Fashion Bomb

Hailing from Chicago, Fashion Bomb delivers an infectious mix of hard industrial, laced heavily with rock and metal in “Devils to Some, Angels to Others.” Indeed, the metal plays such a significant role that it could be considered a dark metal album with Gothic overtones. Either way, this is an exciting work that should satisfy those who like some bite in their music. Weighing in at 14 songs plus one remix, this is one powerful CD.

Out of the gate with a jet engine intro is “SS” which plays hard throughout with the anthemesque question “When will we all be free.”

Nothing is a catchy hard rock song being ridden with strong vocals.

The next track, “Low,” starts off with a single guitar and builds up slowly until it cuts a less violent sound, but maintains the wrath of the first song.

“Avarice” works all soundscapes with industrial, hard rock and metal. The lyrics are an important part of this song about avarice and some suicidal undercurrents.

Another anthemesque sound makes up the background of “Rant,” while “God Drug” is a hot piece of thrash metal.

“The Line” is harsh rock/metal-laced industrial with a dose of screamo thrown in for good measure.

“Ascend This Day” tends more towards industrial and is another powerful track.

The track, “Drugpool,” delivers some dark speed metal along with lighter industrial tone for the verses.

“Skin” is unashamedly heavy rock doused with fine vocals.

“Over It” continues the band’s addictive sounds and the music powers through the song.

“Christ Puncher,” focuses on the vocals with the guitar work more in the background.

“Mold” is a quieter piece again focusing on the vocals with guitars and drums following the vocalists’ lead.

“Looks That Kill” is a cool piece of work about a femme fatale.

The final track is a remix of the “Low (Asrok’s High Mix)” provides a slower more mellow version of the track.

In summary, this album is full of top-notch hard industrial/rock/metal music with a powerful voice riding over the heavy music. The production values are high for this album without a glitch noticed.

All tracks on Fashion Bomb’s “Devils To Some, Angels to Others” could be played at the start of a gig and have you rushing to the stage with an extreme rush of adrenaline! For a 15-track CD with no misses, this is one high-value CD!

Devils to Some, Angels to Others tracklist
1. SS
2. Nothing
3. Low
4. Avarice
5. Rant
6. God Drug
7. The Line
8. Ascend This Day
9. Drugpool
10. Skin
11. Over It
12. Christ Puncher
13. Mind
14. Looks that Kill
15. Low (Asrock’s High Mix)

For more information and extra sound tracks etc. Visit the band at:
FashionBomb.net, or visit them on MySpace.com

After several months offline, Igor is back to talk about new music he likes!

This album by Australian duo, Angelspit, kicks ass with extreme electro-clash and grinding glitch beats laced throughout. Cutting through the layered noise are the spoken-word vocals. The sound structure and vocals have a hint of Combi-Christ, but this band is definitely something unique and downright addictive.

The first track, “Grind,” unleashes heavily distorted beats with anthem-like vocals, which delivers an insidiously addictive sound. “Paint Hell Red” is a powerful track with a quirky electro-glitch beat.

Third track, “Devilicious,” (Sample) is a hot industrial-dance number while track four, “Skinny Little Bitch,” (Sample) is an infectious dose of heavily-layered glitch-backed sounds with clever vocals. “Red” is an aggressive track with socio-economic-political lyrics. “Kill Kitty” is one hard-hitting track mixing sado-masochism with political undertones.

“Lust Worthy” is a wonderful, harsh slower-tempo track that works well with alcohol! “Shaved Monkey” revs up the tempo with its acidic sound and vocals. “Girls Poison” is a super-heavy beat almost drowning the vocals.

“Home-Machinery” has a quirky back beat to keep you on your tows and the vocals offer an attack on materialism or the slavery of materialism. The album finishes off with “Jugular,” a vitriolic song with heavily layered noise and vicious vocals.

Overall, I found Blood Death Ivory to be immediately infectious and very addictive. A lot of the music should make hell on the dance floors and give a good hard ear drum thumping wherever it is listened too. This is definitely a JGoth-recommended record!

Incidentally, if you have not done so already, 2Bullet has released its new EP, Anarchism, for free download online, just Go here to hear their latest material – it rocks.

Machinery Heaven Vol.2
When: February 9 (Saturday)
Where: Urga Shinjuku
Address: Address: B1, 2-42-16, Kabuki-cho, Shinjuku, Tokyo :: 東京都新宿区歌舞伎町２－４２－１６　B1F :: Google Map
Tel: 03-5287-3390
Live: Psydoll, 2Bullet, Sawdust in Me, Gregor Samsa and Re:Del
Open: 16:00 :: Start: 17:00
Price: 2,000 yen adv. :: 2,500 yen @ door

The first three songs, Define, Envy, My Way Out start out as straight dance floor tracks before the vocals kick in. Once the screaming begins the songs take on a more serious mien. As the two vocalists play off each other’s voice ranges, the songs become quite a deep listening experience without losing their pop-appeal. Thirteenth starts the heavy EBM beat and kicks in some radio-voiced vocals.

Substitute knocks you like a tsunami with evil bitch screams crashing down over the sound. Clever mixing of the music and vocals makes this a quite unique industrial track – almost, but not quite – as heavy as Despair. This is probably my favorite track of this EP.

The final track, Heaven, is the instrumental sign-off track featuring slow, heavy Gothic keyboards with glitch beats thrown in for added effect.

Overall, I find this CD to be a really accessible dance CD with the twin vocalists giving it a real kick as a unique piece of work, although I would have liked a couple more extended tracks going over four minutes. It is definitely worth checking out.

Mortification Made Me :: Track List
01. Define (3.00) – Sample
02. Envy (3.36) – Sample
03. My Way Out (3.03)
04. Thirteenth (3.28) – Sample
05. Substitute (2.47)
06. Heaven (2.49)
Total Time: 18 minutes
Price: ¥1000 / Euro 7.00

You can find distribution on the DeathWatch Asia distribution list or simply buy direct from Music Non Stop internationally.

According to the official announcement Despair’s songs were “mangled and reprocessed into a unique and unprecedented sonic cocktail that takes the trademark beauty and brutality of Despair to new and unimaginable levels,” and that is not far from the truth.

Rewired Riot Technology starts with MPD Conflict: A New Model producing heavy noise and vocals cruising in on top of the whole noise-scape. It switches tempo several times during the song and gives doses of harsh sound and electro.

Jarring GOD: Rebel Action Remix just crashes the Jarring God original into a technoid beat with Ana at the center screaming out her anthem of mayhem, and Rieu’s deep growls coming in halfway through. This one is a daring track that would play well at a heavy club that allows moshing!

Mechanical Rabies: No Vaccine For You is one for the noise addicts playing more as a straight noise with glitch feeds and limited lyrics to emphasize the glitch-noise.

MPD Conflict: Mind Control Mix is a much more subliminal track with light glitch-noise and solid beat. The vocals are limited throughout the track and is certainly a track to chill out to (that’s alright).

Jarring GOD: The Devil Built My Beatbox mix is a heavy hellish noise-beat with vocals crashing down from time to time to give this song a real kick.

Aside from being a reference to cannibalism, Long Pig is also an interesting song, opening with sounds something like a monastery with Ana and Rieu’s vocals coming in later during the mix. The keyboards are a strong feature in this track creating a relaxing soundscape and with Ana and Rieu’s suppressed vocals make for a very easy-listening industrial track!

Junk Whore crashes open with Rieu’s belching out the evil in his vocals. The beat hits very hard here with Rieu and Ana beating down the noise. This one almost plays like a live Despair version and makes me want to get out and scream at someone.

MPD Conflict: A New Machine kicks in with serious industrial noise. Rieu and Ana get their freak on and deliver strong vocals throughout the song.

Becoming God starts with ambiance and a rolling voice-over. It is a very mellow track for the first half until the “Fuck tha’ Shit” sound sample cranks up the track to the heavy tech-noise. It springs out with a new anthem lyric from Ana – “Somebody fucked us. Who?” Amen guys, that rocks.

Overall the CD as remixed by keytarist, Jude, under the supervision of Rieu is one helluva piece of work! By the end of the CD I decided Rewired Riot Technology FREAKING ROCKS! This shows Despair in a new light with a mixture of heavy, and not-so-heavy sounds. It is unlike any Despair recording that I’ve heard before (sample or otherwise that I’ve managed to pick up) and works very well as the remixed version of Deserted Technology Riot. Despair fans with the original Deserted Technology Riot should really enjoy the added dimensions in this album and newbies should find Rewired Riot Technology a very accessible album. My personal favorites were the first MPD Conflict remix, Mechanical Rabies and Junk Whore

Rewired Riot Technology :: Track List
01. MPD Conflict: A New Model (4.33) Sample
02. Jarring God: Rebel Action Remix (4.11)
03. Mechanical Rabies: No Vaccine For Your Machines (2.58) Sample
04. MPD Conflict: Mind Control Mix (3.38)
05. Jarring God: The Devil Built My Beatbox (4.11)
06. Long Pig (6.29)
07. Junk Whore (3.43) Sample
08. MPD Conflict: A New Machine (3.35)
09. Becoming God (5.42)
Total time: 39:00
More samples available on Despair’s page.

You can find distribution on the DeathWatch Asia distribution list or buy direct from Music Non Stop internationally.

Sins of the Flesh deliver two CDs worth of music, the first containing one CD of original songs, and a second CD with remixes of the songs on CD 1. The additional CD’s reworked electro remixes put a very different spin on the songs making you feel like you are getting two albums for the price of one.

Sins of the Flesh or their style of music would be recognizable to the thirty-somethings as their earlier career went from the late 80′s through to the early 90′s. Stealing the blurb from Gothtronic:

Long before ‘darkwave’, back in the days when ‘industrial’ still referred to Throbbing Gristle rather than Nine Inch Nails, SINS OF THE FLESH delivered their first stroboscopic live shows in London. SINS OF THE FLESH was never conceived as a rock group, but rather as an exercise in media-manipulation, as much concerned with presentation as content – wherein music was merely a singular (albeit core) component in a well-structured whole. Inspired by the effective product-placement of acts like Sigue Sigue Sputnik and The Jesus And Mary Chain, and ZTT’s legendary propagandist Paul Morley, SINS OF THE FLESH chose a deliberately provocative name and opted for selective live appearances coupled with expensive advertising copy which effectively replicated that of far larger, corporate-sponsored acts. By the time of only their fourth such performance, such a strategy was vindicated in the shape of the journalists already in attendance, and SOTF duly received the first of their many mentions in SOUNDS, Melody Maker and the NME.[....]

[After 1993 SOTF] became the default headline act of choice for innumerable goth-industrial one-dayers nationwide. Besides their own shows, they also opened for a variety of acts ranging from fellow homegrown advocates of a cultural cut-and-paste aesthetic like Pop Will Eat Itself and Apollo 440, to Spahn Ranch and Switchblade Symphony from the US. After a handful of appearances road-testing new material under the pseudonym ‘star80′ in 1998, SINS OF THE FLESH suddenly disappeared without trace…..

Until 2004/05 when SOTF resurfaced again in Japan. The band’s current permutation sees it spread across Japan and the UK with lead man Jude (Jamie Nova), rebuilding the base of the band from Osaka and gearing it up for a 21st Century audience. This has included performances, new releases and finally, in early-mid 2007, the double CD was released.

As I say, the differences between the original and remixed versions of the songs make for two very different listening experiences. I think the older pre-NIN Goths, Industrialists, etc. will find the original gory material to be a refreshing return to the good old days of darkness, while the younger crowd might tend to find more value in the second CD’s remixes. I have seen two previous reviews of the CD, one loving the release, the other quite a bit less loving. The truth is, either you will love this material dearly or you won’t. Listen to the samples and see if this music floats your boat at SOTF’s Web site – click MP3s to get to the samples (there are a lot of them!).

Igor’s take…
My initial reaction to the first CD (album versions) was mixed – enjoying the old school works, but finding the lyrics quite disturbing, especially tracks like Cutter which makes Linda Blair’s crucifix scene in The Exorcist pale in comparison! The more I have listened to the songs the more I have grown to like them. While the subject matter is fiery, delivered with vitriol, I find it a refreshing sound. The best tracks for me were Judas Kiss, the more synth-popped DeathWish, the biting ballads Image is Everything and Following (in the Company of my Shadow), the mellow but strong guitar-riffed (Song for) the Lonely Ones, Wormwood, The Damned-esque sound of About Time, and the broken industrial sound of Shikan.

The second CD reworks and remixes the songs on the first CD making a much more readily accessible sound with the electro versions of the songs on the first CD. I find myself enjoying all the remixed versions of the songs as much as the originals. For me, the best songs of the second CD would be Be My Enemy, Make Believe, Still Following and Fade Away.

Taken as a double-disk album Death of the Flesh offer quite an interesting journey from the original versions to the extensively remixed material. Considering the price (2,000 yen in Japan, 11.99 pounds in the UK, etc.) it is definitely worth the money to check out Sins of the Flesh. You should get a full feel of the band’s music through the ample samples available at SOTF’s Web site – click MP3s to get to the samples.

Death of the Flesh :: Track Listing (Disc one)
01. Judas Kiss (4:51) – Sample
02. Cutter (4:40)
03. Go To Hell (4:33)
04. F**k #1 (4:52)
05. Death Wish (5:57) – Sample
06. Image Is Everything (4:27)
07. Following (In The Company Of Shadows) (4:02)
08. The Death Of The Flesh (5:22)
09. (Song For) The Lonely Ones (5:09)
10. The Sweetest Poison (4:09)
11. Wormwood (3:24)
12. About Time (4:35) – Sample
13. Shikan (5:01)
14. Woman’s Heart (5:26)
15. The Only Thing Certain In Life Is Death (6:38)
Total Time: 71.19
Beyond of the Limits of the Flesh :: Track Listing (Disc two)
01. Be My Enemy (4:16) – Sample
02. The Unkindest Cut (5:48)
03. Make Believe (5:33) – Sample
04. F**k #2 (3:48)
05. 1000 Times (4:54)
06. Image Is Nothing (6:40)
07. Still Following (5:15)
08. The Death Of The Flesh Pt.II (5:33)
09. The Patron Saint Of Suicides (5:22)
10. Fade Away (3:40) – Sample
11. Food For Worms (5:12)
12. 1 More Time (2:38)
13. The Death Of The Flesh Pt.III (6:54)
Total Time: 68:35

Grand Total Time: 2:19:54

The site includes a list of links to shops in Japan, Europe and Oceania here or you can use the stores that Igor is affiliated with below:

Music Non Stop:

Amazon Japan:

The band’s mix of dark metal, and heavy grindcore is built around Fixer D’s own powerful demonic voice. Whether “whispering” or screaming, his voice powers through the soundscape with little difficulty. Despite the harshness of the sound, the last three tracks of the CD play really well for club events – Sinister Circle, Master of D and Satanic Panzer Unit – and can often be heard in the DJ’d sets at Goth events in Japan. The other two tracks, Reflected Lights and Hypocritical Souls and are more straight heavy EBM-industrial that you can enjoy blasting away anywhere you are!

Overall, the CD plays really well and is a fine example of the Japanese dark EBM, delivering a powerful mix of metal and electronicka with powerful vocals. The price for this CD is quite reasonable at 1,500 yen for 25 minutes of some great music.

Gate of Death :: Track List
1. Reflected Lights (4:58)
2. Hypocritical Souls (5:08)
3. Sinister Circle (4:55)
4. Master of-D (5:21)
5. Satanic Panzer Unit (4:47)
Total Time: 25:07

You can find a list of domestic and international distributors on DWA’s order information page.

Finally, you may want to check out the video sample:

[youtube lBfj8vbc1y8]

My Spirit Free At Last is the first full official album release for Forkys (MySpace). Forkys is a Greek duo, featuring Dominique on vocals & keyboards and Vril in charge of programming, FX vocals and visuals, and has been around since 2001. The band’s strong Gothic, dark electronicka sound was influenced by European and North American Gothic and industrial music as well as ancient European literature. The end result is a high-quality, enjoyable CD weighing in at 58 minutes with 12-tracks.

Before getting into the album itself it might be worth noting that Forkys was (is) an ancient Greek God of Water – sea and wave – so it is associated with human emotions to some extent.
The album mixes simple, addictive technoid tracks such as the opening 6th with much more complex arrangements such as the second track The Harpies Are Waiting. Dominique’s voice is quite unique, quavering between speaking and singing through the tracks, gives the songs an extra-dimension and adds a sexy touch to the tracks. Attack of Insanity starts showing a darker side of this duo. This continues with The Way of the Soul as male vocals become more prevalent.

The following song, Les Dibles Ils Reviennent is probably the sexiest of the album with an infectious beat and vocals in French, which suit Dominique’s style of singing.

The next three songs continue the albums slide into darker beats and formats with Under the Sun, the sad male vocals of Womb and Dithering with key outtakes from George Bush Jr.’s speeches. The trend continues with Cold in the Earth with a sense sadness extending below the surface of the world and Colors.

The final two songs give the feeling of overcoming the darkness that had previously built up in the mid-section of the album. My Spirit Freed at Last exhibits continued sadness, but the haunting vocals penetrating the beat give a sense of elevation. The final song, Incantation is the least danceable track due to its melancholic rhythm, but emphasizes a final release.

Overall, I found this recording quite satisfying to listen to and, while it may not be revolutionary, it certainly is a fine example of Greek Gothic electro. My favorite track would have to be Les Dibles, Ils Reviennent, because of the vocals were just amazing, but I enjoyed all the tracks.

My Spirit Freed at Last :: Track List
1. 6th (5:24)
2. The Harpies are Waiting (5:08)
3. Attack of Insanity (4:50)
4. The Way of the Soul (4:20)
5. Les Diables, Ils Reviennent (3:45)
6. Under the Sun (5:14)
7. Womb (5:04)
8. Dithering (Feat. G. Bush Jr.) (4:45)
9. Cold in the Earth (3:39)
10. Colors: (4:57)
11. My Spirit Freed at Last (7:09)
12. Incantation (4:11)
Total: 58:26

For more information contact Dead Scarlet Records or visit Forkys on MySpace. Japan distribution is made possible by Cure Distribution.

Baal has an infectious, indeed virulent industrial sound. This review covers the first EP (CD-R alas) from the band, Territory of B.A.A.L. that has been built up by reworking earlier singles and new material. Their blend of industrial programming and guitar from Mikito, percussion from Chihiro and voice from U-Tarou has resulted in a kind of cybernetic industrial rock that plays hard, fast and is very, very addictive to see on stage. This CD manages to capture the live sound very closely, giving you a glimpse into the heady world of Japanese underground rock.

The CD contains six songs, all running at a frenetic pace. The first song, Bloody Logic Communication (re-mastered), speedballs along with the heavily warped digital sounds and powerful percussion giving a sense of urgency. U-tarou’s powerful voice plays over the instruments.

Wreckage (re-mastered) plays like an industrial anthem for the underclass with U-tarou exploding through the chorus and carries it through the verses.

Vermin (new track) is hard and powerful from the start with vocals exploding seconds into the track and driving through the violent beat of the track.

Myrrha (new track) is more a smashed-up rhythm created by real industrial sounds with samples steam hammers and chains. It is a slower track by this album’s standards.

On the Surface (2006 neo brutal version) starts slow, but builds up to very heavy (and yes it is brutal) sound, with a fast tempo and stacks of power.

The final track, Collapse of Rusty Kingdom (New) would be a moonlit ballad by Baal’s standards, with a slower tempo with steam hammers and the like forming the sound. It is a slow(er) instrumental track which makes a perfect finish to this adrenalin-pumping EP.

The only downside to this is the price – 2,000 yen – 12 Euros – $16 – which seems a bit expensive for an EP. Of course, for a fan, or appreciator of good hard industrial sounds, the price would not be an issue.

Overall, while I have enjoyed Baal’s previous work, I see this as a much more mature piece of work. The re-mastered tracks and the new additions have helped deliver a balanced EP from a band that has risen quickly in the ranks of the Japanese Goth scene.

Territory of “B.A.A.L.” :: Track List
1. Blood_Logic_Communication (re-mastered) – 4:40
2. Wreckage (re-mastered) – 5:40
3. Vermin (new) – 4:06 – Sample
4. Myrrha (new) – 2:15
5. On the Surface (2006 neo brutal version) – 6:24 – Sample
6. Collapse of Rusty Kingdom (New) – 3:22
Total: 27:21

Note, there are more samples throughout their regular site and via their MySpace site.

You can buy the CD through PayPal. To get there, just click the link marked “Sound” on the left-hand side of the page and you should see the EP in the resulting page.

On October 3 Despair released its new remix CD, Rewired Riot Technology offering nine tracks from the band. Despair is best described as post-industrial carnage, discarding the traditional instruments for reworked noise and samples backed with a digital keytar. My recent review of the band’s 2006 release of Deserted Technology Riot (DTR) was very positive.

Igor’s final call on DTR is that this is a must-buy album for serious industrial-music lovers. It marks the evolution of Despair from a largely live band (they always drive the crowd nuts!), to a band that can produce high-quality recordings that excite CD listeners in the same way! See my full review here

In truth it took me several listens to reach my decision as DTR was a very tech-heavy piece of work unlike any other CD I had heard (even from Despair itself).

The new CD, Rewired Riot Technology features 9 remixes from DTR totaling nearly 40 minutes. There are three rewired versions of Jarring God and MPD Conflict and one for Mechanical Rabies, Filth Pig and Junk War. I will save judgment for a review when I get a hold of the new CD, but the sample remixes on the site are pointing towards an awesome piece of re-worked music.

Rewired Riot Technology :: Track List
1. MPD Conflict (A New Model) – Sample
2. Jarring God (Rebel Action Remix) – Sample
3. Mechanical Rabies (No Vaccine For Your Machines) – Sample
4. MPD Conflict (Mind Control Mix) – Sample
5. Jaring God (The Devil Built My Beat Box) – Sample
6. Long Pig – Sample
7. Junk Whore – Sample
8. MPD Conflict (A New Machine) – Sample
9. Becoming God – Sample

The price for this 9 track 39 minute CD is 1,500 yen or 10 Euros. Once I get my hands on a full copy I will do another review!

Despair’s music is available at a number of music stores in Japan, the U.K., France and Australia. Just check out the bottom of the Destore page (that is also where you will find all the samples).