Enigmatical -Transmissions (CD Review)

Enigmatical - "Transmissions"

01.Cosmic Domination

02.Wormhole

03.Call From The Void

04.We Are The Demons

05.E.T.A.I.

06.Dark Energy Entities

07.Zero One (Infancy of Infinity)

08.Enstrangled Cosmic Spirals

09.Ekpyrotic Gateways

The Entity (Guitars, Bass, Keyboards, Samples & Programming)

The Voice (Vocals)

 Cosmic Black Metal from Sweden? Well that's what the bio said and it grabbed my attention.

There are few bands who can blend Black metal, Industrial metal and Electronica and create a finished product.

This CD comprises of three previously released Transmission EPs, titled Transmission I, II, and III, now released digitally as a remixed and remastered compilation album.

Well I'm pretty much blown away by this, first couple of songs certainly blend electronics with Black Metal, but for me 'Call From The Void' just levels up. Great synth sounds, full on drum patterns, screaming deathly vocals, wall of pure guitar noise, yes this is the stuff! and then towards the end it goes all weird with synths and samples, perfect ending!

This never ending aural assault continues, lifted on occasion with some simple yet effective synths such as on 'E.T.A.I.'

'Zero One' creates that rarest of paradox', a danceable, techno black metal onslaught, which we return to on the last song 'Ekpyrotic Gateways', fucking amazing!

Rating 10/10

For Fans Of: Axis Of Perdition, NON, Meads Of Asphodel, Blut Aus Nord, Aborym

ESSES - Bloodletting for the Lonely (CD Review)

ESSES Bloodletting for the Lonely

01. The Source

02. Pierce the Feeling

03. Four Corners

04. Infinite Void

05. Before the Blight

06. Little Mouse

07. Faceless Past

08. Caged Beasts

09. Schism  

Miss Kel (Vocals)

Dawn Hills (Guitars)

Skot B (Guitars)

Scout Leight (Bass)

Kevin Brown (Drums)

Formed in 2014, Esses has gradually become one of the pillars in the thriving Oakland and San Francisco underground. Encompassing elements of deathrock and dark post-punk shrouded under a veil of forbidding doom.

The Oakland five-piece, featuring current and former members of Altar de Fey, Black Ice, The Phantom Limbs, Red Voice Choir, and The Holy Kiss — carry through transcendently dark live performances with surreal and sublime vitalities.   

A follow-up to the 2018’s EP, 'Offering', this album deals with the topics of mental health, memory and trauma.

Starting with 'The Source' and culminating in 'Schism' the record progresses with a continuous storytelling approach throughout nine meticulously ordered numbers.  

Album really kicks in on track two with 'Pierce the Feeling' with its heavy, dark and twisted approach and some stunning vocals.

'Infinite Void' is another superb example of how, when done right, you can take all the influences, wear them on your sleeve and yet still be original.

 A much heavier approach on 'Little Mouse', this is screaming, guitar laden, drum thumping, goth/metal delivered with confidence that it will hit every sense at the same time with a sledgehammer.

Creepy ambience is served cold with 'Faceless Past', followed with some more (slightly) upbeat rhythms for 'Caged Beasts' before our last song 'Schism' which blends mid paced instrumentation with haunting vocals.

Rating 9/10

For Fans Of: Siouxsie & The Banshees, Christian Death, Toyah, Radio Werewolf, Danielle Dax, The Cure  

Sorry, Heels - She (CD Review)

Sorry, Heels - "She"

01.Through The End

02.She Burns

03.Follow Signs

04.Something Real

05.The Spell´s Ballad

06.My Dolls House

07.Another Lapse

08.The Void

09.The End Of Desire

Davide Messina (Guitar, Keyboards)

Simona Pietrucci (Vocals)

Additional Musicians:

Ettore Pistolesi (Vocals, Guitar)

Filippo Strang (Drums)

Bubi (Vocals)

Italian band formed in 2010, Various line-up changes mark a radical change in Sorry, Heels' sound, abandoning rock standards and diverting their compositions towards electronic music, while maintaining references and sounds linked to new wave and early post-punk.

This album is a work dedicated to the love journey of a woman who faces infatuation, falling in love, disappointment and frustration. Both the lyrics and the sounds were written in an attempt to evoke all the various stages she has gone through.

 So we have the concept Starting from infatuation, 'Through the End' and passion with 'She Burns'.

These are delivered with haunting vocals, minimal synth and drum backing and occasional guitar, each perfectly balanced to create quite a cold electronic ambience.

We continue with rejection on 'Something Real', my fave track so far, all the previous elements are still present this has the added aural pleasure of some dark gothic guitar work.

Obsession gets two songs, 'Follow Signs' and 'The Spell's Ballad' as does loneliness, with 'My Doll's House' and 'Another Lapse'. The latter of which becomes my second fave song here with more dark and disturbing gothic undertones and some great Bass riffs.

Finally, repentance with 'The Void' followed by a somewhat depressing acceptance that nothing will change with 'The End of Desires'.

Rating 8/10

For Fans Of: Portishead, This Mortal Coil, Cocteau Twins, Black Tape For A Blue Girl

XCIII - The Blue (CD Review)

XCIII The Blue

01.Sway

02.Abstract

03.Life Seeks Death

04.The Blue

05.S.A.L.T 

06.Sway Remix 

07.Abstract Remix 

Guillaume (All instruments, Vocals)

Maélise (Additional Vocals)

Sarah (Additional Vocals)

 XCIII is an Avantgarde Rock / Metal project located in France. The bands name is a reference to Charles Baudelaire's "Les Fleurs du Mal", poem 93, titled "A une passante".

Its aim is to combine different styles going from Black Metal to Trip Hop with no limitation, but with the will to keep a musical and lyrical coherence between all the tracks. 

A kind of "Art Total" where music, lyrics and pictures respond to each other. The former idea to play a folk black metal disappeared by the time Guillaume composed new songs, which were more open to new horizons, including Experimental and Progressive elements.

The gradual transformation of XCIII has reached a provisional end with The Blue EP, which was released on the 10th of December 2019 to celebrate the ten years of the existence of the project. Even more sensual and direct, it overlaps all the band's experiments of the last decade, even more eclectic, with some hint of industrial Metal, but also more pop-influenced atmospheres. Several songs were specially composed in order to be played live. The 2021 digipack version contains a bonus track as well as two remixes by BartosAntos and by Maquerelle.

'Sway' starts with a simple guitar riff then via a sampled speech begins to form with synthesizers, as it builds female vocals come in and the song starts to take form, relentless in its building of instrumentation the final piece creates a nice easy to listen 'pop song'.

Getting a touch weirder is 'Abstract' reversed synth pulses and sampled vocal builds and then the whole song changes with some heavy guitar playing and and some more spoken words.

Track Three is 'Life Seeks Death' a strange but well composed mixture of pop music with "hints" of the heavier stuff.

It is 'The Blue' that stands out for me, a superb atmospheric near gothic song, haunting vocals and great keyboard work.

'Salt' has an 80's sound that would have been perfect for '4AD'.

That just leaves us the two remixes, which don't seem to add anything interesting to the normal versions and seem a touch pointless.

Rating 7/10

For Fans Of: Portishead, Massive Attack, Garbage, Brian Eno

Camille Sauvage ‎– Fantasmagories (1974)

Camille Sauvage ‎– Fantasmagories

Editions Montparnasse 2000 MP33

1974

01.Terrifical Night

02.Musique De L'Au-Delà

03.Magma

04.Vivisection

05.Ectoplasme

06.Enferissimo

07.Charette Fantôme

08.Le Jugement Dernier

09.Pavillon Des Agité

10.Rapacité Nocturne

11.Requiem Pour Satan

12.Rapsodie Pour Belphegor

Camille Andre Sauvage was a French soul-jazz-funk clarinettist, library composer and orchestra leader, born 4th April 1910.

His library compositions were a mixture of experimental jazz and electronics.

This album is full of atmospheric and creepy sounds, where bells and keyboards intertwine with jazz rhythms and strange timings.

Many of these pieces would easily fit with White Noise An Electric Storm In Hell from 1969.

 128Download Here