Gothtober- the Keening :"Devotion"

Rebecca from Subrosa returns with her second album from this dark folk project. The opening track has a more organic, almost dreamy Cowboy Junkies feel, with her vocals smoothly floating over the instrumentation. "Fitful Sleep" has a stormier dynamic, with the drums crashing in. Some darker chords rein in the emotional center. The first heavier distorted chords don't surface until "The King"; this gives it a doomier feel. This is the first song that finds the project moving more in this direction. 

Things are stripped down to a piano on "O Mother."  The strings come in to build a more longing atmosphere. The more fragile vocal lines dance around the emoting instrumentation. "Little Bit of Blood" has a warmer hint of country in the melody. This brings back the comparisons to Cowboy Junkies, though they are more atmospheric even here, as the strings are layered. The most accessible radio-ready song on the album without being a compromise to what this project is. If it were edited down as it does, it goes off into a Swans-like strummed section that builds up. 

"Time Travel" has one of the stronger vocal lines when it builds up instead of the simmer the verses hold. When the songs are sprawled out to the seven-minute mark, at times the third act seems like a separate piece. AT over seven and a half minutes, "The Murder of Anna Brown" is the longest song. It's the album closer, so this is forgivable, as they take their time with the first verse. There is almost a 60s rock proto-doom feel to this. Overall, this is more ambitious and dynamic, more folk rock, but if you liked the first album, then this is perfecting what they did there. I will give it a 9.5 and see how it grows on me.

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Gothtober - the Autumn Aurora :"False Idols"

 

The Italian band will be out one Siouxsie-influenced band for the month. Not the worst offender I have heard in this regard, but a very obvious influence in a genre where she has played such a huge role. This does not mean I am giving a pass to male singers who are trying to sound like Ian Curtis; nope, that is just as bad  to me. "Keep Our Love in the Dark" has potential considering the cool gloom it is cast in. They're using a nice room for the melody to breathe here, finding her reverting to this a little less. Sure, they have all the sounds of this era more dialed in , but these days that is more of a matter of production choices.

"Wasteland" is the most original moment so far, making it the best song on the album thus far, and that is what we are really listening for here: to listen past the influences to who they really are as songwriters. The next song, "But if Not' has a more Sisters of Mercy-like bass line that creates an all-too-familiar feeling. The title track is more atmospheric. It has a more Cure-like guitar riff. They find their groove and ride it with enough conviction for me.  There is a more deliberate pulse to "Be My..." which might be the most Siouxsie moment, but it also sounds pretty cool, and Siouxsie is not busting out any new music any time soon, or ever, so the void must be filled

On every goth album these days, there has to be one track where they speed things up a bit, as if to let you know they are informed of the genre's more punk beginning, and this obligatory acknowledgement comes in the form of "Surrender"; I'd rather they get it out in one than do this sort of thing for half the album. Even though their indulgence is not going full-on Liberty Spikes with it.  The last song is much slower and more atmospheric, to the point of creating an ambient drone, before the beat comes in at the final minute. I will give thi album a 9 it works for me.  

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Gothtober- David Caress : "Azure'

 

There is a sheen of shining weirdness to the brand of post-punk that unfolds on the opening track here that is not unlike early Roxy Music in many ways. There is an odd quality to the baritone croon delivered here. Dallas Seger, who is the brainchild of this project, also plays in Manic Abraxas, which is a metal band, but it's not unheard of for more metal guys to branch out into the adjacent darkness of post-punk; this brand of post-punk is just flavored with a late-70s feel. The second song does not flow as seamlessly as the first. But it works more often than not. 

Perhaps it is stylistically intentional to create an Oingo Boingo feel, but the dancey shuffle of "I Confess" feels awkward and clunky. There is deliberate homage going on to the early 90s in the sounds being captured that might have been better left to bands like the Tubes. The underlying groove of "Angels Lies" is subtly aggressive. The mix is really weird in terms of how the vocals sit on this. "Summer's Grip" reminds me of the indie band Merchandise in the guitar tone and lower vocal delivery. But it is not as hooky as those guys and flaunts its own weirdness. There is more new wave circling "Cinnamon," along with a touch of early industrial; the vocals continue to crawl lower.  It sounds ok, but is not that hooky, as the vocals lurk more than lock in. 

"Gloaming" starts off with a more overt post-punk feel that is goth-leaning. The vocals have the grace of an autistic kid trying to find their place in a conversation. It's more of a "Dead Man's Party" for the rock vibe built in "Echoes in Light"; the vocals improve, so I am not complaining. At first I was torn about whether this would earn the Gothtober, and it's more goth-adjacent, though the album does get darker; it's moodier in an Echo and the Bunnymen fashion, who I do consider dark enough to be goth, so here they are. The chord progression of "Wildflowers has more in common with Dire Straits. He is a better guitarist than singer. 

There is a Cure-ish riff to "Holy Ground," but the synths in the background brighten it a little. It might not be the quality of his voice; I am uncertain about that, but the lack of certainty seems to haunt him as he second-guesses where he puts it, though it all works out on this one. I am obviously hyper-intuitive about vocals if I can hear confidence or lack of it in them in the studio. We are back to the awkward; something here is a little off when it comes to "Breka the Same" . If you are going to pay homage to new wave then mix it more like a new wave album. "Shatter" tries to go for more of a Depeche Mode feel and it is not really shaking the disease, but it works well enough. I will give this album a 8, if you want new wave produced like indie rock this is your album.

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Gothtober- Ductape; "Faded Flowers"

Here is a French goth band that is getting it right. Not dramatically removed from the Siouxsie school of Batcaving, they have some 80s new wave sounds in the mix that help give them their own sound that is relevant in 2026. Bands like this are why gatekeeping is important it is not about shunning other bands but making sure awesome bands like this find their right audience. If you don't get that sentence, then stop reading now. There is more of a cold wave dance vibe to "Fine," as it is more organice an the guitar does not come in until midway through. 

"Obscure" finds them beginning to play it safe, and sticks to the more familar 90s thump of their drum machine. Then the album begins to thankfully take a darker turn. The bass lines are not breaking new ground but are effective. The bass playing breaks from the drone on "Velvet Dawn," giving her a chance to let her voice dance with a different cadance. "Burn" is not a cover of the Cure. It's not that dark or driving.  "DERT" drifts by on a more atmospheric cloud. 

They switch things up for the some what moodier and more dynamic "Sad Gravity," which might be the album's best song. The more melancholic pulse and nuanced vocal melodies. It also builds into the sonically heaviest part of this album. Then they go into the more dancefloor-minded take on post-punk with "Delilik" and "Last Dance," which centers around a more Cure-like bass line, closing the album. The haunting moan of her vocals grows more hypnotic here. I will give this album a 9.5 and see how it grows on me; they refine all the things that already work well when it comes to the sonic scope of goth.It is just as relevant as the new Boy Harsher.

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Gothtober- Exhuming Tunes- Christian Death's "Only Theater of Pain"

 In March of 1982, one of the most important goth albums ever was released. I don't think I was turned on to it until 89, and I couldn't stop listening to it, even though it came from artists like Bowie and The Jesus andd Mary Chain; all I listened to was metal. They don't open the album fast and furiously like a punk band would, but with a more macabre pulse.  Rozz Williams trembling croon and poetic lyrics are different than anything I had heard before, granted I had not listened to a great deal of the Doors at the time. There is more groove to "Figurative Theater"; his vocal delivery becomes punchier on the chorus. 

Rikk Agnew, who came from a punk background, experiments more on "Burnt Offerings"; you can hear who they influenced bands like Jane's Addiction here. The lyrics are more homo erotic. In a Burroughs-like fashion. This was next-level transgressive shit for the 80s. The blasphemous lyrics are wonderful. This open rejection of organized religion in a reconciliation with his sexuality is not only hinted at in the lyrics but establishes the use of this iconography in the genre as a whole while opening the door for modern non-goth artists like Ehtel Cain to employ similar devices. 

"Dream For Mother" is a more angular stab at punk and perhaps not as far removed as the previous song from that past. "Stairs Uncertain Journey" might be the album's best song, as the B Aeolian Mode scale creates the Middle Eastern slither that creates the eerie atmosphere that some of Williams' best lyrics flow over.  "Spiritual Cramp" contrasts the previous song by being a pretty straight-up punk anthem. Romeo's Distress" is their most infamous song and one of their best, as it shows how they evolved from punk to create goth in this form. 

"Resurrection" is another song that has a creepy, angular pulse too. They are great at building tension on the chorus. "Prayer" closes the album and gives a glimpse into some of the experimentation to come from this band. It's more of a n outro than an actual song. I will give this album the rare 11, as it redefined goth music. 

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Welcome to Gothtober 2026

 I

f you bleed Halloween like I do, then your favorite month is upon us again. It's time to celebrate all music that falls under the banner of “Goth”. Granted, we cover a wider range of dark wave, post-punk, deathrock, and darker shades of metal than other sites, and do it more frequently than everyone aside from Post-punk.com, which, like its name suggests, just covers post-punk. The short attention span of the masses finds the mainstream popularity of goth as anything aside from a fashion fetish some stagnant, with fringe groups on Facebook gathering some steam to try to pass off clowns like Slipknot as goth, leaving a trip to Spirit Halloween as a better barometer as the Addams Family gets less of a push as they are replaced by Art the Clown and anime characters. .

 We are, however, still going to clear the air regarding what is goth and what is not, since there still seems to be some confusion about that in the mainstream press. Gatekeeping has become a dirty word in the minds of those who are so entitled that they believe anything can be anything they want it to be, with the petulant attitudes of Veruca Salt when she demands the everlasting gobstopper. As music journalists, we are actually professional Gatekeepers when it comes to curating music, and I bought my first “goth” cassette in 1987, when I purchased Jesus and the Mary Chain’s “Darklands” album, so with 39 years of history with this kind of music, you can take what I say here to the mother fucking bank. Many of the newer dark wave and post-punk bands have begun to fall into a uniform sound, like they are checking off boxes, so we will keep our ears open for that. 

I am going to bring a wide variety of different sub-genres to the table and put their dedication to creating sonic darkness to the forefront when I select bands to cover.I am also digging into the graves of the past and reviewing every Christian Death album from both eras Rozz and Valor in order. The month culminates in the start of the top ten lists for this year, so the top 10 post-punk, goth, and industrial lists for this year should drop by Halloween. Join us as we explore the tunes that go bump in the night.

Want to learn more about goth? Check out our podcast below

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September's Top 10 Albums

September is more memory than not; it fades into a blur, so you need to catch up on the month's best new releases. This might help you, casual readers, see what you missed.  I am not doing little blurbs on them, just linking the reviews. This helps me organize my end-of-year lists by including each album's genre. This does not mean these albums were released this month; it is a list of new or upcoming albums I have enjoyed most. I have albums in my in-box that won't come out until December, so I am normally way ahead of the curve in this regard. They are ranked in order of how much I have listened to them. This month, it runs the gamut from indie folk to black metal , so perhaps you will find your new favorite among them. Here are the Top 10 albums for September of 2026.

10-Bombstrap-"Big Enemy" 

Punk 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2026/09/bombstrap-big-enemy.html

9-Überchriist : "Dæmonic Apotheosis"

Black Metal 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2026/09/uberchriist-dmonic-apotheosis.html

8-Anthrax -"Cursum Perficio" 

Thrash 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2026/09/anthrax-cursum-perficio.html

7-Junius-"Sotera"

Doom Gaze 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2026/09/junius-sotera.html

6-Actors - "Our Love Will Live on Forever" 

Post-Punk

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2026/09/actors-our-love-will-live-forever.html

5-Brutalismus 3000- "Harmony" 

Hyper-pop/ Techno 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2026/09/brutalismus-3000-harmony.html

 

4-ANAGNORISIS- "Caregriever" 

Black Metal 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2026/09/anagnorisis-caregriever.html

3-Miley - "Bass Persuades"

Pop

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2026/09/miley-bass-persuades.html

2- Boy Harsher -"GET MEAN " 

New Wave

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2026/09/boy-harsher-get-mean.html

1-Emma Ruth Rundle - "These Killing Times"

Alt Folk Rock

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2026/09/emma-ruth-rundle-thee-killing-times.html

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