German progsters are back with a more solemn affair. It is very dramatic and well produced, with dense vocal layers. The first track seems to be connected to the second song, which is where things really kick in. It's a massive-sounding album with a great wall-of-guitar sound. There is some intricate groove thanks to the stellar drumming captured here. The female vocals step out of the shadows and closer to the spotlight on this one as well. "Light Pollution" works off a more subtle throb, slowly building its momentum. With smoothly crooned vocals leading the way. The drummer is straight killing it on this album.
"Simulacra" is 17 minutes long. It opens with female vocals by Lane Shi. How much fat needs to be trimmed is the first thing. It kicks in after two and a half minutes. The vocals weave hypnotically through the groove as the saxophone bleats over everything. It has more of a post-grunge 90s prog metal feel. Five minutes in, things take a more modern rock turn. The song should have ended at the seven-and-a-half-minute mark as it drops out into a piano part. Sure, it gathers some symphonic majesty andd heads toward Dream Theater territory but without the cheese. At the 11 minute we are locked in a prog groove. Then Shi takes over.
"Belligerence' lives up to its name with screamed vocals leading the way into a more aggressive punch. The lock into a very Tool-like groove for this one. "Ultima Esperana" finds harsher vocals return to be counterbalanced by Shi again. "Milk of My Dreams ' is a more subdued elctronic track. They keep the beat going on the last song. Thematically, it is literally a jam off that song, even lyrically. So similar to what they did at the beginning of the album in this regard. I will give it a 9.5, as it sounds perfect, but they do am a bit and it's more of a hypnotic album than a hooky one. But where they excel is that this is progressive rock that actually progresses/
The opening track of this Portland-based band's second album has an oppressive quality. The vocals deviate from what you expect of black metal, and they seem more preoccupied with being heavy than with staying confined to the death metal label. Though they are marginally more death metal than they are metalcore. Though they would be more clearly melodic death metal if there were not a weird dissonance to what they do, which, as chaotic as it is, helps solidify their identity.Almost likea slower Cattle Decapitation at times. The second song winds around more, and I thought they had diverted off into a different song until I looked up at the computer. So focus is not that song's strength.
"Lunar Degenerates": I find the return of the sung vocals, which are more Alice in Chains-like here, as given more space. I like the creeepy feel it reminds me of Acid Bath. "Abysmal Trench" is a great title, of course, but it is also more chaotic than what they have been doing so far and clsoer to metalcore. The title track has more purpose, but it is also more metalcore, but that does not make the name of the genre a bad word as it's not working off the more mainstream, predictable side of it. There is some zaniness on "They Will Miss You " that sound like the Melvins jamming with At the Gates.
"Coma" finds them back in a more crazed state as double bass hammers things into place. Perhaps it gets too crazed for its own good and loses the path of the song, amid mammoth chugging. "Husk" has some purpose to its pound thanks to the bass line; it is one of the album's heavier moments. It makes me think of something Karym Crisis would have been a part of. It grows on me with additional listens. The sung vocals work best on this song. I will give this album a 9 and see how it grows on me. There are some strong vibes but sometimes they get caught up in the chug. They rare progressive metal core is what I came up with.
"Silent Alarm" might have been this band's calling card, but it was their subsequent albums that proved they were not just a band wanting to sound like Gang of Four. Some of this camke in the willingness to experiment with formula; some of it came with the vocals employing a more melodic cadance. Both those elements are in place here. Ths first track feels morel ike an intro, but they pull it all together for "Coming On Strong". They have a more upbeat bounce on "Love Bombs" that finds electronic beats moving the song. At this point in time, Kele and Russell Lissack are the only original members. This is sure to play a part in the evolution of their sound.
The energetic motion of the music is not as explosive or urgent as their earlier work, but there is a great deal of finely tuned thought put into the songs, though there are moments where they get ahead of themselves, as the dub-tinged "Pigwig" is not as strong as the first two songs. Perhaps it is just too British for their own good. "Lagoon Blue" carries more atmosphere, which gives the vocals more space to wander. Allowing Kele to find more nuanced vocal colors.
"Muscleworks" is the first song that has any homoerotic lyrics, but they are done pretty tastefully. It's also one of the album's hookiest songs. "Clark Kent" continues the album's trend of electronic drums being the primary percussive force of this album.. The lyrics continue to improve as the album progresses. Where the post-punk earlier days were more driven, the mature pacing allows him to continue finding his voice, with this feeling closer to his final form.
"Wort Birthday Ever" is not as focused as some of the other songs, but he touches on his more aggressive vocal apporach as the lyrics are spit out more forcefully. "Not the Problem" is more playful, though, dancing with a more bitchy queen energy. Synths set "Now We Can't Be Friends" into motion. Lyrically, he continues to sort through his drama. Not every moment is focused; some of the more balladic moment kill the momentum too much. It's when the electronics lean into a more tense, moodier groove, like on "Moving," that what they are doing works best, even with the minimalism. They do not always feel as sure of themselves in today's musical landscape, as this one borrows from the Temper Trap's "Sweet Disposition". 'Eulogy" is pretty upbeat considering its title. I will give this one a 9, and see how it grows on me.
Here is the last "goth" album I am going to review before I start sabdbaggin them for next month's "Gothtober." I really liked the "Nostalgia" album, but based on what I remember from that one, it feels like this time around things are more streamlined and sonically in line with your more typical darkwave sound. There was a murkier sound before that gave a dense atmosphere and gave this project its own sound. But with any style of music that leans on technology to sustain the electronic elements, it is also subject to the new trends that come with such andd the upgrades that come along the way in the constant refinement of a sound. The drum programming has not advanced since then, and things move with a droning hypnosis. It does grow on me as the second song got better with another listen.
There is a more synthwave feel to the keyboards here and a smoother, more future pop like beart, The only problem with this is that it is not as dark and feels more like the Pet Shop Boys. There is also more of a dancey feel to "Close to Me". The vocals are more of a droning chant that is in time with the beat rather than anything hooky. The 80s vibes at times give them a TR/ST sound. This continues on " Tonight". "Chains" rides a similar groove, making it seem like this album is going to succumb to a uniform feel until it gets to "Sweet Poison," that benfits from increased atmosphere.
"Abstraction" is more upbeat and dancey if that is the kind of thing you are into; I prefer a darker throb, but they have other ideas. It's not wrong, just different. "The Spell" gets darker and has a more haunting synth line, so I am not going to complain about that."Stormy Eyes" dives back into the 80s and puts the leg warmers on. They gather some momentum here. At times, it brings Boy Harsher to mind in how the vocals are produced."Mistery" sounds like video game music. The vocals balance this out a little, and it is intersting to here the come up in the mix. "Drizzle" closes the album with a somewhat darker shift. Overall, they are still good at what they do, and it creates a solid vibe for this time of year, so I will give it a 9.
Even though she is now 6 albums into her career as a solo artist "Marked For Death" will always be the bar her work is measured against. She did not try to meet it head-on with "On Dark Horses," and it worked wonderfully. She is taking another side step, which pays off on the opening track, then deviates into introspection from an even sharper angle on "God's Picture". What is so different, you ask? Well, she is using different vocal colors and bringing different instrumentation into the mix, with piano being a more focal point. In the past, she has had a more 90s alternative sound, whereas this album finds her not as dark as the other folk-rock sirens of the day, yet still bearing her signature sound amid the changes.
"Anvil" finds a strum can get the same things accomplished when it comes to the steamy grooves her music is prone to summon. She brings the emotion I want from her and keeps flexing her vocal cords, adding more nuanced colors as she blends her head register. She blends the strum of her acoustic with a more rock drive on "Catherine Wheel," which does not seem to be about the band. The more 90s feel is back on this one and elevates it to my favorite song so far; what can I say, I like what I like. I am going to guess that Gina Gleason is playing all the guitar solos.
There is a more subdued feel to the strum of "Don't Delay Heaven". It's more of a ballad, but needed to give dynamic range to the album and flows really well. Based on the lyrics, "Enough" is sort of the title track; it weaves with the melody in a manner not unlike what we like about her past work. It builds into a chaotic swell while the main theme of the song churns under it. "Human Kindness" wanders a bit, making it more about the mood it gathers to build into a soaring climax.
"Oceans of Time" finds Lukas Frank joining her as he layers his voice with hers, and Marissa Nadler also chimes in, making this album an intersection for all the Millennial Alternative sirens, as Chelsea Wolfe's drummer Jess also plays on this album, but it is more of an outro. Overall, I will round this one up to a 10 as she gets the done done and maintains her level of artistry; it is good to have her back in this context, now let's see how this album is going to grow on me. There is a little from all of her varied sides, though not big on the heaviness yet; there is a little of that here and there.Being released on her own imprint Errant Child Records.
This album sounds great, but there is some weirdness going on as this is a French bandd playing Nordic music. If you know history, you might be aware that the French and what became Norway didn't have the best relations during the Viking years, so cosplaying Vikings is an odd choice, but ok. When it comes to songwriting for this sort of thing it can be a mixed bag the second song finds things clicking more, though there is a bit of frolicking going on. Once again this album sounds great, so from that angle they have everything covered, but we already have more legit acts doing thiss sort of thing, so they need to put some distance between themselves and those or this is going to sound like something I have already heard.
The female vocals take the lead on "Ratatoskr". It is more atmospheric. It goes off in a more hypnotically droning direction that is a little darker. "Dokksalir" is both more solemn and has a little more dance in its boots. "Utgard" is also heavy on the ambiance, as the female vocals continue to be the main voice of this album. The male throat singing follows in and trades places, but not as a call-and-response as you might expect; instead, it transitions into what feels more like another song. It works well enough for what this is, but the songs are beginning to have a similar feel.
"Ek Skal Rida" carries a more ambient, ritualistic feel, with spoken-word vocals serving as the narrative. This would also make this feel more like an interlude, except for the fact that this track is six and a half minutes; they do chime in with a chanted vocal just before the midway point. Sometimes they build to a more rhythmic chant that creates more of a groove. It sounds good, but when it comes to songwriting just riding chanted drones is not much to work with. This does not build off of something that would set them apart as it's what they need.
Heiemo" is a little more haunting, with a primitive pulse to it. But it is also not doing anything new, which is the swamp these 'vikings" find themselves in. Sure, Heilung got huge for what they do, but that does not mean we need more of that. "Veit barni" finds the fiddle setting the tone; hell, they might even get a hurdy-gurdy in the mix. It's the darker ambiance at the periphery of the song that makes it interesting. But as a two-minute instrumental, there is only so much they can do. There is a more cinematic feel to the last song. There is some chanting and growled muttering as they keep a steady thump with their hand drums. I will give this album an 8. It works for what they are doing, but what they are doing has been done by more authentic sources. I guess Napalm Records felt the need to have a band like this on the roster, so here we are, as it's the band's first album for them and drops September 25th.
This Canadian band is poised to be one of the biggest goth-adjacent acts of 2026 as they have been top-billed at many festivals already. times around things work off a bigger throb that carries the weight of synthwave and festival edm. There is more of their familiar style of post-punk on "Youth". Rather than stark tension it works off a more danceable energy. On "Stimulation" this is almost taken to the furthest end of the spectrum before becoming pop music. There is a little more urgency thanks to the more organic bass line of "Left on Read". The vocals stick to a similar desperate tone. To their credit, they are not trying to be Interpol; sometimes there is a more serious baritone inflection, but they are not as dark or unsettled. If this had come out twenty years ago, it would have put them alongside acts like the Killers.
"Dead Inside" is the first song that leans into the shadow to wink at the goth segment of their fan base. It starts a little more like "Bela Lugosi's Dead, " but things get more upbeat once we get to the chorus, and it is an improvement of mood, which was beginning to feel to carefree despite this being a collection of melodramatic break songs. There is a denser electronic pulse to "Object of Desire," and darker synths emerge in places. "In Real Life" is more introspective and melodic, expanding the overall dynamics of the album. Then they get another darker moment for "I'm Not Here"
There is a cold wave feel to the detached mood of "Exploded View." The last song 'Bad Boys," has a Gary Numan vibe to it. The guitar rings out but feels like it sits distant in the mix. The robotic mood is what they were going for, so I guess that it works for what it is, but Gary Numan does this better. I will give this album a 9.5, and see how it grows on me, as it sounds great andd puts them where they need to be as artists, but it will be interesting to watch how this album connects with their expected demographic, as it falls between the cracks: not dark or tense enough to really be goth or post-punk, but not hooky enough to be pop. In ome ways, I think what they are doing here has more in common with a bandd like the Faint. Their current fan base should be into it, so we can see where they go from here. Being released on Artoffact Records who I don’t see doing a major marketing campaign for them.; In fact I had to hunt this one down myself, but as art it's a needed step of maturity for this band.
