German electropop veterans have blasted back onto the stage with new album “Masterplan” and a brand new digital and strictly limited vinyl EP called “Frei sein 2020″ – with cover artwork from Emil Schult. Since A Spell Inside’s goth tinted beginnings with “Return to Grey” (1995) they have continuously released their own brand of dark electronic quality pop. We had a chat with Michael Roeder about what’s cooking.
Industrial metal band Misery Loves Co. took a 19 year break after their last album. We covered these talaented Swedes in the printed Release in the 90:s, a decade full of raving reviews, a Swedish Grammy award and extensive touring with acts like Paradise Lost, Slayer, Machine Head and Fear Factory. Now they’re back again, with a strong album of dark and moody rock with industrial influences. Eager to learn more, we asked Patrik Wirén a bunch of questions. “More bands should split up and disappear for a few years! I do believe the break made us a better band”, he says. [more...]
Essex band Empirion are creators of quality industrial dance music, and hit the scene back in 1993 with the track “Narcotic Influence”. Since then there have been the highs of being signed to XL (the same label as the Prodigy), and performing on a US tour with the likes of Moby, 808 State and System 7. The lows came in the form of original member Bob Glennie getting a brain tumour, which effectively put a stop to the band, with the other two members, Austin ”Oz” Morsley and Jamie Smart, separating to do their own projects like KLOQ.
Fast forward to now, and Empirion have not just reformed, but brought out the new Dependent Records album “Resume”, which Mike Whyte talked to them about, amongst other things, recently. [more...]
US synthpop duo Iris is back with a new, critically acclaimed album: “SIX”. At the same time they are digging deep in their archives for a “Disconnect” performance and remastered rereleases with bonus tracks. Iris is a thorough band. It’s been five years since “Radiant”, and four years before that “Blacklight” was released. It’s always worth the wait, and we thought it was time for another little chat with the band. So we sent off a few questions to Andrew Sega in New York and Reagan Jones in Austin. [more...]
Rhys Fulber from Front Line Assembly, Delerium – and too many projects to mention here – is embarking on a solo tour together with Swedish band Priest to coincide with his new album “Ostalgia”. We sent off a few questions for Rhys to see what it’s all about.
Amphi Festival in Cologne is turning 15 on July 20-21st 2019. Just like Wave Gotik Treffen, M’era Luna and other big events, it’s an annual massive gathering for the ”black” crowds with 12 500 happy visitors. The organizers give us an inside look; they talk about how the scene has changed over the years and that it’s getting increasingly difficult to book the right line-up. [more...]
The 2-day outdoor festival Subkult in Trollhättan, 75 km from Gothenburg has managed to stay alive against all odds. This weekend (June 14-15), it’s time for the fourth edition with EBM, goth, synthpop, darkwave, punk and metal acts like Rotersand, Rein, Dive, Evergrey, Solar Fake, Wulfband, Sturm Café and Alvar. But it’s not mainly about booking the biggest headliners – it’s more about the friendly festival experience. We talked to the organizers about how it is to run a festival for the “black” sub cultures in a country where everyone speaks about “the festival death”. [more...]
On April 26th, 2019, the new trio rendition of Agent Side Grinder released “A/X”; an album with several sonic differences compared to earlier work; without losing their special blend of dark, cold and catchy. This album is also the maiden voyage for their new singer, Emanuel Åström. Peter Marchione caught up with Peter Fristedt and Johan Lange at the release show at Debaser Strand in Stockholm.
At the end of the eighties, darkwave in Germany crystallized into the Neue Deutsche Todeskunst, where music influenced by goth rock and neo-classical pieces were combined with German-spoken lyrics paying homage to philosophers as Goethe and Nietzsche.
One of the pioneering bands released the classic NDT album, also their debut album, “Das Sterben ist ästhetisch bunt” in 1992 and celebrates 30 years on the scene. After a thirteen-year long hiatus, Gothes Erben returned with the album “Am Abgrund” and have embarked on a very expensive theatrical tour, continuing in 2019 in chamber concert halls across Germany making their 30th year something to remember.
When the “Am Abgrund Tour” came to Markthalle and Hamburg, Release managed to catch a few minutes with founding member Oswald Henke and new band member Tobias Schäfer. We talked about Goethes Erben evolution within the darkwave and goth genres, their new, more electronic sound and their way too expensive performances. [more...]
The Hybridize Festival embarked on its tour across Germany at the end of February 2019. Four dates of harsh electronic music with hard electronic bands as Funker Vogt and Agonoize, and Swedish synthpop act Vanguard used as live bait to haul in people to the festival.
Patrik Hansson and Jonas Olofsson formed Vanguard already in 2008. Four years later, they released their debut album “Sanctuary”, a futurepop infused synthpop adventure that brought them onto the scene in Sweden but more importantly in Germany.
Four albums later we sat down with Patrik and Jonas ahead of their first Hybridize gig to talk about their latest, slightly rougher, album “Manifest”, reaching out to new fans in Germany and an aging scene that are having difficulties catching young people’s attention. The article includes exclusive live and interview pictures. [more...]