Tag Archive: Deathwatch Asia


Sawdust in MeMortification Made Me is the debut EP from Osakan femme-driven Sawdust in Me (MySpace). Formed in 2005 Sawdust in Me is a female duo consisting of Haji (vocals and programming) and Hinowa (vocals and performance). The music is club-play ready with its combination of EBM and distorted breakbeats. However, what makes the CD special however, are the two vocalists whose diverging voices create the six vocal variants with two screaming, singing, spoken voices playing throughout the CD. An extra plus is that the work has been the re-recording and mixing by Jude from DeathWatch Asia. The combination of varied vocals and professional recording makes this CD something any club goer of J-Music lover would enjoy. Don’t be fooled by the cakes and pretty animals, that’s just a cover for the evil inside!

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.

Sawdust in MeMortification 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.

Despair :: Rewired Riot TechnologyThe pure live Despair experience from Deserted Technology Riot (review here, buy from Music Non Stop) has been picked up, dropped into the audio shredder and put back together in novel new dance-mosh-friendly electro-technoise tracks. Rewired Riot Technology is a Despair album like no other and probably the coolest remixed album I’ve heard for a long time. The concept is similar to the twin Sins of the Flesh album (review here) that featured the original songs of the first CD and remixes on the second CD.

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

Despair :: Rewired Riot TechnologyRewired 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.

Igor is proud to announce that he has become an affiliate of Music Non Stop, a totally kicking alternative music store able to ship all manner of music almost anywhere in the world. It even carries a range of Japanese Gothic titles from the small, but growing DeathWatch Asia label. If you are feeling like shopping for some alternative music or something dark and from Japan, please click on the banner or individual links below!


 Items of particular interest to JGoth readers are:

Demonoid 13
- Gate of Hell (Igor’s Review)

Despair
- Deserted Technology Riot (Igor’s Review)
- Rewired Riot Technology (Rewired! Review coming soon)

Sawdust in Me
- Mortification Made Me (Review coming soon)

Sins of the Flesh
- Death Wish
- Death of the Flesh (Igor’s Review)

Various Artists
Dark Waters (Igor’s Review)

All these titles are quality examples of the Japanese Goth, especially Dark Waters which offers a broad cross-section of Goth, industrial, electro and more. Remember if you make a purchase after clicking the links above, that supports Igor and JGoth!


gateofdeaths.gifThis devastatingly heavy EBM release from Demonoid 13 (MySpace) comes to you professionally repackaged by the small, but quickly expanding, Deathwatch Asia label in Japan. The music comes across as hard, powerful dance tracks, which reflects the nature of lead man Fixer-D, a.k.a. DJ DoomSpider of Nagoya’s Stigmatic events. Aside from Fixer-D on vocals and programming the band includes Sister Levi (DJ VenoMoth) on synths and sonic waves and DxUxSx on metal and electro percussion.

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 DeathGate 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:

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