I do have a tendency to like or lean towards things dark, edgy, and innovative. Some of the bands that I was interested in were never signed, because we could not come to an agreement. Sometimes the bands had higher expectations than I did and the advance they wanted was too large or we had different ideas on promotional aspects of a campaign.

Metropolis has released over 1200 albums with over 200 different artists, so I did not get to meet and know everyone. In the beginning I just licensed from a few European labels like Zoth Ommog, KK Records and Hyperium. So, my relationships were with my licensing partners. However, as things progressed and we brought the bands over to tour and I went overseas to festivals and conferences and finally met these artists, my relationships with them developed. Always liked to travel and visit the artists where they lived and liked hanging out with them during and after shows. As we got to know each other better it just made everything smoother.

Q: You are already active for numerous years now so you must have seen a lot of things changing and evolving; think about social media, streaming platforms, Youtube channels… but also economic crisis etc. What are the pros and cons of these changes/evolutions and in, which way did you had to adapt/change your strategy and activities?

Dave: The biggest change was the death of retail record stores. That was how I started consuming music as a 10 year old kid. I mean I just did not go there to buy music, but to discover it. The cool stores played cool music and I also would just go through the record bins to find something new that caught my eye. Retail was still a force in music in the 90’s, but went really downhill after 2002 or so. As I mentioned above, retail promotion was important, but now it is almost gone.

So, of course digital comes along and I knew tons of artists and labels that were vehemently opposed to the format. Don’t get me wrong I thought 128 bit rate MP3 played on a computer sucked compared to a Compact Disc on a good stereo system. However, that is the way people wanted to consume, so we sold digital downloads.

At present, hardly anyone buys downloads and streaming revenue is going through the roof. Of course, I have artists complaining about this. More arguments / discussions with artists about streaming than any other industry issue, but it has saved the industry not destroyed it. Illegal downloads and CD burning where the real culprits.

Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Prime, Deezer, Pandora are great platforms. However, YouTube sucks. They pay a fraction of what everyone else does, but people are complaining about Spotify instead of them. That I do not understand.

The bottom line is to adapt fast to a changing industry.

The benefit of the digital world is the massive savings on manufacturing, storage, and shipping, which of course is also good for the environment.

As far as the economic downturn, we go through these all the time and readjust.

Q: The ongoing pandemic has affected all artistic life and activities so what’s the true impact on your label activities and do you think it will also affect your long term objectives?

Dave: The pandemic has hurt the industry considerably. We had a dozen tours lined up for last spring including Lords Of Acid, Clan Of Xymox, KMFDM, Front Line Assembly, The Birthday Massacre, and many more. All cancelled and the bands lost money to varying degrees. However, the recorded music industry saw their revenue grow since almost everything is digital or online even including physical sales. In the long run and this intermediate period, nothing will change much, people will go back to their old habits for the most part.

Q: Do you think media (magazines, online platforms etc…) still have an impact and a role to play today? What’s your relationship with ‘journalists’ and how important is their work?

Dave: Yes, that medium is still important. All promotional activity counts. You have to spread the word around wherever you can. However, I really cannot comment on my relationship with the journalists as I never really had one. I am talking about me, not the label. Publicity and press is one of the few things I have always delegated to someone else.

Q: What do you consider as your biggest accomplishment(s)? Do you have specific goals/dreams you want to achieve and how do you prepare and see the future of the label(s)? And what are your biggest regret(s)?

Dave: Even though I eventually worked with some big names in the industry what I liked most was taking bands that were once small and introduce them to the scene, promoting them and then selling reasonable amounts of records for them. Covenant, Haujobb, Velvet Acid Christ, Wumpscut, Combichrist, Apoptygma Berzerk, And One, Assemblage 23 were all selling just a couple thousand copies and eventually sold 20,000 to 50,000 albums in North America alone. These are good numbers for alternative music. VNV Nation sold even much more than that. Just to put it in perspective only one in a hundred artists sold over 10,000 copies back then no matter what the genre.

I have met my goals. As I mentioned I wanted to do this for a living and I did. Also, Metropolis has a good brand name and I got to meet a lot of great artists who are now my friends. I wish I could have pushed the boundaries more and could have done more outside the Goth / Industrial genre. However, that did not work out that well except with the a few bands like Mindless Self Indulgence and Electric Six.

I am content with the label’s accomplishments. The label is 27 years old and I was well into my thirties when I started in the music business. So, we will continue to do what we do and improve where we can, remembering that adopting to change is important.

Inferno Sound Diaries

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

www.side-line.com

Genre/Influences: Dark-Electro.

Format: Digital, CD & 2CD.

Background/Info: The German band Acylum driven by Pedro ‘Acylum’ Engel and his partner in crime Nadine ‘Cooraz’ Engel strike back with the first Acylum album in nearly six years! “Kampf Dem Verderb” was introduced last year introduced by the EP “Sieg Oder Walhalla”. The work wants to be a reflection upon the ‘overall bloody atmosphere of hatred, violence, terror and war’. 

Content: The return of Acylum is characterized by an extremely dark and tormented sound perception, which totally matches with the ‘concept’ of the album. The songs are constantly driven by harsh, Industrial kicks while similar desolate tunes are supporting the work with darkness. The use of mainly German samplings accentuates the horror of the war vision, but still appears to be provocative. The harsh vocals by Pedro Engel only accentuate the nightmarish atmosphere emerging at the surface of this opus. The main difference with the brilliant and previous album (cf. “Pest”) is that this work sounds less powerful, but more into an atmospheric approach. A few tracks are even harder! One of the most surprising cuts is a new version of “The Enemy” (originally released in 2009 at the same-titled album) and now reworked with the contribution of Nano Infect, Totem Obscura, Viscera Drip, Wolfchild, Xentrifuge and Technogenetika. 

The bonus disc from the limited edition is featuring remixes by Suicide Commando, Armageddon Dildos, David Blackstar, Asseptic Room, Ice Ages, Larva, Advent Resilience, Schwarzstern, Project Eratic, Dirty K, Implant, Nano Infect, Aesthetische and Mental Exile.

+ + + : I was eagerly awaiting the sixth album of Acylum and especially after the brilliant “Pest”, which I consider as one of the best Dark-Electro productions from the past ten years. This new work sounds different, which in a way is a good thing, revealing a band which doesn’t want to repeat itself. But the good thing is you rapidly recognize the unique and extremely tormented horror vision emerging from the tracks. Acylum has its own sound DNA, which you’ll instantly recognize. The best cuts however are the hardest ones; “What Do You See?” is my favorite and for sure a song reminiscent of the glorious days of :Wumpscut:. I also have to mention “Violin Of Death” and the already known “Sieg Oder Walhalla”. The idea of reworking “The Enemy” by inviting multiple bands from the darkest Electro scene is a great idea.

Among the remixes I heard different inspired versions, but especially want to pick up Suicide Commando with the very ‘Klinik-al’ remix of “Masquerade”, some club-driven remixes by Armadeggon Dildos and Schwarzstern, the Industrial and instrumental transformation of “Venom” by Dirty K and the phenomenal EBM transposition of “Sieg Oder Walhalla” by Aesthetische. The last remix by Mental Exile is also worthy of examination as they remixed “Sieg Oder Walhalla” into an Electro/Disco-Pop edit.

– – – : I’m missing the power and rage of “Pest” while the melody sounds/tunes are pretty similar to each other. Acylum remains a particular experience, but this not my favorite album!

Conclusion: No doubt about it this harsh and provocative album will catch a wider attention, but I was less impressed. It however remains a particular experience in (h)el(l)ectro music!

Best songs: “What Do You See”, “Violin Of Death”, “Sieg Oder Walhalla”, “Venom – Album Version” + “Sieg Oder Walhalla – Aesthetische Remix”, “Hunter – Armageddon Dildos Remix”, “Schwarzer Adler – Schwarzstern Remix”, “Masquerade – Suicide Commando Remix”.

Rate: (8).

Artist: www.facebook.com/Acylum.Music

Label: www.alfa-matrix.com / www.facebook.com/Alfa.Matrix Read the news on ‘Kampf Dem Verderb’.

About Acylum

Acylum is a German dark electro project set up by Pedro Engel in 2004. Nadine “Cooraz” Engel joined the project as his creative and vocal partner a few years later. Engel released Acylum’s debut album, “Your Pain,” in 2005. The project has continued on Alfa Matrix through albums including “Karzinom” (2011) and “Pest,” with “Kampf Dem Verderb,” reviewed here, arriving as the sixth full-length. Beyond Acylum, Pedro Engel records under the side projects Totem Obscura and Aengeldust.

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 2nd is the first all new :Wumpscut: album since 2016’s “Wüterich”. The new album will come in 3 physical formats, a limited vinyl edition (300 copies), a CD and a digital CD.

Here’s an idea how the artwork looks like.

And here’s what to expect…

The return comes as a surprise (or not) as Rudy Ratzinger aka :Wumpscut: said he was finished with making music for (more or less) nothing back in 2017. He also hinted at stopping earlier that year when the “best of” album “Innerfire” was released on May 5th, 2017. Ratzinger had then announced that :Wumpscut: would no longer be producing or making any new music.

Luckily enough he has now changed his mind. Welcome back!

The project was and again is one of the leading dark electro bands around since being founded in May 1991 by Bavarian disc jockey Rudolf “Rudy” Ratzinger.

Side-Line also covered Wumpscut’s ‘For Those about to starve’.

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

25 years after their debut studio album “Navigator”, the German electro-industrial music band Forma Tadre releases “Navigator Travelogue” on Bandcamp. The album is a collection of remixes, singles, demos and previously unreleased tracks from the years 1994-1997, a total of 17 tracks and 2 bonus tracks.

Forma Tadre was founded in 1986. The sole member is Andreas Meyer. Originally from the Lower-Saxon region of Germany, Andreas Meyer was heavily influenced by the electronic band Tangerine Dream. In fact, the name Forma Tadre is a sort of portmanteau from Tangerine Dream’s album Force Majeure.

Meyer has worked with Psyche and Haujobb, forming the side-project Newt in the late 1990s (with Haujobb’s Daniel Myer). Meyer also executed remixes for Coil, Joachim Witt, Wumpscut, Assemblage 23, Seabound and others.

In 2008, after 8 years of silence Forma Tadre returned with a new 13-track download-only album, “The Music of Erich Zann”.

Here’s what you can expect from the new album.

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

The 5th track on our free (or pay-what-you-want to support our charity work) download compilation “Face The Beat: Session 5” is by AL, a project by the Brazilian São Paulo based duo Luciana Maria Sanches and Anastase Kyriakos. The song is also the first track the duo ever recorded, so we have a true exclusivity here.

You can listen to “Litany” right below.

The band didn’t exactly show up out of the blue for us, as one member, Anastase, also participated under the Error Fate flag on “Face The Beat: Session 4”. Error Fate started in 2012 mixing darkwave, EBM, industrial, post-punk and gothic rock. AL is somewhat different. In fact this first AL track kinda reminded us of a young Anne Clark mixed with some Wumpscut synths and some post-punk. A nice mix that definitely asks for more.

AL also launched a Facebook page, so make sure to follow them, as we are pretty sure they’ll picked up by a label anytime soon!

Check “Face The Beat: Session 5” on Bandcamp to discover the other bands. All donations will go to charity.

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

We’ve to go back on the late 80s to get the origins of this American phenomenon: Velvet Acid Christ. Bryan Erickson remained the only member at board, but the ‘popularity’ of the project only increased. Albums such as “Calling Ov The Dead”, “Fun With Knives” and “Hex Angel / Utopia – Dystopia” became referential albums revealing a sophisticated dark-electronic approach mixed with numerous other influences. Bryan Erickson is now back again, “Ora Oblivionis” (Metropolis Records) becoming the newest artistic creation of the artists’ genius.

(Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries)

Q: “Ora Oblivionis” is your first new full length album since “Dire Land” (2015). Was it a kind of intentional break or maybe a case of writer’s block? And when did you finally begin the writing of this new opus?

Bryan: Funny you ask. We released “Dire Land”-remix album, a ‘Greatest Hits”-album and the “Wrack”-single. So these things kind of got in the way plus touring a lot over the last 4 years. The album has been done for a while, but the release scheduled was hard plus I worked on the remaster of “Fun with Knives” as well. THIS IS A LOT OF WORK. Velvet Acid Christ typically releases an LP every 3 years. It’s been our time frame for a long time.

Q: You’re been involved with music for more than 30 years, how much of the younger Bryan Erickson do you still recognize in “Ora Oblivionis”? What have been the main changes/evolutions in your artistic development?

Bryan: I don’t think this is a younger me album. In fact I think it’s a lot different from our older albums; we have Spanish, German and English-sung songs on the album. The lyrics are shorter and more to the point, less long ranting. And the songs kind a hit faster with less intros and outros.

Q: “Ora Oblivionis” seems to be inspired by self-destruction. Can you give us more details about the theme and a possible link with personal experiences in life?

Bryan: It’s about the self-destruction of America and the whole word. NOT MINE.

Q: Sound-wise I experienced “Ora Oblivionis” as your most diversified work to date; a mix of danceable songs and more evasive/ambient parts. Tell us a bit more about this diversity and also about one specific song entitled “Conjuro”, which made me say Velvet Acid Christ has composed it’s “Pistolero”-song (Juno Reactor)?

Bryan: Well, I played classical guitar as a kid. So it was a homage to my past in a way. The diversity comes from 4 years and 4 song writing cycles, the album is more like 4 singles. rather than say an album. We write singles now, no albums. Metropolis still wants to release them as LP’s, another reason why it takes longer now.

Q: The “Deluxe Version” of the album is an interesting release as it features early Velvet Acid Christ-songs, which have been reworked. Tell us a bit more about it ?

Bryan: The old songs were the first Velvet Acid Christ songs ever written; it is album 0. It’s very strange to release this. It was our weakest music I think, but it shows our roots.

Q: I noticed a post at your Facebook page affirming Wumpscut’s “Embryo Dead” is your favorite industrial album. What makes this album that special and do you feel concerned and/or close with new bands and releases?

Bryan: I love so many Wumpscut albums. In fact, Wumpscut and Snog were like my brothers. I see those guys like my family, and we were all vibing the same kind of darkness at the same time. Wumspscut was who I measured myself as an artist against, and I will say it out loud: ‘I think Wumpsut is simply the best industrial musician who ever made music. A shame he is out of the music business, he is missed.’

Side-Line also covered Wumpscut’s ‘Fledermavs :303:’.

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

Martin V. Kester aka ‘Losttrooper’ is already active under the Dunkelwerk moniker for several years now. He this year released his fourth full length album entitled “Waffengang” on Alfa Matrix. The German project is considered as one of the latest real ‘endzeit’-electro projects. Even if I think that the sound of previous albums were darker, the main theme inspired by defeat and misery plus their impact, is really ‘endzeit’-minded. I asked a few questions to Martin about this new opus and his fetish theme…

“Waffengang” can be ordered straight from the Alfa Matrix label.

You can listen to the album whilst reading the interview:

(Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries)

Q: Dunkelwerk is a project releasing new albums at irregular basis and which doesn’t play live. It feels a bit like a ghost-project emerging each time again from the depths, but what’s the explanation to this situation?  

Losttrooper: I don´t have much time for music. It´s my hobby. It´s also true that I work slowly… I work on a track, then I don´t make music for two or three weeks. When a track is finished I’ll wait one or two months to listen to it again. I’m asking myself if it’s still good or if I’ve to change some elements. Dunkelwerk is not a constant workflow. For me it is unimportant if I need 2 or 5 years to release an album. So far the results were worth every year of waiting in my opinion. But I know that this is a little nightmare for every music label. Years of silence, no live performances and only a few social media activities… No one knows exactly why Dunkelwerk sells some CDs at all. But wait… I know it! But I don´t tell it… Something like ‘strong focus’ or ‘attitude’…

Q: Compared to previous albums I experienced “Waffengang” as less dark, but more elaborated, refined and accomplished. What kind of album did you’d in mind and tell us a bit more about the different aspects of the writing and production?

Losttrooper: I don´t know. For me “Waffengang” sounds dark as hell. The German lyrics are full of death, defeat and misery. The making of “Josef Ritter von Gadolla” is a good example of how I (sometimes) work. I was in Gotha (German city) and suddenly I stood in front of a memorial tablet, which told the story of this person. I read it and it became clear that it would become a theme for a Dunkelwerk song. Other tracks are the result of one very strong sample I found in the darkest speech and sound archives. ”Waffengang” starts with a beast of a sample and the rest of the composing was craft.

Q: How do you see yourself evolving as musician from your very first work “Troops” (2005) to “Waffengang” (2019) and what do you still want to accomplish in the further years?

Losttrooper: In my opinion I´m not a real ‘musician’. I can’t read music. I can’t play the melody I composed one week ago. Strange. I only have this little talent to find good melodies and combine them with noise and dark sounds. I often hear that the music of Dunkelwerk sounds very German. I don´t know. I´m happy that the vocal work starts to get better. I´m not a singer. That´s the disadvantage I have to deal with. I also don´t want to pitchshift or hardcore-overdrive my voice that no one can understand the lyrics. Future? I don´t care. Maybe it would be a good idea to leave the battlefields a little bit. Maybe I should get rid of concept albums. Who listens to albums anymore? Most people listen to personal playlists and don´t care about a concept album at all. However I will focus on defeats and misery. Trust!

Q: You say you’re not a singer and it sometimes feels a bit like you don’t feel comfortable with the vocals, which is also accentuated by the cinematographic side of the album while your early work was instrumental. What’s your perception?

Losttrooper: The vocals are important to explain the difficult Dunkelwerk theme. That´s the reason why I started to ‘sing’. It would be MUCH easier for me to stay instrumental, but to be honest it would be boring. So I fight my vocal war release after release.

Q: The main concept remains ‘the moment of total defeat; no glory, no victory just the sweet smell of discomfiture’. This theme is often always related to the horror of WWII, but what fascinates and inspires you in this dark vision of life and how does your sound has to cover this theme?

Losttrooper: For me the war setting is a metaphor. Defeat and misery can be found in many other settings. WWI and WWII are kinds of melting pots for all these terrible things. In the abyss of Dunkelwerk I deal with something far away from war. I know defeats and I know misery in a different way. No bombs, no tanks or troops….but losings and darkness.

Q: You’ve always used a lot of samplings, which because of their origin, might sound a bit controversial. I can imagine that’s precisely why you clearly indicate on your Facebook page and the back cover of the album, Dunkelwerk ‘has NO use for ANY fascist train of thought!’ Did you already encounter some negative feedback about the ‘image’ of Dunkelwerk and the controversy it might create? Controversy also is a way to provoke some reaction so it might become a marketing strategy as well. What is it really all about?

Losttrooper: So far most people understood what Dunkelwerk is about. Not everyone likes the way I do it. That´s ok. I make clear statements and don´t play the typical ‘Let´s say nothing’ promo game. I wrote these songs because the stories are promptings of my heart. I don´t sit here and think ‘How could I shock my little sister or my mother?’. Other bands work this way. I sit here and listen to very old recordings from the war times and suddenly there is this little girl singing this “Maikäfer”-song. And I know she died by VERY terrible circumstances. All what is left are her words and I used them with MUCH respect. Some fans told me that songs like “Sternensoldat” (from “Troops”) or “Pulverland” (from “Waffengang”) left them with some tears in their eyes. This IS endzeit electro with an attitude!

Marketing strategy? Hahahaha….I know the sales rates. If this is a marketing strategy it is a bad one. There might be some reasons why no other German ‘endzeit’ projects are around anymore. I quite often hear: ‘:Wumpscut: dead. Retrosic dead. You are the only one doing this stuff!’. In my opinion this fact is very sad and marketing wise unfavorable. Take this great “Endzeit Bunkertracks” series by Alfa Matrix. It collects all kinds of ‘dark evil’ music. Dunkelwerk is on it but I hardly find other bands on it doing music close to Dunkelwerk. Normally I should ask myself: is it a good idea to go on the way I do? I don´t care! I follow my heart and don´t care about marketing. You can make more money with every average EDM track. You better sell some lemonade at the street that makes more sense than booting your audio PC to start a new dark-electro song. The 90s are over! When a band like :Wumpscut: stops making music you know what time it is! It´s time for EDM or the comeback of Eurodance, but it is definitely not the time for dark-electro, synth-pop, hellectro or any other alternative gothic stuff. SAD! But who cares? We go on! Besides this I´m a big fan of Eurodance. I collect this stuff! So this situation is not only a catastrophe for me. Ha!

Thanks for being interested in Dunkelwerk!

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 formation Fiction 8 has been always a bit of mystery to me. Set up in the 90s their sound always reflected elements of ‘pop’, but still something ‘dark-wave’ like. The band driven by Michael Smith released albums on different labels such as Discordia, Matrix Tube/Trinity, Nilaihah Records and Erisian Records. “Dark Star Disarray” was their first self-released work (2015) after a silence of seven years. And now Fiction 8 is already back with a new album entitled “The Bleak Disease”. This is what front man Michael Smith has to say about it.

(Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries)

Q: I realized that Fiction 8 is already active for more than 25 years now! I think there were some breaks, but in the end the band released by the end of 2018 a new album. How did you see Fiction 8 evolving throughout the years and what kind of band are you today?

Michael: When we released “Chaotica” in 2000, I thought we were exactly where we needed to be, musically. It took a while to really figure out our sound.  We then spent the next few years getting off track and doing things we thought other people wanted.  We got to a point where making music wasn’t much fun anymore and so we didn’t record a lot. Over the course of the last few years though, we’ve worked our way back and are once again making music that sounds like Fiction 8 to me. I’m really happy with “The Bleak Disease” and the new music we’ve done since then.

Q: I think that Fiction 8 rather sounds as the result of multiple influences running through your songs instead of being part of a music genre. It definitely makes the originality of your work, but still a real challenge to catch the attention of media, promoters… and maybe labels. What’s your opinion about that?

Michael: Yeah, I agree that we don’t fit in to any one genre. I spent a while writing with a particular genre in mind, but those songs always sound forced and not very genuine to me, so I generally just try to write with a feeling in mind. Nowadays, I just like to make up a rule or two for each album and try to stick to it. Trying to fit into genres will turn your art into product, but having internal rules and challenges help. You have to do something to challenge yourself to get better at your craft. Otherwise, you just churn out the same record over and over again. For “The Bleak Disease”, the rule was ‘no guitars’.  I wrote everything with a keyboard and focused on keeping it electronic.

Q: That’s strange, you say that the rule was ‘no guitars’, but “The Bleak Disease” feels like an album in two parts; the first half, which sounds more electronic-like and the second half, which is more dominated by guitar play. So what is it all about? 

Michael: You have a good ear. That’s absolutely right. Yeah, that was really the result of “Dark Star Disarray”. We wrote 20 to 25 songs during the writing phase for that album. Some of the songs were easy to cut, but we eventually settled on 15 songs to record, figuring that 12 or 13 would probably go on the album and 2 or 3 more would be set aside for one reason or another. As the recording wrapped up, the album became incredibly difficult to sequence and we ended up cutting it down to 10 songs that seemed to work together. We were really happy with 4 of the other songs but just couldn’t make them fit, so rather than tossing them out, we decided to add them to the next album.  So, the last 4 songs on “The Bleak Disease” were the ones recorded during the “Dark Star Disarray” sessions.

 Q: After the album “Dark Star Disarray” (2015) your new work “The Bleak Disease” is another self-released work, which next to the digital/streaming format, is also available on CD. I can imagine it’s not that evident working in a ‘DIY’ approach. What’s your experience so far and what are the advantages/disadvantages?

Michael: We enjoyed working with the labels that we did and appreciated all the help and support we got along the way. But it did get to a point for me where I was worrying more about what the I thought the labels wanted and less about the music we were feeling. The irony was probably that if we’d just made the music we were feeling, the labels probably would have been happier with the result.

The nice thing about the DIY approach is that we don’t have to worry about schedules, lead times, territories, or anything like that. If we want to release a song or an album on a given day, it’s live on Bandcamp immediately and live on other streaming platforms in a couple of days. The digital rights, in particular, had become untenable for us. It had become an ugly, Kafka-esque experience trying to figure out who was stomping on whose feet and claiming digital rights they didn’t have. It got to a point where we were spending more time in business administration than making music.

Q: I noticed you don’t have plans to play live again. That’s an interesting point because of the streaming today vs. decreasing CD sales, a lot of artists are searching for live gigs. How comes Fiction 8 is different here?

Michael: I was really disappointed to hear that Rudy had disbanded :Wumpscut:. I don’t know if he did it because studio music was no longer profitable enough to justify the effort or what, but it was a turning point for me. I never really enjoyed playing live and always felt like I was doing it for promotion, but I had never stopped to think about the negative impact it was having on the music. When you make an album, you get into a groove. The last songs you record during the sessions are usually your best. But then the album is done, so you stop, you send off the album to be mastered, and you go on tour. You come back to your studio 6 or 9 months later and you’ve forgotten a lot. Making your next album becomes less about building on what you’d learned from the previous album and more about starting over from scratch.  It’s a really inefficient and uncreative way to work.

Past that though, consumers and streaming services have devalued recorded music to the point that bands have to constantly tour if they want to make any money. Streaming has become to music as plastic is to food. People want the convenience of prepared foods packaged in plastic, but they ignore the damage to the planet caused by all of that waste and convenience. Streaming services force bands onto the touring circuit and ruin recordings in the process. Bands can no longer spend a year in the studio if they need to, making their best work. It’s all about light shows, pyrotechnics, and merchandise now.

Q: But you already have plans for an EP with remixes and even a next album. Can you give us more details about the content?

Michael: After finishing “The Bleak Disease”, my new rule was ‘don’t stop’.  The day the album was released, I had already recorded the first song for the next album. I wanted to stay in the groove. By the end of 2018, we had 15 new songs and most of them are really sharp. Frankly, we could have already released the next album by now, but I wanted to keep writing new material and give those 15 songs time to simmer and get even better.

At the same time, we’d been getting feedback about which songs from “The Bleak Disease” were being played at clubs and on radio shows and so forth. So, rather than push the next album out the door, we wanted to put together an EP of remixes of some of those songs to maybe promote them a bit further, as well as preview the next album with a couple of new tracks. We’re also coming up on the 20^th anniversary of recording “Let Go” so we decided to put together a couple of remixes for that one as well. What started as an EP has evolved into a remix album.

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

Available now on Spotify, iTunes and related platforms is the “Helden” EP by the German endzeit act Totem Obscura. For the occasion Nadine ‘Aengeldust’ Engel and Pedro ‘Acylum’ Engel have joined up with 80’s living legend Hubert Kah (known for his hit-songs and backing vocals for the 80’s icon Sandra).

“Helden” was already available from Bandcamp and now also has hit other platforms too as you can see below.

The EP itself holds 16 tracks including exclusive remixes of other album songs like “Blut Marschiert”, “Eisenmann” and “Bastard”. You can expect aggressive dark elektro with Middle-Age tonalities. Strongly recommended to fans of :Wumpscut:, Acylum, Heimataerde, Yelworc and Das Ich.

Check the EP on 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!

side-line.com

Nadine ‘Aengeldust’ Engel and Pedro ‘Acylum’ Engel have joined up with 80’s living legend Hubert Kah (known for his hit-songs and backing vocals for the 80’s icon Sandra) to record the dowload Ep “Helden”. “Helden” is at the moment only available from Bandcamp, with other platforms to follow soon.

The EP itself holds 16 tracks including exclusive remixes of other album songs like “Blut Marschiert”, “Eisenmann” and “Bastard”. You can expect aggressive dark elektro with Middle-Age tonalities. Strongly recommended to fans of :Wumpscut:, Acylum, Heimataerde, Yelworc and Das Ich.

Check the EP on 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!

side-line.com

Genre/Influences: Electro-pop, EBM.

Background/Info: Dimitri (DMT) Berzerk is a Mexican DJ and producer you for sure already discovered by one of his endless remixes he made for other artists. He started assembling these remixes on albums and has unleashed the second volume in the “Remixes Collection”. The CD format is strictly limited to 200 copies and has been released on his very own label.

Content: This second edition features remixes Dimitri Berzerk made for Future Perfect, Reflection, Sinestar, Vox Humana, Cid Project, Want/ed, Devilsight, Dead Man Recovering, Zoon Politicon, Wumpscut, Data and Kromak. It’s an interesting selection of bands dealing with different kinds of electronic music; from electro-pop to EBM to dark-electronics.

DMT Berzerk seriously reworked the songs into mainly electro-pop driven edits, but he also added or hold on EBM influences on other cuts.

+ + + : Making remixes is a long-time habit in different music genres, but the interesting element about this artist is he has some particular skills to do the job. It’s not just a remix that has been made in a hurry, but you can feel a real sound approach and I dare to say ‘sound philosophy’ behind the remixes. Even if most of the songs have been restyled into danceable and sometimes clubby electro-pop, I also noticed a few surprising songs such as the minimal remix of Wumpscut’s “Wreath Of Barbs” and the trance vibes that have been held on at Kromak’s (side-project C-Lekktor) “Dying 4 U”. There’s a great diversity, which sometimes moves at the edge of electro-ambient and then becomes pretty vintage-like, but globally speaking there’s a real coherence between all remixes.

– – – : This is a fully enjoyable and entertaining album, but maybe without absolute hits although multiple tracks for DJ’s.

Conclusion: I’ve never fond of remixes, but this kind of concept is different. I think it’s a damned good idea to get the remixes Dimitri Berzerk made for others on one disc.

Best songs: Kromak: “Dying 4 U feat. Manriquez”, Sinestar: “Fortunes Faded”, Wumpscut: “Wreath Of Barbs”, Zoon Politicon: “Dreamer”, Devilsight: “This Is The Feeling Of My Hate”.

Rate: (7½).

Artist: www.dmtberzerk.mx / www.facebook.com/dimitri.berzerk

Label: www.sector–industrial.com / www.facebook.com/sector.industrial.producciones

About Dimitri Berzerk

Dimitri Loyo, known as Dimitri Berzerk, is a Mexican DJ, producer, remixer and label owner. His stage name refers to both the 1980 Atari video game “Berzerk” and the band Apoptygma Berzerk. In a 2021 interview with Side-Line, he said he had been a DJ for about 16 years and had taught DJ classes for roughly seven years.

Dimitri Berzerk runs the label Sector Industrial Producciones, on which he released the first volume of his “Remixes Collection” series in 2016 and a third volume in 2018. Among the artists reworked on the second volume is Cid Project, whose track “91” from the “Cid Project” EP is remixed here.

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

“In God We are Damned” is the first digital EP by Eggvn which is available on Bandcamp and all digital sites (Spotify, Itunes, etc.). The band already got some traction thanks to being included in several compilations and receiving some well received DJ mixes.

The band’s download version on Bandcamp also includes a remix of “Dot, dot, dot” by Wumpscut.

Eggvn are currently working on new music and some visual material, including videos and other as you can see on their Instagram page. For now you can view the band’s latest video for “Godhead”, which is track 4 on the “In God We are Damned” EP.

Side-Line also covered Wumpscut’s ‘Click Interview’.

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

Brussels based goth-rock formation Lovelorn Dolls is back on track. The band’s third album “Darker Ages”, released on Alfa Matrix, is their first new opus in four years. Core members Corpus Christi and Ladyhell went through personal issues, which explains this hiatus, but it also had a positive effect on the global production process. The new work is without a shadow of a doubt their most mature and accomplished opus to date. There’s a brilliant harmony between gothic-, rock-, metal- and pop influences. Corpus Christi and Ladyhell told me a bit more about this new work.

(Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries)

Q: The first album is always something special and magic, the second album is often difficult as you’ve to confirm your potential, but a third album is a kind of milestone in a band’s career! Do you agree with this statement and how do you look back on your career so far? 

Corpus Christi: Well I think the third album is what was meant to be at this moment of our lives. Ladyhell and me went through some personal issues and this impacted the compositions a lot. It is like a catharsis.  Now looking back to the past… Well I’m proud of all the albums we recorded. I cannot say that I do prefer one among the others. Each one of them was composed in the mood of the moment. On “House Of Wonders” there were a lot of more happy songs like “No-Life” or “Euphoria” because we were in a good mood. The themes were more generics and less personal.

Q: “Darker Ages” has been introduced by your label Alfa Matrix as your darkest work to date reflecting personal issues and horrible events of our daily life. Tell us some more about these themes and what do you think about music as a therapy or cure to exorcize feelings of pain? 

Corpus Christi: I’m personally unable to compose when I’m in a bad mood, it’s only when I take some distance with the events related in some songs that I’m able to put them in music. When I had some troubles I had no taste for anything even listening to other people’s music. Then it came back. For me it started again with songs from the French band Kyo. I discovered that almost all the songs from this band are related to sentimental problems, end of relationships and I recognized myself in the lyrics and the music.

Q: “Darker Ages” is without a shadow of a doubt your most mature and accomplished work to date. What do you see as the main evolution(s) and challenge(s) between this work and previous albums and what has been the impact of Maxx (Helalyn Flowers, ImJudas) on the sound production?  

Corpus Christi: The third album was entirely recorded and mixed in my very small home studio. Maxx took care of the mastering. He did a great job in order to give the final touch that was required to enhance the mixes. I wanted to take some responsibilities and so I wanted to have less external input this time even if there are some mistakes in the production.

Q: I’ve been always fascinated by the contrast between music, which is mostly meant to give people a good time or to get them happy and bands dealing with dark themes. But we also know it sometimes happened the other way round (reminding the impact :Wumpscut:, Marilyn Manson ao had on teenagers). I would like to have your opinion on this theme?

Corpus Christi: In my opinion music is only meant to give people emotions, the emotions could be joy.. or sadness.  Also all of the songs in “Darker Ages” are not sad. It’s more like a concept album with the theme: from darkness to light. The order of the songs is important and we took some time to sort them out. In the previous albums we had more ‘commercial’ views I must admit so we wanted to put the most catchy songs first.

Q: What’s the importance to play live and what can you tell us about further performances in Belgium and abroad and will your fans discover new elements on stage? 

Ladyhell : It’s important to play live to meet your fans and reach new people. We are not going to perform this time because the search of live dates is getting harder and harder. We prefer to put our energy in studio.

Q: Kristell, I noticed you’re part of the worldwide community ‘Eve’s Apple’. What is this community all about and how does it work? I also want to get your opinion (maybe experiences) about being a female artist in this music scene (considering items such as sexism, equality between male- & female artists etc)?   

Ladyhell: The community Eve’s Apple has disappeared around 2013, I think, so it’s no longer on the market. I don’t really had bad experiences about being a female artist. It’s the contrary, being a female surrounded by males can be really nice, you’re like the ‘precious’ thing and the guys take care of you (laugh). As the lead singer, you are the one in front of the audience. It gives pressure, but it’s also nice because you have most of the contacts with the fans. I always liked to be surrounded by men only because girls can be really mean with other girls. Actually the only problem I had was with the girlfriends/wives of the musicians… there was always a problem, jealousy issue, … and I was really not the problem, they just missed lack of confidence.

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

Here’s an offer you can’t possibly refuse. Storming The Base is offering vinyl test pressings from a huge list of bands at 50% off. To get the 50% reduction, simply use the discount code love (it’s Valentine’s Day after all!).

In the list you’ll find vinyl test pressings from such bands as Front Line Assembly, Cevin Key, Die Krupps, Download, Psyche, Controlled Bleeding, The Diodes, Doubting Thomas, Apoptygma Berzerk, Wumpscut, Juno Reactor, Haujobb, Pankow, and many more.

Here’s an oversight of all the test pressings for this Valentine’s Day special only! Below is an example of one of the test pressings.

Side-Line also covered Front Line Assembly’s ‘Warmech’.

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

Genre/Influences: Dark-electro, medieval-(h)el(l)ectro.

Background/Info: Behind Totem Obscura is hiding Pedro ‘Acylum’ Engel and his wife Nadine ‘Croona’ Engel. They’re both known for their work under the Acylum moniker, but Nadine recently also released a harsh and industrial new album as Aengeldust. “Nordische Fest” is the second opus of Totem Obscura.

Content: Totem Obscura is a bit to Heimataerde, like Acylum is to Wumpscut! “Nordische Feste” mixes dark-electronic elements together with medieval atmospheres. The German lyrics bring a gothic touch to the work. But the album is not excelling in power and sonic violence, but reveals overwhelming atmospheres and even melancholia. I sometimes get the impression Totem Obscura got inspired by the imaginary world of “Game Of Thrones” and I think to have recognized samplings from this famous series running through the album.

The album also features a song featuring Cosmic Armchair, which logically resulted in a more danceable approach. Another noticeable cut is “Helden” for featuring Hubert Kah (who did some backing vocals in the 80s for Sandra). Last, but not least you’ll discover remixes by Ruined Conflict, Hell:Sector and Crytek.

+ + + : I really admire the work and genius of Pedro Engel who according to me is one of the most talented musicians of his era dealing with dark-electronics. But he also is a man of many talents, which can accomplish much more than only Acylum tracks. I have to admit I expected this album to be a bit harder, but globally speaking I like the medieval atmospheres this album has been made of. I like the bleak mood recovering the songs, which feel like announcing a nearby disaster. It all sounds raw and tormented. The famous EP-song “Eisenmann” remains one of the major cuts of this album, but I also have to mention “Blut Marschiert” for its coldness. The medieval chants running through a few cuts inject an extra touch of mystery and visual appeal. Among the remixes I want to mention a great contribution by Ruined Conflict.

– – – : I expected a harder and powerful album, but that says more about me instead of the band. “Nordische Feste” is not the kind of work that will put dancefloors on fire (like early Heimataerde) although it’s a fascinating experience.

Conclusion: Totem Obscura transforms dark-electronic music into a medieval voyage and other fantasy universes. This is the perfect alternative soundtrack for “Game Of Thrones” or “The Lord Of The Rings”.

Best songs: “Eisenmann”, “Blut Marschiert”, “Bluttanz”, “Blut Marschiert – Ruined Conflict Remix”, “Gestandig”.

Rate: (7½).

Band: www.facebook.com/totemobscura

Label: www.alfa–matrix.com / www.facebook.com/Alfa.Matrix

About Totem Obscura

Totem Obscura is a side-project of Pedro and Nadine “Cooraz” Engel, the duo also known as Acylum, which Pedro Engel set up in 2004 before Nadine joined him a few years later. Where Acylum deals in dark-electro, Totem Obscura explores darker, more mystical themes, mixing dark-electro with medieval and Gothic-electro elements.

Totem Obscura’s discography includes “Waldgeist” and “Forgotten Time” (both 2013), “Nachtwache” (2014) and the “Blutiges Eisen” EP (2016), followed by “Nordische Feste”, reviewed here, released on Alfa Matrix in 2017. The “Helden” EP, featuring Hubert Kah, followed in 2018.

Pedro Engel discussed Acylum’s own output in a Click Interview with Side-Line, around the release of Acylum’s “Kampf Dem Verderb” album.

Inferno Sound Diaries

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

www.side-line.com

Genre/Influences: Dark-electro, industrial-electro.

Background/Info: After the astonishing “Agent Orange”-album Nadine ‘Engel’ Croona (Acylum, Totem Obscura) is back on track unleashing this extra EP featuring 3 new songs plus 10 remixes.

Content: The sound and influences haven’t changed at all. Aengeldust sounds harder than any other project Nadine is involved with. This is the industrial side of the Aengeldust ‘bitch’ and I can assure you it’s a new merciless assault.

Remixes were executed by Antibiosis, Endzeit, Acylum, Havokk, Siva Six, Kill The Sleeper, Parasite Of God, Nebelwächter, Siamgda and Kilmarth.

+ + + : Among the new cuts I especially like both opening tracks, which are mixing the dark-electro style of Wumpscut (definitely an important source of inspiration for the Acylum-gang) and pure harsh industrial music. The remixes (of songs that were originally released on the “Agent Orange”-album) are adding diversity, but can’t compete with the harshness of Aengeldust. I however like the work of Havokk for its bombast and Endzeit for the distorted power.

– – – : I expected a bit more out of Acylum, Siva Sixx and Siamgda. They’re for sure the most familiar names from the list although not delivering the most inspired cuts.

Conclusion: “Zucht” clearly is the EP that would have been originally released as extra disc on the limited edition of the album, but as the label seems to have changed its policy about limited editions we here get a nice and highly recommended EP confirming the industrial rage of Aengeldust.

Best songs: “Suicide Bomber – Havokk Remix”, “Zucht”, “Agent Orange – Endzeit Version”, “Suicide Bomber – Nebelwächter Remix”.

Rate: (7½).

Band: www.facebook.com/Aengeldust

Label: www.alfa–matrix.com / www.facebook.com/Alfa.Matrix

Read the news on ‘Zucht’.

About Aengeldust

Aengeldust is the harsher solo project of Nadine “Cooraz” Engel, also known for Acylum and Totem Obscura.

The project’s discography includes the albums “Bloodsport” (2012), “Freakshow” and “Meth Face” (both 2014) and “Agent Orange” (2017), the album that preceded “Zucht”, an EP of three new songs and ten remixes released on Alfa Matrix later that year.

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

It’s Black Friday sale time at Storming The Base, and besides 100s of records at real dumping prices (as low as € 1,69 as you can see here), the industrial mail order also added a lot of test pressings which usually are limited to just a few copies!

So far we noticed vinyl test pressings from bands such as Against the Glass, The Diodes, Conjure One, Seeming. Sol, Front Line Assembly, Haujobb, Aaimon, Die Krupps, Ghost Twin, Controlled Bleeding, Psyche, Cevin Key, Wumpscut, Download, Saltillo, Noise Unit and many more.

The sale will run for 7 days, but sold out, is sold out, so if you want to place an order, do it fast. All orders for US customers that are above 100 US Dollars also get free shipping.

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

Background/Info:

Read the news on ‘Agent Orange’.

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

Read the review of ‘Confront’.

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

Rudy Ratzinger aka Wumpscut has informed us a few minutes ago during a chat session that his Wumpscut project is over and done for good. Rudy: “I am finished with making music for (more or less) nothing and don’t need to make music all my life. Music was just ONE way to express myself.”

With Wumpscut the dark wave scene has now lost a major name. The project was one of the – if not THE – leading dark electro bands around since it was founded in May 1991 by Bavarian disc jockey Rudolf “Rudy” Ratzinger. Already with “Defcon”, the first demo issued by Wumpscut in late 1991, it was clear something great was to happen.

Since then Ratzinger released one cult release after the other and made sure that several generations of dark electro fans knew what real good dark electro sounded like. The project saw seventeen studio albums plus a number of compilations (holding demos, compilation tracks, and remixes from deleted singles and EPs).

When the “best of” album “Innerfire” was released on May 5th, 2017, Ratzinger already had announced that Wumpscut would no longer be producing or making any new music. But whereas many thought this was just a temporal decision it’s now clear that he intends to never ever release any new work again.

The demise of Wumpscut clearly shows the crisis the music world is in these days when even bigger artists have problems earning something at all. Although streaming music income is increasing it still is not covering for the huge loss in income that came from physical releases and even downloads. Add to this that Wumpscut was never a live act and this largely impacted his financial compensation for the hard work he obviously put into his music and artwork.

On behalf of Side-Line’s current and past editorial staff, we thank you Rudy for your incredible contribution to the dark electro scene and the industrial scene in general. Stay connected, and good luck with your future plans!

Side-Line also covered Wumpscut’s ‘In God We are Damned’.

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

Genre/Influences: Dark EBM, dark-electro.

Background/Info: Set up in the 90s by Brazilian artist Giba Reys, Homicidal Feelings stopped all activities during a rather long lapse of time until the project got reactivated a few years ago. The album “Virtue To Vice” got released by Advoxya in 2014 while “Cognitive Disorders” saw the light of day at the end of 2016. The album is more a kind of EP featuring numerous remixes and only a few new cuts.

Content: Homicidal Feelings deals with a dark EBM format mixed with some classical dark-electronic elements. The sound is harsh and features various industrial sounds. The vocals are harsh as well. Next to the danceable aspect of the work there also is an obscure and sometimes disturbing atmosphere supporting the songs. The sampling ‘Allahu Akbar’ only accentuates the mystery and torment running through the songs.

Next to 4 new cuts there also is a song featuring Deadjump and a kind of cover/tribute of the :Wumpscut: song “Slave To Evil”.

The main part of the work features remixes by Cardinal Noire, Larva, Serpents, Cold Therapy, Subliminal Code, Brain Over Dust, Deadjump, Amorphous, Human Vault and Atropine.

+ + + : I really like the original edits by Homicidal Feelings. The dark and tormented EBM style was remarkably accomplished while the dense and heavy sound atmospheres inject this kind of angst feeling. This band deals with the coldest format of electronics and has composed a few brilliant cuts, “Sectarian Strife” being my personal favorite one.

Among the remixes I would especially mention the work of Larva and Subliminal Code plus the more minimal-like sounding remix of Atropine.

– – – : I would have preferred to hear an entire album instead of this remix orgy. The :Wumpscut:-tribute is for sure an original idea, but not exactly the best track from the list. I expected a bit more out of the remixes, the original versions being definitely better!

Conclusion: Homicidal Feelings in an interesting Brazilian formation if you’re in search of tormented EBM. The new songs are danceable and supported with frightening dark atmospheres.

Best songs: “Sectarian Strife”, “The Final Consummation”, “One Existence In Pain”, “One Existence In Pain – Myasis Mix by Larva”, “Cognitive Disorders – Atropine”, “Cognitive disorders – Subliminal Code”.

Rate: (7½).

Band: www.facebook.com/homicidalfeelings

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

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