stahlmann(2010)

Stahlmann I discovered funnily enough through an advert for this album and me being me and liking to discover new bands whether good or bad thought id check them out out of curiosity. 
Founded in 2008, entered 2009 with the debut EP 'heartbeat' in the top 20 of theGerman Alternative Charts, where it sat for an impressive four weeks. Their début album, the Göttinger exactly tie where they left off with 'Heartbeat': No Mercyhard industrial with metal and gothic influences, melodic singing, which describes thedark paths of life and a steel guitar wall.


One thing that struck me about Stahlmann is that there quite similar to Rammstein. Perhaps minus the bizzare and sometimes disturbing lyrics though or at least not as much anyway...And if Rammstein had a bit more synths. Most of the tracks on this album are quite short and the album is only 9 tracks long as well. However most of the songs are catchy and its not a bad album.my favourite track on it is Kokain. Not far behind is Teufel with is varying dynamics.


Its an album you have to hear for yourself really. Its not the best album out there but its not bad its worth a listen. It is very Rammstein esque which is kind of off putting but as Rammstein have proven this kind of sound works.for me though the similarity is too much but im glad I listened to it.


3*


Track list:

1. Willkommen
2. Stahlmann
3. Hass Mich...Lieb Dich
4. Teufel
5. Marschieren
6. Auf Ewig
7. Kaltes Herz
8. Stahlwittchen 
9. Kokain

Covenant - Skyshaper(2006)

Based in Sweden covenant are a future pop/ebm/synth pop and formed in the mid 80's and signed to 21st Circuitry Records. Due to release a new album soon I thought id take one of their older album releases and revel in the marvel of them as they are still going strong playing many festivals and still touring and Eskil Simonsson is quite often seen donning a suit live reminding people of their importance and prestige in the scene.

Ritual noise is a brilliant way to start off this album.with its awesome synths, it also has brilliant build up at the start to get you going. Its been writing cleverly. I would most definitely dance to it at a club. It sets the tone for the rest of the album and boy does it get better. Pulse is one of my favourite songs on this release. Its very catchy, I cant help but dance to it when it comes on no matter where I am. Its fun and the lyrics are easy to pick up and sing along to and the synths add to it. A very note worth track.

Happy man is a very different track to the previous 2 with its bright, retro synths which give it a light kind of feel but the contradicting feel of the lyrics make it work very very well. Painting an image of a man that's trying to convince himself that everything will be OK and that he is a 'happy man' and it leaves a bitter sweet after taste in your mouth. Awesome song though. 

The next track Brave New World gives you a sense of optimism with its bright very melodic and beautiful synths. A very stunning track which gives me goosebumps every time I listen to it. I love this song. just take a listen for yourself and you'll see what I mean.

The Men kicks in with the beat straight away and is my other favourite track on this album. very very catchy, very danceable, and again very easy to sing along to. Another track that gives me goose bumps every time and also paints a huge smile across my face. cant praise this song enough!

Sweet and salty is a bit of an odd track. it uses different synths and effects, which is good, but its a strange track. Its also definitely a stand alone track on the album but something puts me off it and I don't know what. How ever having said that it does set the mood for the darker Greater Then The Sun. The vocal effects are really effective  and the different synths add to the ominous, eerie feel to it, also bringing us back to what were used to hearing from Covenant. 

20hz makes you take notice and grabs your attention straight away. I love the bass line in this song and its very catchy. Definitely a danceable track and reminiscent of Depeche mode but with their own twist(same could possibly be said for pulse thinking about it). The same attention grabbing also goes for Spindrift. The beat kicks in straight away and the vocals are amazing. Development throughout is fantastic with an almost spiritual/tribal feel to it. That combined with the keys at the end make you think of a tribal funeral ritual where they believe in reincarnation or an eleborate afterlife. Its a very good song though.

They finish the album with the very stunning and lyrically beautiful The World Is Growing Loud. Its mellow and an awe inspiring chill out track. 

This is a stunning album and a definitive must have for any ebm/synth pop/future pop fan. Itll have you dancing, singing and falling in love with it. Its very beautiful, diverse and lyrically amazing. 

Full 5*!!

Track list:

1. Ritual Noise
2. Pulse
3. Happy Man
4. Brave New World
5. The Men
6. Sweet And Salty
7. Greater Then The Sun
8. 20hz
9. Spindrift
10. The world is growing loud

Ivardensphere - Scatterface(2009)

I thought I'd check out this one on recommendation by a friend and seeing as I already had one track on my Ipod and didn't think it was too bad I thought 'Why not! What's the worst that could happen!'

IVardensphere’s goals are simple: the creation of music that will make you move. Judging by fans’ rabid reactions, it’s working in spades. With a fierce blend of dance floor punch, thick analogue sound and tribal influence, their music takes you over. Based in Edmonton, Canada, a hotbed of industrial activity, Scott Fox splits his time between teaching music engineering, writing for IVardensphere and DJing the notorious club nights SICK and Das OOntz. Soon after the completion of the first album, “Scatterface,” Scott enlisted the talents of Chris Lacroix to help bring the project to the next level: live performance.

Sentient wave form (the song I originally have on my Ipod) is danceable and has an array of synths sounds being introduced throughout the song. However unfortunately it does get repetitive... something that is seen throughout the album. Focusing on the good points how ever they do use different synths and each track has a different feel to it. for example Worm-tongue has a creepy dark kind of feel to it and would be all right for background kind of music, Virus is probably reminiscent of possibly every zombie film you've every seen but with a twist. Its a virus hence the name.

Unfortunately how ever after 4 tracks I got so bored I couldn't listen to any more. its good if you like sort of the more basic ebm or ebm more towards the trance/dance side but for me however i like things a bit more like a punch to the face of hard beats and lots of oontz oontz! Its worth a listen or maybe borrowing off a friend but I wouldnt buy it(and im glad I didnt).

2*

Track list:

1. Sentient Wave Form
2. Calibrating The God Machine
3. Worm-tongue
4. Virus
5. Bonedance
6. Nuke The Site Form Orbit
7. Tesseract
8. Jigsaw
9. Diatribe
10. Box Of Monsters
11. ...A Message From Our Sponsors

FGFC820 - Law And Order

These guys I decided to check out when I saw a girl at the last industrial fallout wearing their t-shirt, on the off chance I might like them. And I do.

Formed in 2004, FGFC820 is the harsh EBM project from well-known and respected New York City DJs, Rexx Arkana and Dräcos. Drawing on joint and separate influences ranging from old school industrial to modern gabber, Arkana and Dräcos combine to create a sound that is at once melodic and relentlessly rhythmic, "bringing the 'thump' back to EBM".

There album starts off with the first tracks making a huge political statement that isn't too in your face but subtle enough to make you think. There mostly focused on the war in  Iraq and how politicians can twist things to how they want it to sound, including political justice. Hello, Baghdad is a prime example of this as roughly halfway through the song it has a very controversial sample of a political speech (not sure whether its from a film or actually happened) but its used effectively, having said that I would probably dance to it at a club if it came on. Killing fields has bright synths and the lyrics contrast really well which makes quite a stark impression, after starting off with US radio broadcast with 'codes' for the troops.
My favourite track on this album is vengeance for its choice of samples and synths. I would love to hear this in a club and I would most definitely dance to it! Another very strong track on this release is momentum and definitely made me take note of it from the start as its got a slightly different feel to the others but works really well. It some how seems more optimistic then the others but that's what makes it stand out in a good way.
Forsaken in a strange way is quite a beautiful song but I think it lends that to the choice of samples used and the lyircs (if a little morbid).


4*


Over all its a very enjoyable album with some interesting choice's of samples used. Every track you could dance to in the right place


Track list:

1. Hello, Baghdad
2. Democracy
3. Killing Fields
4. Resolution 6
5. Ich Bin Ein Auslander
6. Vengeance
7. Momentum
8. Resolution 7
9. Emotion
10. Forsaken
11. Not The World I Remember
12. Resolution 8
13. Dream For Tomorrow
14. The Heart Of America

Nachtmahr - Semper Fidelis(2010)

I fell in love with Nachtmahr after seeing them play at infest 2010 and very very happily seeing them again in February. I had always been a fan of L'ame Immortelle so it was rather refreshing to hear something new from Thomas Rainer.
Joined on stage by his first Lieutenant Massimo Moscato and the Madchen in Uniform with one aim: to take over dance floors all over the world with their high energy industrial techno. He made his recording début as Nachtmahr in 2007 with the remix-heavy EP Kunst Ist Krieg in affiliation with Trisol Music Group.

limited edition copy

Enemies the intro track on this album has a brilliant and poignant quote by Winston Churchill of 'Do you have enemies? Good, that means you've stood up for something some time in your life' which sets the tone for then entire album in a brilliant original way. It also links very well into the next track of Wir Schreiben Geschechte which definitely packs a punch. Unbeugsam is bouncy, energetic, you cant help but dance to it with a massive smile plastered across your face which makes it one of my favourites on this album.
Rise and fall is one of the only songs on the album sung in English which makes it stand out more and a totally different feel to the rest. The other is can you feel the beat, which also happens to be my other favourite. All I have to say about this one is listen to the lyrics because they are so true about Nachtmahr.


The other 5 tracks on this release are instrumental club tracks(not to say the rest aren't either!), each with their own personality. Verrater An Gott i would put in league with the massive club hit of Katharsis. Then you have the high octane, very catchy Tanz Des Blutes, which you would definately be able to dance to... Very very hard.


I honestly don't think there's anything bad i can say about this album. Thomas Rainer has done himself proud with what I think to be his best work to date yet. Every single track you could dance to. Hard, dirty, fast, every single track is smothered in that highly infectious classic Nachtmahr sound that people love. This is a definate must have album, possibly the best of this year.


full 5*!!


Tracklist:

1. Enemies (intro)
2. Wir Schreiben Geschichte
3. Tanz, Major!
4. Unbeugsam
5. Verraater An Gott
6. Rise And Fall
7. Massiv
8. Can You Feel The Beat?
9. Tans Des Blutes
10. Rache
11. Trockenficken

Zombie Girl - Blood, Brains And Rock n Roll(2007)

Established in 2006 experienced Canadian artist and designer Renee Cooper-Komor is the voice, body and spirit behind the ZOMBIE GIRL concept. Her mystical magnetism quickly attracted Sebastian R. Komor away from his natal Norway into her graveyard and took her no time at all to mutate him into the “zombie-fied” male behind the music and most of the lyrics of the project. Its also nice to know that they don't take themselves too seriously.


Jesus Was A Zombie is evidence for that, the title says it all. With its funky guitars, keys and seductive vocals that are present through most of the double cd album and the zombie creation's take on the resurrection of Jesus it definitely makes it a fun song.
The Darkness has a similar thing going on but Seb has some vocals in it too which works really well in contrast to Renee's sexy vocal style. the same can be said for Living Dead Super Stars but with added samples of a crowd making it sound like there performing in front of a live audience.


The more danceable tracks on the album include Go Zombie which is one of my favourites. It starts off with advice on how to kill a zombie, ya know, just in case, and just like a zombie virus its very catchy. I wouldn't complain at hearing it in a club or a themed night out. Same can be said for Creepy Crawler(album version) which also makes it another favourite of mine, even with its darker feel to it but I think that's what makes me like it so much and wish it was longer. Elsie is another good danceable track with a hint of 80's thrown in for good measure but works in favour of Renee's vocals and is a fun track with a kinky side to it. 
There's also the Halloween element to the album with pieces like dance of the headless corpse and symphony of the living dead parts i and ii which would be perfect mood setters for Halloween parties or such themed events.


Overall the double CD release isn't a bad mixture of dance, rock and creepy Halloween esque music but it could have been more, not that its bad at all! The songs would be better as part of a play list instead of hearing them all together. However I love the seductiveness of Renee's vocals and Seb's composition works really well for them and you can tell they had fun writing this album.


3.5*


Track list:
         
CD 1:

1. Blood, Brains And Rock n Roll
2. Jesus Was A Zombie
3. Creature Of The Night
4. Living Dead Super Stars
5. Go Zombie
6. Creepy Crawler
7. Dance Of The Headless Corpse
8. The Darkness
9. Today
10. Gunna Getcha
11. Funeral Pyre
12. Prey
13. Fading Away(zg version)
14. Untitled Bonus Track

CD 2:

1. Bonesniffer
2. Jesus Was A Zombie (Mortiis Version)
3. Bleeder (Industrial Strength Remix By Seb)
4. Symphony Of The Living Dead
5. Symphony Of The Living Dead pt ii
6. Trioxin (Instru-mental)
7. We Are The Ones (Lounge Version)
8. Elsie
9. Sex (I Am)
10. Screams From The Cemetery
11. House Of 1000 Corpses (Bonus Track)
12. Fleasheaters Online (A Message To The World)