A new beginning for the legendary Zoth Ommog
• The old cult electro label Zoth Ommog finally pushes the pedal after a long break, as we have reported earlier. Two new albums marks the new start: X-Act's "X-Act 3" (June 26) and Strategy's "Assignment" (July 3). We have received the CD:s and reviews are on the way.
In a short time new bands will appear on Zoth Ommog like Sub Zero and Shock of Reality. Bands and projects looking for a record deal can send material to the company.
More info at Zoth Ommog's new web site at www.zothommog.com. /Jens Krause

Sadovaja released in GAS but single delayed


• Gothenburg electronica pop duo Sadovaja's debut album "Kill Your Darlings" will be released in Germany-Austria-Switzerland this month. Great Britain and USA might follow. The single "A Sweet Design" is moved to after the summer. /Mikael Kahrle

Swedish ambient industrial on Polish company
• The Swedish ambient industrial act Simply Dead received the grade seven out of ten in our demo department in issue 1/1997 of the printed Release. Now their debut album "Structure of Mind" is out on the Polish label Fluttering Dragon.
- We make electronic music influenced by Global Communication, Biosphere and Aphex Twin, says band member Per Nibell.
His companion Jan Boman is also the live vocalist of In Slaughter Natives and has a solo project named Nymph Faithest.
A review of "Structure of Mind" is in the making. /Mikael Kahrle

New cover compilation series launched
• Hit Net, the mother company behind among others the Bloodline label, has launched a cover compilation series called "Cover Me". "Cover Me Vol 1" is a tribute to Depeche Mode with participants like No Comment, Lights of Euphoria, Godheads, In Strict Confidence, Dark Distant Spaces and Darrin Huss. /Jens Krause

Depeche Mode have entered the studio


Andy Fletcher and David Gahan live.
Photo by: Peter Åstedt (Release)

• Depeche Mode have now written eight or nine new songs. On June 5, they started working on their new album in the studio together with Mark Bell in the producer's chair. These initial recording sessions will continue until mid July. Everyone has expressed satisfaction over the new material.
A single next winter followed by an album early 2001 still seems reachable. /Mikael Kahrle

New details on the hot Dkay.com
• The much anticipated debut album of Jürgen Engler's new industrial super project Dkay.com now has a title, "Decaydenz", and a release date, July 22 - something to light up the music summer coma with. The first single, "Hell Is Heaven" will be delivered first. A strong video clip will start spinning on German TV in the first week of July. /Jens Krause

Projekt turns 100
• Record label Projekt celebrate their 100th release with the compilation "Projekt100" on June 20, featuring unreleased and rare tracks from various label-related artists. They will also release the album "A Temple in the Clouds", a collaboration between Jeffrey Fayman and Robert Fripp, on August 22. /Erik Almgren

Delayed album from Teddybears Sthlm here


Photo by: Jonas Åkerlund

• June 7 marked the launch date for quartet Teddybears Sthlm's new album "Rock'n'roll Highschool". Previous single "Automatic Lover" (feautured on the album) marked a development towards a more electronic sound with hints of old krautrock and synthpop. The album have several tracks with the same influences and is a mixture of several genres such as hip hop, punk and rock.
"Punkrocker", first released by band member Jocke Åhlund's other band Caesar's Palace, is included here as well in a Teddybears take. /Mikael Kahrle

Catching up with And One
• Steve, Rick and Joke have now completed And One's German "Virgin Superstar" tour and have come over the shock from short time member Annelie Bertilsson's departure. Between 100 and 2500 people visited the concerts.
It's uncertain if Virgin is going to release another single from "Virgin Superstar" and "Wasted" might therefore end up as the only single from this fullength. /Jens Krause

Mesh live box out now
• The limited edition live box from Bristol synthpop trio Mesh, "On This Tour Forever", is out now. It contains a 96-minute video with live, audience, backstage and studio footage. It also offers the video clips for "Not Prepared", "Trust You" and "It Scares Me". The one hour live CD contains eleven tracks.
Since this is a limited edition release, no promotion copies are shipped and it seems unlikely that we will produce a review. /Mikael Kahrle

Complete back-catalogue from The Cult
• For those who want to (re)discover The Cult the times seem rather prosperous as the whole back-catalogue, re-mastered and with new lyric sheets, recently was released.
And front man Ian Astbury will release his new solo album "Spirit Light Speed" on July 3. /Erik Almgren

Bright future for Robert Enforsen's Enforce


• Enforce' debut promo gig at the large Depeche Mode party in Hamburg on May 27 was a success. The new single "All Together Now" (June 19) contains three versions of The Farm cover as well as another track called "Always". "Always" will not be on the forthcoming album, which is now in late production and scheduled for a possible September release. A new star in the synthpop sky seems to be born. /Jens Krause, Mikael Kahrle

Smith goes solo after The Cure split



• According to a Wall of Sound interview with Robert Smith, he is heading for a 2001 solo album with guest artists. He claims that after the touring and promotional activities surrounding the final Cure album "Bloodflowers" have ended, he will start working solo and get in touch with some of the musicians he has encountered throughout the years for a possible collaboration. He feels it's unwise to pursue these ideas under The Cure flag, since it might spoil the band's chemistry.
"Maybe Someday" on "Bloodflowers" is The Cure's swan song. It contains, among other lines, "No, I won't do it again / I don't want to pretend / If it can't be like before, I've got to let it end."
- As soon as the others heard that one, their faces dropped, he says.
They're not the only ones. /Mikael Kahrle

"Freedom" for Erasure in September
• Erasure will release their new single "Freedom" on September 4. An album, yet untitled, will follow later in the autumn. The sound is said to be more straight forward pop, with complementary guitars used. /Niklas Forsberg

MDFMK featured on soundtrack



• The soundtrack to the movie "Heavy Metal 2000" contains "Missing Time" by MDFMK (formerly KMFDM). Other artists featured are Billy Idol, Monster Magnet, Bauhaus, Machine Head and Pantera.
MDFMK are currently on the roads in North America (May 31 to June 24). Their "debut album" was released this spring. /Erik Almgren, Mikael Kahrle

Vote for the best American synthpop



• This year, the very first American Synthpop Awards is organised.
Until June 30 you can vote for your choices among nominees from an already completed first voting round. The winners will be presented on July 15.
Iris, Faith Assembly and Cosmicity are among the nominees. Since these bands are fairly unknown outside America, perhaps the best international band category is more appealing to foreigners. Here you can choose between Pet Shop Boys, Nasa, Rational Youth, S.P.O.C.K and Wolfsheim. /Mikael Kahrle

Bon Harris on Manson's new label?
• Ex-Nitzer Ebb man Bon Harris is currently working on his new project Maven. Maven is still without a contract, but a signing to Marilyn Manson's new label Posthuman Records is rumoured to be a possibility. /Erik Almgren

Comeback for Invisible Limits


Photo by: Thomas Simon

• 2000 marks the comeback of the German synthpop veterans Invisible Limits. The band have written some new songs and will complete an entire album for release in the end of the year.
Invisible Limits played four gigs in their home country in late May and plan to play in Spain and Sweden this autumn.
- We have been passive the last six years, because of our big success in Argentina and because we have changed label and all our business partners, Marion Küchenmeister says to Release. /Mikael Kahrle

Another "Popcorn" version
• On June 19, Swedish techno artist Richie M releases a cover single of the electronic classic "Popcorn", taken from his new album. /Mikael Kahrle

Second album from The Nine on the way
• The Nine is preparing their second album "Dreamland". The forthcoming summer single "I Won't" sounds promising. The Nine is a British band which makes perfectionistic modern synthpop similar to their friends in Mesh. /Mikael Kahrle

Odd The Sisters of Mercy Eurorock cancellation
• It seems The Sisters of Mercy will not play their planned headline gig at this year's Eurorock festival in Belgium. Eurorock was not permitted to use the words "goth" or "doom" according to the contract, but unfortunately did so in a newsletter.
- The Sisters of Mercy are very tired of being wrongly labelled as a goth band, Eurorock explains.
The band has also expressed a concern with the rising number of goth acts at the festival which "has turned into a festival which has no place for the band or their sensibilities". Eurorock received this information two weeks ago.
They are working on a constructive solution and say they will do everything in their power to persuade the band to visit the festival.
The above information is originating from Eurorock. According to The Sisters of Mercy's official web site, they have cancelled because the promotor didn't return the contract in time. /Mikael Kahrle

The The to release three albums in 2001
• The official The The web site have announced that when the "Naked Self" tour is over at the end of this year, frontman Matt Johnson is going to release three albums in 2001.
The first is the album "Gun Sluts" that was rejected back in 1998, the second is "The Pornography of Despair" the album that was recorded but never released back in 1982. Finally, the third is "Spirits" the very first album Matt Johnson ever wrote, this is the album that was written before "Burning Blue Soul" in 1979. /Erik Almgren

New material from J G Thirlwell


• As usual, industrial madman J G Thirlwell (a k a Foetus) keeps himself pretty busy. A new studio album called "Flow" is scheduled to be released in September 2000.  It shall be followed by a new Steroid Maximus (a Thirlwell side project) release, titled "Ectopia", in 2001. 
The fate of the Foetus companion album (to "Flow"), "Blow", is yet to be determined, but work on it has begun. /Erik Almgren