Review: The Gifted – 'Against A Dark Background'

THE GIFTED
'Against A Dark Background'
HIT IT WITH A HAMMER

Sheffield alternative trio The Gifted are one of those bands that fill you with hope. Since 2008 the band have released a selection of albums, EPs and singles which has seen them grow into a formidable unit. Blending industrial, alternative rock, noise rock, metal and a refreshingly experimental approach to song-writing they blend the dissonant with the melodic with ease, moving from quiet desperation to bludgeoning malice. They may have been around for a few years already but their latest effort 'Against A Dark Background' is their most captivating effort to date.

The result of a successful crowd funding campaign, 'Against A Dark Background' is the band's third full-length self-released album. The band's sound to date has been marked by bold and heroic strides into experimental waters while maintaining their industrial rock core. And while they maintain this approach, the result is once again a unique and powerful sonic journey.

The album shows the band's mature experimentalism reflected in compelling song-writing with tracks such as 'Time Is The Fire (In Which We Burn)', 'Shut Up, Sit Down', 'Acedia', 'Is It All Really Worth It', 'Eye', 'A Different Reason Why', and 'Against This Dark Background' providing a solid backbone of hard riffs, experimental synths, and compelling, expressive vocals. While the likes of 'Waking From A Terrible Dream' and '...And So It All Comes Together' add long but still enthralling instrumental interludes.

The production is solid throughout and reminiscent of Trent Reznor's work with the bands on the Nothing Records roster in the 90s. There's a lot of grit and grunge to the sound, but it is clear, fresh and bang up-to-date.

The Gifted are a band right on the brink and are realising their potential. 'Against A Dark Background' is a phenomenal effort that can hold it's own easily against international efforts from the likes of 3Teeth and Youth Code. The Sheffield trio have grown into a tight and powerful unit that can craft intense and ambitious music that should rightly make fans of industrial rock sit up and take notice. 

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Review: Ghostfeeder – 'World Fameless'

GHOSTFEEDER
'World Fameless'
DISTORTION PRODUCTIONS

Marking the label and full-length début of Ghostfeeder is 'World Fameless' released on Distortion Productions. After three self-released EPs and a further label EP on Beyond Therapy Records, Derek Walborn's project Ghostfeeder takes its blend of dance synths, 8-bit garnishes, and rock guitars through eight tracks of catchy and sing-a-long friendly synthrock that recalls the likes of NIN, Peter Gabriel, IAMX, Nintendo, Sneaker Pimps, The Birthday Massacre, and Mindless Self Indulgence.

Kicking things off with the title track the album quickly establishes it's sonic formula of old-school sounding dance synths, hard guitars, well-timed chiptune textures and big catchy vocal melodies which is reflected in songs such as Juliet, Sucker For The Chemistry, Let The Wolves Inside, and The Vampire Youth, in particular. It is a great pop album – vocally making use of pop-punk style hooks over its retro-chic synths and holding the guitars back for extra muscle – but it could be so much more.

There is room for Walbor to really push the boundaries of his sound and take risks with instrumentals, or less linear song-writing to add a bit more depth to the album without effecting its commercial appeal. Instead we have a singular vision with a definitive destination in mind, but no interesting detours.

For fans of Mindless Self Indulgence and The Birthday Massacre in particular this will be a very easy album to get into. It's quirky, fun and very pop without being mainstream. 'World Fameless' is a strong album. The song-writing is great, the production is top-shelf and the songs are ridiculously infectious with their dance-friendly construction and sing-a-long vocals. However it feels as though something is being held back, like Walborn has more up his sleeve but has decided to save it for something else. 

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Review: Various Artists – 'Apop We Love You – A Tribute To Apoptygma Berzerk'

VARIOUS ARTISTS
'Apop We Love You – A Tribute To Apoptygma Berzerk'
ELECTROZOMBIES

Electrozombies' first compilation album 'Undead and Open Minded Volume 1' was a great exhibition of up and coming as well as established electronic music talent that covered a wide variety of genres. Fast-forward a few months and the next Electrozombies compilation is an official tribute album to Norway's electronic darlings Apoptygma Berzerk. Now Tribute albums can either be really interesting or really bland. I can think of way too many “tributes” where the majority of the album sounds pretty faithful to the originals with few acts daring to make the songs their own. Thankfully 'Apop We Love You – A Tribute To Apoptygma Berzerk' doesn't fall into this trap.

As will the first compilation album, 'Apop We Love You – A Tribute To Apoptygma Berzerk' is a good blend of established acts as well as younger ones covering genres like darkwave, ebm, synthpop, industrial and more. As a result there are plenty of acts more than willing to take apart the originals and re-imagine them as Apop have done on their own covers in the past.

Artists such as Electrogenic, Vogon Poetry, Machinista, IIOIOIOII, Corlyx, Sad January, Synapsyche, and Technomancer featuring Angst Pop provide the album with just a few of its highlights giving their tracks stunningly original reinterpretations across the board. None of the 20 tracks on show here tread water or attempt to do a note-for-note cover. All of the bands and artists have dug deep and brought something interesting to the table. Some have switched genres and kept the original dance feel of the tracks, whereas others have been a little more dramatic in their offerings. But in every case it works.

In terms of production there is of course the usual compilation issue of the individual quality of the tracks due to the different genres and recording styles (and budgets). However, however the album has been arranged and mastered so that these differences are not glaringly obvious and don't detract from the album's momentum.

Love them or hate them, there is still a place for tribute albums if they are done with real conviction and not just as a cynical ploy for bands to cash in on someone else's fame. If you're a fan of Apop or just like a good compilation album featuring a great mix of talented artists then 'Apop We Love You – A Tribute To Apoptygma Berzerk' is a good choice.  

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Film Review: Gothic – 'Beneath The Snow – Piovono Ombre'

GOTHIC
'Beneath The Snow – Piovono Ombre'
Dir: James Maximilian Jason

'Beneath The Snow – Piovono Ombre' isn't a film. Yes, it is in the film review section but that is purely because it comes on a DVD. Actually 'Beneath The Snow – Piovono Ombre', the latest project from the Gothic multimedia project based in Italy since 1989, is something much bigger than that. The result of the work of 28 musicians, artists, actors, graphics, technicians under the lead of James Maximilian Jason and David Bosch bring together film, artwork, music, lyrics, and much more besides. It is part film, part video game, part musical journey, part art exhibition, and something much more.

The film element (performed in Italian with English subtitles) sees a number of stories converging under the overall arc. The viewer is challenged to discover the real meaning behind the events through hidden symbols and messages. A truly interactive experience, the viewer must take god-like control of the events at strategic points to inform the progress of the story. Overall there are eleven interactive points, a total of five stories and four possible endings, which means that multiple viewings are guaranteed to reveal something new. The result is much like one of the old “create your own adventure” books, however with everything playing out before your eyes instead of in your imagination.

The soundtrack is expansive and comprised of mainly instrumental electronic gothic pieces that give the piece a strange and dreamy atmosphere. Coupled with the very low budget presentation it has a 90s VHS feel to it that comes off as a little cheap, but entirely reto chic given the growing affinity for glitchy analogue effects in the visual arts at the moment. However the overall presentation is so surreal and unnerving that it remains compelling to watch.

With a near two-and-a-half hour run-time and a blend of Italian with English subtitles, things can get very hard to follow. Luckily though there is a 32-page booklet included with the release that lays the stories out in plain English as well as reproductions of the artwork that is seen throughout the film.

'Beneath The Snow – Piovono Ombre' is an ambitious project that seeks to become something truly interactive. Budgetary constraints aside it remains powerful and engaging across it's long run-time and in terms of presentation evokes the likes of David Lynch's early films such as 'Six Men Getting Sick', 'The Grandmother', and 'Eraserhead', as well as the likes of Darren Aronofsky's 'Pi', and the classic surrealist film 'Un Chien Andalou'.

There isn't really a set genre – a psychological exploration of the subconscious with horror atmospheres would be it's best fit. The dark and sometimes bloody action walks hand-in-hand with an ever present sense of mystery and intrigue. We can't ever be sure of what is transpiring based on it's face values and the decisions we make based on our interpretations of it directly effect its outcome.

Unsettling, claustrophobic, occasionally funny, and always challenging, 'Beneath The Snow – Piovono Ombre' may be a lot to take in for a casual viewer. However fans of avant garde art and cinema, as well as those with a dark surreal outlook on life will find this a very interesting prospect to explore.  

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Editorial: July, 2016

It's July already?! Crikey where has 2016 gone? Well, to be honest it can hurry up and end – we have lost a lot of great artists, musicians and personalities this year, and not to mention the current political fiasco the UK currently finds itself in.

Another reason to start the countdown to 2017 is that on the 1^st January we'll be unleashing another free download compilation in the form of 'Blood Pack Vol.4'. I'm entertaining the idea of making this one a pay what you will and donating anything raised to charity – Any suggestions would be most welcome.

Next month I'll aim to unveil the cover art for the next compilation and send invitations out to bands/labels who may be interested in contributing a track. We'll also have open applications from September onwards so we can make this a nice big release.

The previous three releases have been very popular so far and are still available to download for free if you haven't already.

If you're a band and considering donating a track and are wondering what's in it for you? First of all it is free – there is no cover charge to be on the compilation as it is a download and we're giving it away for free! We make sure every release comes with an A4 PDF brochure containing band biographies as well as relevant hyperlinks that will take people straight to your web pages. We're happy to feature new blood as well as established acts and all submissions will be considered based on their individual merit rather than whether they are well known or not. So far we have featured a range of acts covering a wide variety of genres including Attrition, Be My Enemy, Aeon Sable, Ultraviolence, Noir, Three Winters, Grypt, Petrol Bastard, ѦPѺLLYѺN'S ▼ISѦGE, Ca†hedra, Human Traffic plus many more bands.

Sound good? So what will we need?

First of all, we'll need your track as a WAV file. We're ideally looking for something exclusive or new – it could be in the form of an unreleased song, demo, a remix, or live track etc. We'll then need a 200 word biography, your links and written permission to use the track and that's it!

General submissions will be open from September with a cut-off date to get the tracks and info to us by the end of November. Advanced copies of the compilation will go out to all contributors around Christmas, and we will also make copies available to radio shows/podcasters interested in plugging the release, with the general release being made available through out bandcamp for 1^st January 2014.

Be sure to keep an eye out for editorials over the next couple of months with more details.

Finally, if you haven't already got them, go get our three download compilations FOR FREE from out bandcamp – so much free music! What the hell are you waiting for?!

And as always make sure you have these links in your favourites:

http://www.intravenousmag.co.uk

http://ivmagzine.tumblr.com/

https://twitter.com/IntravenousMag

http://www.facebook.com/IVMagazine

http://www.tsu.co/IntravenousMagazine

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Review: Controlled Collapse – 'Lust'

CONTROLLED COLLAPSE
'Lust'
SELF-RELEASED

Polish electro-industrial outfit Controlled Collapse return with their brand new single 'Lust', taken from the band's forthcoming album 'Post Traumatic Stress Disorder'. The single marks the band's first release since 2013's 'Ruins After Babel' Remix album, and even though it only features two new tracks, they give a strong hint at what is to come.

The singles original cuts 'Lust' and 'Life-Death' show off two very different aspects of the band's sound with 'Lust' engaging in a heavy blend of guitars and pounding electronics that will appeal to industrial rock fans. While 'Life-Death' is a classic blend of ebm and electro-industrial characterised by steady beats, gritty synth bass and heavily vocoder use.

The remixes focus exclusively on the title track and offer up four very different interpretations. Reactor7x's mix takes the song into club-friendly territory with it's dance-orientated style. R010R give the original a classic ebm makeover, while Decoded Feedback open up a cavernous harsh ebm version, before God's Bow close the track list with a more minimal and tranquil mix.

In terms of production the band are sounding great. They are heavy where it counts and still keep a great sense of melody and just a little hint of experimentalism flowing throughout the tracks.

If this single is anything to go by then 'Post Traumatic Stress Disorder' is going to be a very interesting album. The band have given us a warning shot with 'Lust' and hopefully the album will deliver a direct hit.  

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Review: Digitalis Purpurea – 'Pastel Dissonances'

DIGITALIS PURPUREA
'Pastel Dissonances'
SUBALPINA INDUSTRY

One-man Italian industrial project Digitalis Purpurea, returns with the sequel to 2014's Giallo audio suite 'Palindrome Shapes Of Mold' in the form of 'Pastel Dissonances'. The latest album marks the fifth album release under the DP moniker and one of his most ambitious releases to date.

Another swerve in direction, 'Pastel Dissonances' sees the harsher black metal form of 'Palindrome Shapes Of Mold' supplanted to a degree with blues elements, guitars, space-age synths and vocoders coming together to form a sound that sounds like a much darker and more vulnerable take on Marilyn Manson's 'Mechanical Animals'.

It is atmospheric, hypnotic and sinister, but still catchy and accessible with songs such as 'The Mesmeric Lights Of Vegas', 'Oerhrt', 'Firmament Scales', 'Rated – R Bubblegum (Danny Saber Alternate Mix)', 'Marzipan Dream', and 'White Stars Are Phosphenes (Acoustic Version)' showing off the most accessible end of the album. While the likes of 'The Telephone Rings In The Middle Of The Night', 'Night Hag [Reprise]', and 'Second Sight [Noise Mix]' ensure the more experimental arm of the Digitalis Purpurea sound is catered to.

The production walks a fine line between DP's previous pop dalliances and his more experiential leanings. The result of which is a slick but gritty mix that balances the harsh and more melodic elements of the songs in a very effective way.

This is a much more accessible album than its predecessor, with more traditional electronic and guitar constructions and only slight forays into out-and-out experimentalism. As such this is a balanced listen that shows off the depth and emotional resonance of DP's songwriting and compositional abilities. It is another twist from a very talented musician that hints at more to come. 

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Review: Khost [Deconstructed & Reconstructed by] Godflesh – 'Needles Into The Ground'

KHOST [Deconstructed & Reconstructed by] GODFLESH
'Needles Into The Ground'
COLD SPRING RECORDS

UK experimental duo Khost, AKA Andy Swan (Iroha / Final / Atrocity Exhibition) and Damian Bennett (Carthage / Deathless) unleash a monstrous album in the form of 'Needles Into The Ground'. For this release the duo have teamed up with Godflesh founder Justin K. Broadrick who has ruthlesly deconstructed and reconstructed the source material gleaned from Khost's second album 'Corrosive Shroud' and transformed it into something quite different.

The original tracks 'Inversion', 'A Shadow On The Wound', and 'Revelations Vultures Jackals Wolves' were all cavernous and crushing in their heaviness. With a distinct low-fi edge that amplified the savage dissonance of the recordings and a flagrant disregard for genre conventions, these tracks were already unique. Khost have also added a new track to the EP in the form of 'Deathsset' which presents a still dissonant but more recognisably Godflesh influenced style that compliments Broadrick's efforts nicely.

What Broadrick has created from the source material is not a traditional remix album, but rather he has taken the sonic palette of the original recordings and weaved them into an industrial nightmare befitting the Godflesh moniker. The end result is akin to an apocalyptic machine devouring all traces of humankind from the face of the earth before setting it's sights on the planet itself. The tracks grind, rumble, strain and teeter on the brink of collapse to create an all-out sense of stifling claustrophobia.

The production is gritty, as you would expect befitting the experimental nature of the release, but it isn't just a din of mechanical noise. Broadrick has created a harsh and brutal assault on the ears, but is well mixed and to the standard we have come to expect from him.

For fans of noise, harsh industrial, and experimental metal this album is a must have. It is a dark and disturbing descent into nightmarish soundscapes twisted around an industrial metal core that will undoubtedly appeal to hardened Godflesh fans as well as anyone who enjoys the experimental end of the industrial spectrum. 

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Review: Cradle Of Filth – 'Dusk... And Her Embrace – The Original Sin'

CRADLE OF FILTH
'Dusk... And Her Embrace – The Original Sin'
CACOPHONOUS

Cradle Of Filth continue their nostalgic re-release schedule with the remastered 'Dusk... And Her Embrace', reconstructed in the way it was originally envisioned on the label that it was originally scheduled for release on.

For those who didn't know, Cradle Of Filth left their first label Cacophonous in the mid 90s due to a legal dispute which ended when the band supplied the label with the 'V Empire Or Dark Faerytales In Phallustein' EP. Some tracks scheduled for 'Dusk...' ended up on 'V Empire...', while others were kept back and re-recorded for the eventual Music For Nations release.

It seemed a given that the original version would never see the light of day, but after the 2014 official release of 'Total Fucking Darkness' (the band's often bootlegged demo tape) it now seems Dani and co. are delving into the archives and exhuming their darkest wares.

What we're presented now in the form of 'Dusk... And Her Embrace – The Original Sin' is a ten-track album (instead of nine), with a new running order, and two bonus demo tracks for good measure.

The original album was typical of the band's early raw black metal period (encompassing 'The Principle Of Evil Made Flesh' and 'V Empire...') although it is the most refined of the three before the grand leap ahead that was 'Cruelty And The Beast'.

'Macabre, This Banquet' an instrumental from the original master tapes is the new intro replacing 'Humana Inspired To Nightmare', that in-turn leads into the classic 'Nocturnal Supremacy'. 'Heaven Torn Asunder' follows on with the title track, then 'A Gothic Romance (Red Roses For The Devil's Whore)', 'The Graveyard By Moonlight', 'Funeral In Carpathia', 'Beauty Slept In Sodom', 'The Haunted Shores Of Avalon' (previously 'Haunted Shores'), and 'Carmilla's Masque' to complete the new track list.

The bonus track sees the demos of 'A Gothic Romance' and 'Nocturnal Supremacy' each given another resurrection for good measure.

'Dusk...' was Cradle OF Filth with one foot firmly in the black metal underground but also where their ambitions for greater ideas were coming through. The gothic punctuations were becoming more pronounced and the female vocal counterpoints to Dani's infernal screeches, courtesy of Sarah Jezebel Deva and Danielle 'Cneajna' Cottington, become more distinctive.

The remastered production has brought the best out of the original recordings and updated the album nicely. It still sounds raw and underground, retaining Cradle's early roguish charm that they would soon upgrade to gothic gaudery, but it has improved the quality of the listening experience without a doubt.

'Dusk...' is still one of the band's great albums, and this version reinforces that. There is a more concise and intact sense of narrative running through this version that the original didn't have (but despite this was still great). The only real let down is the fact the band opted for artwork more in keeping with their latest releases when something along the lines of the original or perhaps the re-release of 'Total Fucking Darkness' would have been a better visual accompaniment to the music. Nevertheless this is still worth the money of long-time fans.  

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Review: Torque Order – 'Metal Machines'

TORQUE ORDER
'Metal Machines'
SELF-RELEASED

Just over a year on from their impressive debut 'Trust No One', Texan trio Torque Order return with a visceral new single in the form of 'Metal Machines'.

Building nicely on the old school industrial rock formula of their first album with big nods to the likes of Ministry, KMFDM, TKK, Pigface, and Rob Zombie, 'Metal Machines' is a hard and heavy blend of grooving rock, anthem vocals and subtle industrial electronics.

A short intro in the early 90s Wax Trax! Style opens up into a nasty guitar riff that recalls 'WWIII' era KMFDM, while the electronics and vocal samples hark back to the likes of My Life With the Thrill Kill Kult.

This is one of those single/EP releases with a few more remixes than your standard single release giving you a bit more bang for your buck. The likes of Adoration Destroyed, Society Burning, Precision Field, Russell Rott, DJ 501, and Kounter Mehzure each add their spin to the title track's blueprints to create some very different final results. Adoration destroyed go for a more up-to-date pure industrial execution. Society Burning bring the big beats with their mix, while Precision Field dive into old school ebm territory for a gritty interpretation. Russell Rott goes takes the track in a more club friendly direction that descends unexpectedly into hard guitars. DJ 501 takes things in a harsh ebm/aggrotech direction, while Kounter Mehzure round hings off with a stripped back mix of steady beats and dirty bass.

The production has improved from the band's last release with the old school elements preserved but sounding a lot slicker and modern in it's execution.

This is a nice single with plenty of great remixes to get your teeth into. Essentially there is a bit of everything for everyone on offer here which is quite a good tactic. The band present a wide variety of remixes which allows them to play with ideas by proxy while they continue to work on the core of their sound. The end result is a very gratifying listen.  

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