PDF version - Ground Under Productions

Iss
ssue
ue 11 Jul/Aug/Sep
Jul/Aug/Sep 2006 $6.95 RRP
issue elevenBaugBsepBoct
lacuna coil – 10
suicide commando – 12
xpq-21 – 14
dresden dolls – 15
nitzer ebb – 18
burlesque – 20
tool – 22
dismantled – 24
pzycho bitch – 25
kmfdm – 26
p.a.l – 28
tycho brahe - 28
myk jung (the fair sex) – 29
night terrors – 29
wave gotik treffen 06 – 31
covenant – 36
australian dark radio – 38
ikon – 40
reviews: film, computer games, comics,
books, music reviews – 41
Lacuna Coil photo by Clay Patrick McBride
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Editor: Jarod Collard
Sub Editors: Michelle Smith, Penelope
Goodes, with some last minute vital
help from Thomas Prince
editorial
Issue eleven: what an odd number. Eight’s good, as it’s a
Chinese lucky number. Twelve is good, as it suggests maturity,
responsibility and the rest of life to look forward to, but
eleven? How’s that big? Well, have you seen the bands we
have included in this issue?
Most people probably don’t realise quite what the significance
of this number is, but issue eleven will be the last FIEND
to be published by Ground Under Productions. GUP started
in 1999 as a small-time business importing incredibly hard
to find, and even more expensive to buy, dark alternative,
goth/industrial music, on a miniscule budget. Come 2002, a
group of us got together and plotted for many months until
we finally launched Goth Nation magazine. Four issues later, it
grew into FIEND Magazine, with a wider interest, and a much
wider distribution. It’s been a tough journey, but an extremely
worthwhile one. It’s amazing how far naiveté and enthusiasm
can get you, and I highly recommend it to anyone under the
age of 200.
Every issue has gone from strength to strength, and as we pass
the bright torch on to new owners, we know it will burn even
more brightly in the future. Thank you to the strange ensemble
of creative characters—from the cameo players to those in the
harsh glare of the spotlight—who have left their imprint on
the magazine over the years.
Above all, Michelle Smith deserves special mention—she has
tirelessly worked on FIEND since inception and has been truly
vital the whole time.
To all of them, and all you readers, the pleasure was all mine.
Design:
Jarod Collard
Alex Hammond
[ah@fiend-magazine.com]
Charlie Kinross
[charliejnrk@hotmail.com]
Jasmin Tulk
[jasmintulk@gmail.com]
Fiend Logo:
13am [13am@13am.net]
Contributors:
Jay Annabel, Paul Britton, Charlotte
Burton, Michael Catley, Ben Conant,
Aowyne Davies, Brent Donaldson, Paul
Gillett, Joanne Girardin, Peter Hakuli,
Mark T Hewitt, Melissa Kaulfuss, James
Lowry, Valentina Maxwell-Tansley,
Phlexmartian, Cameron Picton, Tavis
Potts, Richard Stevenson, Justin Tall,
Jarrod Taylor, Nic Toupee, Tom Wark,
Montag Wegner, Kama C. Way, Kathryn
Williams, Nat Williams, David Witteveen, Michael Wolloghan.
FIEND is staffed by dedicated
volunteers.
– Jarod Collard
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_04
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info@fiend-magazine.com
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September sees legends Nitzer Ebb tour Brisbane, Melbourne, Sydney and New
Zealand for the first time ever. Not long after, in November, we will also be able
to witness (and listen to) the cult fetish industrial group Genitorturers (featuring
Morbid Angel’s David Vincent), who will present its hardcore ‘Cirque de Risque’
show. Rumours are also abound for The Crüxshadows and Apoptygma Berzerk
– fingers crossed!
Front Line Assembly has released a new album, Artificial Soldier, but this time
with a full line-up of previous collaborators: Bill Leeb, Rhys Fulber, Chris Peterson
and Jeremy Inkel, with special guests Jean-Luc De Meyer (Front 242) and Eskil
Simmonsson (Covenant). The album also marks a return to cover design by cult
artist Dave McKean.
Erica Dunham of the ferocious EBM act Unter Null is expecting EBM twins.
Well, it was five years of silence from Leæther Strip until last year’s smash return
with the EP Suicide Bombers, album After the Devastation and Klutæ side-project
EP Sinner and album Hit ‘n Run. With CD players still smoking after all of that, The
Strip is back again with a new EP, Walking on Volcanoes.
Speaking of Alfa-Matrix, last year saw the massive four-CD box-set compilation
Endzeit Bunkertracks, which is already sold out and deleted. Luckily for us, however,
the label has seen fit to produce a follow-up: another whopping four CDs of the best
and newest EBM and industrial music.
In this issue’s interview with FIEND, Gary Zon has heavily hinted that this is it for
his eclectic industrial project Dismantled.
The Sultan of Satire, Snog, is back. After the landmark success of Vs. The Faecal
Juggernaut of Mass Culture, there is already a new 17-track album of remixes
and the promise of new material to be released in August entitled The Kings of
Hate. Snog’s first single video for ‘Crash Crash’ has, in fact, been banned from the
apparently “alternative” Rage. The only way to see this hilarious clip is to visit
www.youtube.com.
Australian music collective Crash Frequency has just released its second
compilation— this time with double the fun on two CDs. Both discs include the
same bands, but one features stomping “club” tracks and the other more chilled
out “home” tracks.
While this issue of FIEND has a smashing feature on the largest goth festival in the
world, Wave Gotik Treffen, just remember that there are hordes of other amazing
festivals to check out around the world, particularly during the northern hemisphere’s
summer. If you’ve got the cash, you can head off to Germany (which does tend to
have a lot of goth festivals) for M’era Luna, Zillo or Maschinenfest, to the UK’s
Infest and Whitby, or Scotland’s Dark City. And if you’re not all gothed out, try
Poland’s Castle Party, or even America’s Convergence or A Different Drum (synthpop
label) festival. But you don’t have to leave Australia for an exciting festival. Make
sure you don’t miss Sydney’s Under the Blue Moon (bands, shops, spectacles!)
in September. Also check out Seven Deadly Synths as part of the Straight Out of
Brisbane festival on 17 August with Angelspit (Sydney), Ponyloaf, Namco Disco,
Lowkey + Nude, This Winter, DizzyGotheca, The Mercy Dolls, Errorhythm, Tokyo
Ghetto Ghetto and Replikant www.straightoutofbrisbane.com
Fear Factory
Genitorturers
Catch Virgin Black and The Eternal at the Under the Blue Moon Festival at
Newtown RSL in Sydney on 9 September.
In June, at the Prime Cuts ‘Slaughterfest’ all-ages show in Perth, Pathogen had its
entire set professionally filmed for an upcoming DVD release and a debut film clip
for ‘Beyond Repent’. The clip is currently being edited and will see the light of day
in the very near future. Work is continuing on the follow-up to the well received
2005 debut Bloodline, and the band is set to enter the studio in early 2007.
German thrash metal band Kreator has confirmed an Australian tour in August,
playing shows in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane.
Hailing from Virginia, Municipal Waste delivers blazing fast, raw thrash-core in
the tradition of DRI, Suicidal Tendencies, Animosity-era Corrosion of Conformity,
Nuclear Assault and Attitude Adjustment. Tour dates in August include Brisbane,
Sydney, Perth, Adelaide and Melbourne.
Fear Factory returns to Australia this September, not to remind us of its musical
legacy, but to prove, once again, its status as metal’s greatest live band. Joining Fear
Factory as a special guest is Devildriver, a band with a well–deserved reputation,
unquestionable pedigree and under any other circumstances a headliner in its own
right. Dates in September include Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne and Perth.
Riot Entertainment is proud to announce it will release the brand new Black Label
Society album Shot to Hell exclusively within Australia and New Zealand. Shot
to Hell follows on from last year’s monster of an album Mafia, which saw Zakk’s
Australian fanbase grow ever larger. And what better news for them than the fact
that Black Label Society is finally heading our way. Dates in September include
Perth, Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane.
Undoubtedly one of the most controversial metal acts of all time, Cannibal Corpse
returns to Australia after 12 long, gore-soaked years, playing shows in Melbourne,
Brisbane, Sydney, Adelaide and Perth in October.
For more info go to www.ozmosh.com
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under the blue moon
This year’s Sydney’s Under the Blue
Moon festival is all grins and teeth
and is set to marshmallow right
out of proportion on Saturday 9
September, with electro-hotties from
over the seas Nitzer Ebb on their
way. ‘Funeral Moon’ starting at 2pm
and running through ‘til falling-down
time features nine (nine!) Australian
bands with a brackish bent: Zombie
Ghost Train, Virgin Black, NOVAkILL,
The Eternal, Antonomasia, Dead
Inside the Chrysalis, Lux Voltaire,
Lycanthia and Ne Obliviscaris.
Woo! Three big freaking huzzahs to
Drum Media, Post Mortem Records,
Rivetting Promotions and, of course,
the UtBM team (applause).
Naturally, darlinks, there will be a
phantasm of activities strumming
all the while, including cemetery
tours by the National Trust, a roving
hearse dispensing goodies for all,
scary movies, the LeMercier absinthe
lounge, fashion parade glamour (if
they have any gear left after we
buy it all on festival special), many
restaurants and cafés participating in
special offers and more. Keep an eye
on the festival website’s “activities”
stripe it red
Access All Areas! Red Stripe Goes
Live to Adelaide, Broome, Gympie
… the World!
Your “favourites” list is about
to get longer, as WA’s Red Stripe
Clothing has now gone live with an
online store. These guys get FIEND
snaps for being huge supporters
of Australia’s belles and princes of
design, stocking a trove of local
designers including Beserk (new
winter range out now), Gallery
Serpentine, Sinners Ink, Gregory
Bolton, Angelorium and lotsa lotsa
more. Smash the piggy bank or grab
the nearest obliging credit card and
check out .
area for updates and, if you’re a
Melburnian, be sure to register your
interest for a special night flight
from Melbourne to Sydney (worth it
to get the Virgin staff in black!).
Last year’s band tickets almost
completely sold out before the event,
so, to avoid the otherwise inevitable
batting of eyelids at door staff to
wriggle into the band room, book
your tickets online. Last year saw
an impressive turnout, with hordes
and gaggles of black-clad hotties
perched all over Newtown, and with
a lineup of bands like this we’re all
aquiver to find out what will happen
this year. As for showbags, we can’t
promise a golden ticket and tour of
the mortuary but random showbags
will have hot-damn-pay-dirt prizes,
so again make sure you reserve yours
online (yep, they sold out last year
too) and check your little sister’s
showbag as well as your own for the
best loot. Fly, train or tunnel your
way to the fest and support your
local spooky-types.
K www.underthebluemoon.org.au
K www.redstripeclothing.com
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mame
The folks at WA’s Mame clothing and accessories won’t be working in their pyjamas anymore—they’re frocking up
and adding a real live store to their on-line business, which is set to open its doors on 2 August 2006. And the
good news is that they’ll be stocking Lip Service, Heavy Red, Bloody Mary cosmetics (hard to find in Australia, with
a range of colours in both mascaras and nail polish), creepy contact lenses, books on black magic and vampires,
Be Goths dolls, fangs and fang putty, wings, absinthe glasses and spoons, bags and purses, boots, Lolita-style and
rockabilly shoes and undoubtedly lots more to fill their crypt before opening day. Mame’s web store will continue to
run at full speed until then, but if you are in Perth at the beginning of August, get down early and be sure to give
them zombie-against-the-glass treatment well before opening time.
K www.mame.com.au
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GIVEAWAY!
lashings at le cabinet
raven-ous
Okay lords and ladies, it’s time to lash out. Fake eyelashes look fabulous whether
you want to slay the night with your unapproachably-blazing shininess, or lurk
with sly sophistication. Fake lashes come in a huge range of colours both lurid
and demure, and can be trimmed and shaped to suit the occasion. Surprisingly
few people wear them, but they look devastating and can make you stand
out or just push you up the spooky scale one more notch with parents and
unsuspecting co-workers. Sydney’s Le Cabinet Des Curiosities has a full range of
killer lashes and, if you are not fortunate enough to live near their emporium,
you can also mail-order from their eBay store. For an extra swig of confidence,
we’ve put together a guide to launch your long-lashed career.
If you find yourself down and out in Canberra, fear not: there
is an alternative to department store beige if you’re the kind
of creature who needs a cushion for the coffin. Raven Clothing
and Accessories makes these distinguished bat cushions, which
are good for clutching during Hellraiser, or for padding out your
lair. Currently there is one padding out the FIEND office—if
you would like it to be yours, just let us know by snailpost
or email (no SMS this time) and check your mailbox for those
exciting red cards! Incidentally, if you want to look particularly
hot while lounging around on your spooky cushion, a shiny bat
bracelet might help. Thanks to Raven FIEND also has one of
those to give away, just so you know.
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tools
Lashes – start with a fairly demure
pair that is close to your own lash
shape and length. To begin, you can
trim down the fakes and just attach a
portion of them to the outside edge
of your own lashes, where the natural
lashes are longer anyway.
Glue – many sets of lashes come with
glue or are self-adhesive, or otherwise
you can buy glue separately. Be
conscious that the waterproof type of
glue is more difficult to remove.
Tweezers – Buy tweezers with slanted
ends. You might initially feel like you
have hooves instead of fingers when
you start using tweezers, but with a
bit of practice they’re much better to
use than your fingers.
Fine eyeliner brush– These are great
for spreading glue on the fake lashes
and you can use the non-business
end of the brush to press the glued
strip part on to your lids.
Lash curler – Looks like a scary
autopsy instrument, but is really
useful to curl the fake lashes in with
your own and make them look real
(even though we all know that no
one—naturally—has pillar-box red
lashes).
Eyelash glue remover– You need
it. If you sleep in your lash glue, we
can’t guarantee you’ll have your own
lashes in the morning, and also it can
glue your eyes shut—forever.
Learning to do this with any speed or
accuracy is one of those infuriating
practice things, so follow the steps
below and repeat as will be inevitably
necessary.
1. Clean your eye area with a nonoily make-up remover to help the
lashes stick better to your skin.
K www.ravenclothing.net
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2. Trim the fake eyelash strip to the
right width to fit your eye.
3. Blob some glue on to the side of
the hand you favour least (it’s more
accessible this way; it’s absolutely no
fun to be hunting for the little dish
you’ve piped your glue into with your
head back and a caterpillar of fake
eyelash crawling down your face).
4. Use the eyeliner brush to spread
glue along the back of the fake lash
strip, right up to the ends.
5. Starting from the outside of the
eye, use the tweezers to lay the lash
strip close to your natural lash line.
Take your time and work in towards
the corner of your eye. Once you’ve
managed this, use the other end of
the eyeliner brush to squish down
the strip.
or
Finally, clean yourself up and try
again! (It’s cheap entertainment for
a whole weekend.) We recommend
wearing your lashes around home
for a bit in order to get well off your
L-plates before driving in the real
world. For inspiration, check out Le
Cabinet’s range at
K www.curiosities.com.au
HOW TO ENTER...
If any of the lush loot appeals to you, enter with your
name, postal address, and preferred creepy freebie.
By snail mail: FIEND Giveaways, 11/60 Langridge Street,
Collingwood, Vic 3066
By email: giveaways@fiend-magazine.com
Multiple entries for the same item will be used to line the bird cage: one
entry per item per hottie only, please. Entries close 29/09/06. Winners
announced 06/10/06 at www.fiend-magazine.com. Privacy policy page 5.
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strange little
girls
Well Ma’s and Da’s, if you’re wondering what your wise
children are getting up to, mayhap they’re drawing, not
making mischief at all. Or, as Tegan proves with her sweetwith-sour pics of a girl’s life at its most tender and gruesome,
perhaps they’re doing both. Tegan’s prints are available for sale
and she is also available for design work on tattoos, advertising
artwork and illustration. Currently she is working on a Seven
Deadly Sins series inspired by Alice in Wonderland. We
can’t wait! Check out her works and her sass at http://
glittersniffer.deviantart.com and be sure to browse the
rest of deviantART, a fantastic forum/motivator/
gallery for blossoms both light and dark.
09_
AT LAST! THE LONG AWAITED AND HIGHLY ANTICIPATED FIFTH ALBUM FROM
ITALY’S LACUNA COIL, KARMACODE, IS FINALLY HERE.
After nearly four years in the making, this album promises to redefine the
metal scene, and take the style to new and inspiring heights. If you are
a metal fan, then one thing’s for sure, Lacuna Coil is a band to be taken
seriously. The band’s superb sound—driven by heavy yet ethereal guitar
melodies and soaring, gothic, style vocals—surpasses that of many bands
who receive far higher acclaim. When you listen to Karmacode, you begin
to realise how the band has evolved since the extremely successful album
Comalies in 2002. FIEND had the greatest pleasure in talking with Cristina
Scabbia, the band’s dark rock goddess and lead singer, with a view to finding
out just how and why Lacuna Coil is poised to take over the metal world.
Where did the inspiration for the cover of ‘Enjoy
the Silence’ by Depeche Mode came from? (If you
have been lucky enough to attend one of the recent
Lacuna Coil gigs you may be thinking: okay, why?)
Well, I personally love Depeche Mode and we were looking
for a song that people could sing at our concerts, so that’s
why we put it as the last song on the album as a bonus
track. This worked really well at our gig in London—
everybody was singing along and it was awesome—
especially as the song has a Lacuna Coil sound now. We
put in some arrangements that were not present in the
original song. I’m really, really happy with the outcome.
In fact, the fans have reacted in an awesome way to all of
the songs of the album, which is fantastic.
Your singing partner Andrea Ferro mentioned in a
recent interview that you see the band going in a
more spiritual direction. How does this apply to your
music and to you personally?
Well, I can’t be sure of what the future holds as we are
going to be having many new experiences, but in a
spiritual way it is interesting to see how it has an effect
on our modern lives where everyone has a computer or
cell phone. We just want to touch on something more
human both musically and personally.
Lacuna Coil is known to be one of the hardest,
working bands out there. What is it that drives you
to keep doing what you do?
It’s simply the passion and the desire for the music. We
have a really stable line-up in the band, so it’s not so
hard for us to be on tour as we can rely on each other
even when we’re away from family and friends. It’s really
tiring and may affect your personal life, but when you
see the reaction of the people in front of you giving so
much support to your music it’s worth it.
Have your influences changed over the years?
Well, I don’t think they have really changed. I have an
open mind when it comes to music and get inspiration
from all kinds of music; for instance, the dance music of
the ‘80s to the more extreme stuff like Katicus, because
music is a sensation you have to get from within and
you can always find something interesting from any
kind of music.
You have been working with some of the top
producers in the industry, such as Ronald Prent
(Rammstein, HIM, Iron Maiden) and Darcy Proper
(Steely Dan, Porcupine Tree, REM), to produce
Karmacode. What has that been like?
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It has been great. As I mentioned earlier, we are totally
open with our music, so to work with those people
and to have a different approach on this album has
been fantastic. Even when we were explaining what we
wanted we could gain a different perspective from the
best [people], which is always great.
What was the inspiration for the front cover artwork
of Karmacode?
It was just something that came out of the name,
basically. The image of the man’s face coming off with
bandages behind and when you open the cover you see
the whole visual where a face is just a hole relates to
the more spiritual side we talked about earlier. It’s an
oddity that [the image] is really simple yet catchy at
the same time. We think it works perfectly.
What was the inspiration for the choice of single
‘Our Truth’, which was released prior to the album?
We simply wanted to release something different from all
of the other bands out there, which has been the ethos
of Lacuna Coil from the beginning. The single is a big
statement for us and is kind of like a little biography for
the band, which we are really happy about.
You have been working with some of the big names
out there and you have just toured with Rob Zombie
in the USA. Was this an ambition of yours that you
have now fulfilled?
Well, not for me personally, because I didn’t really set
out to be a singer. It was just something I discovered
day by day and I never really had those “icons” that
some singers have been worshipping for years. Having
said that, it would be good to work with some artists
who we’ve met on the road, like Metallica who has
inspired us from the beginning. It would be cool to
work with Madonna because she is a wonderful artist in
how she has changed her image and renewed herself.
She is somebody I respect as a person, although I am
not a fan [of her music].
Are you going to make it over to Australia in the
near future?
I really, really hope so. I know some bands that have
played there and they have told me wonderful things
about the scene and the people who are really warm—
people in Australia really seem to rock out! As you
mentioned, we have just had our American tour with
Rob Zombie and the summer festivals in Europe coming
up, but we’re trying hard to get to Australia soon. I
promise we’ll be there!
www.lacunacoil.it K
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S
uicide Commando’s Johan Van Roy has been at
the forefront of the electro scene for so long
that it is hard to imagine it without him. His latest
album Bind, Torture, Kill continues the blood-drenched
aggression and is an intense investigation into the
darkest side of life. As in his previous work, Axis of Evil,
Johan again focuses on the United States of America.
However, it would be simplistic to say that his work grows
out of watching too much CNN. Instead, the Belgian
attempts to make sense of the world that he finds
himself in, whether it is Bush and Enron driven to
dominate, or psychopaths driven to kill. Justin
Tall grabs an ice-pick.
While Van Roy has written about murder and lust in
the past, Bind, Torture, Kill is his first album that deals
specifically with serial killers and mass murderers. It is
based upon the “BTK” serial killer case in the United
States. Johan became fascinated with the topic after
watching a TV documentary last year. “The BTK case
truly is one of the most unique serial killer cases in
history,” he says. “Not just because of the way Dennis
L. Rader (the BTK strangler) brutally murdered his
victims (by sneaking into their houses, binding them
with a rope and torturing them before finally brutally
murdering them); not only because of the number
of victims (Dennis Rader in total brutally killed ten
people); but also because of the sick game he played for
many years with the police investigating these crimes
(by sending them letters, sending personal possessions
from his victims to the police and phoning the police
announcing one of his homicides).” The album also
draws on the stories of other serial killers and mass
murderers such as Ted Bundy, Armin Meiwes and Ed
Gein. The result is a darkly disturbing work from the
point of view of a killer—you can almost imagine the
knife in your hand and your victim is tied up, lying on
the floor in front of you, begging for his or her life.
Van Roy is not trying to glorify or glamorise the act of
murder, however, but rather to understand it.
Not surprisingly, the production of the album is more
abrasive and organic than Axis of Evil, but it still
continues to build on his previous works. Van Roy
explains his conscious choices behind his production
decisions: “For me Bind, Torture, Kill is just the logical
next step, the normal evolution of Axis of Evil.” His
goal was to create an album that can be interesting to
listen to at home and can also be danced to in clubs.
Therefore, it moves away from Axis of Evil (which he
considers his most “poppy” album so far) and “returns
in some way to the Mindstrip period, being at once
harder and more diverse.”
The album has been well received—with rave reviews in
the press—and has swiftly climbed up the alternative
charts, making it to the number one positions in the
German alternative charts (DAC), the Brazilian alternative
charts (BAC) and the Russian electronic web charts
(REWC). The singles ‘Godsend’ and ‘Menschenfresser’
were chosen for release mainly because they were the
only new songs finished at that time, but Van Roy is
satisfied with the remixes done for both tracks.
The new songs have also been crafted into a fresh live
show. “We especially set up a new live show (with a real
live band backing me on keys, samples and live drums)
and video projection for the new album, and first
reactions were extremely positive until I unfortunately
had to cancel a big part of our recent tour because of
the sudden death of my father,” Van Roy recalls. On 20
April, just weeks after the release of the new Suicide
Commano album, his father died unexpectedly. During
those dark days, he put everything on hold. “No need to
say that the death of my father left me and my family
totally breathless for a while, but life just moves on,
so I just hope time will heal all wounds. Slowly I’m
now catching up with daily life again, [and] already
making new plans.” These plans include live shows and
a promise that the torture will continue.
The tour will be focused mainly in Europe, as Van
Roy suffers discomfort when flying. “I’d love to visit
Australia, but have the same problems as with going to
the USA or Mexico: ear problems. I have overpressure
in my ears which makes flying really uncomfortable
for me.” This combined with lack of time and job
restrictions make it very difficult for him to travel.
Nevertheless, Van Roy is keeping himself busy with his
new label Noise Terror Productions. “Running NTP is a
lot of work, but things are going fine,” he says. “The
first releases on NTP (that is the Fractured CD and the
new Suicide Commando single), did very well and we’ve
got really great feedback so far. We just released the
new albums from the Spanish outfit Dioxyde and EBM
legends Insekt, and at the end of this month the first
Noise Terror Volume 1 sampler will be released, so things
are definitely on the move, despite the current decline
of the CD market.” Later this year, NTP plans to release
the debut album from the polished Controlled Collapse
and most likely a new Suicide Commando single as well.
Meanwhile, Fractured will return to the studio, but
Johan doesn’t expect any new material from the group
in the next few months. Looking into the future, he is
considering signing more bands to the label.
But if you can’t get enough of Suicide Commando then
maybe you could turn to one the legions of imitators.
“Personally,” says Van Roy, “I feel flattered that we
became an example for many new bands; it somehow
made us and our music become immortal.” He also
doesn’t mind if the copycat bands bring something new
or significant to the scene. He is just glad that this
type of music exists: “I simply love this kind of music;
otherwise I wouldn’t be doing it myself.” And what with
his new label and new album he is making sure that
there is more of it out there. Let the torture continue.
K www.suicidecommando.be
13_
I KNOW
IT’S ROCK
‘N’ ROLL,
BUT I LIKE
IT!
“XPQ-21 is rock ‘n’
roll. We just use 70
per cent electronic
instruments.”
Jeyênne first popped up in the early ‘90s deconstructing the up-and-coming
German techno world with punk attitude. His big hit was with the song ‘XPQ21’, and, after continued success, he left that world in 1998 to start the
eclectic electro-punk stylings of XPQ-21 (the band, not to be confused with
the racing car). In 1999, came the debut Destroy to Create and the smash
dance floor single ‘A Gothic Novel’ (which is, of course, not in the slightest bit
gothic). Jarod Collard celebrates with Jeyênne on his new album, Alive.
My introduction to XPQ-21 was actually the second album, Belle Epôque, and I was
blown away by the excellent combination of electronic sounds, gothic vocal styles
and a tongue-in-cheek punk attitude. “XPQ-21 was never just an electronic band,”
Jeyênne clarifies: “We always used rock elements. XPQ-21 is rock ‘n roll—that’s it.
We just use 70 per cent electronic instruments.” But why would a successful techno
producer quit his job to record music for a more limited market? “I was a rich man,
with a house and garden, cars and cats, but not lucky, because the music and
people didn’t satisfy me,” he says. “I missed that rock ‘n’ roll part in it. I missed
dark and alternative minds. There was too much mainstream (in a negative way),
too much soullessness. Then I decided to change [and go] back to my roots.” So
would he return to that world? “Now techno has changed again and a ‘team work’
with techno is not impossible for me anymore.”
_14
Coming to the new album, Alive, the sound is very organic and emotional: “Belle
Epôque was too electronic, in my opinion, but then we changed that in Chi and
much more in Alive.” And the lyrics are just as obscure as ever. “I don’t like to
write clear lyrics, because there’s more interpretation in it that way,” Jeyênne
says. At the moment, only the special double CD version of Alive is available, which
has a long list of remixers hand-picked by Jeyênne, including Funker Vogt, Dope
Stars Inc, Ayria and Australia’s Angel Theory .“I organised all of them, because I
know all the artists personally. Every remix is for a certain mood, so there are no
favourites,” he says, diplomatically.
As we wrap things up, I feel it necessary to probe the potentially sensitive issue of
record labels, as every XPQ-21 album has been released on a different label, with
each subsequently closing. Luckily for me, it’s a past problem of much mirth for
Jeyênne: “I think it’s a problem with the music industry. XPQ-21 is also ‘different’
and difficult to handle, for some labels. Trisol is our label. They’re doing good work
together with Radar, a sublabel of BMG. I think there is enough capacity!” The
future promises a new album, and with the quality and originality that XPQ-21 has
offered so far, that’s very exciting news indeed.
K www.xpq21.com
If you were really quick, you might have noticed that giant right hook called The Dresden Dolls coming from the
most unlikely Roadrunner boxing ring in 2004. The sound was new—a little punk, a lot cabaret; they had style,
grace and love technique. There were girls, there were anachronisms; there was Amanda Palmer, a bit of Brian
Viglione and more than necessary of Jarod Collard and Paul Gillett.
15_
“I had a pop background
but I didn’t like pop
music; I wanted to write
pop, but I didn’t want it
to be boring”
Having spent weeks in hotel rooms and more nights
than not on planes in the band’s rapid-fire world
promo tour for new album Yes, Virgina, Amanda was
much more chipper than expected. “Actually I’m less
over it than I was a couple weeks ago—our schedule
a couple weeks ago was inhumane, we’re flying every
single night so we didn’t even have time to recuperate
and this [Australian leg of the tour] has actually
been a lot more relaxed, time to read a book and
time to catch up with some friends—that makes a
huge difference, even just a couple hours a day.” This
insight into a rock star’s life is most reassuring. “Then
we’re heading back on the road—we’re not really
stopping until our next big break in November where
we’re doing a play in [home town] Boston.”
The Dresden Dolls have been on the road constantly
for nearly four years now. So where did Yes, Virginia
come from? Amanda explains, “A lot of it was written
with the first album, some of it was before actually.
We’ve been playing those songs the whole time, it’s
not like we needed material all of a sudden and we
dug stuff up, these were songs we’d been playing
anyway. We have this big catalogue of songs to pick
from and then we added a couple new ones.”
If you’ve had the opportunity to see the band’s
exuberant live show, you’ll recognise more of that
energy in the new album. “That was the fundamental
guiding principle behind how we tried to capture the
sound, the ambience of the instruments and how you
can hear every single breath, the little snips, cracks
and pops—I was bringing that forth from the live
experience and the kind of energy that went into
it,” Brian says. “On the first record I was much more
reserved, trying to place a minimal sort of framework,
while I think this is a much more cohesive sound
and representative of the band.” Amanda adds, “We
deliberately set out to do that and told the producer
_16
and engineer that we want this to be a live record. We
used to mimic the record more and stay faithful to the
idea of these sounds, as well as a lot of other things
having to do with the band that we didn’t need—it
was more a pain in the arse than it was worthwhile
and that we were trying to do too much. We found
that the songs were just as powerful with the two of
us working within the limitations of just the simple
drum set and piano. That’s been a constant frame of
the band, every time we try to add something we find
that fundamentally 99% of what makes the band work
is Brian and I just playing on each other. Everything
we add might be fun and exciting but it’s actually
more enjoyable for the audience just to watch us.”
Brian likens it to jazz, “where you’d have that same
framework but improvise a lot in that, and that’s
how I always approached songs like ‘Miss Me’ and
‘Coin-Operated Boy’ with the 2/4 rhythm but within
that there is so many places to accent the beat, so
it’s finding the right balance and being able to add
drum rolls and clicks. Your creativity really gets going
within that simple framework.”
It’s the simplicity of the 2/4 rhythm that brings in the
classic cabaret references like Kurt Weil. Brian blushes,
“We went into that more and more, I definitely listen
back to old recordings and am completely appalled at
how much I overplay it—it’s really embarrassing, so
that’s something I try to keep in the foreground of my
mind now that I know you don’t have to fill in every
fucking measure with a sound effect.” Amanda adds,
“The better the song is, the more space you have to
lay back. I find myself doing the same thing, the
songs that I feel aren’t quite as well written as my
favourites I find myself thinking that I need to add
technically to distract or to impress. When songs are
really well written you want to lay back, let the lyrics
and melody sit there to be admired and everything is
just supporting it in a minimal way.”
Amanda was all too keen to pick up talk on the
classics. “I think most people when they hear Kurt
Weil they think Weil and Brecht, which is lucky
because I can’t stand his later stuff on Broadway
… They had that perfect chemistry—Brecht was the
anti-pop guy back in the day but he was working with
Weil, a pop writer, so they had that lucky balance
between dissonance and pop. He was able to take
lyrics like ‘Mack The Knife’, really fucking dark twisted
lyrics of Brecht, and put them into a catchy tune and
it’s the contrast that makes the song memorable. I
heard them when I was 15 or 16 and that’s when it
clicked for me. I had a pop background but I didn’t
like pop music; I wanted to write pop, but I didn’t
want it to be boring. It was always this weird conflict
and here I finally heard someone who was writing
catchy show tunes about profoundly dark material in
a way that didn’t seem contrived … You can hear
in the songs there’s always a bar or twist that goes
somewhere that’s not quite right but it’s right on the
borderline of still being recognisable and being within
the framework of pop, unlike Benjamin Britten, or
Steven Sondheim. That stuff I could never get into
because it was too dissonant … chords that just make
no sense going into more chords that make no sense
and it’s very Schoenberg theory, twelve tone stuff to
me—once you go past a certain line you just lose
me.”
Roadrunner is one of the best-known independent
metal record labels in the world, so for The Dresden
Dolls to find a home there was most extraordinary.
Amanda whispers into my ear while the manager’s
back is turned. “They had very conservative
expectations with how the first album would sell …
the small danger that I never saw is that once you
take a strange band and you see it’s got a mainstream
nervous, and everyone starts to freak out and get
away from the fundamental points. As long as we do
what we know how to do and follow our impulses, we
have always done well, and when people come in with
their opinions and say ‘well, but maybe you’d better
change this, or that, have you thought about …’ and
that can be a sticky road home because we’ve never
failed ourselves. But we also know that once you
start working with a major label it’s a cooperation, so
the challenge has been to be flexible and not bitchy
but to also be protective of our fundamentals. We
have our own aesthetic, we know what it is, we’re
confident about it and don’t let ourselves get shaken
by outside opinion … Ultimately these decisions are
ours—musically, aesthetically, photographically—and
Roadrunner are really flexible and basically we’ve had
total say over all our videos, photographs and stuff
like that.” Such a refreshing rarity these days.
When Brian manages to flawlessly present his own
clown act by almost tripping over his drum kit, Jarod
can’t resist asking about shows involving big red clown
shoes. Before Brian can stop her, Amanda exclaims:
“He has! Big pink shoes, he did it just recently.” Brian
explains: “I’ve gone barefoot, sneakers, the wingtips,
the pink fluffy slippers and the women’s high-heeled
dress shoes, just to see if I could do it—a 3-inch
platform and a 6-inch heel.” Amanda’s eyes glaze over
with the memory: “black patent leather—it looked
hot”. Brian reveals, “it was a weird party and I was in
drag —and I said fuck it, let’s see if I can actually do
this in heels.” Meanwhile Amanda swoons over Brian’s
heel-ability, saying, “I can’t play the piano in heels …
you don’t have anything to rock back on—although
I’ve seen people do it, I’ve seen professional pianists
onstage wearing heels and I just don’t know how they
can fucking do it.”
And do they really own a light-blue Volvo? “Oh
my god, it’s such a shitbox now. We have to get it
repaired every other week when we’re back so it’s
going on eBay soon—keep your eye out! It will come
with a rare Dresden Dolls set and we’ll eBay it!” Just
remember you heard about it first at FIEND (that’s a
15% cut that is).
K www.dresdendolls.com
17_
“I’m really proud of
what we achieved. I
know we made a big
difference to people
who went on to make a
difference themselves.”
_18
LEARNCHOOSE
BUILD
One Step, Two Step - Nitzer Ebb’s Getting Closer!
Nitzer Ebb: one of the most influential bands to exist, with its touch still heard
across the electronic spectrum. 1982 was the year a God-like thing beamed on
ye olde England and spawned such holy union. Late 2005 announced the ten
year reunion of vocalist Douglas McCarthy and producer Bon Harris on stage
at Germany’s Wave Gotik Treffen 2006. But the news got better, not only is
a new double-CD collection on its way, but, for the first time—for just a few
nights in September—Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney get to experience the
original NitzerEbbProdukt. Douglas McCarthy gives Jarod Collard seven of his
best paragraphs.
I find Nitzer Ebb incredibly difficult to explain to people. Humorously, I conjure
up images of an industrial James Brown, while one friend likened ‘Getting Closer’
to an industrial Motörhead—are these genuine influences or theoretical pisstaking? “‘The Ace of Spades’ and ‘Sex Machine’ are all-time favorite tracks of mine,”
McCarthy says, “so I’m sure both James Brown and Motörhead have definitely
influenced over the years.” Bingo on both accounts!
How does the reunion feel? “It feels great so far. We rehearsed in LA, where Bon
and Kourtney (our new drummer) live, and that was the very first time Nitzer Ebb
had been in the same room doing music for nearly eleven years, so no one really
knew what to expect. As it turned out, we had a brilliantly relaxed and happy time.
In fact, it felt more like when the Ebb first started, just three people in a room
enjoying making music together. With that in mind, we knew that the shows were
going to be fun, and so far we have been proved right, so to get the chance to
break into countries we have never been before is extremely exciting for us because
we feel on top of our game right now.
“Our whole approach to this tour has been to go back to basics,” he continues.
“To return to the format on stage that first got us recognition seemed the most
logical route to take. Therefore, we have the sequences coming from the laptop,
Bon and Kourtney on electronic percussion, and myself up front. It’s brutally
stark and simple, and relies entirely on all three of us carrying the show with
our performance, which we all revel in. Musically we have chosen the more ‘pure’
electronic tracks, which means the show is dominated by the earlier albums, with
a smattering of tracks from later years. It’s a fun show to play, and, judging by the
audience reactions, it’s a fun show to watch.”
Nitzer Ebb’s success over the years is undoubted, but when did that success hit
home for Mr D? “I’m really proud of what we achieved. I know we made a big
difference to people who went on to make a difference themselves—Marilyn
Manson, Trent Reznor, Billy Corgan, Jags Kooner, Andrew Weatherall, Richie Hawtin
and The Prodigy to name but a few—and that is a unique and special position
to be in. There was a time when we were riding quite high in terms of what the
industry calls success and I suppose I felt successful with respect to the trappings
that one can acquire, but now I feel a very different sort of success that cannot be
represented in sales, or how big my house is, so perhaps now is the point where I
think ‘NE is a success’.”
This is despite the last album the group recorded being 1995’s Big Hit, as both
McCarthy and Harris have been busy with side-projects that have evolved into “main”
projects. “Yeah, I think it’s inevitable that NE is always going to be attached to our
names within the music industry. I can’t think of a show that Fixmer/McCarthy has
done where it doesn’t say my name and ‘Nitzer Ebb’ in brackets below it. And F/M
has been including NE tracks as cover versions from the very first shows, so there’s
no shying away from what The Ebb are to F/M as much as any electronic band these
days, but I couldn’t see NE covering F/M or Maven, but who knows, stranger things
have happened. I guess ultimately, you know, me and Bon make music, that’s what
we do, it’s what we’ve always done. We used to make it together, then we did it
alone or with other people, and now we do it together and with other people.
We are secure enough about who we are to see our involvement with a variety of
projects as nothing but positive, it’s really just about fitting it all in.”
The Ebb myth has continued to run strong in recent years with a resurgence
provided by many 12” remixes from the techno world and tribute albums. I was
most curious to see if the Ebbians ever get told by the music industry machine
what’s happening on this front? “Oh yeah. Seth Hodder who runs NovaMute has
always kept me in touch with what new remixes were being done, and, in fact,
that’s how I met Terence Fixmer and how Fixmer/McCarthy was born. Then, more
recently, once Bon and I agreed to reform, the first person I went to see was Daniel
Miller at Mute to discuss the Body of Work album. The latest remixes are great. I
think that there is a new and exciting approach to industrial, EBM, whatever the
fuck you want to call it, that really draws in a newer and younger club audience,
and I don’t think that can be underestimated in this present time when so much
dull ‘rock’, emo shite is being trotted out time and time again.”
The next question becomes inevitable: are we going to get new Produkt? “Bon
and myself always knew that there was a possibility of new NE material once the
decision to reform was taken, but we didn’t want to pressure ourselves or set
ourselves up for a fall, so we waited until the rehearsal period had been a success
and that we knew it was still fun to work together. Now we are just trying to
organise the time to get together to write new songs, although Bon is going to try
to get some ideas over to me and we can work in a slightly disjointed way at first
to get the ball rolling. A method which isn’t too dissimilar to how the very first NE
tracks were written.” So, as this fan attempts to not pass water, what’s next? “It
seems that we will try to release a kind of ‘as is’ type of thing this year containing
four tracks that will get us warmed up for a full album in 2007. Then back on the
road, and back to Oz!”
Cor!
K www.nitzer-ebb.com
19_
_20
It is hard to forget my first burlesque experience. Arriving with my partner in crime at a reasonably early time,
there was already a crowd gathering inside the small bar venue. As I slid into one of the few vacant booths, my
mind was teeming with the possibilities of what might unfold on stage. Of course, I was expecting girls, dance
routines and maybe some cheeky satire along the way. But simply knowing about burlesque, having a general
understanding of what it entails, is far different from experiencing it. In the flesh, the modern burlesque show
is an enthralling time capsule of vintage sexual expression, not to mention a fantastic night out.
By Tom Wark
During the early Victorian era, a time of high
tension between the aristocracy and the working
classes, burlesque found its foothold. While initially
comparable to vaudeville or minstrelsy, burlesque
shows took an increasingly ribald approach to
entertainment. The crowd pleasing antics of scantily
clad women were mixed liberally with quick-witted
humour and a willingness to lampoon the social
and political climate of the day. Squarely aimed at
a working class audience, burlesque’s success in
sending up foolish bourgeois sensibilities provided
a light-hearted examination of the serious issue
of class inequity. After reaching the peak of its
popularity after World War One, burlesque suffered at
the hands of changing attitudes and a tightening of
conservative “blue” laws. By the time the 1950s rolled
around, traditional burlesque had all but vanished.
Then, having lain dormant for half a century, burlesque
was discovered once again. By the year 2000, there
was a large scale revival underway in Canada and the
United States. Having witnessed this fledgling North
American movement first hand, a group of like-minded
Australian girls formed the Hi Ball Burlesque troupe in
2002. When Hi Ball performed at a PBS benefit gig
at Melbourne’s Corner Hotel, they gave Australia its
first taste of modern burlesque. Four years on, with
a growing number of troupes all around the country
and increasing support from both venues and crowds,
it seems clear that Australia can’t get enough. “We
knew it was just a matter of time,” says Hi Ball’s
Brandy Alexander, “so we just decided to go for it!
We focus on the traditional style of burlesque, and
aim to uphold the values of tease, glamour and
sophistication.”
The interpretation of what makes a good burlesque
act can vary from troupe to troupe, and there is an
amiable artistic division between those who perform
“classic” burlesque routines and those who mix this
style with a more modern “rock show” aesthetic.
However, in spite of these differences, there are a few
accepted burlesque conventions. Shows are comprised
of short, comical routines that usually conclude with
stripping. There is an emphasis on extravagant, but
revealing, costumes which often play on a sexual
stereotype, such as the French maid or the exotic hula
girl. Burlesque generally stops short of total nudity,
but there is, nonetheless, an abundance of flesh on
display. Indeed, the cursory modesty of g-strings and
nipple pasties leaves just that tiny, titillating amount
to the audience’s imagination.
When asked about burlesque’s steady rise in
popularity, Brandy says that “people are looking for
an alternative to the bold sexuality in today’s popular
culture. Burlesque is like a breath of fresh air—
cheeky, fun and suggestive without being overt.” Her
Hi Ball colleague, Cheekheeta Marghareeta is more
straightforward with her mock incredulous response:
“Have you seen one of our shows? The present day
appeal is the same as it’s always been!”
Lula Shaker, who performs and runs workshops
with Baby Take a Bow, offers another perspective
on burlesque’s current resurgence. “Burlesque is a
subversive genre and historically it tends to manifest
itself during periods of conservatism or when the
government in power is overly controlling,” she says,
drawing a parallel to the Weimar cabaret scene of
Nazi-era Germany. “It’s no surprise that there has
been a recent resurgence in North America. Burlesque
can be a solid form of political protest; by laughing
at the establishment, you are undermining it. You are
effectively saying, ‘I don’t take you seriously so you
can’t tell me what to do’.”
One thing that often surprises burlesque newcomers is
the diversity of the audience. “We get everyone from
punks to senior citizens,” says Brandy Alexander. “At
first the interest was mainly from people who were
into vintage culture, but the recent popularity has
brought out a really mixed crowd.” Far from being
a gathering of perverted men, Brandy estimates that
around 70 per cent of her audience is female: “Girls
love the glamour and the fun of our shows.” Lula
Shaker adds that “the appeal is broad because we try
to include our audience rather than shock them. They
are in on the joke; they are part of the show. We share
the liberation we feel on stage with people who come
to see us.”
I remember craning my neck to watch the girls leave
the stage. After their farewell routine, I wanted to
make sure I caught that one last glimpse of boa
or stocking. As the house lights flickered on in the
crowded bar, the spell was broken. We stumbled out
on to the cold street, cast back into a world less
beguiling, but also, somehow, less honest.
K www.hiballburlesque.com
K www.babytakeabow.com
21_
With obsessed fans waiting out a long five years for a new album, 2006 saw TOOL
release 10, 000 Days, the follow-up to Lateralus. If you were one of them: blame
touring, A Perfect Circle and something straight out of a psychology manual about the
band members needing “time apart” to grow. Michelle Smith is okay if you’re okay.
10, 000 Days slots California’s TOOL more squarely than ever
into the progressive rock genre, and vocalist Maynard James
Keenan couldn’t be more pleased to distance himself from what
passes as popular in today’s music world. “I think anything you
hear from us nowadays is going to sound like progressive rock
compared to what you hear on the radio and what’s popular,” he
says, perhaps underestimating the popularity of his own band
(10, 000 Days sold 550 000 copies in its first week of release
in the United States alone). “Because everything else is three
minutes and they’re like candy commercials or car commercials;
they’re so short and succinct and not much nuance to them. So
when you hear our album, of course it’s going to sound like a
movie rather than this commercial that you hear from, dare I
say, name a band. I don’t know: emo, nu metal stuff ... pop punk
or whatever.” Nevertheless, Keenan realises that the images
conjured up by the term progressive rock may not entirely match
his vision of a more nuanced approach to rock: “We’re a rock band
that’s taken it a little farther, so maybe we come up with some
new word for us that won’t have such a negative connotation,
you know, to say ‘Tool—Prog Rock’, and then you immediately
think of Styx, which is not what we’re doing.”
With four full-length albums (and first EP ‘Opiate’ in 1992) in
16 years, TOOL has never taken a production-line approach
to releasing albums. Drummer Danny Carey puts the space of
time between each release down to extended hiatuses fuelling
creativity: “We have this pot, you know, this sacred relationship
really that we know if we have something to give it, it will
give back to us, and if we don’t have anything to give from
outside or life experiences, what have you? There’s nothing to
give back. So we go out and learn something and then we have
something to offer each other and offer other people in return.”
Keenan, however, is more pragmatic when questioned about the
five-year break between albums. “This is just how long it takes,”
he says. “I mean, we made a record, we went on the road for
about a year and a half, we came off the road, and we needed
to have some space from each other just to kind of wind down,
and then I went off and did A Perfect Circle which took about a
year and a half, and then we got back into the studio, wrote the
record, recorded the record and here we are.”
Writing is a relatively time-consuming part of the process, with
most of the song arrangements settled during extended jam
_22
sessions. As Keenan comments, “When we’re in one space and
we’re writing, we’re jamming and exploring and we finally come
up with an actual arrangement and once that arrangement has
been settled on, we keep going back to that arrangement and
playing it through and playing it through. Once the arrangement
is absolutely set in stone, then we go record.” “We have our
freak-out jams for a few months,” Carey adds, “and then we go
back and find all the jewels that popped up along the happy
trail, and we find ways to string them together.”
TOOL has built up a substantial live following that, in places
such as Europe, exceeds the band’s album sales. “I think we
were basing our success [in Europe] on record sales, when we
finally figured out that it has nothing to do with record sales,”
Keenan says. “We come and we play and we always play to a
lot of people and every time we come back we play to more
people, so we finally figured out that we shouldn’t even worry
about the record, just keep playing, and the more we do that
the more we can make a living … and actually play music
for people and the record becomes secondary.” Continuing
Keenan’s differentiation of the TOOL ethos, Carey comments
about record labels focusing on single sales and lacking
interest in albums or live shows: “The record companies care
more about selling their puppets and their disposable idiots,
pop icons and whatever, a lot of people that actually can’t
even play music, so they don’t really worry about selling
albums.” Live performance, he adds, “[is] the real thing, and
so we’ll always have that to fall back on.”
The first tour in three years kicked off at the end of April, and
for the band the energy of performing live and being authentic
in the recording process are more important considerations than
how many people will buy an album. “It’s more about us, once
again, connecting in a room together and seeing what we all
have to bring to the table,” Keenan says. “And making sure our
chemistry is true amongst ourselves, and it resonates on some
level that excites all four of us and then we try to capture those
moments as best as we can. And once they’re captured and
they’re on the CD, it’s out of our hands what happens after that.”
Selling more albums is a job for record company executives, not
the band, Keenan observes. “If they want to reach a bigger or
a wider audience it’s kind of their problem, not mine, because
we’re going to go play. We’re going to do okay.”
K www.toolband.com
23_
YOU were
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“Not following conventions and doing what I
feel is right put me on a much more difficult
path, as opposed to me doing the same thing
over and over and being a karaoke band like
everyone else. Having peace of mind creatively
has a heavy price, as I have learned.”
Dismantled has recently released an introspective and stripped back new album,
Standard Issue. Tavis Potts talks to Gary Zon about the new album, his approach
to songcraft and the trials and tribulations of being an innovative musician.
It is a challenge for me to make things simpler and that’s why I love listening to
simple music like hip-hop or techno because I can’t achieve that result as easily
as I’d like to.
When listening to Dismantled, I’m enthralled and absorbed into the music.
Dismantled represents a real refinement of songwriting and each song seems
like an unfolding story. Is that something which you have tried to do?
Do you think that dance floors and audiences appreciate diverse and innovative
music? Is “innovation hard to sell”, as you comment in ‘Get it Through’? Why
do you think it has evolved?
Dismantled is whatever my emotions convey and that has been an ongoing saga
in the three releases I’ve put out thus far. It was something I had to get out of
my system and, quite frankly, I listen to some songs that I’ve written years ago
and what the story meant behind them, but I think, as a whole, the three releases
represent different stages in my life. The first album is me not wanting to deal with
the world and bury myself underground; the second one is crawling on the surface
and trying to piece things together; and the third one just kind of sneers at all my
past attempts and pretends that I’m just like everyone else. And at this point, I
think that’s where I want to end it.
Honestly, I have to wait until I get my statement from [record] labels in order to
say whether what I did worked. At this point, I feel I’ve gotten the same amount
of attention from this album as PostNuclear. I don’t feel there is enough interest in
the music to push it to a level I see it could be on. It’s all the same stuff that I’m
used to getting from the day I started doing this kind of music and that makes me
very disinterested in doing the project because every time I feel like I could break
through, I just end up being in the same shallow pool of water. I’ve done four years
of college feeling the same way and ended up dropping out and I don’t know if I’ll
feel the same way about Dismantled in the future.
A strong feeling that comes out of your music, especially in PostNuclear and
Standard Issue, is the emphasis on strong verse and chorus structures and
layered, atmospheric composition. Is this intensity something you would say
is characteristic of Dismantled?
Is ‘Standard Issue’ a song of regret?
I’d say my compositions have gotten simpler as time has progressed. I used to
only be satisfied if there were 20 layers going on in the song and everything was
dense to the point of mud, but I’ve grown to just use a couple of signature layers.
_24
It’s the most genuine and heartfelt song on the album for me amidst all the
sarcasm and just kind of puts me in a place where I feel distant but safe. I think
it’ll be the song that has the most staying power on the record and that’s why I
wanted it to be titled the same as the album.
K www.dismantled.org
There has been a real push with female-fronted electronic bands over the last few years but Pzycho Bitch was ahead
of the fray before it became trendy. Aowyne Davies gets the low down from multi-talented front girl Sina Hübner
[aka S.I.N.A.].
Is there a story behind the name ‘Pzycho Bitch’?
Sure. In the middle of the ’90s Stefan and Frank (who later left Pzycho Bitch)
formed the project PzychoZone. Frank was a psychobilly at the time and
Stefan was born in the so-called “Zone” (DDR). I met them in 1999, and we
decided to give the name a more feminine touch.
Electrolicious was the first Pzycho Bitch album that we made as a twosome.
Maybe that’s why there are more distinctive tendencies than in previous
releases. It is more “dem Lichte zugeneigt” (“attached to the light”—a line
from ‘Strom aus Fantasie’).
How would you describe your sound to the uninitiated?
Describe what your live shows are like to someone who has never been to
one?
Electronic dance music, generally ... maybe Pzycho Pop ... it is very difficult
to describe your own music ...
Two boys and one girl having fun on stage jumping, moshing, crawling and
mostly G-rated!
How do you feel you have you progressed musically since 2001’s Eden?
What inspires you musically and lyrically?
Basically we forget what we have done before, and begin from the start with
every new album. If we didn’t do that we would run the risk of mulling over
“what do people expect from us” or something like that ... it would control
the creativity.
Everything around us can be an influence, every situation, every chirping of
a bird ... but it must happen at the right time and place.
I think there has been a development from the dark into the light and
the voice came more to the fore. At the beginning there were more noisy
influences, and today ... someone told me yesterday, that Electrolicious is
easier to listen to ... so maybe it is more compatible today.
How does your new album Electrolicious differ from previous works?
Also, the music we listen to I think it is noticeable that we use what we like.
After an EBM and industrial phase we often went to clubs playing electropunk/clash. Maybe we absorbed this feeling?
What’s next for Pzycho Bitch?
We just began working on new material, and planned some new collaborations.
The Pzycho Wheel is going on.
K www.pzychobitch.com
25_
“There’s no limits to experimenting
and discovering new angles and
aspects and that’s what drives the
need for frequent change.
Plus, I am a Gemini”
In the wake of KMFDM’s latest stompin’ EP release, Ruck Zuck, Sascha Konietzko
talks to Fiend’s Kathryn Williams between filling in his band blog, organising
a new US KMFDM tour and working on his latest side project ...
“I am happy to see KMFDM featured in an Australian magazine, as down under
is one of my absolute favourite places to both visit and play shows.” KMFDM has
virtually reached institution status, having recently celebrated its 22nd birthday.
“From the humble beginnings, selling copies out of the trunk of my car, to the
dodging of mainstream-fame in the mid ‘90s, from personal drama to rotten
relationships with some bandmates, it’s been a good and long roller-coaster ride. I
am ready for at least another 22 years.”
The restless nature of KMFDM means in between band commitments, each member
continues to work in their individual field of expertise. Sascha gave me a quick
rundown on what each member has been up to: Following a 3–month tour, Sascha
and Lucia have been working on a side project with Curve’s Dean Garcia, with an
album deal sought in June. Sascha has also been working on a few remixes, one
with Combichrist, who KMFDM will be touring with in October 2006. Sascha has
also been working on a few tracks for KMFDM’s next album to be recorded in 2007.
Jules is producing for Seattle’s Legion Within, Steve is working on some remixes
for various bands and, amongst other things, Andy has been drumming for the
Dwarves. So all-in-all, business as usual.
_26
Ruck Zuck took 6 weeks to complete and is a re-work of their previous album,
Hau Ruck. I asked Sascha why they chose to rework Hau Ruck. “There was a plan
to release a single for Hau Ruck before the album was released last September,
however, we just couldn’t decide on a track and then changed the plan to do a
remix EP after the album came out. We hadn’t done anything in the way of singles/
EPs for a while and demand is high, our fans were practically begging for it. In my
mind, remixes are a double-edged sword. On the one hand, it affords a chance to
take a whole different approach to something you’ve done already, which is good
fun, on the other hand it somehow seems to dilute the seriousness of the initial
effort. But hey, you could de-philosophise everything that way.”
With tracks like ‘New American Century’ and ‘Free Your Hate’ it’s easy to assume
that KMFDM is a band with a political agenda. “KMFDM is an art-form, not a
political entity, and I have to make that very clear, constantly. I just could never
be bothered to write lyrics about trite things, so I stuck to my anger and this anger
typically comes from the realizations of social injustice and political clowneries.”
Following the last 22 years of his career, one of Sascha’s creative outlets seems to
be a constant self re-invention. “Creativity needs fuel and change often provides
just that. If you don’t reinvent yourself constantly you’ll get stale and lazy I find.
There’s no limits to experimenting and discovering new angles and aspects and
that’s what drives the need for frequent change. Plus, I am a Gemini.” How on
Photo: Adrienne Thiessen, Gemini Visuals
Earth do you find the time? “My days seem to have 25 hours. Luckily I work with a
great team of people that help create all the bells and whistles that make up the
world of KMFDM. There’s Brent and Patrick and Chris down in Texas who run the
site, the label and the KMFDMStore.com. And the band here in Seattle is always
restless, constantly working on something and since we have several studios it is
easy to do many things at once.”
Since 1984 KMFDM has released more albums than most artists could imagine,
and with this, has seen many changes in group dynamics. “The revolving–door
days in KMFDM are over for the time being. It got actually quite old to work with
those kinds of dynamics. The problem in the process lies in the fact that some of
the collaborators solely tried to use KMFDM as a stepping stone to further their
own agenda, instead of trying to contribute their very best to the task at hand. It
feels like we’ve found the perfect line-up for the new millennium, very steady, very
creative and loads of fun.” How do you cope with the adjustment of working with
someone new? “It takes time to get to know the ways somebody else works and
it’s not always easy to get through that initial phase. It takes a lot of tolerance,
patience and communication. I am very quick to cast judgement in daily life, but
that’s something you can’t afford when professionally working with people.
Can you tell us how the writing process works? “Usually one of us has an idea and
fleshes it out, then presents it to the next person and so forth. For example, I get
inspired and lay down a bassline to a sampled loop. Then I’d ask Jules to take over,
he’ll record some guitar and gets Andy to lay down some real drums. Then Lucia
works on lyrics and melodies, and finally Steve gets busy on it with some FX and
bits and bops.”
The intensity of KMFDM’s shows is electric. Each member demands the attention of
the audience, creating a brilliant energy and an awesome live experience. I asked
Sascha how they psych themselves up for each performance. “Unlike some bands
we don’t have a pre-stage ritual per se. I think that after many years of practice
one can reach a level of professionalism that borders on routine. The ‘butterflies’
are gone and you know what you got to do and you’re ready for it, because you put
your head to it. Plus a large shot of ice-cold vodka and–voila …
The winding down is usually unnoticeable since we’re hanging around after our
shows and mingle with the crowd, talking and enjoying the attention. Plus a few
more large shots of ice-cold Vodka and - voila…”
What’s next on the agenda for KMFDM? “Plans for the remainder of 2006, besides
the aforementioned US Tour include a leg of Canadian shows in September, and to
finish off the year, 30–35 shows in Europe as part of a multi-band thing, which
supposedly will also come to Oz and to Japan in early ’07.
As you can see, we have plenty irons in the fire, as usual …”
K www.kmfdm.net
27_
pal
If you’re talking rhythmic noise, you pretty much have to start with PAL.
Experimenting with music 20 years ago, Christian Pallentin broke through with
his first album Signum in 1995. Jarod Collard discusses the new opus, Modus, six
years since the last album.
While it’s been a long time between albums, it’s not been that long between work
appearances, collaborations and concerts. And there was Retro...
How did you approach Modus?
“At first I had to find out what I actually wanted, musically. For a long time I
wasn’t sure how to proceed. I also wanted to change the way I created music, so
it took time to learn the skills on the new equipment which was simply a master
keyboard, Propellerhead Reason and nothing else.”
Ironically, PAL is best known for his in your face brand of noise. “But,” says
Christian, “if you take my first CD Signum, you will find tracks like ‘Get Lost’,
‘Creed’, ‘Cighid’ and ‘Anthropophobia’, tracks which aren’t ‘noisy’ at all. Releases
such as the Remote 7” or After Hour Sounds LP were pretty ‘calm’, also lots of
tracks on M@rix and Release. So Modus is more moderate than noisy, maybe a
question of age (now that I’m 40). I can say that Modus is the musical expression
of the person Christian Pallentin in 2006. But as Pete Townshend used to say:
‘Maybe I became a desperate old fart—not boring, no!’...”
So I pop the industrial equivalent to the “chicken or the egg first” question.
“Usually, the sample comes first, which helps me think about the music that works
with the sample.” And Christian is keeping himself very busy. “Two compilation
tracks (one of them for a very interesting project: a tribute to marvellous
Japanese film director Takashi Miike), a remix for Ambassador 21 from Belarus,
a remix for Romanian project RomanianMyth (which is on Myspace), and a remix
for German industrial project Config.Sys.—and of course more live appearances
like Maschinenfest 06!”
K www.ant-zen.com/pal
tyche brahe
In 1993, Brisbane’s Tycho Brahe began a synthpop–fueled assault on the local
scene. Thirteen years later they show no signs of slowing down. Named after a
16th century Danish astronomer, Ken Evans (guitar, programming and vocals)
and Andy Walls (bass and keyboards) explain to Aowyne Davies the somewhat
obscure correlation. “He was an eccentric drunken ’do-it-yourself‘ genius.”
We’ve adopted that eccentric drunken self–taught DIY ethic as a basic modus
operandi!”
Tycho Brahe was once described by English television presenter Jason Taverner
as “New Order crashes headlong into The Human League in a fiery electropop
collision.” Ken elaborates on their influences. “Basically we soak up anything
electronic with a melody, and it subconsciously seeps back out through our
pores—acts like Depeche Mode, New Order, Boxcar, Human League, Real Life,
Gary Numan, Giorgio Moroder etc. with the occasional contemporary act like
Covenant or VNV Nation thrown in.”
So how does the new album Atlantic hold up to previous works? “Atlantic actually
maintains a familiar sound to our previous releases” says Andy. “Even though
there has been quite some time between albums, listeners will definitely see
a correlation. Particularly since Atantic uses all the same vintage retro synth
gear that were staples for the recording of Cassiopeia and Tasty. Despite the
temptation of the joys and simplicity of software synths, we maintain that using
original vintage electronics works best for the music we play and record.”
Tycho Brahe is not resting on any laurels. “There’s a remix album which we
want released in the next few months,” says Ken. The entire Atlantic album was
remixed by Boxcar, Tankt, Real Life, Angel Theory, EMP (from the UK), Garland
Cult (from Ireland), and a few others. We’d also like to get another single out,
some sort of link between Atlantic and the remix album.”
K www.tycho.com.au
_28
myk jung
Myk Jung may be better known for his work with gothic industrial stalwarts The
Fair Sex, but don’t let his album Zenith Is Decline confuse you. This new effort
from Jung is a collection of soulfully penned ballads that displays a more personal
side to his artistic ventures. In fact, it seems like a real labour of love for Jung. It
had been a yearning of his for many years to put the ballads that he had written
into a final form: “They are the results of a deep sadness that ever and anon takes
hold of me,” he says.
His 11-year-old daughter, Allegra, contributed vocals on two tracks and created
the melodies of these songs in the autumn of 2003, and since then Jung planned
to put these songs into his collection of ballads. “Their grave melancholia touched
me whenever I listened to them. So I wrote the lyrics for her, and she learned them
to be able to perform them in the studio (which was quite a stunning experience
for her).”
Jung also thought it necessary to create a counter to the nine ballads and
concocted the notion of the ‘Flight I-IV’ interludes to connect the regular tracks
on the album. “I came to the idea to shape some sort of experimental collages,
like tiny shards of sharpness in between the ‘real’ songs,” he says. “They present
something like a story of their own, telling us about hopelessness, aimlessness
and the errors and yearnings of mankind.”
There is a pervading melancholy tone throughout Zenith Is Decline: “I might
imagine that the sadness of mine is something that numerous people feel, and
that they may be touched by it, recognising therein the reflection of their own
dark, melancholic mood. And this is one reason for me to have written and
recorded the ballads.”
K www.mykjung.de
K www.thefairsex.de
night terrors
It’s a cold winter evening and Tom Wark joins the The Night Terrors’ Miles Brown
for a nice mug of Horlicks and a futile attempt at defining the “a-generic”.
“The original idea was to experiment with what would come out when the
three of us got into a room together,” says Brown, “and in that way it was a
fairly arty concept, because we didn’t want to be playing anything except what
happens.”
To satisfy a growing fanbase, the Terrors went into the studio and produced
two remarkable releases (a self-titled work and the Lightless EP). “All of a
sudden, we heard our first album being played on Triple J and soon after it was
being sold all around the country. The touring was great after that. It’s a great
experience to arrive in a town you’ve never been to in your whole life and have
people know your music.” Delivering standout live shows has remained a focus
for the band. “My favorite reaction has always been when people come up and
say: ‘I don’t know what the fuck you were doing, but you totally mesmerised
me!’ That’s why we’ve never wanted to bring vocals into the band, because
doing so would shatter that trance-like aspect of what we do.” Touching on the
diversity of the band’s shows, it is not easy to draw Miles out on the subject
of classification. After considering his options for a few moments he offers,
simply, “a-generic”.
But why “The Night Terrrors”? “It’s funny because when you settle on a name
it winds up influencing your sound. This was especially true for us because
we’re so conceptual, and because we don’t have vocals or song lyrics.” Whether
the music influenced the name or the other way around, a sleep disorder
characterised by extreme distress is an undeniably appropriate title for a group
that produces such moody, zoned–out music. “The theremin is an instrument
you just can’t play happy tunes on.” And when you combine its eerie, alien
sound with intense drumming, wild synths and a bass undercurrent distorted to
the point that it’s nearly unrecognisable, the result is one of the darkest, most
atmospheric instrumental bands on the Australian scene.”
K www.thenightterrors.net
29_
Tragic B
la
ck
If you think your scene has it all sewn up, try again. If you think 300 people in the
one venue is as good as it gets, then it may be time to expand your horizons, get
out the little black piggy bank and put away some savings to fly you straight to
heaven (or hell, if that is your preference). The location is Leipzig, Germany. The
event is Wave Gotik Treffen. It happens but once a year, around the end of May or
start of June. You still have time: start saving now!
The legend goes that the Treffen began deep in the heart of communist East
Germany when a gaggle of goths decided that the only way in which to truly party
was to have a small get-together with a few friends and some “illegal” records. It
was, in fact, illegal to gather at all and wearing black was definitely frowned upon.
This little gathering of no more than ten or twenty people became an ongoing
event and it was eventually raided by the Stasi (East German secret police). Arrests
were made. This didn’t deter the East German youngsters and their gatherings
formed a tradition that continues over 20 years on.
Following the reformation of Germany, the official Wave Gotik Treffen sprang up out
of this tradition and the first Treffen was held at the Eiskeller club in Leipzig with
just 2 000 attendees. This may seem like a lot, but with the current attendance
recorded at over 20 000, it has gone from strength to strength. Attendees flock to
Leipzig from all over Germany, Europe and from as far as the United States, Russia,
South America, Japan and, of course, Australia. It’s now the world’s premier “dark”
event, encompassing gothic, darkwave, EBM, noise, a sprinkling of metal and more.
With over eight venues and even more attractions, it is sure to please everyone.
It’s too easy to feel at home there; for once the “freaks” outnumber the “normal”
people. You feel sorry for the old man who can’t get on the tram because it is like
a can of black–clad sardines. The excitement in the air is thick. Friendly curiosity
abounds. Cameras click away—taking photos of strangers is the done thing and
you begin to understand what a model might feel like. Sharing admiring nods of
approval for wardrobe choices, laughing at gigs with strangers, being sandwiched
between well-built German men with very efficient hairstyles on the dancefloor
during a Nitzer Ebb song—slap—wake up! If only everyday life was like this.
There are so many ways you can choose your own adventure.
People-watching: with 20,000–plus beautiful people descending on the one place,
you meet many soul mates in a split second.
Shopping: The massive “black market” at the Agra Hall is sure to do your head and
wallet in. There are over 50 stalls and shops ranging from labels such as Ant-Zen,
Out of Line, Black Rain and Strobelight to the magazines Zillo and Sonic Seducer
and, most prolific of all, clothing. There is way too much to take in, and, unless
you brought a spare suitcase, too much to bring home.
Medieval attractions: Like bagpipes? Got a penchant for swords and chainmail? Get
jiggy with it at the medieval market where twelfth century is in this season, bands
of musicians roam the aisles armed with bells, drums and pipes. The warm mead is
sure to warm the cockles of your heart and ensure everything appears to glow.
Clubbing: Dance all night in one of the official venues or local clubs. There are
goth, batcave, deathrock, EBM, noise, industrial and fetish clubs running every
night, all packed to the rafters. Fuelled on hormones and beer with Jägermeister
chasers, you go from dawn till dusk, stumbling into your dorm bed at 6am only to
rise again at 11am to repeat the whole experience again.
Bands: Let’s not forget why we’re all here! Over 175 bands playing in venues
around town including Nitzer Ebb, Feindflug, Clan Of Xymox, Deine Lakaien,
And One, VNV Nation, Combichrist, The Dreamside, Genitorturers, Oomph!,
The Gathering, God Module, In The Nursery, Mesh, Bloody Dead And Sexy,
Winterkälte, Gothminister, The Legendary Pink Dots, Moi Dix Mois … the list
could go on forever.
Attending the Treffen will truly change your life. It can go either way: you’ll return
home full of excitement and hope for your own scene with grand plans to revitalise
it or, alternatively, you could slump into town broken hearted knowing that you will
never be happy again until you are back in the town of Leipzig in the comforting
bosom of the Wave Gotik Treffen.
By Melissa Kaulfuss
K www.wavegotiktreffen.de
31_
Highlights
The most gratifying aspect of Wave Gotik Treffen is that no matter how specialised
your taste, you will find thousands of people from around the world gathered
in Leipzig who share it. Fans of goth rock, electro goth, death rock and horror
punk could get their fill in 2006 over several days at a range of venues. The first
day enabled the uninitiated to ease into the festival without too many heart
wrenching choices to make between bands. Yet from first hearing the traditional
goth sounds of a relatively unknown band like Voices Of Masada playing to a large
crowd, it was an almost spiritual moment. Rockers Catastrophe Ballet proved to
be consummate performers, as did the ever-elegant Lacrimosa, who are wildly
adored in Europe, at the Agra, the festival’s largest venue.
lead singer was clutching for the first few songs to fully appreciate the music.
Sunday saw “goth guitars” invade the Agra. The early performance of America’s
Scarlet’s Remains to a small but enthusiastic crowd was reminiscent of Xmal
Deutschland, but with some less painful melodies, serving as a fitting warm up to
Italians Chants of Maldoror. Channeling a Mr Hyde version of Brian Molko, vocalist
Adolphe had plenty of androgynous attitude, and the music was a pleasure to hear
for fans of early ’80s goth and post punk. Former vampire emulators, Nosferatu,
with the addition of a new young thing on vocals, went through the metal-tinged
motions, inciting pockets of mildly interested nostalgia throughout the crowd.
Contrary to expectation, goth rockers Garden of Delight were disappointing,
regardless of the time spent on the Janome making backdrop flags to wave about
during the performance. Somehow, while our backs were turned, GoD became a
metal band. All was not lost, however, for Clan of Xymox took to the stage next to
a packed house of around 8 000 people. Finally, a band that looked goth, sounded
goth, wasn’t one step from the “has been” grave, and that got the crowd jumping
and singing along. Three songs were performed from the new album Breaking
Point, but with twenty years of material to pick from, the set was one hell of a
greatest hits performance.
Things heated up on Friday (metaphorically, of course: the weather was almost of
the kind where wearing a cape made sense), with wall to wall deathrock at Werk
II. An astounding array of beautiful things with towering deathhawks, wearing
black contrasted with bright green and pink—and lots of torn fishnet—packed
the venue to watch pioneers Ausgang and visually striking newcomers such as All
Gone Dead (you would have seen bassist Darlin’ Grave on many a club flyer). Tragic
Black combined an amazing image with an impressive musical performance. With a
full entourage including a drummer, the music sounded as if it had taken a slightly
more sophisticated direction than some of the band’s earlier recordings. Bloody, The final day saw guitar fans divide their time between the Parkbühne and Werk
Dead and Sexy, however, whose songs promised so much on CD, were rather II open-air venues for a focus on horrorpunk. A heavy dose of clubbing the night
lacklustre in a live setting. Then again, from the location of the photographer’s before meant the early start took me by surprise and I missed The House of
pit, I may have been too busy speculating about the mysterious white pillow the
All Photos by Cameron Picton or Michelle Smith
Usher’s brief set. Female-led Bloodflowerz’ slightly metal rock was pleasant
enough (Kirsten Zahn reminded me of Killing Heidi’s Ella Hooper meets Robert
Smith’s make-up stylings), and the pretty, well-dressed boys of Dope Stars Inc.
with their almost hair-metal like energy and posing are sure to become very
popular if the adoration they received is anything to go by. The highlight, however,
was California’s The Last Dance with a note-perfect performance of their electro
guitar goth that demonstrated how a live show can involve a lot of energy and
showmanship while still retaining a degree of attitude. Given its specific appeal,
the horrorpunk set was somewhat sparsely attended compared to other events,
but Poland’s finest Miguel and the Living Dead still received a ghoulishly loving
response from the dedicated crowd. The four days passed as if they were only
four minutes and, unfortunately for my bank balance, the experience of seeing all
these bands in one place, with 30 000 other black-clad people, has infected me
with an incurable WGT bug. Here’s to 2007!
By Michelle Smith
Locals in Germany adore :SITD:, and they returned the love to the band, who were
one of the festival’s major highlights.
“There’s blood on my stage!” XP8, the band following Agonoize was heard to
exclaim as it first came on and that wasn’t the only (relax, simulated) body fluid.
Quite the stage show, but, in contrast with Feindflug [see below], this one was
all about tacky: angle grinding body armour, explicit lyrics and “ejaculation” (of
a mystery white fluid coming from a prop inside Chris Lorenz’s pants) all over
the audience. One wasn’t sure whether to laugh or not! Agonoize are quite the
showmen and had a surprisingly tight sound. These guys rock.
True to the cliché, the best really was saved for last at this year’s WGT, with the
band of the Treffen, Tactical Sekt, playing “hard EBM” at its best on the final
night. Featuring amazing vocals and live drumming, Tactical Sekt whipped the
crowd into a frenzy. To top it all off, the evening also featured Fiendflug. Amidst
soundscapes created from driving drum rhythms, Fiendflug’s stage presence
was—only one word for it— impressive. Much different from previous live shows,
there was an extensive cast of at least 15 people. The simulated execution by
electric chair actually managed to be effective and not in the least tacky. Sombre
visuals of WWI footage and props to match also set the mood. Critics of Fiendflug
often question the band’s political motives but this performance showed only the
utter sadness and despair of war.
On the first evening of the festival, Accessory worked the crowd with the group’s
raw vocals and energetic stage presence, delivering a repertoire of all the hits.
It was a great, polished performance from this fantastic band, and an excellent
example of the EBM genre. The following night at the Agra, :SITD: performed with
an incredible live sound, with vocals that sounded fresh out of the studio. You
could really feel the love from these guys as they connected with the audience. By Cameron Picton
Götterdämerung
Tragic B
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_34
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35_
_36
Not many b
ands can lay
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is is, withou
ile being ab
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a doubt, the
electro. The
le to remain
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ant—the be
aper, once a
nd often qu
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gain pieces
ite catchy, d
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exotic loops
itty. Across
a (failed) a
and sounds
a smoky po
ttempt to o
in
to a
ker room, Ja
ut-manoeuvr
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e Joakim M
puts down
ontelius.
“It was a long journey, physically as well as mentally,”
Montelius says of life after the release of Northern Light. “After
the release and the tours that followed, we lived in three
corners of Europe for a while. I went to Barcelona in Spain
and Eskil returned to Berlin, while Clas stayed in Sweden. We
took about a year off, for the first time in ten years, to pursue
other projects. Then we decided it was time to get together
again, but by then our main label KA2 had been discontinued
by Sony Records and we had to spend some time finding a
new label set-up. As soon as all the logistic issues had been
solved, we all returned to our studio in Helsingborg to record
Skyshaper. During our time apart we had been writing stuff so
the first task was to go through that material in order to find
a direction for the new album.”
Because of the band’s earlier connections with a major label,
new options opened up with top producers (such as Jacob
Hellner, most noted for his work with Rammstein and Felix
da Housecat) and a huge budget production for the ‘Bullet’
video clip, “[Hellner] was busy producing Rammstein, so we
had to choose whether to go with a different producer or
to do it ourselves,” Montelius says. “We decided
to do the latter and the result was an
album that benefited from
our Northern
a Canadian sort of way, if you get the picture. A big difference
though was that the clubs and the audience seemed much
more eclectic than in Europe or in the US. Hardcore goth with
a sense of humour, sort of, and that’s something pretty rare
over here and I liked it very much.”
And what was that I heard about catching some z’s in diving
gear? “When we arrived in Perth we had been travelling
for quite a while, including a very intense day of powersightseeing in Hong Kong. But we didn’t want to lose any
time, so we hit the bar for breakfast and went straight to
sightseeing again. The day after our arrival, the promoters had
been kind enough to arrange a dolphin-swimming excursion
for us so we got up at sunrise and went to the boat. It took a
little while to sail out to where the dolphins hang out and all
of us fell asleep instantly. There is a very funny picture (that
you will never see) where Clas, Eskil and me sit—all
decked out in wetsuits, snorkels and
goggles—sleeping
like
children
ther,
e
g
o
t
is
ng th
i
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pl
”
e peo
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r
band.
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forme
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e
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r
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e
jump off a wave. Three very tired
ould w
hat w
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i
musketeers on a great adventure.” Now, who’s
w
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e
i
t
a
t
s
starting the petition for that photo to get released? “We have
t ma
e we
k
i
l
“Wha
t
Light-era
many other wonderful memories from that trip. It was one
s
ju
collaborations
with
of the very best tours we ever did. Everyone took great care
some of the best studio professionals
in Europe combined with our own special way of
working. It’s definitely less polished than Northern Light was,
but far better than anything we did before. It felt right to
return to some of our old experimentalism with our sojourn
into mainstream-land still in mind.”
of us. We saw lovely things and had a fantastic time.” So
what about a return trip? “Yes, of course! If we get invited
again, we’ll jump on the plane like happy kids going to the
funfair. Hopefully to stay a little longer and get to see some
kangaroos, koalas and other genuine Australian things. That’s
the only thing we missed: the fabled Australian wildlife.”
It is quite rare for a band to live on as Covenant has with
the complete original line-up; they twiddled the (electronic)
knobs together in school with their first published song ‘The
Replicant’ on a compilation in 1992. “What matters is that we
are still the same three people doing this together, just like
we said we would when we formed the band. Over time we
have all had to do things we never expected in the beginning,
like all the administrative issues, building studios, arranging
travels, tax issues and all the other chores that come with
working with something on a professional level.”
To return to the music, Covenant has always excelled at
making multi-textured albums. “We like making people dance
and we like to make people dream and think. In a slower, more
meditative song there is perhaps more room for reflection
and introspection, but in a groovy, upbeat piece you can lose
yourself and enjoy the moment. Both things are necessary.
Somehow I think that the ideal song is one that works both
ways: it makes you feel like dancing and going wild, but at
the same time it also challenges your mind.” Yet with six
albums over twelve years, surely the well of inspiration dries
up? What keeps Covenant in such consistently fine shape?
“All the things we haven’t done yet,” Montelius says. “All
the dreams that have not yet been expressed. All the sounds
and all the beats that we haven’t made yet. The experiences,
the emotions, the passions and the adventures that await
us in the future, beyond the horizon. There is so much to be
explored.”
2004 heralded the landmark event of Covenant touring
Australia, one of the first European EBM acts to play live
in this country. “The sheer distance was an adventure in
itself and the time schedule made the whole experience
very intense,” he recalls. “In slightly over a week we flew
from Europe, stayed a day in Hong Kong, played in Perth,
Melbourne and Sydney and flew back home. But Australia isn’t
at all as exotic as we expected. It really feels very European in
K www.covenant.se
37_
Another world, another time: in the age before the
internet, there were the ‘70s and ‘80s. These decades
saw the emergence of the music genres we’ve become
used to, or, astonishingly, have now forgotten, yet
which are still relevant and a continuous influence
on pretty much anything “dark alternative” as we
know it. From glam to punk, Marc Bolan to Bowie,
Dave Vanian to Joy Division, to post-punk and new
wave, Adam and the Ants to Culture Club and The Cure
to Depeche Mode, access to new music in Australia
was generally limited to Countdown, Smash Hits and
radio. While the former examples are no doubt also
responsible for some of the greater crimes against
fashion in that era thanks to visual stimuli (the term
being used in the broadest sense imaginable), the
latter was one of the few channels open to Australian
audiences who wanted something “different”.
While Countdown played a crucial role in exposing
music both commercial and independent in Australia,
the airwaves also offered more than classical stations
and weather reports to the burgeoning underground
and independent music scenes. From Sydney’s
‘Double Jay’ (Triple J) and Brisbane’s 4ZZ (now 4ZZZ)
in 1975, to Melbourne’s 3RRR in 1976 and 3PBS in
1979, alternative music on the airwaves soon became
prolific.
Skip forward 30 years and it’s still going strong. Given
the relevant cultural changes since—the biggest
being the access provided by the internet to music
and band information, fast searches, importing, and
of course, mp3s, and with further access provided
by online radio shows, international streaming
broadcasts and podcasts— it would be no surprise
if “traditional” radio went the way of the dodo in
terms of relevancy and evolution. But it appears this
isn’t the case, with a strong underground presence
still active across the local airwaves. Community
radio often relies on listener feedback and support,
and with shows such as Melbourne’s ‘Sunglasses After
Dark’ now in its 25th year, and Sydney’s Sacrament
and Adelaide’s Shadowplay both on air for over a
decade, radio is either less obsolete then you’d think,
or retro enough to be cool again.
Way back when, there were far fewer avenues of
escape or enjoyment for the disenfranchised. These
days there are live scenes and nightclubs catering
to almost any taste or crossover, but it’s not always
everyone’s cup of preferred beverage, and radio never
checks ID or hits on you at the bar before falling
asleep in a puddle of beer.
Whether it’s goth, metal, punk, rockabilly, electro,
or what-have-you, check out your local station
programme guides (particularly university or
community radio)—chances are there’s something
catering to you.
So break out a copy of Pump up the Volume, tune
in, or log on and, as a Mr Curtis once sang: “dance,
dance, dance, dance, dance to the radio …”
By Aowyne Davies
_38
Where to Tune Your Dial…
NATIONAL
Dave Callan, Triple J (your local frequency). Saturdays,
6pm to 9pm. Demented humour, strange mash-ups and
horror themes.
ADELAIDE
Shadowplay: Presented by James and Anita on Three D,
93.7FM. Wednesdays, 6.30pm to 7.30pm. Goth rock.
Synthesized Existenz: Presented by DJ Empusa on
Three D, 93.7FM. Alternate Saturdays, 9pm to 10pm.
Synthpop, EBM, dark electro and industrial.
AUCKLAND
Statik Pulse: Presented by Koil on Up 107.5FM. Mondays,
2pm to 4pm. Dark electro, cyber, industrial, EBM, TBM,
terror EBM, powernoise, drum n noise and darkcore.
CANBERRA
S.I.N.G.E.D: 2XX 98.3FM. Saturdays, 7pm to 8pm.
Synthpop, industrial, noise, goth and darkwave.
MELBOURNE
Atomic: Presented by Dominique on 3RRR 102.7FM.
Wednesdays, 12am to 2am. Punk, psychobilly and
rockabilly.
Blacklight: PBS 106.7FM. Wednesdays, 12am to 2am. Goth,
deathrock, industrial and darkwave.
Frankenstein Radio Control: Presented by Nic Toupee and
Phlexmartian on PBS 106.7FM. Alternate Saturdays, 2am
to 6am. EBM, dark electro, wave, industrial, experimental
and cyber.
Infectious Unease: 3INR 96.5FM. Tuesdays, 11pm to 1am.
Goth, industrial, experimental and electronic.
Sunglasses After Dark: Presented by Phil MacDougall on
PBS 106.7FM. Thursdays, 8pm to 10pm. Punk, hardcore
and garage.
PERTH
Dark Wings: RTR 92.1FM. Tuesdays, 12am to 2am. EBM,
industrial and dark alternative.
SYDNEY
Nemesis: Presented by DJ Boyas on 2RRR 88.5 FM.
Wednesdays, 11pm to 1am. EBM, dark electro and modern
goth.
Sacrament: Presented by Leigh on 2RRR 88.5 FM.
Wednesdays, 9pm to 11pm. Goth.
Symbiosis: 2RRR 88.5FM. Wednesdays, 10pm to 12am.
IDM, minimal tech, field recordings and experimental
sounds.
Transmission: 2RRR 88.5 FM Thursdays, 1am to 6am. Goth,
indie and alternative.
ikon
I
KON, arguably Australia’s most well-known goth band, formed in Melbourne in 1991. As the country’s biggest export in this genre, IKON
has toured extensively in Australia and across Europe, alongside bands such as The Sisters of Mercy and HIM. The band played in front of
an audience in excess of 15,000 people at the M’era Luna festival in Hildesheim, Germany and at the 2003 Wave Gotik Treffen (the world’s
largest goth festival) in Leipzig, Germany. Valentina Maxwell-Tansley caught up with Chris McCarter, the lead singer and
driving force behind IKON, to see where the band is at these days.
IKON has existed for quite a long time. To what do
you attribute its longevity?
Dino [Molinaro, bass player] and I met at school back
in 1987, through being fans of music. For us, forming a
band and learning to play was a natural progression and
we wanted to play the songs by bands that moved and
influenced us. So nearly some 20 years later, I think
we still have the same driving force and dedication we
had then. We have been very lucky and grateful with
the opportunities playing music has given us over the
years. We have made a large number of friends and
got to travel around the world doing what we love. We
never would have expected to play out of Melbourne
when we started all those years ago, let alone Wave
Gotik Treffen or M’era Luna festivals in Germany.
Do you feel that you have had to adapt over
the years to keep up with changing tastes in the
alternative scene?
I have felt that we needed to adapt over the years at
certain points, and perhaps go with the flow. But we
have gone around in circles quite a few times and have
now returned to the beginning. We have decided to do
what we do best and create a sound similar to those
bands that inspired us to start playing all those years
Photo: Anjella Roessler
_40
ago. We have no problems being pigeonholed as a
gothic rock band, as it’s this genre that has given us an
identity around the world.
You appear to have a pretty big following
internationally. Where are you getting interest from
at the moment?
Germany and Italy have always been the biggest
markets for IKON, seeing as we have had a label
there since 1994. Europe in general has been very
good to us. We have built up a following in
North America also, but a great deal of bands find
it difficult to break into the music market there in
general.
What have you been up to lately? And what’s in the
pipeline for the band?
We have just finished compiling the final single from
Destroying the World to Save It, ‘Without Shadows’,
which will be out towards the end of June. Just last
month we started recording our new studio album,
which will be out in May 2007. Due to such a large break
between our last two CDs, we want to get on track
to releasing an album every two years. So there is
plenty of work ahead for us.
What can you tell us about the Crash Frequency
collective of which IKON is a member?
Crash Frequency is a collective of industrial/gothic
bands from Australia who share a common goal of
helping to promote their music worldwide. David
Foreman from Melbourne band Tankt was the main man
behind getting like-minded bands and musicians to
form a collective and help to promote each other. We
are very happy to be a member of such an organisation.
There has been one compilation CD released to date,
and the second one is due out in early July which is a
two CD set featuring exclusive/new songs on one and
remixes on the other. Examples of bands that are part
of the collective are Angelspit, Angel Theory, Tankt,
Dandelion Wine, Tycho Brahe and The Crystalline Effect.
For more info, visit www.crashfrequency.com and
support the Australian scene.
Finally, what are your hopes for the future of
alternative music?
I think alternative music is the future of the music
scene. The major labels are destroying themselves by
releasing so much disposable rubbish. It’s more of a
hands-on music world these days, and the alternative
scene is strong and thriving.
K www.ikondomain.com
THE MYSTERIOUS
GEOGRAPHIC
EXPLORATIONS OF
JASPER MORELLO
[Madman]
Five years in the making, this is the first
“full-length” story set in the amazing gothic
Shadowlands. Edgar Allen Poe and H. G. Wells
were the inspiration for this mysterious aerial
world of iron and steam power where light doesn’t
reflect. (Anyone who watches SBS will recognise
the style of the shadowy figures from its station
IDs).
This film tells the story of Jasper Morello, a
disgraced aerial navigator who leaves his plagueridden home on a desperate voyage to redeem
himself. The chance discovery of an abandoned
dirigible leads Jasper through unchartered
airspace to an island on which lives a terrifying
creature that could provide a cure for the plague.
The journey back to civilization is filled with
horrors but in a shocking climax, Jasper discovers
that the greatest horror of all lies within man
himself.
The film itself runs for only 26 minutes but
there are plenty of extras to keep you satisfied:
an interview, two audio commentaries, other
short films by Anthony Lucas, a multi-angle
documentary animatic and a hidden Easter egg!
A fascinating experience to watch and a lovely
story. There are more tales from Shadowlands on
the way and I can’t wait to see them!
– Montag Wegner
SUPER FLU
Race Against A Killer [DV1]
Written and directed by Stefan Moore
and narrated by David Richie, Super Flu:
Race Against a Killer is a documentary
that looks at Australia’s preparedness
for the arrival of bird flu—at least that’s
what the cover of the DVD claims.
The cover is red and labelled with a
biohazard symbol. The film opens with
sounds of people coughing and images
of rioting, with the clear objective of
inciting panic and fear. The narrator
may as well have said, “If avian
influenza becomes a pandemic we will
all turn into zombies and start eating
each other’s brains.” After watching
this film I wanted to stock up on soup
and dig a bomb shelter.
contact with infected birds. So unless
you’ve been fondling chicken poop,
you’re pretty much in the clear. The
figures cited are wrong as well: the
mortality rate of avian influenza is not
50% and the incubation period is 3–7
days. The DVD has some interesting fact
sheets and web links that didn’t work
on my computer.
It’s effective and dramatic, well shot
and well edited. Unfortunately, I find
myself in disagreement with the facts
and highly sceptical of the film as a
whole. Swift cuts and dramatic “reenactments” juxtaposed with images
of dead chickens, people rioting and
deserted streets makes Super Flu: Race
Against a Killer more like hype than
documentary.
– Kathryn Williams
There is some truth that if avian
influenza became a pandemic we’d be
in some trouble, however Australia is a
lot more prepared than this film would
have you believe. The virus has not yet
mutated to being transferable from
human to human, therefore humans
that have been infected have had close
41_
KOMA
[Eastern Eye]
Remember when you were at university and the
“kidney thief” rumour first went around via email?
You know, the one where victims wake up in a bath
of ice minus a vital organ or two? Well, Chi-Leung
Law has taken this famous urban myth and made it
into a feature film. “Who is the kidney thief?” is not
only the dominant theme, it’s pretty much the only
theme. Beautiful but ailing Ching and the emotionally
damaged Ling meet through Ching’s boyfriend Wai,
after Ching narrowly avoids the kidney thief in a
hotel. Undercurrents to their developing friendship
lead the pair of rather luscious girls inevitably closer
to the revelation of the kidney thief’s identity. There
are some nifty knocks and shocks and some plot
twists that explore the girls’ twisted bond, but in
the end it’s all about “who took the kidney?”. YOU
did it! NO? Okay, HE did it! So if you need your own
resolution to years of hearing this tall tale, Koma
is an entertaining romp with some thrills here and
there and not a bad way to get the kidney out of
your system ... ho ho ho. – Nic Toupee
THE EYE 2
[Madman]
You know you’re in trouble when you start researching the
latest Eastern horror film to hit our shores only to discover
that it has already been bought by Hollywood. But don’t
let the future remake of The Eye 2 deter you from seeing
the most recent output from Chinese filmmakers the Pang
brothers; even if the thought of another Americanised
Asian horror film is terrifying enough, the original more
than does the job in the scare department. The Eye 2 is
an absorbing psychological thriller about an emotionally
traumatised woman who comes face to face with the world
of the paranormal. A worthy follow-up to the original
film, The Eye 2 upholds an unnerving air from start to
finish and works to keep the viewer anxious until the final
credits. While there may not be as many frights as in The
Ring or Ju-on, the film does showcase some chilling sound
design and boasts an excellent performance from female
lead Shu Qi (of Millennium Mambo fame) that would make
Jamie Lee Curtis herself proud. – M. Hewitt.
KWAIDAN
[Eastern Eye]
At the time of its release in 1965, Kwaidan was the most expensive film in
Japanese history. It may surprise some to learn that its writer was not Japanese
at all, but an interesting fellow called Lafcadio Hearn, whose life alone would
have made fascinating cinema. Hearn collected strange Japanese fairytales,
and the director Masaki Kobayashi evolved several of these into Kwaidan
(literal translation: “Ghost Story”). This comprised four shorter vignettes: ‘The
Black Hair’, ‘The Woman of the Snow’, ‘Hoichi, the Earless’ and ‘In a Cup of Tea’.
Kobayashi constructed sets and backdrops in a vast warehouse and the results
are exceptionally ethereal and otherworldly. The stories are reminiscent of
parables: greed, desire, betrayal, insanity and cosmic jokes weave through
the four haiku-like films, but it doesn’t end there. Visually, Kwaidan is like a
painting and its use of minimal dialogue and sparse, haunting music could
be likened to thoughtful, patient prose. Perhaps in keeping with the ancient
Zen traditions of his homeland, Masaki Kobayashi makes full use of negative
space. Criticised as being slow-paced, with little (if any) action, Kwaidan may
pass by those who need to be constantly jolted awake by action sequences
and special effects wizardry. Kwaidan should prove interesting for those who
wish to observe the development of Japanese horror cinema. I would say this
film is not only one of the most beautiful but also one of the most haunting
and engaging horror films ever made and continues, in my opinion, to stand
firmly at the crest of the genre over 40 years later. – Phlexmartian
_42
CANNIBAL
HOLOCAUST
[Siren Visual Entertainment]
Make no mistake—this is a seriously fucked-up film. The 25thanniversary DVD release of Cannibal Holocaust has finally reached
our shores. The Grindhouse special edition pack contains the
full, unedited cut of the film, with a bonus disc containing lots
of extra goodies (commentaries, behind-the-scenes footage,
interviews with director Ruggero Deodato and actor Gabriel Yorke,
as well as a few surprises).
EKO EKO AZARAK
The Wizard of Darkness [Madman]
Comic and manga imagery, witchcraft, Japanese
horror and schoolgirls in short skirts having
lesbian affairs… why wouldn’t you watch it?
Eko Eko Azarak, or The Wizard of Darkness, is
a Japanese horror film based on a comic book
by Shinichi Koga and is director Shimako Sato’s
second horror film. Sato insists this film is
about romance.
Misa Kuroi starts at a new school, which is
the centre of a diabolical plot by a group of
Satan worshipers to possess the powers of
Lucifer. Luckily Misa is a witch and quickly
suspects a curse has been placed on the school.
Unfortunately for Misa, her classmates suspect
her as the perpetrator.
The film looks loosely at friendship and how
those bonds are formed and inevitably broken.
Disturbing images of paedophilia, sexual
gratification and domination, particularly in
the lesbian affair between Kazumi and Miss
Shirai, make for unnerving watching.
The evil presence in this film is weak and
conveniently placed camera angles avoid any
real horror. As a heroine, Misa is completely
useless; she stands around looking vapid and
mysterious while the other students freak out
around her. Much like the cast’s acting skills,
Misa’s powers are non-existent—she’s not
strong enough to fight a simple binding spell
yet she’s mastered immortality. You could drive
a bus through the plot holes in this film. Misa’s
love interest, Shindo, gets a pash out of her
after punching her in the face— interesting
way to pick up. The film is punctuated with
random, unprovoked, aggressive outbursts
from the schoolboys while the girls run about
wailing and falling over.
The DVD contains a “making of” that looks like
it was shot on a camera phone but is saved
by the cool additional trailers. The soundtrack
is badly mixed with overworked sound effects.
There are a few moments of funky editing and
visual effects. The camera angles are interesting,
always pointed upwards so you can just get a
glimpse of the schoolgirl’s white panties as
she runs past the camera. Great comic book
imagery within certain frames gives the film a
distinctive identity. There is some gritty reality
in this film, raw emotions and unusual subject
matter. My favourite part is when one of the
girls drowns in her own toilet water.
Moments of heightened drama and death made
me laugh out loud. Forget about any romance,
this film is a fun Japanese horror. – Kathryn
Williams
As one of the most shocking films ever made, Cannibal Holocaust
still manages to create controversy. Totally uncompromising,
gruesome, even unforgivable, it was deemed so disturbing and
realistic that one week after its 1980 premiere, director Ruggero
Deodato was arrested (mainly due to the film’s iconic scene of
a tribeswoman’s full-body impalement on a 2-metre stake). So
believable were the special effects that authorities seized copies
of the film at a Birmingham comics fair in 1993, genuinely
believing it to be snuff. The BBFC allowed an 18-rated edit in
2001, with no nudity, two of the “least offensive” animal cruelty
scenes left in and moderated rape sequences.
Cannibal Holocaust is a movie with two timelines. One concerns
footage taken by a crew of missing film-makers in the jungles of
South America; the second comprises a reviewing of this film by
character Harold Monroe for its release by a U.S. film company.
It is this aspect of the plot that has lauded Cannibal Holocaust
as the seminal inspiration for horror-heavies such as The Blair
Witch Project.
This an extremely important film. Hurling every taboo possible
against the viewer, it is at once thrilling, shocking, unbelievable,
breathtaking and highly questionable. Even your humble reviewer
gasped wondering how the hell no-one was killed or injured in
several scenes.
The motive for producing Cannibal Holocaust can be traced to
the deplorability and gross exploitation of the Mondo cinema
phenomenon. Mondo cinema began in 1962 with Gualtiero
Jacopetti’s Mondo Cane, an exploitative travelogue depicting
shocking and strange phenomena. It caught on and began a
faddish series of “Mondo” movies, with directors trying to outdo
previous releases by documenting ever more grotesque, bizarre
and sensational material.
Cannibal Holocaust, in using the very medium and techniques it
criticised, was often mistaken for being Mondo itself. Indeed, it
can said with some accuracy that the film (and its makers) became
the very thing it critiqued. Live animal tortures, mutilations and
killings (at least six), violent gang rapes, torture, executions
(even some actual footage from Cambodia and Africa) … the
list goes on.
Shortly into the film, its meaning is made very clear, reinforced by
the very last piece of dialogue: “So who are the real cannibals?”
Both the cannibal tribes and the Westerners are as appalling
as each other. The acts of the tribesmen are to do with sexual
hegemony, internecine warfare and supremacy, and revenge. The
Westerners commit obscenity after obscenity against those they
see as less than human than themselves; in one famous scene
screaming women and children are locked into a burning hut in
order for it to be recorded, creating footage for footage’s sake. In
the end they are viciously raped, killed and dismembered.
So who are the cannibals? The white photographers don’t even
have the thinly veiled excuses of “tribalism” or “survival”. Like
the Mondo movies, it’s purely for entertainment, and the means to
obtain most sensational footage is justified, no matter what the
consequences. The filmmakers are brutally killed as revenge for
their brutality, not just for lunch. Notably, when character Harold
Monroe visits to recover the lost tapes, he is left untouched.
This film is not a great example of cinematography, nor even
acting for that matter, but Cannibal Holocaust has profoundly
influenced the horror genre, has been borrowed from extensively
and set the standard very high for horror filmmaking. It is yet to
be rivalled by its less-daring imitators. – Phlexmartian.
43_
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NICK CAVE AND THE BAD SEEDS
The Road to God Knows Where/Live at the Paradiso
[Mute Records]
Newly released on DVD, The Road to God Knows Where is a two-hour
documentary of The Bad Seeds’ 1989 North American tour. Filmed entirely
in black and white, this “road movie” shows intimate footage of the band
members practicing gospel songs, mingling with fans and killing time in
green rooms—all cut together with fragments of their live shows.
The film deliberately offers no dates, days or times to anchor these events as
the tour flows on through endless hotel suites, interviews and performances.
At the heart of it all is Nick Cave, a wide-eyed, unwilling centrepiece who
hides, chain-smoking, beneath a trucker cap.
While the film certainly captures the oppressive monotony of a long tour,
there are also stand-out candid scenes, like Blixa Bargeld arguing passionately
with a venue manager over a PA system, Cave’s palpable discomfort during
photo shoots and his cagey interactions with the press. More than simply a
fan-oriented fluff piece, The Road to God Knows Where is a compelling music
documentary in its own right.
For those who are more interested in seeing action on stage than behind the
scenes, the second disc will provide much joy. Live at the Paradiso was shot
in Amsterdam in 1992, and captures the band’s old-school, brimstone-fuelled
performances. Drenched in blood-red lighting, The Bad Seeds belt out classic
songs as Cave rants and cavorts, at one point losing his balance and toppling
from the stage. If you weren’t around to see Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds
play in the Eighties, this DVD package is an absolute must.
COLLIDE
Like the Hunted [Noiseplus Music]
It is wonderful and energising to see an artist
so enjoy and grow from a live performance and
experience. Like the Hunted is a critical moment
in the evolution of Collide–a long-term dream to
perform the work of the band with a six-piece at
the dreamy El Ray Theatre in Los Angeles. The excitement and enjoyment of the band is infectious
on this DVD, combined with a rich digital sound
and energetic performance of Collide tracks such
as ‘Beneath the Skin’, ‘Crushed’ and ‘White Rabbit’. In an era when many electronic bands mime
on stage to click tracks and backing tapes, Live
at the El Ray shows that Collide is every much
the live performance act as a qualified electronic
composer. The DVD has many features including
interviews with the principles kaRIN and Statik,
the members of the band and shots from a memorable live performance. Definitely one for the collection.
– Tavis Potts
www.collide.net
– Tom Wark
DESPERATELY SEEKING SEKA
[Stomp]
Back in the Golden Age of Adult Entertainment (commonly known to the
unschooled porno enthusiast as the late 1970s) the industry of adult erotica
was thriving; during this time there was no bigger star in pornography
than the pin-up of Swedish Erotic, Seka, an hourglass blonde who headlined
35mm movie theatres as well as the form’s boom into VHS. However, just
when Seka seemed to be at the height of her career, she vanished from the
industry without a trace. The documentary Desperately Seeking Seka follows
Swedish journalist Stefan Nylén as he crosses America in search of his Xrated idol. From its outward appearance the documentary seems not unlike
several analogous biographical films made about the adult entertainment
industry in recent years. Yet with interviews whose subjects seem more
concerned about themselves than Seka, the film’s hurried 52-minute runtime
becomes all too tiring. While Nylén does eventually find Seka living in
domestic Chicago, it is his interview with former porn starlet Veronica Hart
that proves the most engaging. Perhaps better made for television, the DVD
release of this film is saved only by its three hours of extra features. – M.
Hewitt.
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Photo: Atratus
THE ELDER SCROLLS IV: OBLIVION
[Bethesda Softworks/2K] PC DVD, XBox 360
If someone had taken a photo of me
when I fired this game up, it would
have captured my jaw on the desk and
my eyes bugging out. This is a stunning
game—the amount of detail is mindboggling. You can see individual leaves
in the trees and blades of grass swaying
in the wind; butterflies and other
insects buzz around doing their own
thing; and if you turn around you can
see the imperial city in the distance,
with its ominous and awe-inspiring
central tower.
The game revolves around the Province
of Cyrodill and put simply it is a
massive environment. Travelling from
one area to another can take a long
time, during which the time of day will
gradually change. Weather patterns
can also change from bright sunny
days to overcast and fog to rain and
thunderstorms and even snow in the
highlands.
The visual appeal of this game is
awesome and the gameplay makes this
the most immersive game I have ever
played. Finding quests is easy and they
are challenging to complete however
it seems that the game automatically
scales the difficulty of your current
quest to your character’s level, so
finding a quest that you will not be able
to complete until you are at level 22 or
something will never happen. However
certain spells and weapons still require
you reach a certain level before you can
use them.
You can follow a base storyline that
involves finding and reinstating the
oblivious heir to his rightful place at
the throne following the emperor’s
murder. An ever-present threat is posed
by an evil power called the Daedra who
reside in a separate plane of existence
called Oblivion. Entry to Oblivion can be
achieved by entering an Oblivion Gate,
which start springing up around the
place after you finish one of the major
quests. Oblivion throws a large variety
of different monsters and bad guys at
you, and as you get to know them you
find quick and easy ways to dispose of
them. Trying to hack a certain nasty to
pieces with your battle-axe isn’t always
the best option! The monsters reside in
the old mines, caverns and ruins that
are abundant in Cyrodill. These also
contain a fortune in treasure, special
weapons and magic items (which you
can trade for gold in the many shops in
the towns).
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion is as near
to perfect a game as you can get.
Unfortunately it demands very high
system specifications or an XBox 360.
However the PC version is the only
way to play this game for its visual
capabilities and controls. – Peter Hakuli
Min. specifications – 512MB RAM, 2.0Ghz
Pentium 4 or equivalent processor, 128MB
video card, 4.6GB free hard disk space.
45_
HEROES OF MIGHT AND MAGIC V
[Ubisoft] PC
Oh, the endless nights of hotseating
HOMM 3, building up my Red Dragons
or Titans into a force to make even
the most daring Fire Elemental (or
horde of rock throwing Goblins)
quiver in terror. Never was there a
game that made empire building (and
destroying!) so easy, streamlined and
cool, a process that was incredibly
repetitive but still fun after your
seventh cup of coffee (or until the
enemy army snuck into your city while
your super army was out collecting
next week’s wood resource).
It’s all back and it looks freaking
sexy. Amongst other things there
are Archangels with giant wings and
even larger swords, as well as Pit
Fiends raigning down infernos ... In
fact, #5 is almost identical to the fan
favourite #3 (although I did like the
streamlining from #4 that removed
the more tedious aspects). The
problem is that when you upgrade
#3 with modern graphics, sound and
_46
game engines, those few vaguely
annoying tedious aspects become
long waiting games as you jump into
your city for upgrades, race your hero
to all the same weekly resources, get
armies mixed up with upgraded and
not upgraded units, and so forth.
Annoying, yes, but damn it looks
fantastic and it retains everything
that was fun and addictive from
the forerunning series. While the
campaign takes a long time (and has
the most fantastic and disjointed
plot and scripting that you could
only expect from a French-Canadian
company) on my computer (hey, it
may not be the latest whiz–bang
thing, but it does play Nethack like
the bees knees) I’m determined to get
the girl and kill the baddies and save
the entire planet. – Jarod Collard
Min. specifications – 512MB RAM,
1.5Ghz Pentium 4 or equivalent
processor, 128MB video card, 2GB free
hard disk space.
STAR WARS: EMPIRE AT WAR
[Lucasarts] PC
BUM bum ba ba ba bum ba bummmmm–
it’s Star Wars! Any computer game
can be super crap but just having
the Star Wars franchise always makes
you itch for it (and more often than
not, it’s still crap!). With Empire at
War we’re given some of the mediocre
with a touch of originality. Play as
the big bad Empire and ruthlessly
crush the last vestige of the Republic
and invent the super cool (errr … I
mean demonic and evil) Death Star.
Or be your favourite heroes and
steal credits from the legal and law
abiding Empire as you infiltrate and
destabalise the known universe (nice
one). Do the former and you can
engage in sweeping galactic battles
as your Imperial Star Destroyers
crush the pathetic Mon Calimari
Cruisers. Then park your space station
overhead and land your battalion of
smartly dressed Storm Troopers (lead
by Darth Vader himself!) and return
the planet to the appropriate rulers
(you). If that doesn’t suit you then
play the other guys–but they are so
in the wrong because they support
an arguing government that can’t
make decisions or reduce taxes so
the populace can’t even get that
new (private) school gymnasium. So
really, this game is (kind of) about
perspective. Have enough of it and
you can enjoy a righteously good
time. Let it slip and it gets tedious
after you’ve conquered the first dozen
planets or so. It’s mostly action and
the strategy tends to be fairly two
dimensional (this unit is best against
that unit, 50 of these need to protect
each world before you can move on
to the next and so on). Even so, it
looks and sounds terrific–it’s STAR
WARS, man! You’ll be the coolest
kid on the block once you get that
production line of AT-ATs or A-Wings
going. – Jarod Collard
Min. specifications – 256MB RAM,
1.0Ghz Pentium 3 or equivalent
processor, 32MB video card, 2GB free
hard disk space.
comics
BECKY CLOONAN
East Coast Rising
[Tokyopop]
Pirates. Sea monsters. And lots and
lots of tattoos. East Coast Rising is
set in a future where the east coast
of America has been flooded. It tells
the story of Archer, a young boy who
knows where the legendary treasure
of the last mayor of New York City is
hidden. Hunted by the pirate captain
Lee (who looks like Kid Rock) and his
giant turtles (who look like Gamera),
Archer is taken in by the captain of
the ship La Revancha, Cannonball Joe
(who looks like Zach de la Rocha with a
peg-leg). Together, they battle against
Lee for the treasure. Artist and writer
Becky Cloonan got her break drawing
indie comics with writer Brian Wood.
East Coast Rising is her first work for
Tokyopop. The story is competent
without being exceptional—what sets
it apart is the watery post-apocalyptic
setting and Cloonan’s punk-rock-pirate
artwork. – David Witteveen
www.tokyopop.com
www.estrigious.com/becky
ROSS CAMPBELL
The Abandoned
[Tokyopop]
After a cyclone sweeps through
a small Southern town, all the old
people mysteriously die. And then
they come back to life—as zombies.
The only survivors are teenager
Rylie and her goth-punk friends.
What follows is classic zombie horror,
complete with bloody dismemberment
of both the living and the dead.
Ross Campbell is notorious for his
drawings of heavily tattooed and
pierced goth girlies falling out
of their low-cut jeans. But
they come in a refreshing
variety of body shapes,
from the skinny to the
plump. And while they’re
not the most intellectual
of characters (they hold
typically inane teenage
conversations, and do
Cosmo quizzes in the middle
of a zombie apocalypse),
they’re a sweet and likeable
bunch. Which makes the twopage sequences of them being
disembowelled and eaten by
zombies distressing rather than
enjoyably gory. That aside, it’s a good
little story, and Campbell’s Southern
Gothic artwork is just beautiful. Plus,
there’s all those sexy goth girlies.
– David Witteveen
www.tokyopop.com
www.greenoblivion.com
TRACI HARDING
Gene of Isis (Book One of the ‘Mystique’ trilogy) [HarperCollins]
The cover of Sydney fantasy author Traci Harding’s latest novel, Gene of Isis (the first of her new
‘Mystique’ trilogy), features a moody and windswept young female hottie gazing inscrutably to camera.
Not a bad choice as Gene of Isis features fierce, sleuthin’, fightin’ hotties from three centuries: 13thcentury French Lillet; 19th-century British Ashlee; and finally Mia, from contemporary Sydney. They
are united by an uncommon psychic talent and an ancient mystical bloodline, giving them a one-way
ticket to guaranteed mystical adventures and exotic travel. As the title indicates (without revealing
the plot), this ancient bloodline leads all three at separate times towards Egypt, with varying
degrees of success. After reading the diaries of her danger-seeking ancestors, Mia the 21st-century
archaeologist steps in to find the key to their Egyptian past and the secrets of the family tomes,
with the help of family phantastic assistant the Knight Albray. Throw in the obligatory gypsies, an
incredibly timely Templar connection and some immortal baddies and you have an all-base-covering
melange which, despite the danger that it would careen from cliché to well-worn cliché, manages to
be quite distracting in a bosom-heaving, swash-buckling but rather nicely told kind of way. Not on
the MENSA booklist but definitely worth a few rainy afternoons’ attention.
– Nic Toupee
KARA LAWRENCE
Unmasked: The Gonzales Family Killer [Harper Collins]
The Gonzales Family Killer traces the story of the triple homicide of the Gonzales family in July
2001. Kara Lawrence, crime reporter for the Sydney Daily Telegraph, has compiled the book based
on case evidence, police reports and her own interviews with neighbours, friends, relatives and
the convicted murderer, Sef Gonzales. It is definitely an interesting read, even though having
“Sydney’s finest” (the police) painted as superheroes every few pages is a little annoying. This
book is not well written, as it feels very casual and simplified. However, Lawrence has made it very
easy to move through the background of the case, its developments and the court proceedings
that end with Gonzales being sentenced to life in prison. For the documentation of a bizarre murder investigation, it’s somewhat laissez-faire. While it is fairly obvious who did what from the first
few pages, I would have preferred more analysis of the psychology of a person who would commit
such a crime, rather than a basic “killer = bad, police = good” formula. – Phlexmartian
LAURA RUBY
The Wall and The Wing [Harper Collins]
Hailing from New Jersey, Laura Ruby is a writer of both fiction and non-fiction, but her reputation
has mostly been built on her first children’s novel, Lily’s Ghosts. The Wall and the Wing, her second
work of children’s fiction, has been bathed in a wash of complimentary response since its release in
March 2006 and evoked critical comparisons of Ruby to JK Rowling and JR Tolkien. Such has been
hype about this book that Vinton Studios (producers of Tim Burton’s The Corpse Bride) has snapped it
up for an animated film! This is your chance to read it before the hurly burly about The Wall and the
Wing reaches critical mass!
It can’t be denied that this is a highly imaginative and eccentric story: whilst one can sniff a hint of
Rowling or even Dahl, Ruby creates an internally cohesive universe around her decidedly odd child
heroes Gurl and Bug. She leads them through an adventure stuffed full of odd characters, danger and
menace, in the archetypical journey from innocence to experience. Her approach is rather 21st century
in that even at the point of resolution, where both orphaned characters find a sense of connection
to each other and their world, the happy ending is tempered by an understanding that we inhabit an
imperfect world and happiness is made through one’s reaction to circumstance, not found waiting for
us (which is a salve to the wound created by simplistic mock-Rowling wannabe dross so often found in
stores). For children, or those who enjoy the odd piece of children’s fantasy, this is recommended.
– Nic Toupee
49_
Rather drink cat pee q
Kind of soggy like cat food qq
Purr/hiss qqq
Mmmm good like catnip qqqq
Head explody brilliant fantastico! qqqqq
AMDUSCIA
From Abuse to Apostasy
[Out Of Line] CD
This is the second full-length release from
this hard-hitting Mexican industrial/electro
outfit. From Abuse to Apostasy is a major step
forward for the band and easily places it on
par with greats like Tactical Sekt, Grendel,
Suicide Commando and fellow Mexicans
Hocico. The opening track ‘Absolution’ hooks
you right in and ‘Incitacion Pagana’ taunts
you with more killer grooves and hard beats.
This CD also features the brilliant single
‘Impulso Biomecànico’. This is an awesome
piece of work and will quickly become a
dancefloor favourite. qqqq1/2 – Peter
Hakuli – www.amduscia.de
ARCHON SATANI
Mind of Flesh and Bones
[Cold Spring] CD
This is it: a bona fide classic of the
death-industrial scene, oft replicated
but still holding strong some 13
years after its original release on
Staalsplaat. Archon Satani is long
defunct, with original two members
splintering off into other projects and
scenes, yet this is clearly the high mark
of its recorded output. Back in the day
this writer managed to obtain a taped
copy of the sold-out CD, which quickly
became a listening obsession. Many
years later I felt absolute rapture upon
locating a copy of the long-out-of-print
original. As a consequence this album
might not be new to these ears, yet
thankfully its resurrection will allow it
to be brought to the attention of a new
audience. From the outset this album
has a sprawling factory ambience, the
mechanised clatter akin to the sounds
of malfunctioning machinery in some
decayed industrial installation. While
these rhythms lurch incessantly on,
discordant horns, random wails and
distant voices add to the bleak, allencompassing darkness—and all this
is encapsulated within the opening
piece. Hereafter different variations
of these opening themes are explored
but Mind of Flesh and Bones never
strays too far afield, maintaining a
common thread of impenetrable black
atmospheres throughout. To cut to the
chase, this is absolute death industrial
classic. Additional words unnecessary.
qqqqq – Richard Stevenson – www.
coldspring.co.uk
ATTRITION
Tearing Arms From Deities: Attrition
1980—2005 [Two Gods] CD
After 25 years of making dark
experimental electronica, Attrition
_50
offers in Tearing Arms... both a fair
whack of its back catalogue and some
rarer tracks previously only available on
compilations. Blending more sinister
male vox with operatic female ones
(think Die Form but less coherent), you
have a fairly comprehensive journey
through the softer, more classically
orientated works to the more electro
pop and darkwave styles. Newcomers
to Attrition’s sound may find the earlier
stuff a little jarring and indeed the
synthier elements are somewhat offputting in their twee-ness but it’s an
interesting progression if you can find
it. qqq – Aowyne Davies – www.
attrition.co.uk
BEYOND SENSORY
EXPERIENCE
The Dull Routine of Existence
[Cold Meat Industry] CD
After releasing a trilogy of albums, a
remix album and a DVD on the Italian
label Old Europa Café, the Swedish
duo of Drakhon (MZ. 412) and K.
Meizter has signed with compatriots
Cold Meat Industry. Pursuit of Pleasure
was Beyond Sensory Experience’s first
CMI release. As heard on ‘The Trade’
(featured on the Flowers Made of Snow
compilation), BSE mirrored the sexual
subject by fusing sensual droning
with confronting rhythm changes and
unsettling samples. The same approach
has been taken with this newest
album, The Dull Routine of Existence,
which takes apathy, monotony and
futility as its subjects. ‘They All Say The
Same Thing’ is an introductory murmur
that continues into ‘Closed’ before
being submerged beneath scraping,
languid rhythms and dying out in the
minimalism of ‘Paralysed’. The title track
is a hypnotic flight that ends abruptly
with ‘Mute Conclusion’. ‘Escapism’ and
‘Futile Resistence’ [sic] are blaring
soundscapes that use looped samples to
effect pace and maintain the sense of
pointlessness that pervades the album.
Things peak in ‘The Dreaded Sun’,
where the noise becomes both more
melodic and more threatening. ‘Walking
Through Syrup’ is barren and static,
and the album concludes with the
uncharacteristically musical ‘Kverulant’.
Less contrived than Atrium Carceri or
Coph Nia, Beyond Sensory Experience
recalls the earliest CMI acts in its
unhurried approach to crafting sounds
and creating a journey. qqq1/2
– James Lowry – www.bse.se
BEYOND
THE VOID
I Am Your Ruin [Fear Section] CD
Described as dark, atmospheric rock
music, the first thing you notice is the
obvious comparisons of Beyond the
Void to such bands as HIM, Zeraphine
and 69 Eyes. Close listening shows
an interesting variety—a string
section here, a female choir there.
Unfortunately this also leads to a
slight pompousness and a tendency
towards goth rock stereotypes. This is
not a highly original sound, or a very
varied album, but it’s well crafted and
certainly easy to listen to. All in all a
pleasant surprise addition to the new
gothic rock revival. qqq1/2 – Montag
Wegner – www.beyondthevoid.de
BULLET FOR
MY VALENTINE
Hand Of Blood [Sony BMG] EP
Mmm, breakdowns. ‘Hand Of Blood’ is
the latest EP from UK metalcore band
Bullet For My Valentine, a six-track
release containing the band’s latest
two singles. Bullet For My Valentine
seems to be a newer member of the
emerging group of more popularised
metalcore bands, along with the likes
of Avenged Sevenfold, Atreyu and
Killswitch Engage. The EP itself is a
solid release, sounding professional
and tight without being too polished
or over-recorded. The stand-out tracks
are, unsurprisingly, the two singles: ‘4
Words (To Choke Upon)’ and the title
track, ‘Hand of Blood’. The best track,
however, is the catchy ‘Just Another
Star’, which ranges from the melodic
to breakdown to anthemic without
sounding disparate. This EP would be
a great introductory CD for someone
looking to get into metalcore bands
such as It Dies Today and the Dillinger
Escape Plan, and I know I’ll be picking
up the full-length album once it’s
recorded. qqq – Nat Williams – www.
bulletformyvalentine.com
THE BUZZCOCKS
A Flat-Pack Conspiracy [Shock] CD
Generally revivals produce either an
easy-listening geriatric shadow of the
band’s former self, or schizophrenic
genre-molestations to keep up with the
kids. Thirty years on, The Buzzcocks
sound distinctively and enthusiastically
like The Buzzcocks. Given they’re now
in their 50s, this is nothing to sneer at.
Accessible to both older fans and new
audiences, there’s nothing particularly
new or dynamic here but their
infectious pop-punk still outguns bands
two-thirds their age both in melody
and energy. As Diggle sums it up, “We
might as well rip ourselves off and
take credit for what we did instead of
trying to get away from it. Nobody can
do Buzzcocks better than Buzzcocks.”
It’s a fair cop, guv. Highlights include
‘Wish I Never Loved You’ and ‘I’ve Had
Enough’. qqqq1/2 – Aowyne Davies
– www.buzzcocks.com
COHEED AND CAMBRIA
Good Apollo I’m Burning, Star IV,
Volume One: From Fear Through The
Eyes Of Madness [Sony BMG] CD
With such a title, Coheed And Cambria’s
Good Apollo I’m Burning, Star IV… was
going to be either a work of musical
brilliance or seventy-plus minutes of
jerking off. After sitting down and
listening to the album a good halfa-dozen times, I realised it was most
definitely the former. The third album of
New Jersey’s Coheed And Cambria, and
the fourth “instalment” of the musical/
graphic novel tetralogy entitled The Bag
On Line Adventures. Without delving too
deeply into the storyline, it is sufficient
to say that this record can be enjoyed
as a concept album that is part of a
greater whole, or simply as an excellent
progressive post-rock album. It cites a
great number of musical influences: I
have “heard” bands ranging from Tool
through to Steely Dan. While technically
Good Apollo I’m Burning, Star IV… is
a concept album, a few tracks really
stand out from the narrative and can
be enjoyed on their own. These include
‘Ten Speed (Of God’s Blood & Burial)’,
‘The Suffering’, ‘Once Upon Your Dead
Body’, and what I felt was the strongest
track on the album, ‘Apollo 1: The
Writing Writer’. Overall, I feel that Good
Apollo I’m Burning, Star IV… has a lot of
appeal for a great many different types
of musical fans, offering quite a range,
either alone or as an introduction to a
greater work consisting of music and
graphic arts. It has become one of my
“high rotation” albums of late, and for
such a strong album, I’m surprised that
it’s not better known. Go out and get
it. Now. qqqq – Nat Williams – www.
coheedandcambria.com
CANAAN
The
Unsaid
Words
Music/Eibon Records] CD
[Aural
Moving in underground circles for a
decade now, Canaan merges elements
of ambient, dark wave and experimental
music to intriguing effect. The Unsaid
Words is its fifth album that is song
structured (the dark-wave oriented
songs) and abstract (the dark ambient/
experimental passages) in equal
measures. Delivered with an air of
unforced conviction, the slow-paced
songs evoke a sound of restrained,
tragic despair. Although both clean and
distorted guitars are used, Canaan’s
music would never qualify as being
heavy. Instead the guitars intertwine
with lush washes of keyboards, creating
depressively tinged dirges that augment
the understated half-sung vocals. The
experimental passages of the album
are a well-defined counterbalance to
the main songs, being equally well-
executed dark ambient compositions
that are far from being mere bridging
tracks. To be filed under a broad banner
of “dark”-orientated music, Canaan’s
sound has a sensibility that does not
pigeonhole it to a particular style or
subgenre. The Unsaid Words is a fine
example of abstract melancholy emotion
that avoids the generic trappings of a
number of scenes. qqqq – Richard
Stevenson – www.canaan.it
COCTEAU TWINS
Lullabies to
1 [4AD] CD
Violaine
Volume
This is a handy addition to the collection
of any Cocteaus fan or a relative
newcomer to the band, being comprised
of singles and b-sides recorded between
1982 and 1990 (arguably the group’s
best years). The first disc begins with
a rawer sound from the ‘Lullabies’ EP,
which is more preoccupied with edgy
and difficult guitars than the slower,
delicate melodies of later recordings.
Traces of the elements fans would come
to love about the band, from Elizabeth
Fraser’s unique, indecipherable vocals to
dense layers of sound, are nevertheless
there from the get-go. By the seventh
track, the 12” version of ‘Sugar Hiccup’,
we arrive at quintessential Cocteau
Twins with the dreamy interaction of
shimmering guitar melodies, pulsing
bass lines and Fraser’s magical voice.
Yet there are moments of complication,
such as ‘Rococo’ where beauty has a
harsh, driving bent, sufficient to rebut
those who dismiss this as “swirly girly”
music. Even at 32 tracks, this collection
cannot take in every non-album release
until the band’s demise in 1996 and
is confined to recordings released on
the 4AD label. Nevertheless it is an
enjoyable way to join the dots and
reveal the full outline of these pioneers
of dream pop for those who have only
ventured as far as classic albums such
as Garlands, Treasure and Victorialand.
qqqq1/2 – Michelle Smith – www.
cocteautwins.com
CRIMES OF THE PRIMARY
The Truth [Hoop] CD
Crimes of the Primary’s The Truth has
commenced its assault on Australia’s
industrial music scene. This is the
band’s second album and a promising
start to a somewhat bumpy career.
The album attempts to be both epic
and emotional with varying degrees of
success. The untethered angst of tracks
like ‘Eating the Black Rope’ and the
opener ‘Three Times Soiled’ gives this
album some fantastic potential. The
references come thick and fast: HIM,
Machines of Loving Grace, NIN, Marilyn
Manson and The Legendary Pink Dots
at different times. The experimental
soundscapes of the first few tracks make
kitty classic
Flood
When considering some of the classic ‘alternative’ albums of the early
Nineties one name regularly comes up. Flood. This acclaimed producer
is linked to a swathe of bands including Depeche Mode, Smashing
Pumpkins, Nine Inch Nails, PJ Harvey, U2, Pop Will Eat Itself and
Nitzer Ebb.
Born Mark Ellis, Flood came up through the ranks working as an
engineer for bands like New Order, Soft Cell and Cabaret Voltaire—
early years spent in good company. His first producer gig was on the
1985 post-punk classic The First Born Is Dead by Nick Cave and the
Bad Seeds.
In 1987 Flood hit the mainstream working on U2’s Joshua Tree. But
whilst many of us have a soft spot for grand Gaelic-love-angst, it is
Flood’s work during the ‘90s that is really of note. Let’s take a look
at the run down: Nine Inch Nails’ Pretty Hate Machine and Downward
Spiral. Depeche Mode’s Violator and Songs of Faith and Devotion. Pop
Will Eat Itself’s This Is the Day ...This Is the Hour ...This Is This. U2’s
darkest outing, Achtung Baby. And the 1995 double hit of PJ Harvey’s
Bring You my Love and The Smashing Pumpkins Mellon Collie and the
Infinite Sadness.
It was Flood’s ability to merge both a hard-edged electronic sound
with a diverse organic one that made him the guru of the period.
Frequent collaborator Brian Eno was an important mentor in his
process of getting bands to open up. However, it is perhaps Flood’s
enigmatic nature that best sums him up—getting great work done
away from the limelight. Rock on.
– Alex Hammond
51_
kitty rates the noise
COMBICHRIST
Get Your Body Beat [Metropolis] CDEP
Andy LePlegua has broken out the Combichrist
cookie-cutter once again. With testosteronefuelled aggression, Combichrist comes at
you hard and fast with infectious rhythms
and heavy beats guaranteed to be heard on
dancefloors around the world. This EP comes
with the title track ‘Get Your Body Beat’, three
b-sides and six remixes. Proving that too many
chefs spoil the broth, some very unremarkable
remixes are served up by KMFDM, Amduscia,
Spetznaz, Point 45 and Sergio Mesa. The
exception is Manufactura, which turns out
an epic powernoise remix. For the icing on
the cake, the AndyChrist released this on
06/06/06. qq1/2 – Brent Donaldson – www.
combichrist.com
for interesting listening, however layers
of samples and conflicting sounds do start
to grate on the eardrums. It’s difficult to
connect with an album where you can barely
hear what the singer is singing about, but
there are some fantastic sounds in here with
straight-up raw grit that you just want to
sink your teeth into. Crimes of the Primary’s
raw abandonment will make it a force to be
reckoned with. Keep your eye on this band;
it has a lot of potential. qqq – Kathryn
Williams – www.crimesoftheprimary.com
CYNDI LAUPER
Collections [Sony BMG] CD
You either loved her or hated her, and if you
fell into the latter category you probably
won’t be reading this anyway so I’ll aim for
the established fans and those too young to
recall that Madonna wasn’t the first to bring
a ragamuffin style to the charts in the ‘80s.
If you are a fan, Collections is a fairly good
offering of Lauper’s older hits, but it lacks
strength in the addition of later offerings
such as ‘Sisters Of Avalon’ and ‘Fall Into
Your Dreams’ as it’s always a little daunting
hearing a quirky innovator fall to the adultcontemporary, easy-listening demon. Still,
if your collection has gaps this will fill it
nicely as the later works are mercifully kept
to a minimum and offset by gems like ‘The
Goonies ‘R’ Good Enough’, ‘Iko Iko’, ‘Time
After Time’ and ‘I Drove All Night’. qqqq
– Aowyne Davies – www.cyndilauper.com
DAFT PUNK
Musique Vol I 1993—2005
[Virgin] CD
From a duo that has virtually re-invented
the disco/tech-house sound, you’d expect
its first “best of” collection to be something
that might rock da house (so to speak),
particularly considering that it’s supposed to
represent ten years of hits. As a collection of
popular and recognisable songs this album
serves its purpose, however it offers nothing
to hardcore fans looking for something
_52
new. The tracks aren’t mixed—they fade
out haphazardly—suggesting the band‘s
lack of interest in the album. This factor
could very well support the rumours that
the album fulfilled Daft Punk’s contractual
obligation to Virgin, releasing the band from
its shackles. The liner notes speak of a new
beginning for Daft Punk, a brief reflection on
the past ten years in order to start afresh.
Don’t be fooled by the “rare” remixes—this
album offers nothing new. However if you’re
familiar with the duo and haven’t yet started
your collection, this is as good a place to
start as any. qq – Kathryn Williams – www.
daftpunk.com
DAS ICH
Cabaret [Metropolis] CD
Those larger-than-life circus freaks Das Ich are back with
another journey into their twisted world. The opening
narration—complete with gypsy accordion accompaniment—
welcomes you. From there it’s a fantastically theatrical
performance of bombastic industrial beats, atmospheric
darkwave, powerful vocals and the surreal imagery of
Das Ich’s strange cabaret. This is all rounded out with a
multimedia bonus short movie, ‘Kaleidoskop—in 10 Minuten
Licht’. For old fans, this is one circus you’ll already have
run away with; for others, watch out for those scary clowns
beneath your bed. qqq – Brent Donaldson – www.dasich.de
DANDELION WINE
An Inexact Science [Independent] CD
If the Appalachian dulcimer doesn’t float
your boat, then you’re looking in the wrong
area of this reviews section. Yet even for
those whose tastes venture toward heavier,
crunchy sounds, the majesty of this album
should still be awe-inspiring. This Melbourne
duo has attracted a significant fanbase in
Europe and it is no wonder that the blend
of electronic beats, guitar and flute with
the medieval and Middle Eastern sounds
of instruments such as the lute, hammered
dulcimer and bowed psaltery is well received
there. Naomi Henderson’s vocals are versatile
(from the delicate lilt of ‘Muscle Memory’ to
the restrained power of ‘Stable’) and function
as yet another instrument in the complex,
swirling layers of melody and hypnotic
rhythms she performs with the multi-talented
Nicholas Albanis (whose guitar work at times
recalls a less dissonant My Bloody Valentine).
Also a spectacle to behold in a live setting, if
you’re looking to broaden and diversify your
music collection with a release that still has
a dark edge (no prancing in pantaloons is to
be enacted while listening to this album!)
there is no better band to begin with than
Dandelion Wine. qqqq – Michelle Smith
– www.dandelionwine.com.au
DIE FORM
ExHuman [Metropolis] CD
Die Form returns with the final part of its InHuman/ExHuman
diptych and possibly its most beautifully crafted piece yet.
Full of immaculately layered, darkly sexual rhythms with
operatic or whispered vocals, ExHuman is a fantastic tapestry
of electronic musical styles that defies categorisation.
Sometimes creepy, at other times wonderfully enchanting,
ExHuman is like a beautiful nightmare. If you haven’t heard
Die Form before, then this is an excellent place to start.
Close your eyes and imagine an ethereal blanket of silk and
cobwebs brushing over your face. qqqq – Brent Donaldson
– www.dieform.net
KKKKK
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FRONT LINE ASSEMBLY
Artificial Solider
[Metropolis] CD
The return of Rhys Fulber and Chris
Peterson and arrival of Jeremy Inkel
result in Front Line Assembly’s
strongest line-up yet. Artificial Solider
releases a torrent of FLA’s trademark
razor-sharp programming. Bill Leeb’s
unmistakable vocals, pounding
beats and tightly sequenced synths
show exactly why FLA is so highly
regarded within the electronic music
scene. Artificial Solider comes across
with a sense of controlled urgency
and anger while still retaining
melancholic overtones. Cameos by
Eskil Simonsson and Jean-Luc De
Meyer finish off this album, lifting
it to the highest calibre. After 20
years of making electronic music
these pioneers are still showing the
youngsters how to do it. qqqq –
Brent Donaldson – www.mindphaser.
com
Photo: www.gynp.com
DRESDEN DOLLS
Yes, Virginia [Roadrunner] CD
How do you follow such a smash of a
debut as their self titled album? Yes,
Virginia can be quite a jarring transition
at first (unless your familiar with their
forever touring live show), gone are the
over polished additives that made their
singles ‘Girl Anachronism’ and ‘Coin
Operated Boy’ so damn addictive, what
remains is the honesty and rawness
found in the rest of the debut. While the
production quality is much more refined,
this record also sounds more live and
organic, creating a very deep album
that took several listens to truly sink in.
Rather than try to reinvent themselves
and create a whole new splash, The
Dolls bring you a bit closer to the
heart; the maturity here is truly in the
subtleties. – Jarod Collard qqqq
www.dresdendolls.com
THE EVOLUTIONARIES
Exoskeleton [Latex Records] CDEP
I’m not sure if Marilyn Manson
considers imitation the highest form of
flattery but I hope The Evolutionaries
are banking on it. To be fair their
press release states that the band
is influenced by Manson, NIN and
the like but when does an influence
become a rip-off? From the vocals to
the lyrics and the guitars, it’s all a little
too similar to me. If this had been a
debut I might have been less harsh as
essentially this is okay, however it’s
just too derivative. qq – Justin Tall
– www.the-evolutionaries.com
HERBST9
Buried Under Time and Sand
[Loki Foundation] CD
The third album from this German duo
sees Herbst9 continue its soundscape
expeditions to uncover the spirituality
and soul of ancient times. While the
liner notes declare that Buried Under
Time and Sand is “a musical journey
to the cradle of mankind, to summer,
to assur, to babylon”, it’s the group’s
evocative ritual/tribal-infused dark
ambient style that instantly transports
the listener into the realms of an
archaic world. The multi-dimensional
compositions evade easy description;
GARY NUMAN
they have a broad filmic air and progress
very much like a movie soundtrack.
Overall, the broad framework of
the tracks is constructed around a
core of sweeping cavernous drones,
underpinned with tribal percussion,
disembodied vocal and choral textures,
ethnic/ritual instrumentation and fieldrecording elements. This music is as
evocative and visually stimulating as the
soundtrack for the absolutely stunning
documentary Baraka (albeit Herbst9’s
music is slightly more abstract). This
initial perception seems vindicated
when a late album track appears to have
sampled some tribal chanting from the
movie itself. With seemingly effortless
ease Herbst9 has succeeded yet again in
sonically evoking the aura of aeons past,
resulting in compulsory listening. This is
yet another triumph for Loki Foundation.
qqqq1/2 – Richard Stevenson – www.
herbst9.de
IGNIS FATUUS
In Our Mad Bliss [Eibon Records] CD
Although the label’s description of “fairy
music” had me cringing no end, I knew
better than to write this off on that
basis alone, given I was familiar with
Ignis Fatuus’s debut CD on Cold Spring
Records a number of years back (1998
to be precise). Speaking of Cold Spring,
this album was due to be released via
that label, yet there has been little
word as to why it has finally appeared
on Eibon. This is an album of beauty,
mixing aspects of sombre neo-classical,
tribal percussive movements, whimsical
romantic piano tunes and female vocal
led ethereal pop. Of the quite diverse
15 tracks over 61 minutes, the standout
track is without doubt the sprawling
‘The Vastness Of It’. This is a tribal-beatdriven orchestral marvel that morphs
into a guitar-led section which could
easily be mistaken for a tribute to post-
Jagged [Shock] CD
Jagged is extraordinary. Numan’s first studio release since 2000’s Pure, this
is a real return to form and well worth the wait. The first time I heard
this it was background music and I found myself unable to focus on the
conversation because the music took all my attention. It’s that good. It
does wear some of its influences on its sleeve: Numan makes no bones of
the fact he’s a big NIN fan (the feeling is reciprocated, by the way) and it
definitely comes through in these tunes. But if you like NIN, this is a good
thing. Draw a straight line between Pretty Hate Machine and The Downward
Spiral, float Numan’s distinctive vox and piercingly cold Moog synth lines
on top, and you’re halfway there. This is a highly detailed, intricate piece
of work, worthy of a good headphones listen, like most of NIN’s output. But
that’s not to say Numan is a clone. He’s most definitely his own man and he’s
always done his own thing. There are some killer tracks on this disc. You can
imagine hearing songs such as ‘Haunted’ and ‘Blind’ at an outdoor stadium
with 50,000 fans—if you close your eyes, the songwriting and production
combine to put you there. If you’ve written Gary Numan off as a thing of the
past, listening to this disc may well change your mind. And it probably ought
to, because it proves Numan is not a *cough* old man (I can’t believe I just
typed that!). qqqq1/2 – Jay Annabel – www.numan.co.uk
53_
kitty rates the noise
INSEKT
Teenmachine [NPT] CD
IMPLANT
Fading Away
[Alfa-Matrix] CDEP
Len Lemeire’s Implant comes out
swinging with what turns out to
be a killer of an EP. Once again,
the lovely Anne Clark makes an
appearance on guest vocals ...
but wait, Claus Larsen (Leaether
Strip) is here too, in a duet with
Ms. Clark! The original tracks here
are wonderfully woven technoid/
trance pieces which will flatten
anyone on the dancefloor, and
even the remixes (Cut.Rate.
Box, C-Drone-Defect, Noisuf-X
etc) hold their own admirably.
Punchy, infectious and vitriolic,
this EP is a must have for any DJ
or rivethead. qqqq – Justin
Tall – www.alfa-matrix.com
rock band Explosions In The Sky. As
an added bonus Caul presents a remix
of ‘I’m Going To Beg The Moon Each
Night’, however far from presenting a
dark-ambient reworking as might be
expected, a fantastic programmed piece
of ambient dub is offered up which
actually eclipses the original! While not
as overtly dark and moody as I might
have anticipated, the depth and texture
of the recording draws you easily into
its soothing madness. A tri-gatefold
card slip sleeve rounds out the visuals
more then satisfactorily. qqqq –
Richard Stevenson – www.orgium.com
IKON
Without Shadows [Équinoxe] CDS
While the CD single may be going
the way of the dodo with ringtone
downloads seemingly the way of the
polyphonic future, IKON provides a
timely reminder of exactly why a single
can be a great introduction to a band,
or a means for existing fans to expand
_54
KLUTÆ
Hit ‘n Run
[Alfa-Matrix] CD
Formerly known as Klute, this
is the side project of Leaether
Strip’s Claus Larsen—and both are
back. Given this disc has been in
the making for almost a decade,
I expected big things. It’s good,
but not brilliant. While I was a
big Leæther Strip fan back in the
day, I could never get into Klute.
I always thought the guitars
were perhaps a bit overdone, for
a start. The good news follows. If
you used to like the old Leæther
Strip, you’ll love the new Klutæ:
the old bass lines are back in full
force, as are the growly vocals.
But whereas Leæther Strip
lyrics often focused on politics,
religion and man’s inhumanity to
man, Klutæ’s lyrics are generally
the depth of their collections. Almost
like a mini-album, with six tracks
in total, ‘Without Shadows’ features
one of the highlights from last year’s
internationally successful Destroying
the World to Save It, along with three
demo tracks (‘Seconds’, ‘Burning Desire’
and ‘Confused Dreams’). ‘Burning
Desire’ is brilliant enough to have been
included on the album and is a must
for fans to own (not only because it’s
the first time we’ve heard vocalist Chris
McCarter utter a “la la la la”). Two live
performances close out the single:
‘Love is Colder than Death’ (recorded for
German radio) and a powerful rendition
of ‘The Garden of the Lost’ (from 2005’s
Under the Blue Moon festival). A musthave release for poverty-stricken fans
of modern goth rock who haven’t yet
bought the album and IKON devotees
alike. qqqq – Charlotte Burton
– www.ikondomain.com
not as serious but somewhat
more aggressive. Larsen actually
pokes fun at himself in what is
probably the most amusing track
on the disc, ‘I’m A Fat Faggot in
a Leather Jacket’. And ‘No More
Suffering’ is an absolute standout
track if you—like me—love the
club-industrial of the mid ’90s.
The disc features two covers.
One’s a fairly unique choice,
the Human League’s ‘Circus of
Death’; the other, ‘Blue Monday’,
perhaps not so. I mean, it’s not
bad, but there really isn’t much
you can do to reinterpret such
a simplistic track—I’m waiting
for my mum to do a cover of it,
everyone else has. But that aside,
it’s great to see Claus back. The
samples are cool, too. qqq1/2
– Jay Annabel – www.myspace.
com/klutae
IMPERATIVE REACTION
Eulogy For The Sick Child (ReIssue) [Metropolis] CD
I’ve always had a quiet respect for
Imperative Reaction’s no-nonsense
solid song writing and straightforward
approach to being a great band without
all the flash and bang. Now with the
re-release of their breakthrough album
it’s easy to see the progression from
harsh vocals and harsher programming
to their new smoother, more mature
style. With this in mind Eulogy is a
collection of great dancefloor fodder,
four-on-the-floor beats, urgent synth
patterns to get your feet moving, and
of course, movie samples. The recording
has been revamped and you also get
two previously unreleased tracks and
a remix of ‘Scorpio’. qqq1/2 – Justin
Tall – www.imperativereaction.net
The latest album from late-‘80s act
Insekt sees it traversing familiar but
still much-appreciated territory: stompy
EBM-influenced club-oriented technopop. It’s Insekt’s first album since
2004’s Ohrwürmer on Psycho Dynamics,
which heralded a reunion after the
band split in 1994. Teenmachine sees
Insekt playing with current electro
aesthetics as well as more traditional
EBM and future-pop sounds, topped
off with shades of vintage NIN drum
patterning and vocal treatment. The
band also teams up with current scene
noteworthies Spetznaz (‘Play the Game’)
and Funkter Vogt (‘Bambifucker’) for
remix work. While one could say this
album is somewhat derivative—and not
quite dark enough for this reviewer’s
taste—Insekt has created well-crafted
and cogent songs strong enough to
load onto the iPod or coax you onto
the dancefloor. Expect this CD to be
dropped at clubs near you in the very
near future! qqq1/2 – Nic Toupee
– www.insekt-online.com
JANITOR
Quomran 4-Ever [Tesco] CD
Freed from the shackles of the
expectations
surrounding
their
individual projects, Lina Baby Doll of
Deutsch Nepal and Benny Nilsen of
Hazard have let loose on this, their
third outing for Janitor, traversing into
whatever unusual industrial/experiential
spheres that take their fancy. The core
of opening track ‘Qoumran Inflight’
consists of rhythmic programming,
setting the tone flawlessly with ritual
ambient flair without infringing on the
piece. Upping the rhythmic approach
slightly, ‘Humanity’ is a great electronic
industrial slab with some particularly
fine vocal crooning courtesy of Lina,
before ‘The Need for a Holy Spirit’
settles down into a 33-minute droning
electronic soundscape. Lina’s vocals
on ‘Bridges’ are somewhat reminiscent
of David Bowie in their delivery, yet
such a comparison can not be made
with respect to the music, which is
a semi-composed plodding rhythmic
organ dirge! The final piece of the
six tracks, ‘Habelsbolet- Port Said’,
rounds out the album with a track built
on a more forceful tone of throbbing
rhythms, urgent drones and driving
organ melody. Given Janitor is a side
project of two skilled underground
musical practitioners, Quomran 4Ever is another a quirky ride through
its particular brand of experimental
industrial and ambience. qqqq
– Richard Stevenson – www.tescogermany.com
KILLING JOKE
Hosannas From The Basements
Of Hell [Shock] CD
Photo: Joe Dilworth
If you’re only familiar with ‘Love Like
Blood’, you’re going to find this more
inaccessible than Felicity Kendell’s
underwear but after 28 years Killing
Joke is as manically tortured as ever
and even heavier to boot. Quite
obviously recorded in a basement and
mixed on radio speakers, the final
production demands repeat listening
just to catch the finer nuances. The
tribal/classical clash on ‘Invocation’
borders on epic (no, not FNM) and
makes it worth buying the album for
alone, while ‘Majestic’ tips a distinct
hat through the distortion to 1985’s
‘Night Time’. With vocals you could
grate Lemmy from Motorhead on, the
usual cunning mastery of electronics
and distinctive guitar riffs, recorded
in a basement with ‘70s tape echo
machines and mixed by Mark Lusardi
(who mixed Killing Joke’s first
recording) on radio speakers, all
you can do is hit repeat and enjoy.
qqqqq – Aowyne Davies – www.
killingjoke.com
MANDY KANE
Murder in the Daylight
[Mummy’s Boy Records] CD
From bedroom recordings to supporting
Marilyn Manson and Machine Gun
Fellatio, Mandy Kane has walked a long
road in the Australian music scene.
Musically he hasn’t reinvented any
wheels, but his lyrics and themes are
going in directions fewer and fewer
artists will tread these days. New single
‘Murder in the Daylight’, for instance,
contains none-too-covert dialogues
about the futility and dishonesty of
warfare, but I would encourage Mandy
to get off the musical fence. This release
strongly smacks of an artist with darker,
more alternative sensibilities, holding
his cards for a long-winded attempt at
commercial success. Musically it feels
held back, only tentatively committing
to anything left-of-centre; it is largely
inoffensive. Tear up the rulebook and
get people guessing, please. qq1/2
– Phlexmartin – www.mandykane.com
KORN
Live & Rare [Epic] CD
A review of a live record is less an
appraisal of the album itself than of how
the band presents pre-existing material
recorded live. There are few, if any,
surprises. The majority of the tracks on
Live & Rare are taken from a number of
shows between 1999 and 2004. Ranging
across Korn’s discography, from the selftitled debut to 2003’s Take A Look In
The Mirror, this record manages to cover
a fair sample of Korn’s back catalogue,
without over- or under-representing
any particular album. The track listing
includes a lot of Korn’s best-known
songs such as ‘Blind’, ‘Freak On A Leash’
and ‘A.D.I.D.A.S.’, plus two live covers:
Metallica’s ‘One’ and an appalling
rendition of Pink Floyd’s ‘Another Brick
In The Wall’. The “Rare” aspect of the
album comprises two more b-sides to
the album, which includes Korn’s take
of Cheech & Chong’s ‘Earache My Eye’
(which, if nothing else, is a lot of
fun to scream along to drunkenly at
MENTALLO AND THE FIXER
Commandments for the Molecular Age
[Alfa-Matrix] CDEP
Oh god, more Americans who think they can do it better
than the Europeans. A number of acts have come out
of the Americas that completely rock—unfortunately
Mentallo and the Fixer isn’t one of them. Is there
such a thing as Psychedelic Body Music (PBM)? “Hey,
let’s smoke some pot and play with our keyboards and
get really cosmic, man.” It wouldn’t be surprising if
this is the band’s philosophy, because each track is
between five and 15 minutes of total repetitive drivel!
Sorry I don’t do drugz, m’kay. q – Peter Hakuli – www.
mentallo.net
parties). Overall, the album doesn’t
impress very much, but it is far from
a disappointment. If you like Korn and
want to hear their tracks recorded live,
you should enjoy the album. It’s as
simple as that. qq1/2– Nat Williams
– www.korn.com
LUASA RAELON
The Poison City [Eibon Records] CD
Despite Luasa Raelon having issued in
excess of 20 releases, this is my first
introduction to this dark ambient/
death industrial project. It brings to
light (or should that be darkness?) a
commendable take on staple aspects
of the genre, such as sombre melodies,
widescreen
sweeping
ambience,
fragmented tonal outbursts and distant
metallic clanging. The album opens with
‘The Terrible Place’, where the layered
synth immediately brings to mind one
of Brighter Death Now’s more subtle
pieces, ‘Necrose Evangelicum’. From here
the dense atmosphere (atmos-fear?) is
meticulously constructed, bringing to
mind visions of vast decaying industrial
rooms and murky cavernous spaces.
Equally commendable is the album’s
ability to evoke a palpable sense of
lurking dread, while gradually drawing
you deeper into its claustrophobic
realms. While not groundbreaking by
any means, this is still a massively
pleasurable experience given how well
55_
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kitty rates the noise
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PANZER AG
Your World Is Burning
[Metropolis] CD
At one stage or another Andy
LaPlegua has been involved with hip
hop, punk and industrial bands. With
his second Panzer AG album, Andy
has steered his industrial juggernaut
down a different path, almost as
if he’s set out to prove his musical
diversity. From the opening track,
you’d be forgiven if you thought you
were listening to Marilyn Manson.
Over the course of the album we
hear acoustic ballads, nu-metal,
electroclash and a bit of rockabilly
thrown in for good measure. It’s
only with the last track that we hear
anything vaguely resembling the
industrial powerhouse that Panzer AG
used to be. qq – Brent Donaldson
– www.panzer-ag.com
it has been executed. Thereby good sirs, I tip my hat to both Luasa
Raelon and Eibon! qqqq – Richard Stevenson – www.iheartnoise.
com/luasaraelon
MASSIVE ATTACK
Collected [Virgin] CD
Some 15+ years on and Massive Attack has arguably become one of the
most immediately recognisable British bands in recent memory. Like the
perfect coffee, Massive Attack’s dark, syrupy brand of trip hop manages
to be both exciting and soothing. Kicking off with 1991’s ‘Safe From
Harm’ and moving deftly through ‘Karmacoma’, ‘Teardrop’, ‘Protection’,
‘Unfinished Sympathy’, ‘Risingson’ and finishing on the new track ‘Live
With Me’, this collection is a thematically based brew rather than a
chronological one. A brilliant collection from a brilliant band. qqqq1/2
– Justin Tall – www.massiveattack.co.uk
MYK JUNG
Zenith Is Decline [Endless Records] CD
Listening to Zenith Is Decline, it’s easy to forget Myk Jung’s industrial
rock past with bands like The Fair Sex and Testify. This new solo effort
is a collection of ballads with piano, acoustic guitars and violins, along
with Jung’s ever-present (sometimes overly) romantic voice. It’s also nice
to see Myk’s 10-year-old daughter Allegra supplying guest vocals on two
tracks. While this may not be for everyone, this is going to be a hit for
those of you with your black hearts on your sleeves and a claret in hand.
qqq – Justin Tall – www.mykjung.de
NFD
PLASTIC NOISE EXPERIENCE
Dead Or Alive [Alpha Matrix] CD
With nearly two decades of history behind them, Claus Krause’s dark electro
stalwarts PNE have delivered a supped–up compilation of their finest work Dead
or Alive to a record store/distro near you. The studio reworks focus heavily on
their 1989 debut Transmission featuring ‘Kill the 6’, ‘Gold’ and ‘In XTC’ along with
other notables from their discography such as ‘Dream Destructor’ and the infamous
Bronksi Beat cover ‘Smalltown Boy’. As is usually the case with retrospective works,
we have the obligatory live recordings plus 3 remixes—the most outstanding
being Technoir’s ‘Dream Destructor’, shrouding PNE with their distinctive ethereal
cyberpop sound. Krause’s beefed–up versions probably aren’t beefy enough for
fans of the original works to warrant missing a meal for but the material is strong
and club–friendly, certain to satisfy newcomers. DoA is likely to be heard on any
respectable dark dancefloor, a place where these re-recordings are obviously aimed
at. qqq – Jarrod Taylor – www.plasticnoise.de
Dead Pool Rising [Jungle] CD
Comprising mostly ex-Fields of the Nephilim and ex-Sensorium members,
you know this is going to be one dark rocky band! The first track, ‘Light
My Way’, certainly doesn’t disappoint, with catchy riffs, fast pace and
growling goth vocals. The next two tracks pound you with the same
energy but then the album falls into a sometimes plodding lull, drifting
in parts into the realm of background music. Tracks seven and eight
resurrect some of the former energy and the album finishes on another
calm song, on the whole leaving you satisfied. You certainly can’t escape
thoughts of FotN yet this album is more of a progression than a ripoff. It’s more gothic rock than gothic metal but fans of both genres
should find tracks to enjoy here. qqqq – Montag Wegner – www.
jungle-records.demon.co.uk/bands/nfd.htm
OF THE WAND & THE MOON
Sonnenheim [HeidRunar MyrkRunar] CD
Finally the fourth CD from this Danish group has been released, with
huge expectations from the neo-folk scene. Although it was a number of
years in the making, Sonnenheim more than lives up to the expectations
foisted upon it. The formula for which the group is known has not been
drastically altered; what makes this the strongest album to date is the
depth and focus shown across the 14 tracks. With fewer ritualistic tracks
as prominently featured on earlier albums, the greater majority here
are built around the central use of cyclic strummed acoustic guitars,
spoken or whispered vocals (with lyrics preoccupied with northern
runic mysticism), further embellished with layered keyboards, chime
percussion, martial-oriented drumming and even accordion on a number
of tracks (played by guest musician Andreas Ritter of Forsetti). Prior
comparisons to Death in June certainly remain here; in some ways these
have been reinforced, particularly given that Ritter also played guest
accordion on the neo-folk oriented tracks on Death in June’s All Pigs Must
Die. Although it is entirely clear where Kim Larson draws his predominant
inspiration from, the music is done with such quality and flair that it is
not merely a case of him aping someone else’s sound. Rather, it could be
said that Of The Wand & The Moon is now the main contender to carry the
torch as a bright beacon for the genre. Sonnenheim certainly deserves of
all the positive attention it is receiving. qqqq1/2 – Richard Stevenson
– www.ofthewandandthemoon.dk
_56
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apt for a fireside evening or a summer
morning. Don’t let this fool you into
thinking this is some easy-listening
yawnfest, however. There is an artistic
ambition here that makes you want to
sit up and listen. In fact Fifth Floor
could well be the soundtrack to some
gritty film noir gem. qqq1/2 – Justin
Tall – www.seposition.redemption.
co.nz/noir/
RAISON D’ETRE
Metamorphyses [Cold Meat] CD
PRIDE AND FALL
Elements of Silence [Dependant] CD
Full-length CD number two from Norwegian electro trio Pride and Fall has a very different feel from the fabulous debut
Nephesh. This release is more dynamic and varied and it seems that the band has worked on giving its lyrics more
maturity and intelligence as well. It still could be all danceable stuff but this CD is much more pleasurable to listen
to through an iPod or you home hi-fi system. Each song grabs you and transports you into sonic bliss. Tracks like ‘The
Violence in Me’, ‘Scarred’ and ‘Pathogen’ use a more traditional drum sound, breaking up the constant doof a little.
The single ‘Border’ is a great hard thumping track that grabs you immediately. This is a must-have CD. qqqqq
– Peter Hakuli – www.prideandfall.com
PREDOMINANCE
Dark Stars Unfolding
[Loki Foundation] DCD
When first hearing Predominace’s dark
sonic-scapes, I was floored by its
unique take on a heavy-electronics/
death-industrial sound. The droning
layers, grinding textures and muffled
pounding percussion all evoked an
atmosphere alluding to a dark core of
spirituality, while ritualistic vocals gave
cryptic clues to the project’s modus
operandi. Unfortunately Predominance
was terminated in 2002, with this
DCD being a posthumous release to
draw together various pieces of the
puzzle. The ‘Archivum’ disc comprises
selected tracks from earlier releases,
hard-to-find material and a couple of
previously unreleased pieces, while the
‘Live’ disc presents material that has
been reconstructed from two German
performances. ‘Dogs of Doom’, a
highlight of the Obliteration LP, features
on the ‘Archivum’ disc, containing clever
vocal sampling from the Led Zeppelin
song ‘No Quarter’ set to a dense wall
of sweeping synth textures. ‘South
Saturn Delta’, an unreleased track
from the Hindenburg sessions, veers
into more spacious territory, moving
away from the suffocating atmospheres
of earlier material and hinting at the
wider universal themes that would
later dominate the Nocturnal Gates of
Incidence album. In many ways the
‘Live’ disc is even stronger, bringing
together intense live versions of the
group’s most powerful material. ‘Aurora
Borealis’ is a prime example of this,
featuring Predominance at its most
composed, where heavy and vast synth
melodies are offset with vocals that just
border on singing, while keeping the
trademark deadpan delivery. Another
absolute classic track, ‘Luftschiffe’, is
reinvigorated in the live setting, with
its slow pounding beat and ominous
tune. Led Zeppelin’s ‘No Quarter’ is
again utilised for inspiration, except
here the entire lyrics are used and sung
in their monotone style. In addition to
the stunning array of tracks, the twodisc set is completed with a gorgeous
double-gatefold digipack, rounding
out what is yet another highlight from
the Loki Foundation camp. qqqq1/2
– Richard Stevenson – www.loke-found.
de/archivum/predominance
PYLONE
Black Grains [Sound Probation] CD
Primarily comprised of minimal
soundscapes, blips, glitches and
sweeping drones, the world of Pylone is
an interesting one indeed. This may be
minimalist microsound experimentation
but the depth of sound found here
is hypnotic and inviting in a creepy,
alien sense. Track 1 (‘Equation Part’) is
very reminiscent of Tribes Of Neurot’s
Adaptation And Survival for its insectoid
clicks and buzzes. I highly recommend
that you find yourself a very good
pair of headphones before immersing
yourself in Black Grains. qqqq –
Justin Tall – www.soundprobation.com
ROOM NOIR
Fifth Floor
[Seposition Redemption] CD
Auckland duo Room Noir has created
something
beautiful.
Jazz-tinged
ballads are constructed with richly
textured vocals and acoustic guitars,
all built on an electronic framework
and handled with a bold mastery. The
album expresses a darkly whimsical and
dreamlike quality that would be equally
Album number seven for Peter
Andersson and Raison D’etre sees further
exploration into the inner workings of
the human psyche and its potential.
Metamorphyses explores transcendental
transformation of the mind through a
multi-stage transitional ritual using
huge cavernous drones, deep rumbling
bass, metallic collages and hypnotic
waves of sound. Andersson has always
been a master at creating meditative
masterpieces with a hint of nightmarish
beauty, and with Metamorphyses his
creative energies have been taken to
the next level. qqqq – Justin Tall
– www.coldmeat.se
SCHADENFREUDE
Schadenfreude [Demo] CD
From The Birthday Party to The
Church, Australia has a history of
producing bloody good alt-rock, and
the current crop, from Sydney’s Thatch
Noir to Melbourne’s Schadenfreude,
are happily proving this theory still
stands. Teetering on the edge of new
wave, the only question these guys
raise in the listener is “when do we
get an album?” From the British postpunk flavour of ‘Edge Of Reason’ to
the sheer infectiousness of ‘Vertigo’
(if you don’t get this stuck in your
head, you must be dead), to the
melancholy yet danceable Cure-esque
‘There’s Surely More Than This’ and
the short, sharp blitzkrieg of ’Top
Shoes’, Schadenfreude acknowledges
its influences but successfully avoids
sounding derivative, instead offering
an impressive and catchy taste of
what’s hopefully to come. qqqqq
– Aowyne Davies – www.myspace.com/
schadenfreudeband
independent fashion designed and made in australia www.tizka.com
57_
more lush journeys of ‘In Your Eyes’
and ‘Barcelona’. Alive also includes
the previously deleted hits of the
last album Chi, ‘White and Alive’ and
‘Beautiful’. Alive holds the variety and
texture vital to a long lasting album:
its got the soul of the party, and the
more sensitive moving moments. The
only version available so far is the
limited double CD version, featuring
a slurry of remixes. While offering
some tasty variations these do have
trouble maintaining the raw integrity
of the original versions. – Jarod Collard
qqqq1/2 www.xpq21.com
ZONK’T
Purr [Sound Probation] CD
Purr is the second album from Laurent
Perrier and definitely shows a change in
style from his previous album Itching.
While the dub elements are still
there, Purr is an intensely unsettling
experience. Eerie drones and whines
combine with incredibly deep bass and
repetitive glitch patterns to create
a beautiful yet disturbing listening
experience. Some may accuse this of
being a little too monotonous at times,
but if you are looking for something to
help you drift away to another world
then Purr is perfect. qqqq – Justin
Tall – www.soundprobation.com
TAMTRUM
Elektronic Blakc Mess [Alfa Matrix] CD
Here’s a bunch of chavs who have transitioned from black metal to the industrial/EBM genre. This could seem like
an interesting idea for a bunch of metalheads to get into. Tamtrum has succeeded in creating something unique,
however Elektronic Blakc Mess lacks the punch that it inherently deserves and fails to complement Benoit Sixteen’s
screaming vocals. There are some really cool crunchy grooves in tracks like ‘The World You Live In’, ‘Abort the Pope’
and ‘Heteroine’ (whatever that means) but by the time you have listened to the other eight tracks it all starts to
sound the same and a tad boring. qq1/2 – Peter Hakuli – www.tamtrum.com
THIS EMPTY FLOW
The Album [Eibon Records] DCD
Although This Empty Flow has been
defunct since around 1997, Eibon
Records has shown a keen interest
in keeping its name alive, describing
it as “one of the most criminally
under-estimated bands ever”. Having
previously released a posthumous
album of rare and unreleased tracks
(Nowafter), the label now brings us
this double CD of the band’s first album
Magenta Skycode, re-mastered, and 11
previously unreleased tracks. Although
Nowafter showcased an excellent
mixture of influences from The
Cure, David Bowie, Radiohead and
Portishead, the tracks on this double
CD are less outwardly adventurous.
Nevertheless the proficiently crafted,
melancholy-tinged pop tunes deliver
in epic and cinematic proportions.
The main musical staples consist of
sweeping guitars, classical piano
melodies, programmed percussion,
synth textures and understated cleanly
sung vocals. To give a better frame
of reference to the band’s sound, one
might suggest Disintegration-era The
Cure intermixed with a late ‘90s postrock sound. Of the two CDs the re-
release of Magenta Skycode establishes
itself as the superior body of work,
mostly due to the excellent production
and its overall cohesion of sound. The
supplementary second disc is still a
good listen, except it is rougher around
the edges in playing and production
and lacks a consistent flow. Delivering
a beautiful and unassuming collection
of tracks, this release provides another
positive document of the heights
This Empty Flow scaled in its time.
qqqq – Richard Stevenson – www.
eibonrecords.com
TOOL
10, 000 Days [Sony/BMG] CD
We can all put down our hands of
protest and breathe a collective sigh of
relief: Tool is back. Fans have waited
five years for this piece of mastery
and it has not been in vain. 10, 000
Days is a symbol of Tool’s continued
growth as individuals and as a group.
Each track reflects the complexities
Tool has mastered since 1990 with its
trademark seamless time signatures
and powerful emotion. Simply put,
this album is addictive. The emotional
link between Maynard’s mother’s death
and the title of the album is present
throughout. Tides of frustration and
suffering radiate from each track and
hit in waves, the effects of which are
magnified by the paced openers and
tonal changes. However, some fans
are put off by the album’s stylistic
experimentalism. Long introductions
don’t offer the instant gratification
offered by previous albums. ‘Vicarious’
is awesome (all seven minutes of it);
‘Jambi’ is arresting; ’10, 000 Days’ is 11
minutes long and worth every second;
‘Wings for Marie’ is uncomfortably
sorrowful; ‘The Pot’ is full of the
satisfying angst only Tool can offer.
‘Rosetta Stoned’ is punchy and powerful,
while ‘Intention’ and ‘Right in Two’ are
haunting and enticing. This is a “get
off your ass and get to your local CD
store” musical menagerie of necessity.
qqqqq – Kathryn Williams – www.
toolband.com
XPQ-21
Alive [Trisol] 2CD
Its sexy and white (the artwork
anyway) and makes no compromises.
Raw attitude meshes with a varied
and exquisite electronic tapestry, with
the upbeat rock stylings of ‘Rockin’
Silver Knight’ and ‘Dead Body’ or the
VARIOUS ARTISTS
Gothic Divas Presents…
[Cleopatra] CD
New Skin introduced its retro pop
sound to the world through the track
‘Inside of Me’, on a Strobelight Records
compilation. The new self-titled single,
No Doubt meets Strawberry Switchblade,
opens the Cleopatra compilation Gothic
Divas Presents... When Cleopatra needs
a remix, who are they going to call?
Razed in Black and Rosetta Stone.
Romell Regulacion provides an average
remix of ‘My World’, before Miserylab.
com (Porl King) does an ‘80s disco
version of ‘Sweettalk’. David Harrow
provides the final New Skin remix. Tre
Lux is next, with three covers (in true
Cleopatra style). After Switchblade
Symphony disbanded, Tina Root went
on to Tre Lux, which she said she’d use
to explore the kinds of trip hop sounds
apparent on Bread and Jam For Frances
and The Three Calamities. Switchblade’s
success didn’t translate to the new
project, which might be why Cleopatra
has listed the Tre Lux tracks as Tre Lux
featuring Tina Root of Switchblade
Symphony. A cover of Depeche Mode’s
‘Never Let Me Down Again’ is first. Root’s
unique voice and style of delivery work
well with the programming, playing on
the catchiness of the original to make
a worthwhile cover. The following (and
fairly average) cover of the Rolling
Stones’ ‘Wild Horses’ makes use of
acoustic guitars, as does the cover
of Switchblade’s ‘Bad Trash’, which
59_
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kitty rates the noise
really brings the quality of the lyrics
to the fore. Tre Lux is followed by
three familiar Switchblade Symphony
tracks: the ‘Clown’ single, ‘Soldiers’
and ‘Wicked’. Cleopatra closes this
compilation by trying to pass off some
bland pop as somehow darkwave. The
two tracks from the dully named EffCee
are the kind of mildly irritating rubbish
Faithful Dawn might have made if it
had tried harder to get airplay on Video
Hits. Genre-mixing is one thing, but
this goes entirely too far. Gothic Divas
Presents… is a middling compilation,
re-packaging old tracks with remixes
and covers. Amongst the debris the
unremixed New Skin track, with video,
and the Depeche Mode cover by Tre
Lux stand out. qqq – James Lowry
– www.cleorecs.com
Lunar Eclipse [Cold Fusion] CD
The Last Dance starts things off with
‘Desperately Still’, a track from latest
album Reflections of Rage. With most
of the band’s newer material taking on
an electronic focus, this is a nostalgic
return to the ‘Do You Believe in
Angels?’ era. Necromance follows with
the grim ‘The Beyond’ and Australian
band Subterfuge provides one of its
few post-‘Darkland Awakening’ songs,
‘The Judas In Me’, familiar to Australian
fans through the Bouquets of Barbed
Wire compilation. Coriolis deliver some
horror-themed rock, like a cross between
the Misfits and Zodiac Mindwarp,
before acclaimed Adelaide metal band
Virgin Black’s ‘Renaissance’, from the
album Elegant and Dying. Signed to
Cold Fusion, Simple Shelter is really
interesting and deserves investigation;
‘Common Thread’ is a shambling lowfi electro gem. Goth rockers Batzz In
The Belfry, who presumably misspelt
their name to avoid confusion with
the German band of the same name,
is competent if somewhat lacklustre
with ‘Lie’. Lost in Place contributes
‘Kardion (Remains)’, an electronic
ballad with imploring retro vocals that
hint at synthpop club hits to come.
Ever’s ‘Idyll’ is a downbeat track that
recalls Collide, although unfortunately
the vocal style is closer to that of
Evanescence. The World Black’s ‘In
Me’ is similarly atmospheric but darker
and recalls Advent Sleep. Kohllapse
(har har!) maintains the mood with
‘Gravitation’, which is really quite good
but for the sometimes-straining vocals
delivered in the manner of Usherhouse.
Leper is refreshingly bizarre—listening
to ‘You Don’t Know Me’ is like listening
to Opera Macabre doing country music.
‘Burning Kisses’ by Bitter Grace is
boring, mild goth rock that combines
the worst aspects of The Prophetess and
All Living Fear. Courtesy of the Projekt
label, Frolic closes the compilation with
its airy-sounding ‘Forged’. With so much
new music coming out of Europe it is
interesting to hear from some latest
American bands and although a few of
them sound a bit stale, on the whole
Lunar Eclipse provides some worthwhile
leads. qqq – James Lowry
Swarm: A Cold Spring Records Sampler
[Cold Spring Records] CD
Cold Spring Records should need no
introduction: it is the cult UK purveyor
of quality underground post-industrial
sounds. Yet if it does remain an
unknown quantity, please do not let
this mere technicality put you off. A
double-disc sampler of exclusive
tracks, Swarm’s appeal is twofold. For
existing fans of the label, it will whet
the appetite with tracks from current
artists as well as new talent; for
newcomers it is a perfect introduction
to the stellar roster of artists. A huge
array of sounds are captured here: the
neo-classical bombast of Kreuzweg
Ost, Shinjuku Thief, Fredrik Klingwall,
Kriegsfall-U, A Challenge of Honour and
H.E.R.R; the experimental electronics
of Andrew Liles and John Watermann;
the harsh noise and power electronics
of Merzbow/Nordvargr, Deadwood and
Goatvargr; the political-tinged heavy
industrial sounds of Clear Stream
Temple; the death industrial tones
of Sistrenatus; the neo-folk ethos of
Bleiburg, Von Thronstahl and Werkraum;
the ritual industrial tones of Zos Kia;
and finally the vast array of expansive
dark ambient spheres of Necropolis,
Sleep Research Facility, TenHornedBeast
and Schloss Tegal. Barely doing justice
to the quality and scope of this release
(given it is merely a who’s who of
the featured artists), if your interest
is at least provoked surely this is an
opportunity to discover many musical
gems that span the two discs. qqqq
– Richard Stevenson – www.coldspring.
co.uk
:WUMPSCUT:
Cannibal Anthems [Metropolis] CD
Once considered one of the scene leaders, with such albums as Eevil Young
Flesh and Embryodead, :wumpscut: has now become :wumpscut:-lite. Each
consecutive release has been a regurgitated, watered-down version of its
predecessor. Indeed there is not much of a meal left on Cannibal Anthems.
If this had come out a few albums ago I would have been more impressed,
but now it seems that Rudy is in danger of becoming the Stephen King
of industrial music. For completists only. q1/2 – Brent Donaldson – www.
wumpscut.com
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FIEND MAGAZINE - ISSUE THREE
(BONUS CD)
nick cave, korn, kmfdm, die
form, raison d’être, suicide girls,
buffy, poppy z. brite, shag, eddie
campbell, :wumpscut:, shinjuku
thief, van helsing, carmel bird,
caravaggio, seabound, in the
nursery, collide, neuropa
CODE: FMAG05
CODE: FMAG02
FIEND MAGAZINE - ISSUE TWO
the creatures, evanescence, killing
joke, duran duran, h. r. giger, front
line assembly, league of gentlemen,
kim wilkins, hammer horror, converter, rotersand, the real invader
zim, stelarc, glittershy, nathan j,
rotersand, converter, duran duran,
angel theory, virgin black, massiv
in mensch
$
FIEND MAGAZINE - ISSUE EIGHT
FIEND MAGAZINE - ISSUE NINE
angelspit, depeche mode, laibach, neil gaiman, funker vogt,
kate bush, terry gilliam, franz
ferdinand, snog, scorn, angel
theory, psyche, bret easton ellis,
resurrection eve, preaching to
the perverted, converter
FIEND MAGAZINE - ISSUE NINE
zeitgeist, david cronenberg, gary
numan, opeth, troma, fields of the
nephilim, leaether strip, collide,
my chemical romance, iszoloscope,
dope stars inc. ah cama-sotz,
festival feature, unter null, v for
vendetta, android lust, dandelion
wine, crimes of the primary