Not much seems to be known about the South African gothic scene internationally, however, there is a thriving hard core scene there which has delivered many great bands, but unfortunately they never got the recognition they deserved.
Dog Detachment is one,if not THE best moment in South African music history. Personally Dog Detachment is one of my all time favourite bands. Timeless. The original band formed early 1980 and their first gig was in March of that year at the GR Bozolli club on the Wits University campus. Imagine a more gothic sounding New Model Army that married the early Cure influenced by The Sex Pistols, Wild Youth, The Clash, The Ramones, Cockney Rejects, and The Dead Boys & later on Echo & the Bunnymen. They did everything right - and yes I am biased and I cannot help it. All the tracks from the first album “The Last Laugh” is just superb. Unfortunately this album is not available anymore however RetroFresh in South Aftica has a released a "best of" called "best kept secret" on disk which has all but two of tracks on this album.It is a great job that this has been released on disk now without the crack and pop of the vinyl. The tracks are not chronological which means you can swing from the angry, angst-filled punk of tracks from 'The Last Laugh' to the darker, more brooding songs from 'Fathoms of Fire' to the more world wise and prophetic offerings from 'Barriers' then back to the spiky punk of the single 'Third World War'. Despite this, you are always treated to hard rocking, hard hitting but, and this is the bit that set them apart from the others, always melodic tunes.
This is an absolute must!

From Belguim comes a moody and at times rather aggressive but always original album, featuring great rhythms and melodies and some introspective sounding vocals. One thing that becomes very clear is that after each listen, this album as a whole becomes better and better.
Individual tracks start shining through with their own unique brilliance. The Distance starts of this album with some incredibly melancholic sounding accoustic guitar, setting the atmosphere for this song, drums come kicking in partnered with a driving bass guitar. Finally comes the vocals blending with the atmosphere perfectly. This is a wonderful song that really only gets better after each listen.
Spacewalk diverts from the first track with a more up tempo beat which essentially sets the mood for what follows in
Sweet times Burn with its more aggressive guitars and voices.Starting off with just the drums and some electronic noise thingy.
The voice starts its rendition after a short while the guitar,obtusely, makes an appearance.And then it all comes together in a wonderful wall of sound.
Darkover is my favourite track, starting off with very atmospheric, mood setting guitar noises and a great tribal sounding drums. The bass guitar enters and is a sign that something is about too happen as the guitar morphs into a more melodic , more powerful state. Until finally the song opens up to you like a budding flower, but it has sucked you in completely.And then comes the voice.I just can not fault this song..it is fantastic!
Caresses draws maps II is a mournful, slow and moody track.Carried essentially by a accoustic guitar and the vocals.Beautiful.
A great solid album from a very talented band!
Highly Recommended
http://www.myspace.com/devolanges