Gothic Rock for this generation, influenced by S.O.M, F.o.t.N and The Mission. This is dark rock as it was intended, full epic guitars sounding like they are clawing themselves out of a grave, backed by thunderous drums and walking bass lines. Great structured songs by immensely talented musicians. The Sins have their own musical path combining the familiar sounds of the goth/punk past with their own modern rock influences and ideas. The result is a fascinating blend of genres and sounds from the middle-east-influenced tones of "Ecstasy in Oblivion", to the old school punk feel of "So Many Ways", to the more traditional goth vibe of "Little Girl Lost."
"Angels" is just superb and will surely become a classic track requested at most clubs! "Pain" is absolutely brilliant with great drums, bass and guitars and some keyboard in the background.

This band rocks, pure and simple! "Devil Behind the Door" is a lively bastard with great guitar and vocals. Nicely structured. There is no doubt that these are fine musicians and great songwriters as well. I just love "Cold air for Katie". "Into the Chaos" and "Nothing" are slower songs that evoke great emotion, and more traditional gothic rock in nature. "The Walk" reminds me of Fields Of The Nephilim! "Girl in Glass" is a beautiful number that before you know it, has you singing along! "The Ballad of Mr. Thicket" is an odd swirly piece. Each song on "The Last One Kills" is highly unique unto itself, and never sounds like the track that preceded it, nor like the one to follow. Some songs, like "Heaven", are light, and almost folk-like in nature, others, such as "Love In Blood", are grand, bombastic affairs, while still others, such as the showstopper "Walk", are more mid-paced, but filled with an oppressive, cryptic feeling of doom. "Eva"is punky affair that hits you straight between the eyes.
A great and very diverse album with something on it for everyone!

Swann Danger - Swann Danger This is the first CD EP by Swann Danger with 5 songs all plodding in tempo, but restless in melody. They offer a good range of intimidating and heavy sounds. This is dark and brooding stuff, which at times reminds me of a darker Siouxsie and the Banshees. “Motion To Bliss” really sets the mood for what to expect on this. A bit of variation would not go a miss and perhaps a change of tempo, perhaps some faster tracks just to break an almost monotonous beat.
However saying that I really like this and hope they release an album soon!

From the same US scene as Vanishing, The Phantom Limbs, Black Ice and Swann Danger comes Sixteens. Haunting melody lines and screamed vocals leave no doubt about the gothic influences in the sound of Sixteens. I am reminded at times of Kas Product but not with the same quality of the voice. "Figurative Character" is quite a good track, simple bass and drum, not challenging in the least but probably quite danceable.
Overall, the Sixteens churn out four monotonous, disco thriller songs that leave you in a redundant trance.

Honestly I am not much for all the electronica these days. Lull me with guitars I beg. Here is yet another band using the electronic card and if it was not for the voice of the vocalist it would have gone to the bin immediately.Again fusing all this with Deathrock and this in itself I find amusing as I can not see how the aggression and energy of the guitar can be replaced by synths and sound fonts and god knows what.Nothing really grabbed me about this band.
Maybe two or three songs worth a mention are “The Pauper's Dance”, “X” and “New Jack Shit”

Utterly unbelievable.
Not sure what else I can write and how much praise one person can give to an artist before it becomes pathetic, but Siiiii certainly deserves all the credit they are given. This is so good and I am amazed that they never got a record deal but I guess we are fortunate enough now that we have this offering from them.
Split reminds me of The Dead Relatives but only so much better.Very dark and brooding indeed.Conception has a thin light minimalistic guitar hanging over it while the voice digests on its own agony beautifully.This mood is carried on in Overgrown Eyes and contains the same brooding dark and gloomy quality as Split.
Statue is another fine example of incredible brooding and gloomy gothik rock.Thin guitar carried by a stunning nostalgic bass line.And the vocals carry you into another world where you are lost and surrounded by nothing but this song...this music...this voice that seems to take you further and further into a deeper darker hole. Rictus opens with drums to shock you out of the revelry of Statue releasing a bolt of energy carried by a a thick bass.This is continued in the incredible Is Still Then, they deliver another blow to your front teeth, but one that is quite pleasing in the sleazy sounding Fixing.Over completes the album perfectly and you are left astonished that this has not become a legendary album yet..but give it a few days!

Screaming for Emily is:
Philip Sciortino, Jr.- Vocals, Synths, Piano
Lance Redaelli- Drums and Percussion
Steven Baillie- Synthesizers
A moody, atmospheric and original band with great rhythms and great melodies formed in 1986; Scriptures is a classic goth EP.
With amazing tracks like The Love,Too Late for Prayer,Another Girl,... well bascially the whole EP is pretty damn great!

Now 20 years later they return with Malice and although synthpop is not my cup of tea, I actually was pleasantly surprised by how good this was.
DEITY has a a wonderful rhythm with real drums and percussion blended with synthetic strings and deep, sultry vocals. Truly outstanding! She's Risen,Intent and A Dry Year are all really good tracks that had me very soon , in some form or the other,tapping along.
The songwriting is fairly simple and straight to the point.With charismatic vocal deliveries. As a whole a solid album with a vintage blend of the 80's.At time energetic , at others lush and atmospheric.
Recommended

Making their entry onto the gothik stage in 1998, Scream Silence from Berlin, has up until this point released album after album of what can be described as top quality music. Where once they seemd to fill only the emptiness that was left when Dreadful Shadows decided to call it a day, they have grown and matured to , in their own right, possibly one of the most important gothik rock bands in the scene today.With a completely unique style and what must be one of the most emotional and unique voices I have ever heard.
Aphelia, is another tremdendous release that firmly cements their status in the scene today.An album so filled with astonishing beautiful music that it is practically impossible to select a single track above another.An album that makes me proud to be a goth again because of the standard of this music!
My Eyes is the first track and starting off a beautiful atmospheric and meloncholy drenched piano.The solemn baritone voice lingering over the music.Until the chorus apporaches with a full blast, stamping itself into your brain, that it has arrived in full glory.The voices flying up to a range so in contrast with the initial entry but so beautiful that it feels like (as someone special told me) they rip your guts out,twists it around in a few knots and finally decide to stamp it. Leaving you in a complete state!
Harvest immediately builds on this but with a faster tempo this is pure gothik rock.A truly great song that will certainly be played on many dance floors.
Song after song the journey continues, Kerosene is another amazing song.But I might as well list every song on the album and write the same thing over and over again.
This is a great release,one that will take you on a journey
One that will fill you with emotion.
And one that will make you proud that you listen to gothik rock music again!
I could not recommend this highly enough!
www.myspace.com/screamsilencemusic

Solemn Novena does an incredible job with this release, for a fairly new band to produce this quality is exceptional. From the first listen I was completely taken by it.Reminded in parts of Judith and at times some early Nosferatu and continuesly 100% pure gothik rock!
As Darkness falls is the beginning for them and I am sure a start to greater things.I would be disappointed if not. They seem to have it all here.Dirge guitars that snake through a solid rhythm section.A pounding and thunderous drum section and the bass that adds all the necessary undertones needed for a magnificent breeding pot of glorious music.
As Darkess Falls is the opeing track and immediately sweeps you away with with great vocals and very melodic instrumentation. The beautiful guitar sweeping around the solid pounding of the drums while vocals flirt with a solemn yet powerful delivery. The chorus is attended by the beautiful female vocals and journeys along for the rest of the song.
Twilight follows in the footsteps of the first track and by now you have a clear idea of what to expect from these very talented individuals. The sweeping guitar melodies backed with the infallible rhtythm section.The male voice this time accompanied by the female voice playing aginst each other. Truly superb!

Highly recommended!

Lets state the obvious thing here that The Secret Meeting is a collaboration between kaRIN & Statik of Collide and Dean Garcia of Curve fame.
"Ultrashiver"is their debut release,recorded and produced via journeys across the pond ( I wonder how big the carbon footprint of this record is or whether they will state that on the cd boxes!) Perhaps it should come with a CD information pack that states how green or not so green this release is.
None the less the creation process has produced a journey through what mostly sounds to me like trip hop. It has elements of the sleek and sensual.The vocals are emotional but I must confess a bit dull.I found it hard to really distinct netween the tracks.
There are certainly moments on this disk where I thought this is really good sounding.But really all got a bit lost on me. Perhaps the fact that trip hop is as appealing as eating my own vomit made me a little bit less then qualified to really give an honest opinion of this record.
Musically this release has moments of the delicate and the menacing, at times noisy and and at times beautiful. Echoes of Collide and Curve can be heard , of course, but I found it all rather bit taxing and challenging to listen too.
Do not discard it because of my lack of understanding.

After a near two year silence SOPOR AETERNUS returns with a breathtaking beautiful new album. A funeral dirge draped in victorian follies and darkest glamorous. Tip toeing over open graves and swwirling across lonely plains this exhilarating release is a probably the best so far. Each release keeps on surprising me.This time it is not only the flimsy victorian dress of a washed-out dusky pink, but it is the music and words once again where the impact is most astonishingly felt. At times a lamenting chant, others a play between a baritone and the splendid falsetto of an castrati in despair, but overflowing the cauldron of emotion.
It is practically impossible to to rate one track above the other.They are all so wonderfully crafted.
La Mort d'Arthur is quintessentially Sopor Aeternus.The music, the voices.I dont have the words to express the true greatness of this release. Only that it will be one that is played for a very long time and quite likely to become a timeless master piece!
Very Highly recommended!

Proof with out a shadow of doubt that gothik rock is very much not dead, nor slumbering in some forgotten cupboard or suffering from any ailment that might be ascribed the elderly. Welcome back Star Industry, a band that broke onto the scene making a big noise with an instant dance floor classic.
Now returning with Last Crusades.Ten tracks that fosters an initial pleasant nostalgic feeling to the first album but quite apropriately ventures into new territory. Sometimes the voice ventures into Carl McCoy territory, at other it is Andrew Eldritch, however never loosing the very recognisable Peter Becker accent.
Let me say that I feel there are no bad songs on this release, they are all so good but some are just better.The same intelligent use use of electronics is present as previously accompanied by the same great guitar, drums and bass.
Diving between emotions each track weaves it own expression with the use of instrumentation. Making this a very well arranged and crafted album. The rhythm section is superb with the drumming sounding dynamic and the bass offering a relentless pulse. Sin and The Return Of David Gunare absolutely beauties and the clearly show the maturity of the artist.
Last Crusades however will be a another club classic and is intelligently and beautifully sewed together to culminate in as close to perfection as these things can get.

Highly recommended for those into gothik rock