Cabaret Voltaire to make live return

Industrial pioneers Cabaret Voltaire are to make their first liver performance in 20 years. The band will reform for the Berlin Atonal festival on 23^rd August 2014.

Now fronted solely by founding member Richard H Kirk the performance will be completed by a line up consisting of machines and multi-screen projections. Although this will make the first Cabaret Voltaire performance since November 1992, it will feature exclusively new material and no nostalgia.

Other highlights will include Steve Reich’s seminal Music for 18 Musicians, the world-premier of Donato Dozzy and Nuel’s collaboration 'Aquaplano', a live show by  Tim Hecker, and rare appearances by drum-n-bass hero Source Direct, Minimal Wave favourite In Aeternam Vale, and many more. The festival programme also features installations and seminars as well as a showcase of performances on a specially-constructed 4D Sound system.

Cabaret Voltaire's latest album '#7885 (Electropunk to Technopop 1978 – 1985)' is available now through Mute Records. For more information on the band, please visit their official website. For ticket and travel information for Berlin Atonal, please visit the event website.

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Kevorkian Death Cycle to release 'Distorted Religion'

Kevorkian Death Cycle are set to release a new single to follow-up the band's already acclaimed 2013 album 'God Am I'. the New single, titled 'Distorted Religion' will be released via Negative Gain Productions on 22^nd July 2014.

The single will also feature remixes from Assemblage 23 and Hex Rix.

Track List:

1. Distorted Religion

2. The Promise

3. Distorted Religion Remixed by Assemblage 23

4. The Promise Remixed by HexRx

'Distorted Religion' is available to pre-order through the Negative Gain webshop. For more information on the band, please visit their official website.

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The weekly compendium 04/07/2014

It's July! Which means it isn't long until Infest and Alt-Fest Hurrah!, however it is the end of another week of brain stimulating news and reviews from Intravenous Magazine. Ah well! Here's what we had for you this past week.

We kicked things off with news from Merciful Nuns, Angelspit and Agonize. And we followed that up with reviews of the new releases from Powerman 5000, Ritual Aesthetic, Nereus, Anathema, Colloquio, and Atomzero.

Facebook this week has been somewhat neglected save for the news that Combichrist will be playing Koko (That's the Camden Palace for anyone older than 25!) this December. Good excuse for a pre-Christmas trip to the capital. We've also had a new free single from Everything Goes Cold, and new videos from Black Volition and Maleficent.

Right that's your lot for the week and seeing as it is independence day across the pond, here is Fad Gadget live at the Hacienda opening with 'State Of The Nation'...  

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Review: Atomzero – 'Symbiosis'

ATOMZERO
'Symbiosis'
SELF-RELEASED

Canada-based duo Atomzero's first full-length release 'Symbiosis' is an ebm infused sytnhpop assault with dance floors firmly in its sights. Beat driven and melodic, it ticks all the boxes a modern electro-pop album should. It may fall short of being a genre classic just yet, but this is a début from a band that are hungry for recognition.

Opening with 'MisDirection' the bands put their best foot forward and establish their simple but effective formula of dance beats and no-frills pop melodies that continues through songs such as 'Ghost Inside', 'Blockade', 'Dissent' and 'Brave'. With this strict adherence to the sound, when they do mix things up it has a major effect with 'Build Decay' and 'Nature Without Sound' in particular standing out with their respectively harder and more experimental styles.

The songs are well written, the lyrics are deep and the production is fairly good as well. But vocally the album could do with a bit more variation. They're good but a tad self conscious and when they really need to power through the song they come off a bit restrained.

The album isn't perfect, but there is more than enough promise here for the band to work with and continue to refine. 'Symbiosis' is a good first step that hints at some interesting directions that the band don't quite follow through on. But there is more than enough substance to enjoy, and it wouldn't be surprising if this gained the duo some label attention. Hopefully the next full length will see them unfetter themselves and really show us what they can do.

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Review: Colloquio – 'Io E L'Altro'

COLLOQUIO
'Io E L'Altro'
SAD SUN MUSIC

Originally released in 1995 on audio cassette, Italian experimental/darkwave act Colloquio's fifth album finally sees the light of day thanks to a remastered CD release through Sad Sun Music. OK, so Colloquio isn't exactly a household name, which as a shame as this re-release is full of interesting and enjoyable experimental ambient music that should find a willing audience.

Sitting somewhere between the noire sci-fi atmospheres of the Vangelis soundtrack for Blade Runner, and the tranquil new-age electronica of Enigma, 'Io E L'Altro' is a low-fi but nonetheless ambitious album. For something released in 1995 and recorded on tape, it doesn't even sound particularly dated, yes there are some synth voices that sound rather cheap by today's standards, but other than that you'd be hard pressed to tell.

Tracks that are particularly impressive include 'Io E L'Altro (Prima Parte)', 'Lui D' Entro', 'Il Buon Ritorno', 'Sogno', and the bonus 'Nell Mie Stanze Mute', which despite their down tempo and tranquil construction, immediately grab your attention, especially when paired with the sinister spoken vocals.

The production is surprisingly good as well. It doesn't have that modern crisp sound to it, rather a warmer analogue atmosphere, which is quite pleasant, but still sounds like a well produced demo when stacked up against newer releases.

'Io E L'Altro' is an album that on paper doesn't really seem to offer much, but once you put it on it delivers a lot. It is a captivating and mellow listen that aside from some of the synth sounds and production hasn't dated that badly. In fact it has piqued my interest in Colloquio's other cassette releases, and leading me to wonder if any more will get this treatment?

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Review: Anathema – 'Distant Satellites'

ANATHEMA
'Distant Satellites'
K-SCOPE

It's been a long and varied journey for the Liverpudlian death doom turned prog rock outfit. Over twenty years ago they unleashed the uncompromising 'Serenades' and quickly followed it with a string of classic and varied albums in the forms of 'The Silent Enigma', 'Hope', 'Alternative 4' and 'A Fine Day To Exit'. Then there was that seven year gap that saw a question mark over the bands future. But since 2010's 'We're Here Because We're Here' the band look to be reinvigorated as they've kept up with the new albums.

What the band now lack in ferocity, they more than make up for in sheer sonic bliss. The guitars still get a little heavy from time-to-time, but the formula remains in keeping with the standard set over the past few albums. This is evident in the big atmospheric rock of the album's opener 'The Lost Song, Part 1', which is immediately counterpointed by the delicate piano and string led sequel that follows. 'Dusk (Dark Is Descending)' reaches back towards albums such as 'A Fine Day To Exit' for it's slightly darker and desperate atmosphere but the momentum is blocked with another delicate track following it in the form of 'Ariel', which is utterly stunning and does build into a great track, but does serve to give the album a bit of a “stop and start” feel. This pattern is continued through the next tracks 'The Lost Song, Part 3', 'Anathema'.

However just as you think you have this album figured out the band throw a serious curve ball with 'You're Not Alone' and it's light intro permeated by a drum 'n' bass percussion track that eventually erupts into some crazy rock. 'Firelight' then breaks out the organ for a classic Anathema instrumental interlude that harks back to the first few albums. The title track then once again blends that light ambient organ with a glitchy and frenetic rhythm that recalls Enigma as the vocals and piano come in. This is carried on into the final track 'Take Shelter', which builds from quiet to loud and room filling in vintage Anathema fashion to close the album in a suitable way.

As you'd expect from a veteran act like Anathema, the songs here are beautifully well-written, performed impeccably and the whole album gets the kind of top-shelf production and mixing job that most bands and artists can only dream of.

The strange arrangement of the first few songs, with their up-tempo then down-tempo pattern repeating itself notwithstanding, this is a solid offering from the veterans that will please new and old fans alike and prove that they can still innovate their sound twenty years on.

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Review: Nereus – 'Exegesis'

NEREUS
'Exegesis'
SELF-RELEASED

Nereus' sophomore album 'Exegesis' is a dense juxtaposition of haunting dark ambience and ultra complex glitchy industrial. The slow and tranquil soundscapes crash headlong into break neck percussion that somehow manages to retain its melody and rhythm. Its a tough trick, but one that is pulled off awfully well.

The opening two tracks 'At The Centre Of The Throne, Encircled' and 'From His Mouth A Two-Edged Sword' are perhaps the finest examples of this formula, with each of them being abrasive and undanceable, but utterly compelling to listen too. There is a more accessible side to the album which is heard in the longer but altogether more balanced and tranquil style of 'Trembling Hands Clutch The Veil'. The two styles blend nicely in 'The Key (Lesser)' while 'The Key' returns to the uncompromising execution of the first two tracks before dropping in some blackened doom elements in the last third of the track.

'Written In Blackness Behind The Stars' could almost be the evil twin of 'Trembling Hands...' matching it in length and with a long ambient intro that erupts into glitchy dissonance once again. 'Made To Suffer' has a more conventional (if there is such a thing) glitch/powernoise construction that is less dense and more rhythmically pleasing to the casual ear. The album then closes with the epicly named (as if the rest of the tracks weren’t already enough of a mouthful) pair of tracks 'Thereupon I Saw The Wolves, And How They Oppressed The Sheep Exceedingly With All Their Power' and 'This Course Of Fire Is The Fire In The West Which Persecutes All The Luminaries Of Heaven' which synthesize all that is effective on this album and amplifies into a dark and disturbing finale.

This is an album that will ultimately divide opinion. It is dense, dark, ambient, complex and abrasive. Even hardened experimental and avant garde fans may find this a tough one to swallow. But if you can, it is an interesting and strangely engrossing listening experience. The production is surprisingly good and even the most random sounding elements are carefully and deliberately crafted. You won't be hearing this in the clubs anytime soon but for fans of truly niche experimental electronics will need to seek this out.

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Review: Ritual Aesthetic – 'Decollect'

RITUAL AESTHETIC
'Decollect'
JUGGERNAUT MUSIC GROUP

Sean Von Helvete may be better known as the man behind the drums for Dawn Of Ashes and Belhor, but there is no denying that his début solo album under the moniker of Ritual Aesthetic that he is more than capable of standing in the spotlight on his own. 'Decollect' sees Von Helvete blend the metal leanings of Dawn Of Ashes and Psyclon Nine with a purer dark electronic atmosphere to create something that walks a fine line between dark dance and demonic heaviness.

The title track opens the album with a short instrumental introduction that slowly flickers away before the hard and fast 'Orphans In Coma' opens things up properly with some very nice guitar work that still maintains a dance-friendly beat. 'Something To Know You By' on the other hand turns the beats into full club mode and brings out the big industrial synth sounds for a scorching and sinister dance track that is a real attention grabber. 'Orchid Incestus' is a nice balance of the ferocity of 'Orphans...' and the gritty industrial dance of 'Something...', while 'Red Redeemer (When The World Becomes Skin)' is a brave and experimental instrumental that breaks up the track list nicely.

'Fleshing Wheel' goes back into metal territory while maintaining a little of the previous track's noisy undercurrent. 'Through The Lust Of Flies' is another brave instrumental that forsakes all guitars in favour of some straight noise-laden industrial. The album then finishes off on the sublimely haunting 'Tender Petal', which even though is one of the slowest and quietest tracks on the album, really shows off Von Helevete's skill as a performer.

The three remixes of 'Something To Know You By' from Izoloscope, Ruinizer, and Tactical Module all give the song and ultra-club friendly overhaul in their own relative styles. It would have been nice if three different songs got the remix treatment, however the three contributing acts sufficiently reconstruct the song that having it three times in a row is not a problem.

The production is overall rather fitting. It's gritty and dirty but doesn't over power the guitar and synth distortion at all. The only hang-up is that on a few songs the mix feels like its building up to something but then doesn't get that extra kick. But in the overall scheme of things this doesn't detract from the songs too much.

On the whole though this is a solid début that promises a lot of good things to come. It is short and (not so) sweet, and despite a few indiscretions here and there, leaves the listener wanting more. Hopefully Von Helvete won't take too long in capitalising on this with a follow-up.

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Review: Powerman 5000 – 'Builders Of The Future'

POWERMAN 5000
'Builders Of The Future'
T-BOY RECORDS

It's hard to believe that Powerman 5000 have been around for twenty years. It's even harder to believe that it has been over ten years since they hit their zenith with the albums 'Tonight The Stars Revolt!' and 'Anyone For Doomsday?' which gave us the classic single 'When Worlds Collide', 'Supernova Goes Pop' and 'Bombshell'. After that the band seemingly lost their edge and floundered trading in their industrial metal sound for lacklustre pop punk. Yet the band have never thrown in the towel like their contemporaries Godhead, Static-X, Orgy and Union Underground all did. Now, after a run of dismal albums including an unnecessary covers album on Cleopatra Records, The Powerman 5000 of 1999-2001 looks to be back and fully charged.

Kicking things off with the frantic mania of 'Invade, Destroy Repeat' the band demonstrate from the start that they are back on form. While 'We Want It All', 'How to Be A Human', 'You're Gonna Love It, Whether You Like It Or Not' and 'Modern World' show off the classic PM5K formula of big riffs and sing-a-long choruses.

It's not all the same old trick re-painted and rolled out for the sake of it. As the rave influenced title track, the quiet semi-acoustic 'I want To Kill You', and the demented electronic metal of 'Evil World' show. The band are brining strong ideas to the table and executing them well. It would be nice to see them up the electronics and downplay the guitars more often though. Simply because they do have a dance-friendly quality to their sound that is often muted due to the over-reliance on the guitar to provide the heaviness.

The production is nice and fresh with plenty of dubstep and glitch effects thrown into the electronics to keep the sound firmly in the now. You could argue that they're cynically buying into the fashionable sounds, but it just doesn't come off that way. Everything is used sparingly and to good effect.

The fact is that Powerman 5000 sound relevant again. Yes the Industrial came back for 2009's 'Somewhere On The Other Side Of Nowhere', but that album lacked the one thing that this one is full of... passion. PM5K have released a solid and enjoyable album that will hopefully be the start of a strong run for them.

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Agonize announce 'Apokalypse'

Berlin's Agonize have announced their return with their latest full-length studio album 'Apokalypse', which is scheduled for release on 25^th July 2015 via Out Of Line.

The album will be released as a digital download and a deluxe 2CD double Digipak, with a bonus live album recorded in Berlin.

Track List:
1. Apokalypse
2. Dafür
3. Toxin
4. Anti-Christ
5. Deutsch
6. Resolution
7. Endstation: Tod
8. Das zweite Ich
9. Exequien
10. Odium
11. In Infinitum
12. Numinos (In The Name Of God)
13. Death By Stereo

Bonus CD (Live):
1. Earpain
2. Slave To The Needle
3. Glaubenskrieger
4. Pavillon 5
5. Dafür
6. Koprolalie
7. Vollrauschfetischist
8. Sacrifice
9. Femme Fatale
10. For The Sick And Disturbed
11. Bis das Blut gefriert

You will also be able to catch the band live on the following dates.

05. July 2014 Dark Flower Live Nights Open Air - Parkbühne - Leipzig (D)
25. July 2014 Amphi Festival 2014 - Call The Ship 2 Port - Köln (D)
15. August 2014 Alt-Fest, Industrial Stage, Boughton Estate, Kettering, North Amptonshire (UK)
27.-29. March 2015 Out Of Line Weekender 2015 - Astra Kulturhaus - Berlin (D)

To pre-order 'Apokalypse' please visit the Out Of Line webshop. For more information on the band, please visit their official website.

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