Reviews: gothic

Here we have the third, but officially first album of Miriam, an Italian band, released on the young Italian label Decadance Records. They create atmospheric darkwave and ethereal music, with some danceable electronic elements added. “Scents” demonstrates a good balance between electronic sounds and organic instruments like bass and guitar…

Ludmila is an Italian neo-wave band with a very minimalistic sound. Through their minimalistic sound and sparse use of instruments the music is very atmospheric. Next to vocals the band only makes use of bassguitar and a drummachine.

Engelsstaub is a fairly popular band, despite not being productive. In 2001 the album “Anderswelt” appeared, after an absence from five year. Now the band releases another album, which is not exactly new, because it mostly contains older (reworked) recordings…

Though Rozz Williams is not amongst the living anymore (he died in 1998), his fans don’t need to despair. New recordings keep on surfacing and being (re-)released. This cd is a live recording of 1996, that now is made available for the first time. I must confess I’m not a big Rozz fan. Apart from some Christian Death classics I have not really followed his career…

And now it’s 1981… and The Opposition, three guys from the southern suburbs of London, release their debut album “Breaking the Silence”. After a first single in 1979 and two more singles they think the time is ripe for an album. Their music fits perfectly in with the postpunk sound and the cold war climate…

Erato has returned with their third self-released album called? ‘III’. This Belgian band has made the typical new wave / gothic rock-sound from the 80’s their personal trademark. Erato isn’t however afraid to make use of new electronic sounds to spice up their sound a bit. Besides that they have also added a high female voice to support the refrains…

Variete is, as I have understood, a legendary name in Poland, a gothic/wave band with a cult status. The music on this album, “Bydgoszcz”, was originally recorded in 1986, and is now released on cd from the first time, together with a live session from 1989…

Last year I encountered Lilac Ambush through their Breathe Deep mini cd. Now the band from Massachusetts is back with a new EP, entitled “Four stories”. And indeed, we are treated to four songs, again with a mixture of gothic rock and wave. The drum-machine makes their music quite danceable, and they don’t make a secret of their 80’s influences…

A full-length album by the strange American troubadour David E. Williams, released in 1996 on the legendary but now defunct German Chtulhu label. It contains no less than 19, often quite short songs. Williams treats us to a nice collection of original lyrics, full of grotesque images and absurd humour…

Though I encounter the name of David E. Williams from time to time, the actual music I heard from him was limited to a few compilation tracks. Important trademarks of his work are his peculiar, rough voice and his original lyrics, perhaps you could call him a dark troubadour…

The Italian formation Etoile Noire is back with more energetic gothic rock, or “goth ‘n roll”, as they prefer to call it. Earlier I reviewed their “Sleeping black eyes” promo cd, which was quite decent. Now the band has released its first real album. ‘The Breath of Khali” contains 9 tracks, including a remix of the title track and a cover of the Christian Death classic ‘This is Heresy’…

Regular visitors of this website may not be surprised to read that The Sound is one of my favourite 80’s bands. Recently all their classic albums are being re-released on cd. After the demise of this underrated group Adrian Borland pursued a solo career, with a handful of fine albums. Appreciated by connaisseurs, but no large commercial success…

This demo was sent to me half a year ago, but I must admit that it got lost under a pile of cd’s. Today it resurfaced again, so I thought, ‘let’s give it a try’. This demo cdr by Ample Population contains 3 tracks, lasting 14 minutes…

A new name for me, this band from Chile. Luna in Caelo was founded in 1993 by historian Alejandra Araya and designer Daniel Davila. This compilation is spread to promote their new album “Noche era, la luna en el cielo brillaba”, which will be released on the Spanish label Drama Company. Earlier they also made an album for the Italian label Palace of Worms…

The 6-track EP “Never Fragile” is the second cd of the Portuguese band Aenima, after a full-length debut in 1999. It is also the second release by the young label Equilibrium Music, after a mcd by Dwelling. The music of Aenima can be described as a combination of gothic rock and ethereal wave. The heavenly female vocals of singer Carmen are an important trademark…

Passion Play is a UK based (goth) rock band that plays music that has its roots in the 80’s new wave sound. Certainly acts like The Mission UK and The Cult have paved the way for Passion Play. This doesn’t mean Passion Play sounds old fashioned. Their music sounds very up to date due to their powerful playing style…

For lovers of Sopor Aeternus (to which group I belong) this cd is an absolute must. Nenia C’alladhan is a project of Anna-Varney (the dark mastermind behind Sopor) and Constance. Both women take care of the vocals on this cd. Constance is responsible for the ‘lyrics and the original melodies’, Anna-Varney created the ‘arrangements and music’…

Pilori, consisting of the duo Marion Urbach and Gernot Musch, have created a new cd. “Zeit des Lichts” is their third album, after “Feuilles Tombantes” and “… and when the twilight’s gone”. In my opinion it has become a piece of work with a lot of atmosphere, feelings and melancholy. Musically it is a very folky album, with a prominent role for the acoustic guitar…

“the Shades of Cats” is a very rich and mature album by the German act In My Rosary. The title already hints at the variety of the songs. Perhaps also at the various lives of the animal, because the last In My Rosary full-length album “Against the Grain” already dates back from 1997…

This formation from Fishtown, Massachusetts makes modern dark pop, with influences from new wave, gothic and industrial crossover. Although they formed in 2001, this is already their second EP. It contains 4 different tracks, plus radio edits of the songs ‘Breathe Deep’ and ‘One Reason’…