Vioflesh -"Melancolia"

 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. 

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EMMA RUTH RUNDLE: "Thee Killing Times"

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.

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Skald : "Ørlǫg"

 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.

10/11

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Actors : "Our Love Will Live Forever"

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.

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DESOLAT : "People As Idiots & Idiots As Leaders"

 

They must worship Black Flag in Austria, as the first song strikes me as a more metal version of Black Flag; the vocals are howled in a Rollins fashion for sure. But let's face Black Flag is not  Black Flag these days, and the Rollins Band is retired, so someone needs to scratch that itch. There is a good amount of sludge mixed in when it comes to the big riffs. The vocals also switch to a snarl midway into the song, which furthers this comparison. The riffs shift to a darker place I enjoy. "Pig Race to the Apocalypse" sounds like they just left the tape rolling and jammed out of the first song. They switch up the riffs in a more metal-than-punk manner, making me reasonably sure this is a sludge bandd with black Flag influence.

On "This Sadness Makes Me Rage," It feels like the vocals are balancing out the more melodic direction the guitars are going by being more abrasive. The song wanders into Jarboe doing a spoken-word section that sounds like his therapist giving him a pep talk, which works for me and makes it the most interesting song thus far. Both groove and chaos are colliding for "No Depression When Dead" as it devolves into a jazz-like din. There is a similar but more nuanced riff paving the way for "Wannabe VIP," which finds a girl taking over the mic. This is the band's third album so they clearly know what they want to do here.  

The tense, muted riff driving "Good People Keep Their Mouths Shut..."  carries a sinewy Jesus Lizard-ish mood. There is indeed a dash of noise rock in the burly mix of sounds as well. The most punk moment is "the Art of Shit," but even then some sludgy riffs crash in. It is, however, more Stooges than Black Flag, which I appreciate. Even though experimenting with samples gives it a twist, they stay pretty punk on "Cyberdyne Employment Application". This is still tempered with an almost Slayer-like riff. The vocals twist into an Eyehategod-like sneer on the last time; this is not the first time it's happened on this album, but the most prominent. I like what they are doing on this album I will give it a 9.

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PIG : "Dirt Box"

 

Raymond Watts has been particularly prolific these days. After releasing "Hurt People Hurt People," he is releasing this EP. It opens up with the very guitar-driven "An American Ideal of Beauty". If it reminds you of KMFDM, it's probably because Gunter Schulz is laying down the metallic riffs on it. There is almost a more 90s industrial metal feel to "Your Reptillian Overlord Presents" that is not unlike the kind of thing Rob Zombie was doing on his most recent album, though a bit darker and more nuanced industrial vocals than the roar Zombie normally delivers. But the crunch and groove are present and working well here. 

"Infidel" carries more atmospheric fear in the more lurking tension of its verses than the anthemic chorus. The vocals drop down into a lower, more dramatic register before building up in the more arena-ready Rob ombie manner. Yes. I am well aware of the fact KMFDM was making this kind of music long before Rob Zombie, or at least back when he was making crusty sludge punk that was trying to be the Stooges. However, since then he has perfected a formula that keeps him headlining stages, so it must be working.  Watts is certainly drawing inspiration from artists that came after him, as there is a Marilyn Manson feel to "Butterfly", another artist whose beginnings were different than where they are today, but has developed a formula that has a proven track record. Here Watts perhaps winks too heavilly in that direction. 

This ends the original song format, and the rest of the album is remixes. The thing about remixes, when presented in this fashion, almost makes me think if the remixed version is better than the original, then why did they just not make the remixed version the original and release an album of the best vision of these songs? With "Your Reptillian Overlord Presents," the breakbeats give a more original soung but the mix lays the vocals bare and makes them sound more like Marilyn Manson, so it's a mixed bag. "An American Ideal of Beauty" is remixed by Stabbing Westward, who brough a more 90s sound to things. It takes the heavier guitars out of the equation until the chorus. Which works well enough, and I can hear a "goth night " DJ  spinning this version rather than the original.

Combichrist's re-mix of "Butterfly" sounds more likea cover with Andy's vocals added to it. It is softened by the synth sounds. , however it all works well. Rabbit Junk's take on "Infidel" is heavy but from a different anglee as it's more industrial and less metal. If you do not know what that means, then why are you reading this review?  Anyway they capture a solid groove.Despite leaning into a more modern sound what his does here works great I will give it a 9 and see how it grows on me . Drops on Metropolis Records

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MASSTERON : "Second in the Spheres"

This Polish black metal band carries a raw punk aggression in their violent attack on your ears while writing riffs rather than just defaulting to the standard tremolo-picked guitars. More rabid than msot it makes me think of a less epic for feral version of Immortal. "True Midnight" is powered by a pretty killer riff that cuts through the other instruments and takes control of the chaotic mix. They remind me of the early days of 80s metal, when the term black metal was just referring to a more satanic thrash or death metal band on the song "Achronon".  This makes even more sense considering there is a slight hint of a Deicide vibe going on in terms of the hateful aggression being vented. 

Then things go wild on "Strife Eternal,"  with the beginning of the song feeling like it is more deliberate, as a "Show No Mercy" era Slayer influence cuts through. Though they are pretty steeped in metal tropes that I have been hearing since the 80s, when not caught up in a whirlwind of blast beats, that shines a light on the lo-fi drum sound that guitars have distracted me from up to this point. The Slayer vibes continue on "Sidereal Chaoskamp," but they begin to feel like a more obligatory layer of sound. Sometimes they play too fast for their own good when a more deliberate tempo might come across as both darker and heavier. I can hear where they are trying to go on the last song, but the arrangement could use some tightening in order to make sense of where they are trying to go . Once again, their need for speed gets the best of them. That said, they do care about songwriting when lost in the frenzied blur of their own riffs, and it captures an era of metal I think fondly upon. I will give this one an 8.5  . This album drops on  ATMF September 24th. 

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