Gothtober- Bleached Cross : "Wrath"

 It's about time we get into some heavier shades of darkness. This album starts off with more of an industrial feel and sung vocals that drift behind grim sonics. A bass line carries things into a synth-laced dungeon of sorrow. The sung vocals deviate from your typical sullen post-punk tropes and have more of a 90s industrial rock feel, with more angst to them and hyper-emotional delivery. It's emotional to the point of being emo, which is heard on "Blood Moon". The fact that it's not trying to be pop punk or anthemic makes this work for me, since it would not if this had been handled differently. They have synths where the big arena power chord would normally sit. 

"Crucible" is more likea a post-punk but with mid-2000s  smoothness to the melody, like the Killers might have done if they were darker. Things get more aggressive on "Tomb," which uses harsh vocals and some atmosphere. "Lingering Souls". The more emotive vocals return on "Lingering Souls" . The more emo melodies are balanced with electronic elements. Not the smoothest chorus, but it works for what it is. "Torment" finds us back in 90s industrial mode. 

"Requiem" finds their feeling more invested in a manner that brings AFI to mind. The more militant vocal refrain reconfirms this AFI comparison. "the Dark" finds a more modern post-punk vibe established, which is one thing I should be clear about: they have more of a late-90s post-punk sound, owing little to bands like Joy Division. There is a Myspace goth feel to this for certain. Lyrically, it seems like religion is what broke their hearts on this album. There is a cool bass line that leads into the last song. Things shift into a danceier place for this song. I am going to need to spend more time with this album but I like what they are doing and their commitment to making their personal darkness into sound, so I will give this album a 9.5 

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"'Gothtober - Exhuming the Tunes with Christian Death's "the Iron Mask"

 

This is a Rozz Williams re-recording of a classic song. For the opener 'Spiritual Cramp," it works, as the vocals are more articulated and the lyrics stand out, making the music feel more like new wave than punk. "Sleepwalk" also feels different from the original. It is a cleaner mix, and they are giving the vocals more love, but double-tracking them to give you a better idea of Rozz's voice. A more metallic guitar tone crunches in with some songs, but it does not take it as far as Valor's metal flirtations. 'Skeleton Kiss" is a new song, and it works well with a creepy boogie to the riff, and Rozz singing some impressive harmonies with himself. Eva O is joining him on this album, and you can hear her raise her voice on this one. 

"Figurative Theater" cleans up the preformance from the original arrangement, hsi lyrics are phrased with more precision. Eva's harmonies are pretty cool. This one feels a little more upbeat. The articulation of the lyrics proves to be another plus. There is less of the punk tension, as it's less frantic and played more deliberately. This feels like what a band sounds like in the studio, with "Only Theater of Pain" sounding like how they sound on stage. "Desperate Hell" finds the vocals phrasing more refined. The guitars sit further back andd the vocals are mixed way up front, making it Rozz's show. I can see where a guitarist might hate these versions. I love that "Death Wish " feels more like a metal song with vocals mixed up. The harmonies on this rule, and you can really hear how great of a singer Rozz is in his own right. 

"Luxury of Tears"  is not the song from "Ahes" I would have re-recorded, but here we are; it works for what it is. I guess Rozz really liked this song. "Cervix Couch" also feels like an odd choice, but Rozz must love it enough to want to carry it into the 90s. The Death mix of "Skeleton's Kiss"  feels darker. The live of Gary Numan's "Down in the Park" is pretty cool, they nail it. This album is an essential gem for fans; I give it a 10.

   

4

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Gothtober - Theodor Bastard : "▽"

Russian electronic wizards continue to blend world music into their mix of sounds. They have said they shifted into a darker direction as the world is darker. The opening track shows they still have a pop inclination in their choruses, but the collage of sounds all transfigure each other into something unique and oddly catchy. Where Dead Can Dance takes ancient sounds from the world and creates with them, these Russians are not tied to the past but delve into electronic heavilly on songs like "Nebo". There is a great deal of sonic weight to the layers of sound even in the face of ethereal ambiance.  

"Kaplya Rosi" has what feels like more organic folk instrumentation, which is given a slinky groove to work off. It reminds me a little of Björk. "Zveroboy" is more ambient, with her voice gliding into a fairyland before a trip-hop-like beat grounds it.  'Dusha" is more of a folk song that happens to walk on electronic legs. This trip-hop meets folk vibe continues on with a more ethereal tone on "Ditya".  Sometimes there are hints of pop music that weave through things to create a more acessible sound. 

"Sverkay" is the lead single andd first song that sparked my interest in what they are doing; it also carries a more rock intensity in its dynamics. There is a wonderful aching melancholy in the chorus, which is what  I want from my dark electronic music. "Vremya" finds a haunting folk ambiance moving through their electronic beats; this combination has been a winning formula for this band. This album is catchy and dynamic as well as full of complex sounds. I will gives this album a 10 as it was one great song after another. Drops November 13th on Season of Mist Records

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"'Gothtober - Exhuming the Tunes with Christian Death's "Insanus, Ultio, Proditio, Misericordiaque"

This 1990 album is the last from Valor before our timeline intersects with Rozz Williams again. It is almsot more likea Laibach album. Opening with a droning symphonic piece before lightning hits Frankenstein's castle. "Malus Amor" finds them clicking back into a rock formula. Granted, 1990 was a weird time for music, and they were at the most transgressive end of the weirdness as death rock started to merge with industrial. The beat almsot reminds me of Robert Palmer. But if you think about it, it's not too far removed from the Revolting Cocks. It struts more than grooves. 

They bring in pieces that return to sprawling stretches of unsettling amabiance and balance them out with songs more supplied with actual instrumentation, such as "vexatio" which brings a creepy sensibility to blues-tinged rock. Even this descends into weirdness, but we were at least given something with more substance to contrast it with, which is pretty dark. "Somnium" has a straight-up rock drum beat and oddly rendered rock chords. Volar's stream-of-consciousness vocals rein it in to something on brand. Not what you would think of as death rock, but it still sounds like the band. 

"venenum" has some rockabilly qualities. It would have fit well into today's indie rock market. They were ahead of their time even when trying to find where to go next. This album is much better than I remember it being."Mors Voluntaria" finds heavier guitar looming in. I liek the weird effects on his voice for this one. Not as many guitar solos on this one as the previous Valor albums, nor are there any hints of Jimi Hendrix, which is an improvement. There is some weirdness they wander into between the heavy riff segments. This sometimes causes it to wander off. "Vita Volutaria" is more of an abstract outro. I will give this on a 9.5; it's better than I remembered. 

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Gothtober- RARE DM : "Attention"

 

This album came out back in May, so I am getting caught up, but this will be the last dark wave adjacent future pop album I review, as there has been a great deal of that this year, it seems, and I do not hear anybody outdoing Boy Harsher, though this project does not shy away from catchy melodies and complex, dancey synth arrangements. There is, however, a similar feel to the breathy vocals on the second song. "Honey" has more of the indie ambiance that propelled Boy Harsher earlier on, but that is where comparisons pretty much stop, aside from the fact that this is moody electronic music with female vocals. 

Things begin to get sexual on "Mean Girled", this horniness carries over into "Butterfly Historian" even though that song has a much different vibe.  The bass thumps in a more dance-floor grinding fashion for "325". Here, some of the eroticism gets projected onto cars.  She sings about driving around Europe which checks out with the vibe. "LA Traffic" minds 80s synths informing the booty shaking; it's a marginally brighter sound. The groove works well. "Lil DM" is moodier but with a playful undercurrent, as the vocals are more crooned in a higher register. There is a tragressive Billie Ellish vibe to the more self aware pulse of "Skater Hits Me Harder". The formula begins to get a little diluted here. 

She gets back on track with the more driving pulse of "Significant Other". Though it's just an instrumental dance track with odd sounds peppering it. "Feel Nothing" has a more hypnotic pulse. Her vocals are more chanted as the song takes a ghostly turn. She is not following a hyperpop blueprint but is aware of what it is. The last track is so atmospheric it might as well just be an outro. This album impressed me , I like smart moody pop music so it checked off a great deal of sonic boxes for me I will give it a 9.5.

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'Gothtober - Exhuming the Tunes with Christian Death's"All the Love All the Hate" (Part Two: All the Hate)

 Ok I just reviewed part one, and it's no surprise the all the hate" part is going to be my favorite of the two. "Born in a Womb, Died in a Tomb" is much darker and slightly industrial in its attack. Production-wise, it is a little clunky. The mix is weird, but lyrically it's great. It reminds me a little of Alice Cooper. "Baptized in Fire" is more than just slightly industrial; it is fully commited. It is also droning and experimental, but the guitars hold it together. "I Hate You" is totally silly, as it has a child ranting about why he hates you over the track. I am not into silly shit when it comes to music, as it loses its novelty on the third listen, if that. 

The production is the main problem with this album as "Children of the Volley" would have landed better with the vocals getting different treatment. Some of this is growing pains as they have outgrown the punk way of doing things, but when using metal guitar tones and riffs that figure more prominently, it needs to get the treatment of a Killing Joke album. "Kneel Down" works better under these conditions. The vocals are snarled in some parts here. I am not sure this song needs to be almost six minutes long."Climate of Violence" is more punk in its rowdy intentions.  Things build into a Slayer-like riff. Then things take an odd shift into weirdness, which sounds better; it's how the guitars were recorded that alters things here.  I am not sure what drugs he is on here, but their effects are evident. Six minutes in, it sounds like they are ripping off a Megadeth riff. 

They return to industrial for "Final Solution". It carries a machine-like drone on this one.  "Nazi Killer" works off a similar industrial formula as the previous song, with a metal riff holding everything down for the samples overlaying it.  Vocals do not come in for over tow minutes, and when they do, it's more of an angry rant. Once again, six minutes is pushing it. "Man to Father Fire" has more of a Megadeth feel on the guitar, as the vocals wander around. It's like he is just figuring out how to adapt his vocals to metal. There are stream-of-consciousness vocals that might have more bite if arranged differently. I will give this one an 8.5; they deserve a re-mix at least. 

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Gothtober- Darkswoon : "Antivenom"

This is the fourth album from this Portland-based band that plays a moody vision of indie rock, with vocals that are not overtly trying to be Siouxsie; in fact, there is more of a Savages meets PJ Harvey feel. The grit in the bass is dialed back but chomp at the bit. Everything is a slow build to a heftier pulse, which I appreciate. This album came out back in April, and I am surprised that it did not get more hype or come up on my radar, but that is the benefit of dedicating this month to dark music; it gets us caught up on what we might have missed. This was just found by me clicking around on Bandcamp; it deserves more of a shout-out just based on the opening track.

Granted, the thing about having a strong opener like that is it sets the bar high for the rest of the album. They build momentum almost up to gallop for the stormy "Pacific City". It feels half disco in how the drums play against this and more rock with the subtle tension built. "Thread" and "Monochrome" find themselves kind of blending together as they coast through the sound, not allowing the album to gain my attention until it gets to "Small Death"; they use similar intervals and the melody follows a similar formula, but the sound stands out more. Though at this point of the album it's clear they are programming the drums which  is a limiting factor for them 

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Sometimes it does give them more options with sound as they switch it up on the more ambient "Devour My Eyes". While I appreciate that they switch up the dynamics, this one does not hook me in .  "Blood Let" almsot has more oa darkwave thump to it. There is a slinkier groove than the bulk of the album. I would say it is one of the album's stronger songs. She belts it out more on the chorus. "x3' does find them graduating to darkwave and might be the album's best song. "Going Dark" maintains the momentum, but is not as interesting sonically. Overall, I enjoyed where they are going with this, and when they take things in a darker direction, it works best for me will give this album a 9. 

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