Gothtober - the Top 10 Goth Albums of 2020

It's that time of year again . It might seem early to start this in November , but record labels have pretty much send me most of what this year has to offer already , by the time I am done sorting through the top 10 albums of all the respective genres, I will then compile the top 10 albums of the year. I know many of you are ready for 2020 to be over with. Hate to break it to you but nothing is getting better next year.; As far as 2020 goes for goth there are only two new bands on this years list .The very fact these bands made it on the list speaks to how great these albums are, so it's not a slight that the number 8 album is above the 9th album, there is something that just gives it an edge that makes me want to listen to it more.

After all we can try to look cool and pick the hippest bands for a list, but at the end of the day what makes an album the best is that it makes you want more, you look forward to listening to it again. Sure you can bitch and complain about your favorite band not being on the list. However  I listen to five new albums a day so yes I heard your favorite album and was not impressed. No, I do not care what you think about it. I do hope you can find your next favorite on this list ; and have included links to reviews of these albums if you want to check out audio on these guys. Anyways here are the top 10 goth albums of 2020

10  - Black Needle Noise -"These Mortal Covers" 

 John Fryer one half of This Mortal Coil, released this covers album. Much like with This Mortal Coil, different singers lent their voices . It ranged from an industrial take of Nancy Sinatra's "Bang Bang" to a darker more introspective vision of "What a Wonderful World" .  

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2020/10/gothtober-black-needle-noise-these.html

 

9-Kanga-" Eternal Daughter"

 At the top of the heap for future pop / dark wave. Her voice exudes sex appeal even when just talking her way through a song. Sure there is lots of stuff that came out this year in this vein , she just did it better . 

 https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2020/10/gothtober-kanga-eternal-daughter.html

 

8-Cripple Black Phoenix - " "Ellengæst"

 They lost their singer and went in a darker direction. Bringing in singers from bands ranging from Tribulation to Fotocrime. It is progressive only if you mean becoming progressively more depressing , which is a beautiful thing.

 https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2020/10/gothtober-crippled-black-phoenix.html  

7-Clan of Xymox This darker turn from their 2017 album is much needed. They are now among the top tier with their peers from this era, if there was any doubt.

 https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2020/10/gothtober-clan-of-xymox-spider-on-wall.html

 

 

 6-Alter de Fey- " And May Love Conquer All" 

 Lots of bands claimed to be death rock and are really just punk with some make up on at best, this band is a legit as it gets. Proof that if you stick to your guns the wheel of trends will spin back around to you. In the same vein of death rock as Christian Death. This is text book death rock. What sets them apart is they did not have to worry about capturing a sound as that came naturally.

 https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2020/10/gothtober-altar-de-fey-and-may-love.html

5-Rosegarden Funeral Party- "At the Stake"

 Yes, there is a Siouxsie influence, but that is not what defines their sound, nor are they a tribute act pretending to write originals . They have a sound but they also have songs and are not afraid to beef it up a little bit on the rock side.

 https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2020/06/rosegarden-funeral-party-at-stake.html

 

4-Bestial Mouths- "RESURRECTEDINBLACK" 

 It makes me think of what might happen if Diamanda Galas jammed with Switchblade Symphony. I like that it opens new doors of sound and takes the darkness of this album in another direction, not painting in the same shade of black. A more driving industrial pulse pushes the last song ahead. This works as it is great to hear the dynamic range of this album.

 https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2020/10/gothtober-bestial-mouths.html

3- Marilyn Manson - We Are Chaos 

This and the two releases that follow could have all taken the number one spot, but how much air time they got factored into edging each other into the respective places these albums fell. This one finds Manson picking up where he left off with "Mechanical Animals" . Glam at time but a less gaudy version than "Dope Show".  This album shine the most when he is out of his comfort zone and following in the steps of March Bolan rather than Trent Reznor. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2020/09/mariyn-manson-we-are-chaos.html

2-Corlyx< 'Together Apart"

 The duo's first album for Negative Grain finds them making a conscious shift from the more electro industrial stylings of their last album to making a goth album. By goth it leans more toward the post -punk side of the equation on the first song rather than darkwave or death rock. What I like about this is how they are not emulating any one band.

 https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2020/07/corlyx-together-apart.html 

 

1-Sound VVitch- "Becoming" 

 This project based out of New York blends dark wave and industrial, though not neatly falling into either sub genre. It is too heavy for dark wave and works of slow slithering pounds rather than a neat dance floor ready groove. This album is in the number one spot , because the song have just demanded that I listen to them more than other albums. Not just other goth albums, it competes for air time against all of my favorite artists. When you consider the amount of music ingest this is an even more impressive feat and speaks to the quality of these songs. If you are reading this article you like dark music, so you need to give this a listen . 

 https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2020/05/sound-vvitch-becoming.html 

Gothtober - the Top 10 Post Punk Albums of 2020

 

It's that time of year again .  It might seem earlier to start this in November , but record labels have pretty much sent me most of what this year has to offer already , by the time I am done sorting  through the top 10 albums of all the respective genres, I will use  them, to compile the top 10 albums of the year. I know many of you are ready for 2020 to be over with. Hate to break it to you but nothing is getting better next year.  As far as 2020 goes for post- punk there are only two new bands on this years list .  The very fact these bands made it on the list speaks to how great these albums are, so it's not a slight that the number 8 album is above the 9th album, there is something that just gives it an edge that makes me want to listen to it more.

After all we can try to look cool and pick the hippest bands for a list, but at the end of the day what makes an album the best is that it makes you want more, you look forward to listening to it again. Sure you can bitch and complain about your favorite band not being on the list. However  I listen to five new albums a day so yes I heard your favorite album and was not impressed. No,  I do not care what you think about it.   I do hope you can find your next favorite on this list  and  have included links to reviews of these albums if you want to check out audio on these guys. Anyways here are the top 10 post-punk  albums of 2020  

10- Protomartyr- "Ultimate Success Today" 

This more streamlined approach is a continuation of the thri more current sound, while it might lack the edge of their earlier work, it does show they have more than enough song writing chops . 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2020/07/protomartyr-ultimate-success-today.html

9- Deep Tissue - "Patience or Fear" 

Most of the time when I look for 'post- punk" bands I want something that is more goth than punk. I do like actual post -punk that is tense sprawling and sonic , but as with most music I want it to be dark. Here is a band that strikes the dark chords for me. They do have punk drive to them as well.

 https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2020/10/gothtober-deep-tissue-patience-or-fear.html

8- Fotocrime - "South of Heaven"

 A solid release as Ryan from Coliseum continues down the dark road he began with this project. He is joined by the drummer from Metz . There is more of a dancey groove that makes this feel more like Love & Rockets than Joy Division. There is less of the punk like tension that colors most of the more modern takes on this genre. 

 https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2020/03/fotocrime-south-of-heaven.html

  7-Death Bells - "New Signs of Life" 

 This band a great song writers with focused and intentional sound they still care about the songs. Not as stark and monotone as Ian Curtis. The grim narrative of their singer doesn't add as much melody as the other instruments. Thise album sounds great and serves as a triumph on their end.

 https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2020/09/death-bells-new-signs-of-life.html

-

6-Wailin Storms - "Rattle" 

 These guys have evolved their sound into something darker and more sonically intense. Their best work to date. If you like your post punk with more of a drunken ramble to it then this album is for you.

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2020/05/wailin-storms-rattle.html

5- Uniform - "Shame" 

 There is no shame in the risks they took with this album as they paid off. They ventured from their noisy brand of post punk, that was heavier on the punk to begin with and gave a pinch of industrial, it was the twist they needed as this album is much more inspired than anything else I have heard from them. 

 https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2020/09/uniform-shame.html

4-Team Picture - 'The Menace of Mechanical Music"

 These Brtis have excelled at not only capturing the sounds , but cared enough to turn them into songs while they were at it. Moody in the right ways with enough tension to remain compelling.

 https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2020/08/team-picture-menace-of-mechanical-music.html

 

3-the Damned - "the Rockfield Files"

 Yes they have kept up with the times and are not just living off nostalgia. They are great musicians and solid song writers even if it leaves me wondering who passed Captain Sensible the bong. The songs did grow on me and it's a fun easy listen even if it's not exactly as dark as I want it to be

 https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2020/10/gothtober-damned-rockfield-files.html

" 

2-We Choose Forever - "True Love" 

 The genre is rooted in an era so recreating that time period seems to be one focal point, they dial this in without being to tied with the conventions that come with it. There are the drab baritone vocals , but here is where they are not satisfied with remaining complacent .We need as much dark music as we can get this year making this album a must.

 https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2020/07/we-chose-forever-true-love.html

1-Rope Sect - "The Great Flood" 

I often say in reviews, I will give this whatever score and see how it sits with me. This album went from a 9.5 to 10. They exceded expectations. A bands I have enjoyed to one of the best bands this year. This is one of the rare perfect albums that blends an almost metal aggression with melancholy darkness. There is not enough words to ecxpress how much this album rules. No one came close in this race at all.  

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2020/06/rope-sect-great-flood.html

Black Foxxes : "s/t"

 

This band from Bristol came hard and  restless on their first album then had a sophomore slum. I get not wanting to make the same record twice, but you gotta keep what works best. Can these guys recapture the magic? What I want here is for these guys to get back to a place closer to "I'm Not Well". There is a marginally more brooding mood to the opening song that gives me hope. They deliever with the rock on the eight and a half minute "Badlands". Ya know they do not have to rock out with the grunge energy they once did , as I also dig "Drug Holiday", I mean dynamically it makes sense as that would have been a difficult momentum for them to maintain. "My Skin is" is wonderfully written. Yes it is somewhat poppy, but in more of a Placebo way. I am fine with this as well. They coast along similar lines , though less poppy with "Panic".

 The guitar is more Smashing Pumpkins like. The main difference between this album and "I'm Not Well" is the production. They do have a great deal more colors to work with, but I like the emotional intensity of their first album.   Yes, he is a good singer. This point is highlighted on "Swim" . It is kind of a step back into the more Radiohead like zipcode of the last album. "Jungle Skies" has a better flow. It goes some where instead of hovering. I am not sure I would say this is a groove , but it is movement. 

"the Diving Bell" is one of the albums better songs, it doesn't get to where "I 'm Not Well" but I think this is a way to progress for the band as it holds onto the unhinged crazy feel of the grungey album, but allows them to branch out into the more indie rock melodic direction. A big Beach Boys like chorus.Three minutes in and they remember they do have access to distortion pedals even if they are not using them in the most conventional rock ways. The way the song breaks back down is a true testimony to dynamics. I will round this one up to 9.5 no problem, so just a hair under the perfection the achieved on the first album, but this is what they should have done on the last album .

Gothtober -Black Angel : " Kiss of Death"

The bass line sounds like most of the Sisters of Mercy influence lies. Though they do ass vemale back up vocals and the programmed drums might be more understated despite thei attempts to replicate and 80s sound. Right now now they are riding the line between an obsession of capturing a sound and still writing song. The ydo have some dynamics. The guys voice is not as low as Eldritchs. This is not a bad thing as if he was totally trying to sound like him then it would push them too far toward being a tribute band masqureading as one trying to write original music. I appreciate this is dark and the decade that inspires them but not blown away.

I like the vocals a little more on the second song "Animal" which is the lead single. The only draw back is it plod around the same tempo to give a uniformoty to their sound. There is more though put toether in hope the vocals sit upon this creating a hookier feel. The bass hasa clicky sound that I begin to pick up on. The female vocals come in later in the song rather than right at the chorus which works in their favor. There is more punk feel to "Alchemy" which is a wise choice to break things up.
"Call of the Night" reminds me of INXS ' 'Devil In Inside" . That is ok as it is one of my favorite songs of all time. The pace picks back up on "Hurricane" . This time around it is not as compelling as what they did on "Alchemy". Not a bad song, just not their best.

"Want For More" is upbeat in the vein of Love & Rockets. There is oddly a fuzzed out garage rock like bass line to " Put Your Lips on Me". This is left of center choice . The song itself is more rock n roll so I makes sense in that regard. The strummed guitar at the beginning adds another color to their spectrum. Not that things shift from darker shades that dramatically nor do they want to as I do not like this albums happier moments as well. "Prisoner" is catchy and grows on me despite leaning more toward their more upbeat side/. "Kiss of Death" has the Vincent Price sample  it. Dark and with some substance to the songwriting it works for ,me. I will give this album an 8.5 , not going to be on my end of the year list but a solid album.

Gothtober - SALEM - "Fires in Heaven"

 It's been 10 fucking years since their last full length "King Night" . I loved that album so the bar is pretty high, so when they opened up the album with some trailer park sounding symphonic hip hop I was skeptical, but they come back and give me just what I was wanting on the title track. It is dark and murky. Witch House resurrected in time for Halloween. If I still did cocaine , this is what I would be doing it to with some gothed out mentally unstable whores in a seedy motel. That is the image that come to mind. They blend the spooky atmospheric chaos  with hip hop  for "Crisis" . There is a more industrial punch to the nightmarish soaring of "Sears Tower" . I love the vocals on this one. They are produced perfectly. Jesus I have missed these guys. 

"Starfall" is more like a pop ballad run thru a filter of futuristic narcotics. This is different for them. Perhaps not as dark as I want, but it is still them , so I live with this. 'Wings" kind of floats off from the mood of the previous song. I like the previous song a little better. This is almost more like an interlude. "Red River" is one of the lead singles from this album and rightfully so. It blends hip hop with the darker moods you came here for. "Old Gods" brings back the darkness. There is a Post Malone like quality to it. But the vocals are better has they become run through a distorted effect on the chorus. They song is really fire all the way around . This album might have a wider emotional range than "King Night" but "King Night" is darker. 

"Braids" is just an instrumental interlude that might have been better served as the intro to "DieWithMe". How high were they when this song was recorded. I like the atmosphere. It is not as dark, but feels like opiates set to music. If I ever relapse it will be to this song. If one day you read on Cvlt Nation that I am dead, this was probably the last song I heard. "Not Much of Life" is a more conventional sounding song in some ways. I will give this a 9. It could have been darker. Yes, "King Night" is a better album. But this brings them back to us and I will take what I can get. With that said this is still excellent and far from just settling for what ever crumbs we as fans are thrown. I think they accomplished what they set out to do and really with 10 years between album we can not expect them to just pick up where they left off. 

Rabbit Junk : "Xenospheres"

 It's a mixed bag right from the start. These guys have a strong online following. The provlme is the guitars really sound like shit. They are super digita.l and really thin. It just doesn't sound heavy. The only reason I kept listening is because the vocals which are closer to a Post Malone style of pop on the verses caught my ear. 'the Bends" they are trying for a heavier sound which doesn't work thanks to the sub par guitar sound. I think these guys work best when trying to not have a metal sound . They are better at the more pop thing. As evident on the song 'Relentless". The key is less guitar the better. If you think "But wait these guys are a heavy band' then you do not know what heavy is and should go back to the trailer park and continue inbreeding. 

"Prismatic' works better with the female vocal accents. The guitar continues to sound like a robot fart, which does detract from the overall enjoyment of the song. The reggae touch to "Angry People" makes it one of the album's best songs. The drum and bass thing works for these guys. Even when the shitty guitars come it , it'ss counter balanced by the other elements in place. This is the exception to the rule. The reggae touch does feel a little more like 311. Ok by this part I am going to quit mentioning how much the guitar sucks and only bring it up if it gets better and try to ignore it at this point. There is a more of a Linkin Park feel to "Curse". The vocals has a soulful touch to them and this guys is a pretty good singer, to made he does not have a lot of work with here. It is obvious these guys are very nu-metal influenced. If you are into nu-metal then the conversation regarding what good music is and isn't is already over. 

The Peaches cover is odd, but they do an ok job with it. "Bits & Razors" has the nu-metal thng I was taling about earlier and finds them leaning more toward a Sliknot direction. Then there is this kinda meh electronic song that sends the album. Rounding this down to a 7.5, they have potential they just need someone to produce their guitar tone and get them off a nu metal diet. 

Gothtober - Black Needle Noise : "These Mortal Covers"

John Fryer one half of This Mortal Coil, releases a covers album. Much like with This Mortal Coil, different vocals help with the songs.  It opens with an industrial version of  Nancy Sinatra's "Bang Bang". Then comes a darker  more introspective vision of "What a Wonderful World" . Now do these measure up to anything from "It Will End In Tears" ? Um no, but that is ok. The darker clouds part for a pretty spot on version of Olvia Newton John's "Magic" . Then comes a cover of "Black Magic" which has a rowdier death rock like punk tone to it. Rebecca Coseboom tackles the vocals for Depeche Mode's " Walking In My Shoes" which will cme as no surprise when I say this sounds more like the band Garbage. 

There is a sexier pulse to Rose Royce's " Love Don't Live Here Anymore" .  The electronic backing is not as intresting as it works of the same drone the whole time.  Black Sabbath's "Changes" has seen almost as many covers as "War Pigs" , this version is ok, could have been darker. I think the cover of "She Talks to Angels" will be more instresting . It is darker and has more industrial touch to it. Diamanda Galas would be proud of it, not sure what the Black Crowes would think though the chorus finds a more rock feel developing. The lyrics make more sense with this version.  I think 'Losing My Religion" also begs to be darker. This version has a sexier purr to it but is darker, so it works even with the more rock touch. 

Russ Conway's " Let this Be the Night" is another odd choice, but it works for what it is. Not the biggest fan of the original. I like the harder industrial touch to "I Know What Boys Like" . Over all this might not touch This Mortal Coil, but the next best thing will give this album a 9. Of course it is coming out on Cleopatra Records, though 4AD would have made more sense. 

Chant : "Hydra"

 

I saw these guys open for KMFDM years ago and was really impressed to glad this album came across my inbox. It takes all the things you could want from industrial and amps the the drumming. This guy plays along side Danny Carey and Martin Atkins in Pigface so that is what we are working with here. The song writing is pretty decent  on the opening track to go along with that equation . The second song feels like it has a "Beautiful People" undercurrent. and the vocal mix is weird, the effects feel like they could stand to lay on thicker . Lyrically it is a little awkward. The vocals feel like they are up a little too high in the mix by the 3rd song. The vocals remind me of Alice Cooper. They are rough around the edges, but still capable of forming a melody. 

'Sidelines" is a slight dynamic shift, though it feels like we are getting more into electronics and I am hearing less of what sounds like actual guitar and drums.His vocals are much better here. "Love, Sex, Revolution" has more of a KMFDM feel. The groove to this song works better and we get guitar or at least synths that are overdirven enough to feel like guitars . By the chorus I am pretty sure we are getting actual guitar.I feel from a song writing perspective it is getting back in the direction of what worked on the first song. I like the darker tension to "Uprising" . It has more of a droning throb.

"Hydra" is slinkier and feel more like an industrial Alice Cooper to me which really the Coop already tocuhed on with his 'Brutal Planet' album. This is less gritty than that. I like when the vocals come in as it gives the song more of a Psychic Tv feel. The product can be on the dry side some times, which I htiunk effects the feel of the vocals , aside from that it is pretty much straight forward 90s industrial that is middle of the road when it comes to the guitar , I will give it an 8.5 .  

7

Gothtober- The Things That Bump & Grind in the Night Playlist

 

I make Halloween playlist for other blogs I write for so only makes since to have one , but with different theme , after having a dream about having sexual interactions in a bathtub in the basement of a Hotel at Dragon Con , I felt inspired to make a play list of  the best Halloween songs to have sex to . I mean I guess you could also paint to them if you felt so inspired, depends on what you are doing with the brushes I guess . So If you are two people short of a threesome that is ok, put on your favorite Demon Rapes Girl porn and have a wicked wank with it in the background. Or if you are a demon who does slip in through the window to ravish virgins then cue this up on your sigil. These songs either work a Halloween theme lyrically over sex dripping beats or about sex and dark enough to appease vampires. 

Bauhaus - "She's In Parties"

   

 Dead Can Dance- " The Ubiquitous Mr Lovegrove"

HEALTH- "GOD BOTHERER"

 

 Ulver- "the Hour of the Wolf" 

 

 Sound VVitch - "Transformitive Fire" 

 

 Wax Idols - "Glisten" 

 

  Christian Death - "Stairs"

  " 

Strvngers - " La Petite Mort" 

 

 Chelsea Wolfe - 'the Color of Blood" 

Marilyn Manson- "I Put A Spell On You" 

Marche Funebre : "Einderlicht"

 At their core they are a death metal band as they are stacatto and aggressive. The vocals are low growls when they are growled by on the first song there is some interplay with sung vocals . Overall everything that goes down in the first song is what I want from metal. It's heavy but catchy and melodic. They do not over due the guitar harmonies as many European death metal bands do. It more likea more ballsy version of Amorphis. The catch is I thought the first two songs was just the first song. I an not sure what I thought they were doing in those 16 minutes but I seem to have liked it though. It does speak to the fact that they have a uniformity to their sound. The sung vocals are more dramatic on "When All is Said".  It slows with more melancholy so I get why some might want to call this death doom, but it is much more in the death metal side of that equation. 

"The Maelstorm Mute" finds the sung vocal feeling more like Candlemass to me. With this song the switch things up in a way this album was being to need. I am not saying I was bored up until this point but too many metal bands these days just hit you with the same thing. I think the contrast makes " Deformed" feel heavier . As it is the song works really , while the riffs are heavy and in your face they are crafted with hooks that stick in your head. The title track reminds me a little of Agalloch at first then it smoothes out into what you leanr to expect from these guys. Not as strong as the previous to songs, but it's a longer and more winding song, so requires a different brand of intensity. 

I was on the fence in regards to if this album is a death metal album due to the clean singing. I think Opeth's "Deliverence" album is a death metal album, so that balance of melody against intensity exists here though this is a less progressive album than "Deliverence". It is an excellent album that I think will grow on me so I am going to go ahead and round it up to a 9.5. If you like melodic death metal of the European variety then you should find plenty to love here. 

Gothtober- Kanga : "Eternal Daughter"

 

Artofact Records reissued this with three new tracks so it's practically a new album in my book. She talking her way through the first song with a steamy pur. Musically it's color by numbers dark wave that beenfits from the hook of the song. "Daughter" is more sing songy, it did not feel as hooky to me despit the more sing song appraoch to the vocals . The first song that really grabs my ears and gives them the kind of love I want is " Run". This song sets the bar for the standard I am going to hold her to. She doesn't have the best voice I heard, is no Kate Bush or Elizabeth Fraser. She does use what she has well, on the lvel of say a Shirley Manson at best. 

Tried listening to this album through head phones and the only thing that changed was how the bass hit. "Cocaine" has more drive, as cocaine should. It seems to indluge this drug rather than demonize as it calls her name, but there seems to be the most longing sexy song about addiction. Guess that is the difference between cocaine and heroin. Less throbbing and depressing. As a person she is pretty hot so it makes sense that this sexiness exudes in her music. I am not sure I know any ugly female singers who come across hot, like men are able to channel this kind of sonic decption. She continues to use a more drive accompaniment with "Control' though it is more dancey this time around and swirls with more sonics. No unlike something Grimes might do. 

The vocals on "Light" are less focused. We are into that place where there is more of a sound than a song. Not really sure what they point of an instrumental on this album that is centered around vocals is. It comes across as an interlude. Things end on a softer no with "Tranquility". It's likea ballad from an anime soundtrack. I will round this album up to a 9, as I think is works well even if it fizzles out at the end, not bad songs just not the energy I feel works best, aside from that at the top of the heap when it comes to the future of darkwave. 

Choir Boy : "Gathering Swans"

 I am not sure why this band's name comes up in dicussions of new goth bands online. They do havea Communards / Roxy Music things going on thanks to the angrogynous vocals. Nothing is dark about them, In fact they are on the poppier side of dream pop. This is fine with me pop does not have to be a bad word. Thje second song however is not as sleek or hooky as the first. The pace picks up a little on "Complainer". They nail the 80s sound and this guy has a great voice, but they could get more focused on the song writing department. "Nites Like This " is more like a Roxy Music ballad, which compared to the previous song is a step in the right direction. 

The album's best song is the ode to the chronic masturbator that is " Sweet Candy" . The lyrics and the melodies are head and shoulders above the rest of the album. "Shatter" is a closer second as the chanted chorus grows on you with each listen."Happy To Be Bad" is also pretty decent , but perhaps not at the level of this album's strongest sounds. I can not imagine being a beer drinking straight man who is into this album though I can imagine beer drinking straight men being into Roxy Music they are just also really into cocaine. Despite my bear like exterior I had an androgynous spell during my goth years, but this album is so limp in the wrist the level of fairy dust generated here pushes that to the make and I liked Anthony and the Johnsons.

I will give this album an 8.5 . There are some fantastic songs on here, but overall the album is not the most focused. The drums could step it up and give this more of a back hone. I think it is produced exactly how they wanted it. Imagine Hedwig and the Angry Inch but limp and you are in the direction of where this album not only wants to go but gets there. 

7.3

Moaning- "Uneasy Laughter"

 The line between post -punk and indie rock is this. Indie rock is not as dark or tense as post punk. These guys are indie rock. Are they moody ? Yes. I like the vocals . Most indie rock bands act like they are too cool to try to sing. This guy has listened to enough Radiohead to care. The keyboardist of this band played with Cherry Glazerr, making them not total stranger to us here. The opening track is really great and sets the bar pretty high for the rest of the album. "Make it Stop" has more of a rock edge to the guitar and it carries a more unnerved punk skip in it's step. 'Stranger" is just as good as the opening track but in a different way. I like that you get to hear more of his lower register which really shifts the mood. 

There is more of a quirky whimsy to the more Radiohead like "Running". These Radiohead like moments are not as impressive as other times when the band lets me hear who they really are. There is a smoother new wave like coolness to "Connect the Dots". This is indie rock for a lunar landing. Synths take on a greater role here as the guitars go on crusie control. 'Fall in Love" is allowed to drift on a less focused groove. "Coincidence or Faith" takes some of those more atmospheric Radiohead leanings and gives it a more Gary Numan feel. 'What Seperates" is another more on the new wave side of the coin for these guys and works off a great display of dynamics. "Keep Out" flies in a similar cosmos thanks to the synths though the guitars are more present in the mix. 

'Saving Face" has a pretty decent vocal hook against the 80s sounds this album dances with. The last song is a woozy almost shoe gazing haze, where the vocals wander around and end the album with a sound rather than a song. I will give this album a 9, it'sa very solid listen with some great songs, they are great enough for the Radiohead worship not to bug. 

Gothtober - The Birthday Massacre : "Diamonds"

 Before their was Chrvches these guys spran up on Myspace. Pop music given a dark goth sheen. Some times it was cosmetic only though on their newest album I can find a little more evidence to support their argument as being 'goth" on the second song. Though this is pop goth for girls who like anime. Not as happy as the first album I heard from these kids in the early 2000s. Most of the shadows come in the mabiance as felt on the title track. There are some kind of nu metal like guitars that mixed pretty low and often hard to differentitate from the synths. There is not a great deal of depth in what they do either sonically or meotionally , though this is better than other albums I have heard. 

Chrvches is not as dark and they are going for something more appealling to a hipster pop sensibility than this band which is more Magic in the Gathering. "Run" is a little more pop, with lighter verses . So far it is the first song that strikes me a filer despite a decent hook in the chorus. The superior song and one of the album's best is " Flashback" . It is driven by a better groove and more interesting lyrics with some occult dabbling even if it's on the most basic botch Hot Topic level . Where "Last Goodbye' is too k-poppy for my personal tastes , "Crush' is an excellent song with a nice moddy throb.

I had to listen to "Mirrors" three or four times in oder for me to pay enough attention to form an opinion of it. It opens up with a beat that want to be industrial but does not have the balls to pull it off. It's ok but nothing to grab me. The last song however works for me.I will give this album an 8.5, these guys are good at whaty they do and maybe I wouild be more impressed if I was a teenage girl who played Pokemon Go at the Mall. 

Gothtober - Clan of Xymox : "Spider on the Wall"

 I am not sure how I missed this one when it came out back in July, but here we are. The vocals are dreamier than normally. The band blends modern sounds with their more classic sound. The synths are very 90s techno. By the second song what I like about thius album is already appaerent . It is darker than their 2017 album "All I Ever Know" . If you told me the song " Into the Unknown ' was a deep cut from an 80s album, I would believe. This certainly should please the elder goth fan base. I mean do the new crop of goth kids who are not in bands like Bootblacks know who Clan of Xymox is. 59 year old Ronny Moorings is the sole orginal song writer and he is leaning more into the dancey new wave side that would give birth to dark wave. For his age his voice has held up well. I do not think even at their peak these guys were the caliber of musicians the Cure are. Smith was a more powerful and emotive singer than Moorings. But these guys always worked well with what skills they did have. 

The self depricating " I Don't Like Myself" works of a hypnotic drone that drifts away with you by creating a narcotic sonic quality. It is simple in design but one of the album's most effective songs. The title track is darker and wallows in it's misery more, but is also less focused of a song. This sound vs song comes into play even with these veterans. I prefer the darker groove of "When We Were Yong" which is text book goth without imitating anyone. The beat is pretty simple , but everything sits just where it should while sounding just as it should. "Black Mirror" is more relaxed , but true to it's title a litle more futuristic, though not as bleak. The vocals are lowered and more urgent.

"My New Lows" find them digging in the darkness to almost reach a Sisters of Mercy level. Some of this is in part to the lower vocals. Ronny is a good enough singer to be forced to stay down there and offer more than just one vocal color. There is more of a new wave dancey thing going on for the otherwise droning closing song. I will give this album a 9. I really enjoyed it, is it perfect ? No. It is a suitable addition to their discography. If you are a fan you were already on this train back in July and still riding. 

Solstafir : "Endless Twilight of Co-Dependent Love"

 I have given most of their albums a solid listen as this Icelandic band has always been interesting. When the drums hit more of a groove at the end of the first song it does feel more like Kvelertak. Their is a raw agressive quality to what is going on though I am not sure I would call it metal. Rougher around the edges than your average prog rock band, though these guys have certainly progressed throughout their career. If they went back to playing black metal at this point it would be regressive. The second song has more of a groove and more melodically sung vocals . It is moody rock n roll. I can hear what to my ears sounds like an "Obscured By Clouds" era Pink Floyd influence. 

"Rokkur" is more laid back in some ways , but more intense in the way the vocals emote. Their attempt at something in the realm of Brit pop occurs on "Her Fall From Grace" which despite it's atmosphere sounds like Shining butchering a cover of a random song by the Verve. Butchering doesn't not mean doing a terrible job here, though the abandon this song is sung with sometimes puts their feelings over being in key in a few places. This apporach however works for what they are doing here. They do throw themselves into a twisted rock version of black metal with "Dionysus". This is not as regressive as I thought it might be showing they are still forward thnking even when they take steps back into their past. The vocals are more shouted than screamed. "Til Moldar" is at the other end of the spectrum and is a lazy floating psychedelic lullaby. The almost more stoner rock song that follows this one is a good balance of the two sides they just showed us the relaxed coud of pot smoke vibe with enough rock balls to drive it. 

"Or" has a bluesy feel to it. In some ways it flirts with the blues much like Nick Cave does. Addi's voice is much different than Cave's . Where Nick would give us a dark smoky narrative , Addi emotes with raw abandon. The guitar is really great in this song. I had to give the last song "Ulfar" a few listens to really abosorb it. It has some palm muted drive but falls more on the dynamic side of prog , but with rock groove. I will give this album an 9, it's a very effort for them that pushes forward with their vision keeping their indentity in focus. 

Gothtober - IAMTHESHADOW : "Pitchblack"

 

The band from Portugal is very electronic based. Sometimes this gives them a better sound than if they were a post-rock band trying to recapture the 80s as I sorted through a dozen of those til I found this album. More dark wave than post-punk. The dead pan baritone vocals are more Joy Division than Sisters of Mercy. But lower and more dramatic than Ian Curtis. They ride the line on a great deal of things. Their one weakness is their drum machines need more heft to hammer the point home and make you want to dance. The first songs is the a better realization of what they are trying to do than the two songs that follow it. The second being better than the third as it feels like they begin to lose their steam. The thrids song finds the synth riffs have a little more drive and head into that retro synth wave sound. 

The guitar could come up in the mix on "the Days" . The baritone croon of their singer has more room to sing out on this one, as the song gives him space , but he barely does so. The beatr sounds like an 80s darkwave preset on a keyboard. The bass line could hel switch this up, but they stay the middle road. Making this more of a sound they have cpatured than a song they are writing.,I am a firm believer that all songs should have their own personality. It's not until "Awake & Asleep" that it feels like the song writing is really dialed back in . Some of this is thanks to Diego from the Frozen Autumn who lends his voice to the song for a verse, but it is enough of a melodic shift in the sound to provide a much needed change in the vocal coloring .

The programmed drums needed more help in the mixing and mastering as they cause "Shivers" to sound very thin.Any added dimension or texture helps at this point. This makes the next collaboration this time with Kadri from Bedless Bones a welcome one. When you take this sort of thing away and leave them to fend for themselves on "Grace' it begins to bore me. Then once again another guest star saves the day when Yvette from Vaselyn adds her smoky alto to the song and gives it a more sensual layer, Then it's back to the basics for "To Last" , which is better than some of the other songs, but not great. It ends with a similar fizzle. I will give this album a 7.5, there are some strong songs and they have potential , I just need more from the drum programming and the vocals. Your tastes might not be as demanding as mine and you just might want some spooky music that sounds like the other spooky music you like then this might work better for you. 

Gothtober- Ghostemane : "Anti- Icon"

 

This industrial turn makes more sense of the indie rapper than the forary into black metal. "Vagabond" finds him going back to the rap like direction. When you combine the two sounds it feels kinda like nu-metal. It also reminds me of Death Grips at times as far as how he flows. I can live with this sound. But can I live with these songs is the question posed for the rest of the album. There is more of a feel to "Lazaretto". The glitched out groove are kind of cool. The lonest songs on this album are still under five minutes. There is more of an angry techno feel to some of the beats of "Sacralige" until it digs into a slower pound. "AI' finds things growing increasingly dark. The vocals carry a lower croak here. The guitars lock in harder here as well. 

'Fed Up" has a darker groove with even lower of a croak to the vocals. The higher pitched rapped vocals sound a little like Limp Bizkit which might be a turn off for some. I mena I am not fond of Limp Bizkit , but can endure this. There is a clean guitar on "the Winds of Change". There are faint vocals over the drone of the guitar here leaving it to sound more likean interlude than a song."Hydrocloride" is angrier and more industrial than rapped nu metal. More techno sounds bubble up from the shadows of "Hellrap" . I can hear juggaloos being into this , but you do not have to be a juggaloo to listen to this. There is a more Marilyn Manson like tone to "AMSR". Funny enough he makes AMSR noises at various points of the song. 

"Melanchoholic" might be the album's best song .Going from a moody Nine Inch Nails like groove to an explosive feral outburst. 'Calamity' is more aggressive and beat driven. It devloves into noise. It ends with another Nine Inch Nails like moment with "Falling Down" . The guitar just kinda drones . Leaving everyting to the more "Emo" like vocals. I think this is the best I have heard from him yet I will give this a 9.5

Pallbearer : "Forgotten Days"

 We think sometimes that if a band went back to sounding like what they were like when we first heard them every thing would be right in the world. But growth is important and the best bands take us along for that ride. Pallbearer has been so far from traditional doom now that when they return to it on the title track that opens their new album , it confuses me. I speed the first few minutes think wait this is way Sabbathy for them what happened to the shoegazing. They do have a melodic middle section that is more like something from "Heartless" . The production is much rougher around the edges. This album has a raw density to it. There are some of the newer more relaxed sides of the band amid this more doomy raw rock dynamic for "Riverbad" .It doesn't feel as inspired on the second listen I give this album.  Before we go any further let me stress that this album should be heard with head phones. 

Three songs in and it's clear this is going to be a heavier album than "Heartless" .  There is a more rock swagger to some of the punches. They still have their angular puzzle of churning riffs. Brett Campbell's voice is more confident as it raises over the weight of the riffs. It also sits back more in the guitars . This allows the guitars to be more of a focal point thus adding to the weight of their riffs. The guitars sound great and really surround you with an organic warmth to their tone. "Silver Wings" is going to take more listens to fully absorb. The drums are going alot around it even though it's moving at a pace closer to funeral doom. At 12 minutes this is also the longest song. The first song that really grips me is "the Quicksand of Existing" it has a very powerful chug . Bret's vocals sound great against it . 

The heaviness does not stop there. They pound at you going into "Vengence & Ruination" . It is just weird to hear them playing within the confines of what you expect from doom after they have wandered so far out of the box. I think it's Campbell's vocals that sell me on these songs. I like the effects on them going into "Rite of Passage" which is straight up heavy metal , but incredibly well done. He uses a more relaxed vocal tone on the verses of the last song. This works well as it provides a dynamic shift. There have been synths coloring the corners the songs, but they are more noticeable here. While this return to the "Sorrow & Extinction" days took some getting used to at the end of the days these are great songs and I will give this album a 9.5. 

I could not wait and save this for the month of doom coming in just over a week, but if you are a fan of these guys check back with us for our November is  Doom month. 

Joji : "Nectar"

 I downloaded this album knowing next to nothing about this artist. He is a former Youtuber from Japan who got serious about making music. There is a dark feeling to his brand of pop music that does not follow cookie cutter expectations. He uses interesting arrangements, I hear trip hop influence but I do not think that is where his music falls. He is somewhat soulful at times . Not the world's greatests pipes but he works well with what he has. In some ways I suppose this the perfect music for moddy Tik Tokkers. There are some interesting intervals being used. His melodies often have hip hop cadences in the chanted patterns they follow. Diplo joins him on the song "Daylight". All I know about Diplo is he makes electronic music , what his talent in that arena is unknown to me. This song has a more organic almost 70s funk feel. 

"Upgrade" is the first song that feels more like filler. There are 18 songs so I am prepared for a couple. "Gimme Love" is uptempo , but his vocal works well with it. Between some of string arrangements and vocals layers there is at times a Beach Boys feel. "Run" is not only the best song on this album , but one of the best songs this year. It has some rock punch in places in the way the beat sits and a guitar solo at the end. His vocals work well over the relaxed beat to 'Sanctuary" . Sometimes his falsetto is stronger than other. He does not havea Prince like power to them as they are more breathy.  I like how the Eastern instrumentation gives a more sedate feel to some of the grooves. The dancier "Nitrous" is OK, but doesn't work as well as some of the songs that raised the bar for what you expect from him. The more trap like thump of "Pretty Boy' features Lil Yachty. It took me a minute to recognize his voice. I think "Normal People" is a better song. 

The beat to "Afterthought" is strong, but the vocals kind of sit back in a very relazed fashion. There is an odd ambiance to "Mr Hollywood" . The production kind of varies from song to song though there are staples to the over all sound. There is a more Weeknd like tone to the playful pop of "777" . "Reanimator" might dip into synth wave, but it is more about sounds than being a song. "Like You Do" leans toward being a piano ballad. I will give this one a 9.5 it's pretty solid pop music that shows it can even be great .  This is dark for pop, yet fun at the same time. 

Holy Motors : " Horse"

 

 Somewhere between surf rock and country. Not unlike the Cowboy Junkies, I was lead to believe by another blog that this was a cross between death rock and indie rock. I am not sure what album they were listening to when they came up with that? It was not this one. It's not that I dislike this > I do not . But I also like this kind of alt country. The second song is a little darker. The vocals are more detached . This in turn makes the song less engaging. Even marginally less engaging means it does not maintain the kind of impact the first song had as the guitar begins to jangle along. "Midnight Cowboy" just kind of breezed by me. It did not grab my attnetion. I like some of the reverbed out guitar tones on this album.I think the vocals could stand to have more effects on them to create a more ghostly feel. But that is something I would say given my personal tastes . 

The duet " Road Stars" is more folk like in how the guitars are strummed and the melodies around them .  "Matador" is a much more intresting song with eerie atmosphere creating a psychedelic tapestry behind it in a more 60's like manner. It is the darkest moment so far. There is a lazy summer feel to the pill popping daze of "Come on , Slowly" . It makes me think of what Lana Del Rey might sound like if she overdosed on Valium. This has more in common with slow core acts like Low than post punk in any way. I like the jazzy precussion of "Trouble" there isa little more rock n roll to the intent of the guitars. This breaks them from some of the weary waves of lethargy covering most of their songs. 

The album ends with a more jammy tone to "Life Valley" . This fine because hearing thewandering guitar solo over the strum of guitar here is like the sonic equivelent of being on a lazy river. I will give this album an 8, they are great at what they are doing. It is not as dark as I personally like most of my music to be and the languid haze over it makes many of the songs havea uniform mood that rains all the time with too much sun out. 

Gothtober -Hillary Woods : "Birthmarks"

 

Here are all the hallmarks of what worked for her on the last album and given a more ghostly drift.  The same ethereal haunting quality that brings to mind the atmosphere of David Lynch movies is still present. "Orange Tree" is much like the rest of this album about her pregnancy. Lyrically this one is more obvious. Unlike many of the sirens that are her peers, if feels like Woods has less of a back ground. The Cocteau Twins being the most notable influence. She adheres to a more minimalist style. It is like she creates in a vacuum where John Bonham never existed, but chamber music is what filled stadiums. "Through, the dark love" is so ambient it is almost not there which this too was the only problem with her older material as well. 

This album might be darker than the previous. The strings are more solemn. There is more drone. Speaking of drone "Mud and Stones" is just a droning interlude and not actually a song. She marries more experimental tones with her  natural atmosphere on "the Mouth" . It reminds me more off Bjork. There is less organic to this album for certain. This is the biggest shift in her overall sound. Songs like this end up being swallowed by the mood , going with moreo the sound than the song. "Cleansing Ritual" is another interlude this time filled with harsher more challanging noises. 

For a song that barely breaks the 3 minute makr she wastes a great deal of time leading into the song. It oo has a drone which has become the staple of her sound on this album. This final song is barely even a song, I might be generous call some of these songs. This album has been out since March and I do not feel like I have missed much. I guess the trauma of hormones displaced her from Wood's creative center as this album is a disappointment. That is not to say there are no good songs, the album gets off to a decent start then loses it's way I will give it a 7. 

Gothtober - Amelia Arsenic : "Deathless"

 Former Angelspit vocalist is releasing this solo project . This came out back in Febuary , She has a couple of these eps under her belt. I would not call this industrial. It is goth influenced pop. Pop is not a bad word here as it means she has hooks and grooves that you want to listen to more than once. The first song "To Love is To Destroy" has a robotic pulse. There is industrial influence in the robot cadance she uses. "Wormwood' begins to run of the smae cold cyborg rap, until the chorus where she actually sings. I like how the vocals are layered there and the lyrics are all pretty great considing the vapid imagery this Stepford Barbie feel summons. There is a darker side to that is like the dark side of the robots on "Westworld" . Imagine them having a rave and that is what this sounds like. 

"Purity" works of a different feel though the dead pan cyborg vocals approach the verses in a very similar manner. I do not think this song has the depth of the first two. Lyrically perhaps but I do not feel the music is really upholding them as well. The chorus where she sings redeems it some. It just has a more plastic feel. I would like to hear more than four song from her ,but when studio time costs money and there is no touring to support such an endevor I get why we are getting what we are getting and can see where that is going to continue to be a common place trend in the industry. 

The title track is pretty much techno that is driven by her chanted vocal. They are bringing up almost "Rave Til Dawn" sounds.  Lords of Acid would be a fair comparison. I would like to hear more dynamics from her vocally as she is capable of singing and I think the sing song thing is more effective when given a proper contrast . For that reason I am rounding this down to an 8.5 , it is hard for me to say which one I like better this or the new Angel Spit album that she is not on? I think this album might have the edge when it comes to production as it sounds in some ways less 90s yet on the last song perhaps more. If you like the more techno side of what her former band did then this is going to be up your alley.

Gothtober- Angelspit :"the Ignorance Cartel "

 This is a project I have always appreciated when I heard them , but have only listened to a few albums all the way through. Though when I listen to this album it strikes me that I might have preferred the albums with Amelia Tan. The way the rapped vocals sit here remind me of Pop Will Eat Itself. I mean what they are doing here is fun and I can appreciate it more when I stop waiting for the femal vocals to kick in. I like where they are going with "Happy Little Coma". It might be less aggressive but has more groove to it. The album was recorded at the onset of 2020 going to shit so that is certainly reflected in the tone of the songs. Though three songs in it is not that political. "Little Bastards" pounds your ear drums , but not much in the way of hooks to it. 

I find myself wanting more vocal delivery like "Happy Little Coman" and less of this forceful talk through of the songs that is going down on "Love to Watch" . The lyrics are just not grabbing me enough to make this work for me and begins to make the song have too uniform a tone for me. Though "Love to Watch' does lock into a more melodic groove that saves the song for me. Their more aggressive approach works on "Someone Else" and the instrumental 'Spade" offers a dynamic shift that keeps the album from relying on a formula. I like the lyrics to "Hot Machine" they remind me of Mindless Self Indulgence. "Comply or Die" is a waste of a great song title as it is ore of an instrumental interlude. 

I prefer the more melodic direction the vocals take on "Easy". The make the most of the groove driving  "Stick to the Plan" .Even this song does not cross over into industrial , yet the are more aggressive than dark wave, electro punk could be a term used to describe them but I think aggro  wave is more accurate. The last couple songs get darker and more melodic, which works for me. This album was not what I came into it expecting but is pretty solid none the less. I will give it an 8.5