Old waves and new ways featuring Passion Play, White Hex, Collateral, Violence, Eyedress & Skint Eastwood and Mater Suspiria Vision

I am no big fan of bands and projects who are just a copy cat of a certain music tradition... instead I prefer bands who know the heritage and play around with it or aim for excellence in performing specific style elements... let's take Passion Play... an UK gothrock band from the late 1990's... I played their 2001 album 'Dreaming Spikes' a lot... even though their sound was rather typical gothrock there was also always a indie side to it... with a hint to Placebo maybe... well after this album nothing was heard from Passion Play untill recently the Berlin based label Aufnahme + Wiedergabe released an cd filled with some old songs and new songs which were never recorded and released before... but as the title of the cd, 'The Final Act', suggests... this is the true end of the band. This cd is a companion to 'Dreaming Spikes' filled with nice melancholy gothic rock with that typical indie touch... but it could also serve as a great introduction to Passion Play for those who missed out on it before...

A bit more arty but still gothrock too is White Hex... there 'Heat' mini LP serves guitar based songs with a raw sound... gothrock influenced by stuff like Velvet Underground and Nick Cave... so the real deal and no fake poser kind of stuff... the tunes sound deep and authentic... and sweaty... excellent stuff which could reach much more people as only the new wave and goth fans...

Same goes for Collateral... a new wave based project which fuses new wave and indie pop guitar stuff with some synth and italo touches... the result is a fresh sounds with a melancholy mood but never really dark... even though the 12" entitled 'Dark EP' could suggest something else... for me this works as a soundtrack for spring... and it goes very well with the 12" by Violence released recently on our beloved Visage Musique label... Violence delivers new wave inspired synth pop with a neo-romantic touch and italo disco elements... and maybe not all songs are equally strong but when at their best Violence shows they are a band with lots of potential for the future... as shows "Dernier Cri"...

More harder to define is the album 'Hearing Colors' by Eyesdress and Skint Eastwood... on the other hand the title says it all... this album serves you a wide spectrum of sounds and influences of various styles... still the album is a excellent cohorent piece. Released on Phantasma Disques it has little to do with witch house... a style the label is best known for... 'Hearing Colors' sounds very indie... the sound is mellow and soothing most of the time... dreamy stuff with warm female vocals... but occasionally the sound gets a little colder... and some moments it is like listening to a relaxed version of Crystal Castles... including clear rhythms and some 8 bit noises and sounds... here is one of the highlights of the album... and one of the most moody pieces 'Triduum'...

Skint Eastwood - Triduum (Three Days Of Darkness) from EYEDRESS on Vimeo.

From the same label comes the new Mater Suspiria Vision album... I liked some of the older stuff but not all as it had the tendency to be very minimal... like repetitive in a not good way... so to speak... BUT 'Serenity' is a very solid album with good songs and a nice flow througout the record... some rhythmic pieces and some more droney noise pieces which pull you inside... or down under to be precise... this one is for the fans of the darker side of synth music... this is stuff for black magic rites and other occult gatherings... here is one piece of the record...

MATER SUSPIRIA VISION - SERENITY [Official Video - Directed by Cosmotropia de Xam, 2013] from Mater Suspiria Vision on Vimeo.

All of the records above are for sale in the Enfant Terrible webshop here...

teaser: Europ Europ - Mellowharsher

Here is a teaser for the upcoming Europ Europ 'Mellowharsher' record (ET015)... coming soon...

Europ Europ: new video, new live show and new vinyl

From Norway comes the electronic outfit Europ Europ. They have been around since 1996 with various members in various line ups. Their sound is raw and noisy minimal electronics with some crazy poppy moments from time to time.

Out now is the new video for the new track 'This Song Makes Me Cry'. This track will be released soon on vinyl on the Etch Wear label, run by the band members themselves. Later this year there will be another vinyl release on Enfant Terrible.

See the excellent new videoclip for this track from the upcoming release here...

Also Europ Europ will perform live on April 2 in Holland at the Soirée Enfant Terrible at Theater Kikker in Utrecht. This is a change to see this band on one of their seldom trips outside Scandinavia.

In the meantime there is an excellent 7 inch and a equally good 12" for sale in the Enfant Terrible webshop. Both are limited editions and the 7" comes in handmade sleeves of which no two are the same. See here...

Adventurous music for the well informed!

review: Haus Arafna - You

It has been a few years since the last Haus Arafna album was released. "Butterfly" was released in 2003. This album showed a shift from more old school power electronics to more evident classic minimal electronics. Now seven years later "You" is released. At first listening the album felt to me like shifted more towards a contemporary November Növelet sound. But I was mistaken... very much...

While November Növelet has gone synth pop in a very cold and dark way, Haus Arafna goes (again) for full terror impact on all your senses. Opening tracks 'Pain To Love' and 'You Don't Believe Me' maybe sound a bit like the side project November Növelet but then 'You' and 'Judas Kiss' are making sure you know what you are listening to.

These tracks and also a piece like 'Colony Colapse' are absolute there to attack your nerve system. Throbbing, ultra dark, aggressive electronic pulses are aimed at your brain and body with success. Haus Arafna is one of the few music projects around that really knows how to combine interesting sound sculptures with music that really touches you... or maybe hurts you... anyway if this music does not do anything with you... well... you must be dead already...

Some other tracks are disturbing due to their moody, desolate and misanthrophic feeling that surrounds you while listening. For example 'Today You Died' and 'Lucifer' are truly haunting pieces of electronic music.

A masterpiece of sonic terror!!

Some copies of the decadent packaged vinyls are in the Enfant Terrible webshop...

review: Undergangen - An Audio Companion To The End Tymes

What a suiting release to listen to at this time of the year... it is dark outside and this is a soundtrack to warm you up! This is a massive compilation indeed. Both in volume (it is a C120... oh yes for the unaware... that means it is a cassette tape) and in music: it is lenghty and goes into many aspects of electronic/noise/drone/and more music.

The main thing that speaks from this release is authenticity. Maybe not all tracks are a 100% my cup of tea... it does not matter as this release is true to its tradition and strong in showing real independent (and obscure) music. Due to this the whole selection is what really counts not the individual tracks. Even though some are really good and better as others... of course.

This compilation takes you from dreamy drones to harsh noise to electronic sound tapestry. It is in my opinion pointless to go through all the tracks here. It comes down to this: the sound is overall dark, experimental and only for adventurous and experienced listeners. There are a few acts that might ring a bell with some people (I hope)... like: Enema Syringe, Dead Letters Spell Out Dead Words, Adolf Filter, Monster Apparat and The Skull Defekts. Next to that there are many more artists present to check out for sure.

Funny to note is that the more accessible bands like Adolf Filter and Monster Apparat deliver tracks that are much more experimental as their average output. It is very nice to hear this side of these artists!

I cannot say otherwise as that this compilation is a strong selection of sounds, moods and feelings. Perfect to enjoy in the nighttime and in the dark. Add some red wine and the waiting for the end had never been this pleasant.

Ah... I forgot to mention... I believe the tape is sold out already. Maybe there are a few left at some places. If not... well simply check out some other fine (ultra limited) releases by the Fukk Tapes Lets Erase label.

Have a nice End Tymes!