Adoration Destroyed - Ritual Damage (2016)

Despite the unexpected and unfortunate passing of the band's bassist John Gilyeat shortly after, this latest album from this Texas based Industrial rock act is certainly worth checking out, especially for fans of acts like Celldweller, The Dreaming, Mortiis, Deathstars, Nine Inch Nails, The Cruxshadows or Marilyn Manson. Now the cover looks like something you might expect for an etheral/darkwave act like Dead Can Dance, Unto Ashes or Inkubus Sukubus, but this record is definitely not that kind of experience. Which was perfectly fine for me, it was an unexpected and surprisingly intriguing. The most interesting part about this album for me was how close frontman Eric Gustafson actually hits Marilyn Manson territory, even covering classic “Coma White” to near-perfection. I'm extremely anal-retentive regarding covers of this classic because of my connection to the lyrics, (I'd been pushed through the pharmaceutical system for many years as a child – so I know what “a pill to make you numb, a pill to make you dumb” and “a pill to make you anybody else” actually means. As a matter of fact, it was just a few months ago that my current doctor told me that what I had been going through was indeed a “pill doctor” trying to exploit me for the benefit of the system, and apparently it is common in the industry. I suffered numerous side effects from the drugs, far beyond what Manson discussed in the song of course.) and I've heard several so/so renditions having tracked down numerous covers of it myself.

Though other than making a tribute to what I believe is one of the best-eras of the long running shock rock act (Mechanical Animals is my favorite album from the band, after all), Adoration Destroyed manage to pump out several great numbers in their own right, like the Black Tape For A Blue Girl meets Depeche Mode with a touch of The Cure influence in “Voices Carry” the thumping “Never Mine” which takes us on a bit of space travel, and the unexpectedly harsh vocal backed electronic flair of “Nothing Left” which also features Cynical Existence on said abrasiveness. Normally the music here tends to vocally lean towards an emotionally depressive (but certainly not whiny) nature, but with the inclusion of Cynical Existence, it almost makes me think of early Grendel. I also need to mention “In Elegant Decay” and closer “Both Of Me” because they definitely capture the very best of what this genre has to offer, along with the kind of catchy choruses that will surely make Adoration Destroyed an act to remember. I find it odd that the band would choose to put one of their catchier numbers (worthy of being a single in it's own right) towards the very back of the album, but at least it allows the disc to go out with a bang, considering the tracks that follow are a short instrumental outro alongside some fair remix numbers by 16 Volt and Mr. Kitty, respectively. They come with the album at no extra cost, which is always a wise idea in my book. I never liked the idea of making a customer pay extra for a disc of remixes that may very well be hit or miss, as several (not naming names here – but you're aware of them) other industrial/electronic acts have done in the past.

Breaking the band down on an instrumental level, Adoration Destroyed utilize everything from slow electronic dirges to bouncy europop, but never with even so much of a tinge of happiness. The Cruxshadows are actually more light-hearted than anything you'll hear here, which just goes to show you the amount of emotional depravity you're walking into. There is very little rock influence, but Gilyeat's bass is still a rather notable part of the band and brings in the heavier sections when necessary. Eirik Ashe performs the live drums that you'll hear on some sections of the album as well, which again brings a sort of heavier rock tone to some of the cuts here. There's nothing on the record that emulates acts like NIN or Marilyn Manson at their heaviest, but Adoration Destroyed are not interested in that kind of sound so much as they are a more deep-spirited and fragile series of moments; which will definitely meld with listeners looking for something more genuine than furious bouts of hard rock. Adoration Destroyed were not in any way the kind of band I thought they were judging on the extremely pagan-influenced and occult cover. Nor do their lyrics seem to mention anything in those realms. These lyrics seem to come with a much more personal effect, which might relate more to those struggling with relationships or identity than those looking to summon something. Even so, it's a great listen and I hope you'll find something in it. I do feel again, that the album cover is a bit misleading for the music, but maybe those expecting a dark/etheral experience might find that they really dig the cold and bouncy electronic atmospheres found here anyway.

(13 Tracks, 52:00)

8/10

Steve Roach - Emotions Revealed (2016)

Atmosphere legend Steve Roach has never been one to sit on his laurels, and yet another one of his magnificent soundscapes is here in the form of this two track recording. Technically, it consists of pieces dating all of the way back to the eighties, and was previously lost. There wasn't even a name on the tape! But due to the magic of technology, these old recordings sound as if they'd been made just a few months ago. That being said, both pieces will require a large degree of observation, such as I will offer here. The first piece is the title track, which is composed of two separate pieces. A basic piece composes the background, whilst something that I would almost liken to a sort of guitar seems to go off in several directions throughout the mix. The reverberation in the simplistic foreground piece seems to serve as a sort of conscious conductor, which seems to hold more of my attention than the artistic wizzums of which I'm being exposed to in the background. But it oddly enough works, because of it's mantric nature. It's like clockwork and feels almost mechanic, yet in an ethereal sense of things. As the piece continues, the background gets a bit louder and mixes in with the foreground mantra, making something that sounds just like we'd expect from Steve Roach. The piece fades out rather quietly, yet still retains it's machine-like atmosphere up until the end.

The next piece we have is called “Firelight” and it's by and large different. Whereas the title cut was very artistic and moving, this piece feels like a trip of sorts. Though we're first assaulted by a rather grim sort of notion, the piece does lighten up a little to a sound which doesn't even feel natural. It feels inhuman, like something completely not of this world. The piece is not overbearing, it feels almost non-existent and almost like the mere ebb and flow of a galaxy. I believe I've heard similar approaches in a visual novel or computer game, especially the very deep ones, where such a piece might benefit the story. There's something ancient, powerful and removed from our world that exists within this piece. It drones for a bit, albeit in a pleasing way, until it finally explodes into what I can describe as a burst of color, where it finally explodes and fades out like a dead star... which still manages to glimmer brightly a few more times before it finally flickers out. All in all, you're getting two drastically different pieces from Roach, which embody everything we've come to expect from him. They're definitely worth your attention and the price of the journey.

(2 Tracks, 51:00)

8/10

The Black Queen - Fever Daydream (2016)

Fans of The Dillinger Escape Plan might be a little surprised by this electronic side project from frontman Greg Puciato. While I've always known him to have a rather pleasant clean vocal approach during some of the band's more lighter numbers, this sees Puciato traveling back the eighties – yes, if you remember GTA: Vice City, you might start to understand exactly what I'm talking about. The music here is a definite throwback to the days of wave music, and is a perfect addition to New Wave revivalism. I always felt that New Wave was very much the music of the future, much more than the electro-pop of which we're bombarded and though it shares a distant cousin, it is definitely nothing you could ever compared to the junk that's coming out of the Hollywood music industry. The record itself is actually quite intimate, and the lyrics quite passionate. I'm reminded heavily of Depeche Mode during their prime, as well as The Pet Shop Boys and possibly even The Cure in some instances. True, there aren't any guitars to be found here, but Fever Daydream is a different kind of album. It's a sort of romantic, industrial experience that many of you probably thought would never come out of Dillinger. You're also be surprised at some of the high notes that Puciato hits, showing that he could very well have been in a pop band if he'd wanted to. The man's purely a great singer and this different medium shows a very different side from him then we're used to. I believe that the screaming and rough stuff that makes up Dillinger will be back to throw us over a cliff later in the year, but for fans of classic electronic music, New Wave and most certainly even darkwave, you'll find something inside of this rather intriguing and truly intimate experience. It's not for everyone, but not everything is. I rather enjoyed it and would certainly recommend it. It's not everyday that such an approach like this is done justice. Surely, I'd consider it a perfect album that only gets better with each listen. Once again, the heavy stuff will be back later – but for now, you can sink your teeth into this unexpected and appreciated piece of music. Greg has already started this project on such a high note that I have no earthly idea as to how he'll top it with the next disc, which hopefully we won't have to wait long for.

(10 Tracks, 42:00)

10/10

Dissvarth - Between The Light and The Moon (2016)

It would certainly seem that I've got a mixed bag this week, with groove, death metal, electronic music and now this atmospheric release. Officially considered a mix of cosmic ambient, darkwave and neo-folk, the debut release from this two man project is most certainly a journey. Dissvarth might sound like some sort of cosmic black metal act, but that is certainly not the case here, as Dis Pater (Midnight Odyssey) and Svarthen (Aeon Winds) instead whip up atmospheres that remind me of everything from Dead Can Dance to those little known atmospheric projects that Mortiis fronted so many years ago. Elend and Arcana are also mentioned here in the leaflet, which I can certainly attest to as influences. Of course Elend always sort of took me for a loop, particularly during their early Satanism based records. Surely there's nothing wrong with beautiful and atmospheric (yet dark, as you'll find here) pieces about the devil, but I always found it a rather silly subject to make atmospheric music about. As expected, they later changed their style to something a bit more intriguing.

With Between The Light and The Moon, one can become quickly enraptured within the passages of what I'd consider an absolutely brilliant and memorable experience from literally the very first song on the album. “Into Darkness Your Spirit Flies” features a rather dark vocal croon, quite similar to that of not just Dead Can Dance and Arcana, but also Black Tape For A Blue Girl, who have been making darkwave music since there was such a thing as darkwave. A gentle and spacey piano really sets the piece off though, making for a rather beautiful trip into the stars. “Ablaze Of Solar Night” sounds a bit like Bowie (of which I've no objection to) especially when the vocals raise a little beyond their deep overtones, as the title piece seems to serve as something of a short meditation observed from sitting at the center of the universe. “Polaris” adds acoustics into the mix, which seems on track for that neo-folk vibe you might have seen tagged earlier in the review. “Halls In A Hidden Fog” is where we'll end the observation, showing that these guys excel most when they're channeling new dimensions from out of thin air by the magickal art of music. With Between The Light and The Moon, you're getting a mixture of ethereal soundscapes, passionate darkwave and shadowy folk tunes, all seeming to meld together perfectly. There's not a song here that I would consider a throwaway, so it's definitely worth a listen if you're looking for something to zone out to for a bit. It certainly delivers the kind of “chill music” that you might expect expect from such a release and would work wonders in a state of meditation. Well, most songs. I don't feel that I can personally focus on meditation when songs contain very bright and audible vocals, but they did intend on making a musical release with vocals, rather than just an instrumental. So we've got to take that into consideration. Between The Light and The Moon is a step in the right direction for this genre and shows Dissvarth as a prominent act. Just don't confuse them for black metal, as their name is very confusing in that regard.

(9 Tracks, 53:00)

8/10