The weekly compendium 30/05/2014

Well next week we're going to be counting down the days to the halfway point of 2014! And that means I'll soon be sending out invitations to bands and artists for next years download compilation. I just need to sort out the cover art and then we'll be in business.

It's not been the busiest week, but we had news from Wave Gotik Treffen and Out Of Line, as well as reviews of the new releases from Grypt, Unsound America, and Zero-Eq.

While over on Facebook, we saw news from Tregenza, KMFDM, and Erasure. Music videos from A.T.Modell, Noir, and Hocico. Tour dates and Pledge news from Velvet Acid Christ, and new music from In Death It Ends.

Right, that's it for another week, here's a little something for the weekend.

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Review: Zero-Eq – 'Fall EP'

ZERO-EQ
'Fall EP'
SPACE RACE RECORDS

Rome-based synthpop trio Zero-Eq have been around since the early 2000s and have had a few releases to their name already, notably the album 'Bugged Karma' which was released on US label A Different Drum in 2014. The band's third EP, 'Fall', released this time on Space Race Records provides a stop gap before the forthcoming full-length album.

The band have a very angular and retro sound. Not quite chiptune, but it has that lof-fi modular sound that evokes the days when computer games came in cartridges. 'Erase' kicks things off with a steady paced dance groove and smooth echoing vocals which is continued by the second track, 'Never Let You In', which is arguably the more memorable of the two. The title track changes things up with a more up-tempo pace and punkier quality, it shows off a more dynamic side to the band's sound. 'Negative Changes' however is in full-blown dance floor assault mode with a strong dance beat, big chorus and strong lead melodies. 'Inside My Head' again is harder and more dynamic and shows that the band can get nice and gritty when it suits them.

The remixes courtesy of Retrogramme and Public Domain Resource fair the best out of the four bonus tracks with Retrogramme's frantic reworking of 'Fall' and Public Domain Resource's discordantly bassey take on 'Erase' really changing things up in a nice way.

This is a nice EP. Well rounded, well produced and well written. It ticks a lot of boxes and shows that the band have the tools to make a really good full-length album. However it does very much feel as though they're keeping their cards close to their chest and they're holding back their best ideas for the full length. It's frustrating but strangely intriguing. So hopefully that full album won't disappoint.  

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New from Out Of Line

Prolific German label Out Of Line have announced two new releases from Die Form and The Klinik.

Cult French multimedia-fetish-art-project Die Form's latest album, 'Rayon X' has been announced for 4^th July 2014 and will be available as a standard CD, deluxe double-CD, limited red vinyl, limited box set editions.

Track List:

CD 1:

1. Black Leather Gloves

2. Schaulust (Scopic Pulsion)

3. ReBirth/ReDeath (Ich bin tot)

4. Le 7ème Face Du Dé

5. Mecanomania (C)

6. Politik

7. In The Void Of Hell

8. Neo Fiction

9. Bipolarity

10. Perpetual Motion

11. Amnesia

12. Iron Cross

13. Mon Amour

14. Zoanthropia

Bonus Disc Deluxe Edition:

01. Black Leather Gloves 1

02. Schaulust

03. ReBirth/ReDeath (Ich bin tot) 1a

04. ReBirth/ReDeath 1b

05. Autolith

06. Politik 1

07. In The Void Of Hell 1

08. La 7ème Face Du Dé 1

09. Prototype

10. From Dreams To Machines

11. Angeline

12. Perpetual Motion 1 (Perpetuum Mobile)

13. Eros Requiem

14. Mon Amour 1 ♂

Also scheduled to be released on 4^th July 2014 is the massive retrospective box set from The Klinik. Eight CDs chronicle the band's album releases from 1984 to 1991 recorded by the classic line up comprised of Dirk Ivens and Marc Verhaeghen, but will also feature a plethora of rare and unreleased material.

Track Lists:

CD 1:

1. Decay

2. Hours And Hours

3. Brain Damage

4. Sabotage

5. Sick In Your Mind

6. Time Watch

7. Vietnam

8. Burning Inside

9. Go Back

10. Drowning In Your Sleep

11. Pain And Pleasure (live)

CD 2:

1. World Domination

2. Murder

3. No Time To Win

4. Outside

5. End Of The Line

6. Pictures

7. Into Deep Water

8. Plague

9. Memories

10. Nursery

11. Sick In Your Mind (Remix)

12. Fear

CD 3:

1. Ring Of Fire

2. Slow Death

3. Quiet In The Room

4. The Last Dance

5. Cold As Ice

6. Face To Face

7. A Sign

8. Time

9. Out Of Line

10. Lies

11. Fever

12. Moving Hands

13. Public Pressure

14. Desire

CD 4:

1. Nautilus

2. Colour Of Your Heart

3. Surviving In Europe

4. Entrance

5. Wired

6. Under The Black Sun

7. Insane Terror

8. The Kiss Of Death

9. Escape

10. Talking To A Stranger

11. Target

CD 5:

1. Decay (Long Version)

2. Metalloid

3. Immortal Flesh

4. The Tree Of Life

5. Walking With Shadows

6. Get Lost

7. Sleepwalkin'

8. Nautilus Iii

CD 6:

1. Suffer In Silence

2. Someone Somewhere

3. Obsession (LP Version)

4. Under The House

5. Time

6. Touch Your Skin

7. Dead Meat

8. White Trash

9. Black Leather

10. Obsession

CD 7:

1. Intro (Live Paradiso 1986)

2. Never Get Out (Live Paradiso 1986)

3. Sick In Your Mind (Live Paradiso 1986)

4. Go Back (Live Paradiso 1986)

5. Power Of Passion (Live Paradiso 1986)

6. Hours And Hours (Live Paradiso 1986)

7. Pain And Pleasure (Live Paradiso 1986)

8. Feel The Evil (Live Paradiso 1986)

CD 8:

1. Belfast

2. Never Get Out

3. Melting Close

4. Nautilus I

5. Feel The Evil

6. Walking With Shadows V2

7. Hours And Hours (live)

8. Power Of Passion

9. Voices

10. Insane Terror (Never Again)

11. A Sign (84 Version)

12. Do You Car
13. Hunger

Both Die Form's 'Rayon X' and The Klinik's '1984 – 1991' are available to pre-order from the Out Of Line Webshop. For more information on Die Form, please visit their official website. For more information on The Klinik, please visit the official website of Dirk Ivens.

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Review: Ron Lipke / Vox Mod / Kyle Porter – 'Giger: Erotomechanics (An Unauthorised Musical Tribute)'

RON LIPKE / VOX MOD / KYLE PORTER
'Giger: Erotomechanics (An Unauthorised Musical Tribute)'
UNSOUND AMERICA

The sad passing recently of the greatest surrealist of the second half of the 20^th century, H.R. Giger has seen an outpouring of tributes, both in pictures and writing. 'Giger: Erotomechanics' is the first musical tribute I've had the pleasure of being sent. Well perhaps pleasure is the wrong word here, because as you'd expect from a musical tribute to a man who's erotic biomechanical nightmares infected the mainstream collective consciousness... this is not pleasurable music.

The seven noise-laden soundscapes courtesy of the collaboration between The Waking Wounded's Ron Lipke, as well as Vox Mod and Kyle Porter would provide a perfect score to one of Giger's own film works or indeed his 'Art In Motion' video.

'Harkonen Castle', with it's echoing dron, sweeping synths and sci-fi static, evokes the image of the Nostromo floating through the emptiness of deep space as it approaches the unknown extra terrestrial vessel and it's internal horrors. While 'Biomechanoid' introduces some more industrial flavours, bringing to mind a demonic, modern Frankenstein's laboratory while some unseen hand labours tirelessly over engineered horrors. 'Passages' immediately introduces echoing, somewhat martial sounding distorted synths and beats that sound like a futuristic army massing in an ancient subterranean temple.

'Li' slowly builds into madness educing screams and roars of static distortion permeated by jagged strings before eventually receding to a simple, delicate melody. 'Birth Machine' again features the swirling distorted drones, but is joined by a central synth-line around which all the noise grows around, before grinding to a halt and erupting in a cacophony of anguished noise. 'Landscapes' blends quiet melody and loud noise, with loud melody and quiet noise as it unveils an Cyclopean city, long abandoned by it's technologically advanced builders and left to succumb to the strange flora and fauna before. The album closes with 'Necronom', a slowly building blend of drones, hanging distorted synths and choral voices that when brought together sound like a descent into the mouth of hell.

This album is a very fitting tribute that provides a perfect soundtrack to the books and videos of H.R. Giger. It is way to esoteric for general consumption and even connoisseurs of dark ambient and noise will find this particularly heavy going. But like Giger's art, this is not for the meek.  

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Review: Grypt – 'Firelighter/Arbitrary Dates'

GRYPT
'Firelighter/Arbitrary Dates'
TUNDRA DUBS

The modern electronic scene has certainly received a well overdue shot in the arm since the “witch house” phenomena. If you are to believe the various threads and forums dedicated to the subject, it's debatable whether it even exists as a genre. But what isn't debatable is it's influence on the latest generation of underground bands. Blending the dance friendly beats and melodies of modern electro slowed down and injected with the kind of healthy experimentalism that industrial originally fostered. The end result is a jarring blend of the sublime and the subversive.

Another band feeling the influence is Grypt. A duo hailing from Oakland USA, who's psychedelic, down-tempo electronica can only be summarised as sounding like a cross between Cindergarden and Δaimon.

This 'Firelighter/Arbitrary Dates' is the band's second release so far and already shows a big jump in quality. 'Firelighter' is a daemonically psychedelic track that evokes the 90's grunge-tinged goth of Jack Off Jill with it's slow bass and jangling melody, but throw in the ultra-slow beat and discordant beats and it becomes a much more sinister beast. 'Coven' is a short instrumental interlude that wouldn’t be out of place on the soundtrack to a remake of a 1970's British folk horror movie. The final original track, 'Arbitrary Dates' is a slow and slithering piece that is again very bassey, but rather more subtle that 'Firelighter' but nonetheless just as infectious.

WMX's 'Bestial Mouths' remix of 'Firelighter' gives the original a daring but still faithfully cacophonous dance floor re-working. Where as the 'Digital Gnosis' remix of 'Arbitrary Dates' sees the original spun into a haunting piece that makes great use of some harpsichord sounds.

'Firelighter/Arbitrary Dates' is a very fine release that Grypt should push hard and capitalise on. The multi-faceted vocal style and subtle but subversive style of experimentation should rightly find a global audience. Hopefully a full-length release won't be too far round the corner to really show off what this promising duo can do.

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Latest artists announced for WGT

It's not long now until the German city of Leipzig is taken over for the annual Wave Gotik Treffen, and as the date draws closer, the organisers keep releasing more and more top acts to entertain the black-clad pilgrims.

The latest announcements are:
SATYRICON (N) , EQUILIBRIUM (D) , ROTTING CHRIST (GR) , THEODOR BASTARD (RUS) , FRIEDER MONZER (D) , NORMAN LIEBOLD (D) , MARIA NORDA (D) , MARKUS HEITZ (D) , HONEY (D) , NACHTWINDHEIM (D) .

The bands join an already heaving roster that includes the likes of 45 Grave, Absolute Body Control, Aeon Sable, Alcest, Beastmilk, Chrisitan Death, Apoptygma Berzerk, Faderhead, Frontline Assembly, Hocico, Lacrimas Profundere, The Hiram Key, The Klinik, The Soft Moon, Siva Six, XP8 and Xotox.

This year's festival will take place 6th June until 9th June. For the latest announcements and to order your tickets, please visit the official website.  

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The weekly compendium 23/05/2014

Well that's it for another week here at Intravenous Magazine. It's not been a crammed one, but it has been a good one.

First of all we kicked things off with our new columnist Matt Fanale of Casutic fame who has done his best to answer whatever questions you've thrown at him. If you want to ask him anything you can contact him via the email address in the article. If that wasn't enough we've had another column from Joel Heyes as well, in which he praises the resurrection of the British horror institute Hammer Films. While over in the reviews section I got my hands on the new Cabaret Voltaire compilation, and the first full length offering from Mixe1. P. Emerson Williams also gave us the lowdown on the new collaborative effort from Scott Miller, Lee Camfield and Merzbow.

Over on the Facebook page we've had a sneaky look at the new trailer for Rob Zombie's next film 31. Speaking of Mr Zombie, he is also running a competition to win a copy of his new live DVD. We got the news a fire had broken out in Camden market. C/A/T has thankfully been resurrected, so you can check out their new facebook page. In Death It Ends are releasing a hybrid CD/vinyl, which just sounds awesome. Hazel Und Gretyl are funding a new album. And finally, of course, yesterday was World Goth Day.

Right, that's your lot for this week. I'll leave you with this over the long weekend, and we'll see you again on Tuesday.

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Review: SCOTT MILLER / LEE CAMFIELD / MERZBOW – ' No Closure'

SCOTT MILLER / LEE CAMFIELD / MERZBOW 
'No Closure' 
COLD SPRING RECORDS 

The bed of the arrangements were recorded in abasement in San Francisco, and indeed the vibe does evoke a subterranean vibe nearly to the point where one can smell the musty walls. 'No Closure consists of two twenty-two minute tracks, but each is clearly divided into distinct sections that don't so much bleed into each other as shift direction several times.

The rhythm section of the fist section of 'I' evokes a mental image of hoboes jamming in a rusting boxcar in an abandoned siding as they await the one sent of for the sterno and gasoline. The repeating riffs sit below Masami Akita's (Merzbow) sonic manipulations juxtaposing the two ends of the collaboration instead of having them coalesce. The sound feels like it was captured live by someone adept field recording. The next section is a launch into a melancholy tremolo picked black metal melody as the electronics kiss the boiling psychedelic sky. This must mean the sterno has arrived and in the siding brains set to tweaking and the gas huffing can commence. Off we go into an organ drone over which the electronic noise grows increasingly frenetic until it trails off at the end.

Funeral doom riffs kick off 'II' with layers of what may be heavily distorted voices low in the mix or we may have a case of electronic voice phenomena haunting the track. This track has more of a metal flavour than the first, but probably only to those more familiar with blackened ambient noise terrorists like Abruptum or Swiss funeral doom precursors Mordor. Here the portentous filthy drums, electronic howling and melodic chanting sit together in quite a complementary way. The end section is like a banishing ritual to cleanse the headspace of the listener of the unclean entities the preceding sonic ritual called forth. Only too fitting for such a shamanic creation.

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Review: Cabaret Voltaire – '#7885 (Electropunk To Technopop 1978-1985)'

CABARET VOLTAIRE
'#7885 (Electropunk To Technopop 1978-1985)'
MUTE 

Cabaret Voltaire need no introduction. Their influence on the creation and development of electronic and industrial music has been enshrined by the bands and artists they continue to influence today. The band's latest career retrospective, courtesy of Mute Records, charts the Sheffield trio's evolution from Dada-influenced electropunk pioneers to polished technopop domination.

The collection is a veritable 'best of' with early favourites leading into their later, more evolved works. A combination that will undoubtedly proved to be an essential purchase from now on for those taking their first steps into the band's work. While the last release, the six-CD box set '#8385 (Selected Works 1983-1985)' charted Cabaret Voltaire's celebrated “middle period”, the new compilation provides a more concise overview of the band's development and evolution throughout the earlier part of the decade.

It's interesting to listen to the track list as the earlier, more experimental tracks such as 'Do The Mussolini', 'Nag Nag Nag', 'Silent Command', and 'Seconds Too Late' featuring the seeds of what the band's sound would ultimately become in terms of groove and melody. The likes of 'Just Fascination', 'Crackdown', 'Sensoria', and 'I Want You' then take over and show how the band managed to develop that sense of pop melody while continually pushing what the band were capable of artistically.

The compilation has been well-crafted and produced to get the best quality out of the tracks. Despite the noticeable jump in quality from the grittier recordings to the more polished efforts, the collection flows quite nicely, with every song still complimenting the others.

It doesn't really matter whether you are a long time fan or someone who was until recently unacquainted with Cabaret Voltaire, this is an essential purchase. It's an easy introduction to one of electronic music's most dynamic protagonists, and a great way to rekindle your love. A third instalment surely must be on the horizon to chart the band's later years and give closure on a great retrospective.

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Review: Mixe1 – 'Starlit Skin'

MIXE1
'Starlit Skin'
SELF-RELEASED 

It's been great to see Mixe1 go from an interesting solo project to promising band. The creativity and conceptual edge of Mike Evans vision has received a big shot of adrenalin courtesy of live guitars and drums. The end result is a punk-infused electro-rock that is full of big choruses and dance friendly-melodies.

The début album comes after three very strong EP releases, and exhibits a moodier and far more aggressive side than before. Songs like 'Talking In Our Sleep', 'Break You Down', 'Here', 'The Show', 'All 4 U' are fast and hard with the dynamic array of synths we've come to expect perfectly complimenting the rock instruments underpinning them. The band aren't afraid to get experimental either with 'Plug Me In Tonight' using the synths to great effect for a harsh but melodic centrepiece. But it's the band's final track on the album 'Airways' that is the biggest achievement with it's room-filling sound pushing it forward as the obvious choice for a live set closer.

In terms of production it isn't quite as polished as it could be. There is still a roughness to the recording that could ideally be ironed out. But in terms of the mix the band still sound fantastic. If fact this is the best the band have ever sounded, especially when it comes to Mike Evans' dynamic vocal range, which really drives the album.

'Starlit Skin' is a big step for a band that have, for the past few years, shown a lot of promise. The new writing style works well and they truly feel like they have arrived at a modern and relevant sound. You shouldn't be surprised if Mixe1 get snapped up by another label based on this effort.

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Hammer Has Risen From The Grave

Many things long dormant are making a return these days, as the cycle of popular culture speeds up into a constant spin. Some of them welcome, and some of them (food banks, child poverty, neo-colonial racism) not so much. But one venerable British institution is having a long-overdue renaissance, albeit one which is yet to receive as much fanfare as it might deserve.

Hammer Productions, that cornerstone of British gothic horror, has cast a long shadow of the genre since the 1950s and has come to define British horror. It is not just the fact that it unleashed some of the finest examples of horror since the pre-war heyday of Universal, with seminal re-workings of the classic monsters that have done as much as any to define them, but also that they launched or sustained the careers of some the finest acting talent Britain had to offer – Christoper Lee, Peter Cushing, Oliver Reed, Andrew Keir, Ingrid Pitt, Caroline Munro and Joanna Lumley amongst them.

It also established many of the visual tropes of gothic horror in the mind of the general public – mute, wild-eyed vampires, stilted chase scenes, atonal soundtracks, heaving bosoms, invariably disbelieving or gullible peasants/police/priests, etc. and buckets and buckets of 'Kensington gore'. These motifs did much to establish Hammer as a raw exponent of gothic thrills and chills when they revived the genre in the late '50s and for the subsequent decades.

Of course Hammer had other more down-to-earth charms as well ,as they erred on the shonky as often as they did on the glorious. There were tales of films being shot back-to-back on identical sets to save money, of scripts apparently so terrible that actors refused to read them or films where shooting started without a script at all, and of funding being obtained on the strength of the film poster alone. Soon the films started becoming tongue-in-cheek ('Dracula AD 1972') or unintentionally hilarious ('The Legend of the 7 Golden Vampires') and the eventual end of the Hammer story came with 'To The Devil A Daughter', an adaptation of a Dennis Wheatley novel that was so bad the author banned Hammer from ever using his books again. And on that bombshell it appeared that Hammer was no more.

Until...the creaking coffin lid opened once more in 2008, as the Hammer hit machine geared back into action. With the popularity of British horror having steadily grown throughout the noughties the time was right for a modern take on Hammer horror, and the groundwork laid in re-establishing the brand paid off when 'The Woman in Black' was a hit in 2012 and regained the credibility of Hammer in the process. And only a few weeks ago the Hammer class of 2014 released 'The Quiet Ones', the latest in their new line of modern supernatural chillers.

So Hammer has risen from the grave... the only thing missing is some old-fashioned Satanic cultery. Make sure you catch 'The Quiet Ones' at the cinema, then afterward treat yourself to one of the classic Hammer shockers (in either sense of the word) and rejoice in the restoration of a British institution – because the next time it goes it may not return.

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Hey! SHUT UP CAUSTIC!

Welcome to the first instalment of SHUT UP CAUSTIC!, a (hopefully) monthly advice column on whatever damn subjects I want to talk about.  Want advice on music makin', promoting, relationships, or if you should get a cherry or raspberry Slushie? Email them all to causticmerch@gmail.com with the subject "SHUT UP".

Thanks!

From Dan: At what point as an artist do you ask to get paid to do remixes? What if you just started a new band yet you were in a band before for many years doing free remixing. Do you combine your work from all those years or do you have to start over since the band you did remixes for in the past is no longer a band anymore?

CAUSTIC: There are a lot of reasons people charge for remixes. For some people it's because this is their fulltime job and it's another source of income. For others it's to separate the wheat from the chaff, as some people just ask everyone under the sun for a remix simply to see if it'll work and saying you want money weeds a lot of them out. Personally, I charge because remixing takes me away from doing my own music and, often, time away from my family. That's worth money to me because remixing, while fun, is also work. It also depends on who is asking for a remix, as sometimes a larger artist might ask you for a remix. Would I charge someone like VNV Nation or Combichrist for a remix? No, because there's a good chance a lot of people will hear that mix and it's a smart business move. Would I charge an up and coming artist though? Yes, in most cases I would. I think it's fair, and if someone doesn't they have every right not to hire me to do it. I think I'm also exceedingly reasonable in what I ask.

I'm not trying to get rich. I just think my time helping you is worth a few bucks, otherwise I could be plowing through the Beauty Queen Autopsy full length or the next Caustic.

As to "when is right" is totally up to you. Everyone starts out remixing for free, and if you already established yourself in another act, unless you're remixing under that name I'd say the point is moot unless you were huge under that name. When it really comes down to it if you want to charge you can. You just may not get any business because most artists remix for free or as a remix trade. Ultimately if people are willing to pay and happy with the results then that's the time. I never got a letter in the mail saying "you're ready." I just decided I needed some small compensation for my time.

From Tommy: What are your thoughts on the "pay to play" or "pay to be on comps" in the industry?

CAUSTIC: Pay to play is a tricky beast-- it's very common for openers on tours to pay to be on them. That's pretty much an industry standard, so when you see some band opening for a big band and wonder how they got so lucky? They bought that luck, and I can't really complain about that too much even though I've never done it. If you think it's worth the investment then go for it.

My pay to play issue comes with venues that make you pay to play there, whether by selling tickets to cover expenses for the headliner or because they're too lazy to promote the stupid show themselves. I think it's exploitative to expect a band to cover a certain amount of the costs of the show by themselves outside of kicking butt on stage. Mind you, if you have a show and you're not promoting it you deserve to not get booked, but to make you financially liable before the show even starts? That's just lazy and gross to me and I don't agree with it at all, especially since these deals often end up with the pay to play band going on stage ridiculously early...to no people.

Paying to be on comps, unless they're a major motion picture, is a total waste of money to me. Compilations rarely sell a ton, and if they do you're probably not going to get many sales off of them to justify even a paltry sum to be on them. In cases where you get the equivalent money back in CDs/vinyl though I'd say use your best judgement, as that's something to sell and helps promote you at shows and such. Again though, it's your money, so weigh the pros and cons of blowing a few hundred bucks on a compilation appearance or saving it, sinking it into advertising, and just maybe giving the track away instead for an email address.

From Ilari: How does one make it from a warm-up act into a headliner?

CAUSTIC: Two words: Persistence and talent. There are some bands that will never become a headliner-- they'll always open for bigger bands. But bands that put the time in on the road and in promoting their releases online can potentially enjoy the fruits of their labor and move up the line. Artists like Aesthetic Perfection opened on a ton of tours building a fanbase by just keeping their nose to the grindstone. Skrillex opened for Deadmau5 for a long time, which got his music in front of hundreds of thousands of people that learned his name that night. Now they're both reliable headliners. They put in the time.

Most importantly, your music and show have to be great. Playing lots of shows helps with that, no matter where they are or to how many people. The more stage time you get the better for your overall show. If you aren't putting out music that's connecting with people you're dead in the water.

By the way, "headlining" isn't always great. I've headlined plenty of shows where I ended up playing to the ten people that stuck around because it was a Wednesday night and people had to get up the next morning. I've also had plenty of gigs where we had a full house, but there are drawbacks to playing last.  Sometimes the best crowd is right in the middle of the show.

From Chad: What do you think of people who don't believe in mixing outside genres with the genre of music one plays? Example being punks shunning traditional rock elements.

CAUSTIC: I have a fondness for traditionalists, but at the same time think that sticking to genre conventions often limits artists too much. It's a lot harder to create your own voice when you're copying a million similar voices before you. I consider myself more of a fringe industrial artist as it is, so I gravitate to other artists that straddle genres just because they're more interesting to me creatively. It doesn't mean I don't enjoy a good Ramones song, but I'm probably not going to be as into a song from a twentieth generation Ramones rip-off band. Do your own thing and let the listeners categorize you. You'll have more fun.

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The weekly compendium 16/05/2014

It's been a sad week for fans of H.R. Giger. The surrealist painter and sculpture died aged 74 after an accident in his home. In celebration of his life, we penned a quick obituary for him.

In happier news we had a new collection of musical picks from End : The DJ. As well as reviews from the likes of My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult, The Death Notes, 3TEETH and Elastik. As well as news from Wave Gotik Treffen.

It's been a bit quiet over on our Facebook page this week but we did get new music videos courtesy of Laibach and Dani'el. As well as news that the book 'This Is Gothic Rock' has gone into pre-production. And finally that The Eden House's 'Half Life' will soon be available on limited edition white vinyl.

That's if for another week. I'm going to leave you with a little more Giger.

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Latest acts announced for WGT

The newest collection of bands have been announced for this year's Wave Gotik Treffen festival.

Joining the line-up are: SLOWDIVE (GB) , EÏS (D) , THE WOKEN TREES (DK) , THE FOREIGN RESORT (DK) , OLIVER KLEIN (D) , THOMAS MANEGOLD (D) , LYDIA BENECKE (D) , HEIKO SCHNICKMANN (D) , DONNER & DORIA (D) , WIRRWAHR (D) .

The bands join an already heaving roster that includes the likes of 45 Grave, Absolute Body Control, Aeon Sable, Alcest, Beastmilk, Chrisitan Death, Apoptygma Berzerk, Faderhead, Frontline Assembly, Hocico, Lacrimas Profundere, The Hiram Key, The Klinik, The Soft Moon, Siva Six, XP8 and Xotox.

This year's festival will take place 6th June until 9th June. For the latest announcements and to order your tickets, please visit the official website.  

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Obituary: H.R. Giger 1940 – 2014

Loving The Alien...

“Giger’s work disturbs us, spooks us, because of its enormous evolutionary time span. It shows us, all too clearly, where we come from and where we are going.” - Timothy Leary

Swiss surreal artist H.R. Giger shot to fame with the release of Ridley Scott's 1979 sci-fi horror film 'Alien'. Giger provided the set design and more importantly the wasp-like 'Xenomorph' creature that stalked the corridors of the spaceship Nostromo. His work on the film earned him an Oscar for best visual effects in 1980. But the career of Giger goes far beyond this film. His nightmarish 'Biomechanical' style became ingrained into the very idea of what it means to create dark art, permeating mainstream culture, through films, and music.

The son of a chemist, Giger was born Hans Rudolf 'Ruedi' Giger on 5^th February 1940, in the Swiss town of Chur. He studied architecture and industrial design and briefly pursued a career in interior design before his art took over his life. He began his art career utilising ink, oil paints before moving into airbrushing, a technique that would add a soft dreamlike quality to his nightmarish subjects. Horror, fetish, sex, death were constant themes in the artists work as were pronounced influences from the likes of Heironymous Bosch, Ernst Fuchs and Salvador Dalí. But uniting them all was his pioneering 'Biomechanical' style, which saw organic creatures and beings melded with machines in symbiotic ways.

In adition to the film that brought him to the attention of the mainstream, Giger also worked directly on films such as Alien 3, Dune, Prometheus, Poltergeist II: The Other Side and even moved into directing his own short films, which include Tagtarum, and Necronomicon.


His distinctive visual style also lent itself to music, and many of his paintings would go on to be featured on the covers of albums by a diverse range of artists including Walpurgis, Emerson Lake & Palmer, Debbie Harry, Celtic Frost, Carcass, Danzig and Tryptikon.

During the 80s Giger began to increasingly move into sculpture before abandoning painting altogether after 1990. This tactile three-dimensional representation of his artwork brought his nightmares headlong into reality. No longer were we viewing a glimpse through a window, but were confronted face-to-face with the horrors he unleashed. Even his sculptural work became linked with his aesthetic fingerprint on music when Korn front-man Jonathan Davies commissioned Giger to create his now famous microphone stand.

Giger's early experience in interior design would also resurface with the design and construction of several 'Giger Bars' of which two remain: one in his hometown of Chur, Swizerland, and another in Château St. Germaine, also in Switzerland. Another bar had existed in the late 80s in Tokyo, however Giger distanced himself from the project due to problems with the city fire wardens. It was completed without further involvement from him, and would eventually close after being taken over by the Yakuza. One more Giger bar existed as a three-year art installation at the The Limelight in New York in 1998, which was dismantled when the club eventually closed down.

Giger's body of work became so expansive that in 1998, he opened his own museum in Château St. Germaine,Gruyeres, Switzerland. The museum not only features his own work, but also his personal collection which includes pieces by Salvidor Dalí as well as other Surrealist and Dada artists.

Giger died on Tuesday 13^th May 2014 following injuries he sustained after a fall down a staircase at his home. His influence on art and film has been profound and has solidified his legacy as one of the greatest artists of the 20^th and 21^st centuries. He is survived by his wife, Carmen Maria Scheifele Giger.

For more, please visit the following websites:

http://www.hrgiger.com

http://www.hrgigermuseum.com

http://www.giger.com

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Review: Elastik – 'Rework'

ELASTIK
'Rework'
KOMA RECORDS

French electro/dark-ambient band Elastik last emerged to release the torturous melancholic 'Instrumental EP' with its heavy use of orchestral instrumentation. They quickly receded into the shadows once more and have now prepared their latest EP offering in the form of 'Rework'.

It's no less sinister, although opting for a purer synthesized electro sound that makes good use of dance beats and ebm flirtations, the use of spoken vocals of Horor 4o4 on the first track 'Aporie' preserves the dark malice of its predecessor. While the trip-hop vibes of Malika's vocal contribution to the dance-orientated 'Cage' creates an end result is akin to Enigma discovering electro-industrial.

The EP throws a curve ball dark hip-hop style of 'Nexus' complete with the rap vocals of Hellby, who sounds like a cross between Saul Williams and Nivek Ogre... which isn't a bad thing. The EP is then rounded off by they spacey, ambient t instrumental 'Vapeur', which opts to let it's tinny trip-hop beats and delay-laden synths do the vocalising.

This is another great and varied EP from the elusive French band. It is dark, danceable and most importantly very memorable. Hopefully full-length album number three is just around the corner to give us a more satisfying taste of their talent.  

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3̤̱͕͢ ̱̣͕̜̀͟͜T̹̜̗͈̠̼̀Ę̶̻E̵̢̤̩T̢̡͕̦̥̦͍̟̳̩ͅH̰̼̺͎ – '3Teeth'

3TEETH
'3Teeth'
ARTOFFACT 

"Make sure you play it loud" the band told me as I downloaded the new album from the enigmatic L.A based group '3̤̱͕͢ ̱̣͕̜̀͟͜T̹̜̗͈̠̼̀Ę̶̻E̵̢̤̩T̢̡͕̦̥̦͍̟̳̩ͅH̰̼̺͎'. What happened next I will try my best to explain.

3̤̱͕͢ ̱̣͕̜̀͟͜T̹̜̗͈̠̼̀Ę̶̻E̵̢̤̩T̢̡͕̦̥̦͍̟̳̩ͅH̰̼̺͎ have been creeping out the murky fog of America's West coast now for about a year, feeding us 
songs and remixes on Soundcloud, as well as propaganda music videos and images to reflect upon on many
social networking sites, but finally the news has arrived, the début album is now here!

Tracks you may already know include the incredible 'Nihl', the death deifying 'Pearls 2 swine' and the ear 

ripping 'Consent' but there are more tracks that will give you glorious nightmares for the rest of the year.

The best of the stuff you may have already heard is undoubtedly 'Master of Decay'. It's the fetish scenes new anthem with a beat that sounds like a whip being struck across a persons' back, a warped synth that will melt your mind and a vocal that will chill your bone.

Many others have a similar merit, 'Unveiled' plays out like an Eastern wall lullaby. It sits sad and lonely, waiting for the Hoff to come and 'set it free'. It's the closest this album has to a ballad and it doesn't disappoint. There is also 'Dissolve' with it's drug inducing play that reminds you of early Noisuf-x mixed with Skinny Puppy licking the back of your neck, and 'X-Day' which could have risen from the crypt of White Zombie with added bite.

This album can appeal to many different types of industrialist. There's 'Final Product' for the TBM stompers, 'Dust' for the 80's Rivetheads and even 'Chasm' and 'Too far gone' for those who like it Gothic and horror-score infused. Never has Industrial music been this dark and frightening since the Broken Movie!  There is no denying that these guys are waging war on all the drab M.O.R. stuff over the last few years, with acts like Godflesh, Psychic TV, TKK, Revco, Ministry, Front 242, V.A.C and many more right behind them. They are the cavalry, and be alert for their call!

"Make sure you play it loud" the band said. I did; Now I'm telling you to do the same.

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Review: The Death Notes – 'Lost And Found'

THE DEATH NOTES
'Lost And Found'
SONIC DISRUPTOR

Nottingham's dark-indie rockers The Death Notes are admirable for making a big gamble with their choice of Mark Saxton as the band's new vocalist. Replacing a vocalist is hard enough but when the previous vocalist was of the opposite gender, then things start to get a little trickier. After all this means adjusting the whole of the live show to suite a deeper voice and change the writing style as well. Luckily things slipped into place pretty quickly for The Death Notes and by the time they released their first single from their second album, there was no doubt they'd done things right.

The band's second album, 'Lost And Found' re-establishes their icy-cold indie-goth formula, that blends shoegaze, post-punk and new wave. Tracks like 'Panacea', 'Malice', 'Lost And Found', 'Damnation' and 'Falling From Grace' recall names such as Chameleons, Killing Joke, Joy Division and The Pixies. However, the album's strongest cut has to be the atmospheric noire of 'The Sentinel, that blends mournful violins, jazzy bass and scorching post-punk guitars to compliment Saxton's tortured vocals.

The production overall is a little patchy in places. It does have a nice 80's vibe to it, but it sounds a little too rough around the edges, which unfortunately does become an issue every so often. That being said though, it is a nice mix that lets all five members have the room they need in the tracks.

This may be the band's second album, but it feels like it should be their first. There are a few tracks here that sound like they're treading water somewhat, but when the band get it right it immediately consigns those minor missteps to memory. Yet, as 'The Sentinel' proves, this is a band that are just on the cusp of coming into their own. They know how to write a solid song, and there is no doubt their chemistry is good. But you know there is more to come. As though they're holding back a little. If their next album contains more cuts like 'The Sentinel' it will definitely put The Death Notes on the map.

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Review: My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult – 'Spooky Tricks'

MY LIFE WITH THE THRILLKILL KULT
'Spooky Tricks'
SLEAZEBOX RECORDS

The vanguard of the industrial love revival return with their thirteenth outing. For over twenty-five years the name My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult has been synonymous with the legendary Wax Trax! roster of bands who promoted big beats, distorted vocals, catchy melodies and bizarre film samples. Yet TKK were never ones to dance to anyone else’s beat. Instead they forged ahead on their own path. The band that brought the world classics such as 'Kooler Than Jesus', 'A Daisy Chain 4 Satan' and 'Sex On Wheels' however haven’t released any new material since 2009's 'Death Threat', so legacy or no, the veterans find themselves with everything to prove once again.

Though 'Death threat was a return to their dark and bizarre roots, 'Spooky tricks' however immediately reasserts the bands sleazy-psychedelic disco rock blueprint, with the albums dance credentials quickly established across the first two tracks 'Room On The Moon', and 'Spooky Tricks'. Before the likes of 'Hell Kat Klub', 'Monti Karlo', 'Bella Piranha', 'Dope Freek', 'Sex Witch' take hold and steer the album through some of the strongest moments in the band's back catalogue. It's a lighter record in tone, with a more dance-orientated core, but from start to finish it is classic TKK.

There is a definite bias towards letting the music do the brunt of the work, and keeping the lyrics minimal. However this only makes the vocals more grabbing, with every track held together by Groovy's sinister croon, giving even the more up-tempo tracks a sinister hangover. The TKK disco bounce is as infectious as ever, and even despite the classic synth sounds, the album doesn't come off as dated in any way.

'Spooky Tricks' is a welcome return by one of industrial's most iconic acts and lives up to the high standards they have set themselves over the past quarter of a century. There are frequent nods to their classic tracks making this a pretty accessible album to get into even if you've only every heard the Wax Trax! classics which are still on heavy club rotation. Lets just hope the wait for a follow-up is a little shorter this time around.

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END: the DJ's Top Club Music Picks May 2014

From the most decorated night clubs with full on deco, lighting and lasers to the darkest underground dance floors, these new tracks are smoking up playlists and catching everyone’s attention. Some of these tracks are new, some yet to be released hence only the links to their labels or main website. Keep up with these releases and stay on the edge! Read on: 

Front Line Assembly- 'Next War' - Metropolis Records
From the latest remix album Echoes- is another masterpiece of a new original FLA track. The lyrics are incredible and the beat perfectly matches up. Love the breaks in this track, and you’ll love the remixes on the entire album featuring work by Rhys Fulber, Blush Response and many more. Put this one on repeat listening!

Hardom- 'La Rebelion (Feyser Remix)'- Rawhard Audio Records
This one thumps hard, like a stomp-inducing track with a slight noise touch that stole away with some breakbeat and dark-tech. I’m loving all that Rawhard Audio has been releasing and this “La Tormenta” EP from Hardom is no exception. Just listen to this remix (also love Loso’s remix of the title track) and it’s an instant keeper.  

Energun- 'Black Quarks (Daegon Remix)'- Rawhard Audio Records
More Rawhard awesomeness. This remix on the Black Quarks EP release from Energun is hard and heavy. Dark tech, a touch of noise and a small reminder of a more mechanic EBM sound.  

Division 4- 'Silent Talking'- Green Mono Records
Green Mono’s the other fantastic label I’ve been fortunate to come across in 2014; each track release seem as progressive anthems and are a staple of today’s club sound. The bass and flow of this track is so smooth and melodic, it instantly catches anyone looking to move on the dance floor. Look this one up, you’ll be happier for it. 

A.E.C.- 'Pain'- Solid Grey Sky Recordings
A nicely done track from a great project by Tyler Newman of Informatik and Battery Cage. Love the production work plus the male and female vocal styles. You’ll find this one on the new album release “Sex.Drugs.Sequence”. Keep your ears open for this one. 

Javi Santana- 'Cat Zombie'- Supermarket Records
From the Spain label we have a hard-hitting track that keeps a pretty edgy and punchy bass rhythm that kept me interested in the first few seconds. Supermarket’s known for dance heavy tracks- this one has some of their best rhythm work yet this year. 

Kryonix- 'Face Your Fears'- [self-release]
I was fortunate to have Kryonix give me a heads-up on this fantastic harsh-EBM mover; I’d be amazed if this track wasn’t picking up everyone’s attention in the months ahead. Looking forward to future works that Kryonix will have to offer after this one.  

Consumer Junk- 'Pushed'- [self-release]
From the “Gruftibahn 11” album which has a lot of well-done tracks, “Pushed” is but one of a number of diverse works that make the entire release stand out. Should be making some waves in Europe and internationally. 

A Spell Inside- 'Frei Sein'- Dark Dimensions Label Group
This new single from ASI is solid from the intro to the very first beat. Very powerful, almost an anthem of a track. Looking forward to hearing more new work! 

Quantum Shift- 'Fountain (Orlese Remix)'- Green Mono Records
Yes, yet another Green Mono label production done with expertise. Very well-textured and the melody stays with you. As the lyrics say, it “picks you up and sets you free”.  

Peter Groskreutz- 'Dust'- Login Records
Login Records keeps up the great minimal tech releases and yet this one has a more beat-driven flair and keeps you from standing still. The other tracks on the “Dust” EP release are also top-notch but I’m loving the title track. 

Beat Tempest- 'Beach In Winter'- C-Clone Records
This one is an energy driver, relentless and unforgiving. I love how it constantly connects in such a hard way. Another great one this year from Beat Tempest.


Artists / Producers that want to send any demos for consideration, email or contact at ENDtheDJ.com!





END: the DJ is a U.S. based DJ and artist with releases on Infacted Recordings, Nilaihah Records and CircuitHeads Digital. END tours internationally, supporting many dark electronic artists and labels plus has live mixes on U.S. and UK radio, Industrial Club Sessions. Look for the album Infactious Vol. 4 available now on Infacted Recordings.

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The weekly compendium 09/05/2014

OK, it has been a short week here at Intravenous Magazine. But we tried to make up for it with a lot of posts yesterday. That's what a bank holiday trip to London and a post bank-holiday sore throat does for your publishing schedule. Ah well... here's what we had for you this week.

It was news, news and... more news from the likes of Wave Gotik Treffen, Projekt records, Cabaret Voltaire, and Paris Ambient Festival. There was also an Editorial ramble for those of you who pay attention to such things. And finally some reviews courtesy of Vvinter Rainbovv and Front Line Assembly.

Over on the facebook page we had acoustic tour dates for Wednesday 13, a new music video from Christian Death and some rare footage of The Cassandra Complex.

Right, I've got work to catch up on, so I'm going to leave you this weekend with that Cassandra Complex footage. Ciao!

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Review: Front Line Assembly - 'Echoes'

FRONT LINE ASSEMBLY
'Echoes'
METROPOLIS RECORDS

Legendary Canadian electronic act Front Line Assembly hit hard with their previous outing 'Echogenetic' The renowned veterans formed by Bill Leeb, sounded as fresh and energised as they reconstructed their classic signature sound in a more contemporary manner. The end result was a great dance-friendly record that recaptured the energy of the band's most prolific output.

Fast forward a year and we get the inevitable remix collection. Many people will undoubtedly be rolling their eyes at what are essentially albums for DJs, but considering the quality of the album that is the source material for 'Echoes' it's worth approaching with an open mind.

Your reward is a collection of great re-workings of the originals that don't simply resort to trying to create more dance friendly versions of what were already dance friendly songs. With the likes of Youth Code, Blush Response, Comaduster and Haujobb taking on remix duties, you're pretty much guaranteed the album is worth the money.

Indeed the opener 'Contagion', 'Next War', Sonic Mayhem's stuttering take on 'Leveled', Comaduster's huge dubstep infused mix of 'Ghosts', Youth Code's retro version of 'Echogenetic', Blush responses dark and demented re-work of 'Echogenetic', as well as Haujobb's stripped-back mix of 'Blood' all work with and compliment the elements of Front Line Assembly's sound. Taking an one aspect of it and amping it up.

The songs aren’t huge departures from the originals. Instead even though this is a diverse collection of songs, they are all still recognisably FLA due to the fact that over their history they have assimilated so many different styles into their matrix and in turn influenced subsequent generations of artists that you have to go a long way to do something so radical that you disguise the artist in any way.

As far as remix albums go, this is a pretty solid offering. Fans of the band will definitely want it, and it should extend the band's club presence for a while longer. However, it's not a stand out offering in their back catalogue, especially when compared to 'Echogenetic'.  

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Review: Vvinter Rainbovv – 'Fvtvra'

VVINTER RAINBOVV 
'Fvtvra' 
PHANTASMA DISQUES 

Phantasma Disques continue to uncover and push some of the most interesting and original up and coming electronic artists around today. Canada's Vvinter Rainbovv are no exception. The projects début EP, 'Fvtvra' is a psychedelic trip into the dark recesses of contemporary electronica. Blending dark ambient, trip-hop, pop, shoegaze and cold wave the band reform them into a subversive but strangely approachable formula.

The EP opens with the slow thumping of 'Evermore' which recalls the likes of early 90's electro-industrial acts such as Spahn Ranch with it's menacing but catchy simplicity. 'Anyone Who's Anyone' opts for a lighter trip-hop framework that makes great use of multi-layered clean vocals and even some rap embellishments. The long and slowly evolving intro to 'Minotavr' makes nice rhythmic use of both the synths and slow distorted vocals to compliment the stuttering drums to create an almost instrumental feeling piece. This is carried on into 'Fade Away', which again makes good use of the heavily vocoded vocals, rendering them down to the level of another instrument in the mix for some very trippy listening. The albums crowning glory though is the sublimely epic 'The Kingdom Ov Filth' which at nearly ten minutes in length really shows off the scope of the talent behind the music to create a danceable, yet wholly ambient track. The EP is rounded off by the title track 'Fvtvra', which brings things back to the slow thumping of 'Evermore', albeit with a distinctly more experimental edge to it.

'Fvtvra' is a nicely written and put together album that has been mixed and mastered to get the most out of the music. It always retains it's experimental nature, but never becomes too dense or unsustainable, but keeps drawing the listener ever deeper.

This début EP shows a lot of promise for Vvinter Rainbow. It isn't the most ground-breaking release in the Pahantasma Disques catalogue, but it more than holds its own, and shows a well-honed sense of commercial viability that is often bypassed by other artists. It will be interesting to see where the follow up to 'Fvtvra' takes the band.

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