Gothtober - And Also the Trees : "the devil's door"

 

The British band plays a unique take on noir-ish folk. It touches on moody contemplation that falls in the lineage of Leonard Cohen and the melancholic crooners he inspired, like Nick Cave. There is a very 60s feel to the production and organic nature of the arrangements. They excelled at capturing these sounds. The drums carry things with a jazzy cadence, so they are wandering and introspective rather than just popping out radio-friendly fare, unless we are talking the 60s, and even then it would not have been poppy enough. The first tow songs come from a similar sonic place, then "Rooftops" is an odd atmospheric instrumental that would normally be more like an interlude, but they did commit almost three minutes to this so it was very much intended. 

It feels like on "the Child in You" they are going more for the Brendan Perry side of the Dead Can Dance equation, but more his debonair lounge side. "Return of the Reapers" is in the same ballpark, more hypnotic in its intent. The bass play creates the most solid groove so far on "the Trickster".     There is a more German folk feel that underpins this one. "I Lit a Light" is less focused but flows pretty well. "The Riffleman's Wedding" kinda breezes by as the songs begin to sound the same, due to the fact that even though they are not using a conventional modern rock format, what they are doing is working off a set formula. The vocals are like a stream of consciousness and not going for hooky melodies. 

"The Beginning of the End" is the first song since the halfway point of the album that has stood out as sounding different. The jazzy patter of the drums lets it wander. It's an instrumental but still works for what it is. There is a similar vibe but with vocals, and it is not as focused as a song as they close the album. I will give this one an 8.5; it works well for the cool, jazzy stroy telling it embarks on chances are I am going to listen to morphine if I am in the mood for this sort of thing. 

Pain of Truth : " s/t"

 I wanted to take a break from our goth month celebration to cover this album from Connecticut's hardcore crusher, as thi album hits hard and is heavy as fuck, while still carrying a great deal of groove. "Done For" is a ridiculous chug. It feels likea cross between Pantera and Agnostic Front. A massive guitar sound that carries a great deal of weight. "Stranded' finds death metal vocals filling in for where gang vocals would normally chime in. The drumming is working over time on this album, but it is worth. The breakdowns do not feel forced as everything flows with the brutality. 

"This Hatred' has angrily rapped vocals in parts of the verses, as they stomp along to something that reminds me of 90s hardcore. While they are heavier than Biohazard in many ways, they are influenced by them. "Unforgiven" is more deliberate, with the vocals spit out with urban aggression, and a somewhat sung part. "Chinatown, NY" is the first song that hits with a more thrashing speed, though this is broken up by a spoken interlude that is more likea skit. There is a more chaotic element held together by solid, grooving riffs. There is a slight Rage Against the Machine vibe, but these guys hold a little more appeal to me in 2026, as the lyrics are not idiotic. 

"Fed By Fear" has a really mean riff driving it. I can only imagine how much karate would be going down at this show. With an album like this, it is hard to keep the intensity up so things dull slightly at this point. "Beyond the Damage" keeps hammering at you with the spitfire vocals firing over it. 'Filth in Your Head" speeds up to a mroe punk tempo, with gang vocals joining in. "Web of Lies" finds the pieces fitting in a hookier manner. "Destroy It All' closes things with a more focused 90s metal groove. The cadance of the vocals fires off in an aggressive manner that flows with the overall vibe of this album. I will give this one a 9.5, if you want some metallic hardcore that is not metalcore this is the album for you. 

Gothtober- Exhuming the Tunes of Christian Death's "the Scriptures"

 The 1987 is a study in comparative religion. It opens with a sample of a televangelist talking about hell. "Song of Songs" kicks things off. It's a more refined and almost pop-focused approach to the songwriting. Valor's vocals carry more of a purr and become more distinguished rather than jsut trying to fill the Rozz Williams void; Gitane is belting in the background. It's the most upbeat thing they have done up to this point, but still works within their identity. There is a weird new wave take on punk that I guess makes sense for 1987 when it comes to "Vanity". It feels less focused than the first song. 

"Four Horsemen" finds them returning to the more languid, narcotic creep that unfolds in many of their more surreal moments. There is some great guitar playing on this album, and this song serves as an example of this fact, even if they bounce into the more quirky pogo hop , similar to what they did on the previous song here. I like the dramatic nature of his vocals here. They cover Jimi Hendrix's "1983," which shows you the influence of psychedelic music and highlights my previous statement about how great the guitar playing was on this album. The curveball they throw is having Gitane take the mic for this one. Not the best mix, but it is 1987, so not really holding the production under a fine-tooth comb. They jam this one out for ten minutes, upholding the vibe of the original. 

"Omega Time' works at a more deliberate march to establish tension similar to a horror movie. It is a little more on their abstract side. "Ringing in their Ears' is more of a noisy interlude. "Golden Age" is a piano ballad that Gitane sings. An almost folky, normal moment before the samples come in to take things in a weird Swans direction. It builds into a choir. "Alpha Sunset" feels like something Psychic TV might do. "Spilt Blood" brings back the marching drum pattern. It's more of an interlude of sound than a song. "Raw War" tumbles out of this. It has a more deconstructed rock feel. She has grit to her belt.

"Reflections" is a long six minutes of experimental modern classical music, or so I'd say. They remember they are a rock band of sorts on "Jezebel's Tribulation," which might not be the darkest song on the album but it is well written and worked for the time it was released while holding up well enough today, though the guitar tones have not aged as well. The last song is darker and, unlike the previous song, has no Van Halen in it; the guitar being used here sits back in the mix. If you are tripping on Halloween and this song comes on, it might work, but it's more about a creepy soup of sound than a song you would return to otherwise. I will give this album an 8.5, an interesting listen but not one I would return to as often as the previous album, which has held up against the legacy better. 

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Gothtober - She Past Away : "Mizanthrop"

 This album came out back in February, and I'm not sure why I waited the bulk of the year to check it out. Not that anything drastically new is happening here; by their own admission, they are reworking a 90s darkwave sound. The Turkish band has a very specific formula they work off  , and it continues to stay in motion here, with perhaps more nuanced guitar parts that are not just droning on. The male vocals are really the only link to a Sisters of Mercy sound, his approach continues in a hushed, breathy baritone that utters lyrics from behind a smoke-veiled shroud of sound. But they do not have the rock punch that Sisters of Mercy has, so the drive is not as booming. 

After three songs, I begin to start wantign to hear a greater range of dynamics. There is a more dialed-in 80s sound this time around, but it only goes so far. "Inziva" finds the beat holding a similar BPM and cadence; they also continue to use the same intervals in the melodies. This might be why I did not immediately jump to check out their album. If they do this same thing on the song after this, I will officially begin to become bored with them. Just because they are a darkwave band and you want to be goth does not mean you should expect less from any of the new big names of the genre. Boy Harsher jsut delivered a banger, so that should be the expectation of every band. With that said jsut playing a louder version of what you were already doing is lazy dynamics.

There is a marginal shift on "Kaypan...". The vocals all sound the same, so that acts as a bit of a hindrance in fully getting behind what is going on here. The guitar sound has improved on this album; it's one way to see their goblet half full. The synth pulses have not. "Kuyui Maar" is danceier; if you are a goth DJ, I imagine this would be the song you would throw in your set from this album, perhaps the beat does not hit as hard, but everything else is more refined. It might be the album's best song. The last song highlights the colder wave vibes they give off in their more stark, detached attitude porjected here, there is less pageantry than what I expect from the more emotive dark wave. They take their time leading into this one, which leads to an almost six-minute song. I guess if yo uare a DJ that needs to go to the bathroom, this plays in your favor, but it is not as groove-oriented as the previous song. Four minutes in it dramatically breaks down andd still has no vocals; what they are doing is not intersting enough to make for an instrumental But they think otherwise. I will give this one an 8.5. jsut based on the fact that it's well done, well produced, and creates the hypnotic sound they are known for, but it feels like they are a bit of a one-trick pony, so if you are a fan of what they do you will like this, but you are probably bored as well. 

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Gothtober -LOR3L3I : "Peace By Proxy'

Heike Langhans from Draconian spearheads this atmospheric darkwave project. The darkness lurks under the surface at first listen; her ethereal voice just glides over synths, but holds a great deal of melancholy. Her melodies are well crafted and arranged; the music under her voice is more minimal. Nothing like the work she's done in the various metal bands she has worked with over the years, but that is the point. "Black Widow" casts more of a shadow. There is more urgency in its pulse. The subtle storm lingering in "Fables" is pretty powerful. 

"Exogeneis"  is more ambient than the previous song, working with a whisper of a throb and a strong emotional current. It is a song best heard through headphones. The lyrics cut through when enveloped in the sound this way. "Oneiro" is more of a slow burn with the hushed vocals compressed in layers of synth and a lone bass line ringing out. It might have to grow on me, but it does not hook me in like the others. There is more of a beat to "Passive Resistance," but much lik the song's title, it approaches it in a more minimalist, almost fragile fashion. In some ways, the mood of this album reminds me of Kate Bush's "Sensual World " album. Comparisons could also be drawn in equal measure to Chelsea Wolfe or Cocteau Twins, depending on the angle of the songs you hear this from. It is very surreal. The production is increbile it's the most amazing mix so far. 

"Drive" is more of a banger; depending on how hard you need your bangers to bang, you are not going to twerk to this unless high on opiates. Some 90s dramatics are in play without going new wave on "Rogue". The vocal melody is killer. It creates an almost synthwave mood. The title track also comes closer to having a more accessible sound. That synthwave element is in play but from a different sonic direction than the previous song. The album does take a turn in the third act with songs like this that have a beat that is more driving. The last song is "Opaline Tears," which drops back to become more of a ballad, though her vocals are not as layered and allow you to hear a purer quality of her voice.The rock guitars at the end surprised me.  I will give this album a 10; it is totally stunning. If you like a more melancholy whimsy to your ethereal darkwave, you need to hear this album; if you like great-sounding albums with beautiful voices perfectly captured, you need to listen to this album. It's being released on Avantgarde Records. 

 

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Gothtober- Exhuming Tunes with Christian Death's "Atrocities"

Here is where things get tricky: it splits them off into two timelines, so here is the first album with the Valor Kand lineup. This album is just about Nazi Germany with an emphasis on Josef Mengele. After a symphonic build-up that lingers, "Will O Wisp" kicks in with a more metallic heft; Gitane is also along for the ride on this lineup.  It's one of the albums I have not spent as much time with over the years, but I enjoy it when I hear it. "Tales of Innocence' is slow, creepy, and atmospheric, which also marks the stylistic change for the band. On the previous album, you can hear where things were going in this direction. It further cements the shift from death rock to goth. The melodies are pretty haunting, which works for me

. I can understand how people want to take Rozz's side, and it made more sense when he was alive, but you have to appreciate what is being done here if yo uare a fan of dark music. "Strapping Me Down" has more of a punkish death rock jangle to it, showing that even now they have not turned their backs on the genre they created. "The Danzig Waltz" is a more languid wallowing in ambiance. I appreciate how Valor adapted something that was very much unique to Rozz and kept that signature to uphold what this band is about, meaning he got andd respected Rozz's vision. "Chimere Di Ce Di La" leans more in the rock direction with a decent side of weird. 

They are more focused on "Silent Thunder". The solid bass line follows the goth formula to root it.  They wander into a strange, dark weirdness for the more Doors-like crooning. The guitar is angular as the arrangement carries an aura of New Orleans blues. It floats more than grooves."Ventriloquist" snarls back with more punch. This shows that Valor also understands the rowdy punk side of the band. They cover Billie Holiday's "Gloomy Sunday," which is an odd choice considering the theme of this album. Gitane does it in her own touch, which works. "The Death of Josef' closes the album. It's more of a ghostly atmospheric outro. Overall, this album works to uphold the legacy as they kept the band going. I will give it a 9.5 

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Gothtober- Lord of Acid : "Mundo Bizarro"

 This is the project's first album since 2018 andd their first with Carla Harvey off the Butcher Babies on vocals .The opening tracks her blending pretty well and not introducing her more aggressive apporach to vocals than past singers until  the second song. There are some touches of the synths that colored the more techno beginnings of "Lust", but it feels more like a rock album, which could also have been said back when "Voodoo-U" came out. "El Mundo..." has more Latin flair while also flirting with some dub sound before busting into rock. The chorus is a little weak and does not hold up to the first two songs. 

"Dopamine War" finds them back into the more electronic grooves that work best for what this project should be doing. "Maximo Roboto" feels more like KMFDM with its industrial stomp and metallic guitars. I think the less sexed-up feel of the songs makes tnot feel like a Lords of Acid album. They are all over the place, going from Spanish to German here. The German feels more true to who they are. There is a more sultry vibe to "City of Angels" .  Though I am not sure about the chorus, and the production tends to be hit or miss on this album. This is the first time it's sounded clunky. Perhaps it's the blending of the electronic with the guitars. 

"Stoned Today" has more of an industrial pulse. The guitar mix is still suspect. Songwriting feels more natural, but the chorus is still a little week. They used to keep things simpler and catchier. It's a small world, after all, as now they are adding Japan to Germany and Mexico on this world tour of musical styles. It's the album's worst song. The purpose of "You're Obscence " shows us the lane they need to stay in/ Lyrically, she is just announcing that you want to fuck her ass, but for this project, that is what we need more of. The world tour finishes in Norway, which is the last appropriation, as there is no reason Nordic folk has any reason to appear here. I will give this album an 8.5, which makes it a pretty decent album, but considering who this is it falls short of what you expect from them,

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