Tracklist: “Tanz mit mir” * “Augen unter Null” * “Die Hoelle muss warten” * “Verrueckt (Original Version)” * “Herz aus Eis” * “Prototyp” * “Ein Leben lang unsterblich” * “Abgrund” * “In meinem Raum” * “Keine Liebe” * “Exzess Express” * “Rette mich” * “Atem” * “Treiben” * “Verrueckt (Combichrist Remix)”

About “Die Hoelle muss warten”:

The unexpected Ice Age that seized the music world in 2002 continues as Eisbrecher masterminds Alexx Wesselsky and Noel Pix return for another classic release that is sure to cause waves in both the electronic and metal scenes. After a successful run of tours and festival appearances in Europe including Alice Cooper’s ‘Theatre of Death Tour’ and The Nova Rock Festival, Eisbrecher is poised to once again conquer the US clubs and charts. Heavier and harder than ever before, “Die Hoelle muss warten” features an expertly crafted blend of crushing guitars, menacing vocals, and melodic synth lines. Not one to stay the course, Eisbrecher also shows its ability to incorporate modern influences and blend them into songs that stay uniquely Eisbrecher, such as the dubstep-tinged “Herz aus Eis.” The album’s opener “Tanz mit mir” is a perfect example of what modern industrial rock should sound like, while tracks such as “Rette mich” slow things down and feature frontman Alex’s crooning voice over beautiful synth melodies. With such a diverse range of influences and perfect production quality, “Die Hoelle muss warten” is another step forward for a band that has already established itself as one of the premier electronic rock acts of our time. (source: label site)

Eisbrecher – “Verrueckt” Official Video:

Eisbrecher – “Die Hoelle muss warten” – Viva Music Album Review:

Coming Feb-14 from Metropolis Records, the new album from Eisbrecher entitled “Die Hoelle muss warten” (English: “Hell must wait”) was preceded by the release on Jan-20 of the single preview track “Verrueckt” accompanied by a very pertinent Combichrist remix! Add to that the “Verrueckt” video, which is classy and really enticing – and we have the ingredients of high expectations from an album that proved, even on first listening to it, a great addition to this year’s EBM and industrial loot. 

To start with, the great “Tanz mit mir” not only opens your appetite for dancing, but it also cavalcades through its whole 3 minutes and more with utmost precision and aplomb. “Tanz mit mir” is club-friendly, radio-friendly, everything-friendly, I cannot start and think of any environment where it would be improper to listen to it. Its peer, “Augen unter Null” is a precious piece of music, with knife sharp edges and black translucence spreading like a splendid shadow. The classic charisma of “Die Hoelle muss warten” is untarnished by the ultra melodic line that combines so many genres that it becomes plausibly impossible to catalog the track. “Verrueckt”, which we had the chance to listen to before, in the single release (with the astonishing Combichrist remix – also available on the album) storms in and leaves one breathless before the magic done by “Herz aus Eis” (is there any Eisbrecher album that does not perpetuate the ‘ice’ reference via at least one song title? We hope not). “Herz aus Eis” is massive, overpowering and pours in a precise dosage of energy and refinement.

“Prototyp” is clearly a Viva Music favorite, and it is followed, not incidentally, by the glorious “Ein Leben lang unsterblich”, which deserves your unbiased and undivided attention the whole length of it, and maybe then at least one or two more plays. “Abgrund” is as potent and classy, and possibly an attempted breakthrough at the voluntary and sassy conceitedness of EBM – it could stand next to mainstream music we are fed on traditional channels like TV and radio effortlessly, and that’s not to say, at all, that is of lesser quality or engagement. “In meinem Raum” and “Keine Liebe” transpose elegant and at the same time chummy emotion, and they are delectable to the very least detail. Avoiding an inherent plateau (that of good music, that is), the lively “Exzess Express” is ready to exhibit its briskness before the unapologetically romantic “Rette mich” takes over.  “Atem” is majestic and heartfelt, with a very dark dimension of feeling, and its aftertaste lingers with “Treiben”, the final track of the album, if you don’t count in the “Verrueckt” Combichrist remix.

“Die Hoelle muss warten” is a very special album. It preserves a lot of the intuition and feeling previous Eisbrecher releases instilled in the listener; but at the same time it comforts the ear untrained to Eisbrecher sounds with a mouth-watering set of tracks, all of them well turned-out and classy. Enjoy!

Eisbrecher – Official Website | on Facebook | Discography on Discogs

Tracklist: “Subjection (Violent Mix)” * “In Love with the Night (Album Mix)” * “Monument of Destruction” * “You Better Run (featuring Johan Van Roy of Suicide Commando)” * “One Nation (Club Mix)” * “Give Me You” * “Subjection (Leaether Strip 2011 version)” * “Deal in Sex (Protection Mix)” * “Subjection (Euphoria Mix)” * “Liquid Lust (Part I)” * “You Better Run (Painbastard Mix)” * “Face of a God” * “Fading Moments (Feindflug Karaoke Mischung)” * “Fly to Target (Dioxyde Remix)” * “Sleepwalk (The Awakening)”

About the project:

After the release of “Subjection” (featuring Claus Larsen) on the famous Zoth Ommog compilation “Body Rapture”, Lights of Euphoria started to become a “real band” after the release of the first album “Brainstorm” (Zoth Ommog, followed by “Beyond Subconsciousness“, “Fahrenheit“, “Voices” and the single “Fortuneteller“) when Jimmy Machon and Torben Schmidt teamed up “by accident” to produce some further music and touring all around the globe. While Lights of Euphoria in the beginning was more a sort of a project and “one hit wonder”, working with various guest vocalists such as Ronan Harris (VNV Nation), Stephan Groth (Apoptygma Berzerk), Vasi Vallis (Frozen Plasma/Reaper) Johan van Roy (Suicide Commando), Kay Haertle (Supreme Court) and various other good friends, mastermind Torben Schmidt decided to bring it down to a more band orientated way of working. (source: band site)

About the compilation:

The ultimate retrospective of this German/Danish electro/EBM project! Part 26 (!) of the Infacted Recordings classics series! 15 massive songs of the former Zoth Ommog artist Lights of Euphoria! Besides all dark clubhits the CD also features a new remix of “Subjection” by no one else then Claus Larsen of Leaether Strip fame! None of the hits are missing e.g. “Subjection”, “You Better Run” (feat. Johan van Roy, “One Nation”, “Deal in Sex” or even “Sleepwalk”! 15 cult classics on one CD for a smooth E.P. price! Be fast again limited to 1000 copies worldwide! (source: label site)

Lights of Euphoria – “Subjection”: Viva Music Album Review:

The new classical collection from Infacted Recordings brings to the focus the destiny of a group that initially was meant to be a one-time deal, but is now well into its twenties. Released this Jan-13, the compilation “Subjection” takes its title from the first track that made the group famous – the collaboration between Torben Schmidt and Claus Larsen, and chronicles the group’s evolution in the 1990’s and early 2000’s, and also tells the story of the friendship between Torben Schmidt and Jimmy Machon, formerly of Godheads, and Lights of Euphoria’s vocalist. Next to an incredible array of tracks, in their majority wonderful collaborations – names such as Suicide Commando, Leaether Strip, Painbastard, Feindflug add extra flavor to the compilation – there is also a new rendition of “Subjection”, with a new feel: “Subjection (Leaether Strip 2011 Version)” really shows how classically limitless the track has become in its 20-year old history  of dark vibes and excellent EBM. Let’s not forget that these collaborations are great occasions for musicians to bridge the distance between their status as artists and listeners of good music. Needless to say, Lights of Euphoria themselves remixed music for artists such as Melotron, Front 242, or Front Line Assembly.

Major landmarks from the group’s history and discography are well represented within the compilation: “Violent World” (1993, “Subjection”, “Deal in Sex”), “Brainstorm” (1995, “Give Me You”, “Face of a God”), “Voices” (1998, “In Love with the Night”, “Monument of Destruction”) “Krieg gegen die Maschinen” (2003, “Fly to Target”), “Gegen Den Strom” (2004, “Liquid Lust (Part I)”, “One Nation”), “Fading Moments” (2004, “Fading Moments”, “You Better Run”), “Sleepwalk” (2005, “Sleepwalk”).

Not on this compilation, but not less grand, is the track below. “True Life (VNV Nation Remix)”, enjoy!

Lights of Euphoria – Official Website | on Facebook | Discography on Discogs

Tracklist: “Stay Frosty” * “The Future’s What It Used to Be” * “Smoke & Mirrors” * “Stealth Cantorum” * “A Deeper Dub” * “Love Is Evil” * “Odessa Dubstep” * “Motorbootee” * “Traumarama” * “Fuzzy Logic” * “Music Don’t Die”

Pre-order Apollo 440’s “The Future’s What It Used to Be” from here | Watch the album trailer after the jump.

Apollo 440 – “The Future’s What It Used to Be”: Viva Music Album Review:

When was the last time you heard about Apollo 440? Frankly, although I am not a fanatic of football, and even less of football teams, it was when I first found out that the FA Cup charity theme song of Liverpool F.C. was provided by them. However, the nine years that passed since their latest album, “Dude Descending a Staircase”, there was enough Apollo 440 aired and since 2007, when they resumed their touring activity, it’s been as if they have never left the scene. Of course, the thirst for new Apollo 440 material was there, but also the signs. No less than nine Apollo 440 remixes were featured in the 20 year anniversary edition of U2’s “Achtung Baby” in late 2011, and then the news of an Apollo 440 comeback followed shortly. And now it’s almost here: on Jan-30, out on their own Stealth Sonic Recordings label, the Liverpudlian group comes back with “The Future’s What It Used to Be”, their fifth studio album, and probably one of their best achievements so far.

Apollo 440 – “The Future’s What It Used to Be” Album Trailer:

With a crucial beat which functions like a ‘brush up your Apollo 440 in 3 minutes, “Stay Frosty” brings to mind older Apollo 440, which is at the same time endearing and appeasing, but it also brings a wider scope of the beat and since a lot of progress has been made in music production since their latest album, it sounds even better than what we used to know. It is just the beginning of a very profound trip, that continues with a very infectious “The Future Is What It Used to Be”, a definite lovemark and a great addition to the list of our favorite Apollo 440 tracks. Plunging in the deep mire of our conventionalist look into past and future, it surfaces in spontaneous, melodic bursts. A lot of charisma is exuded, and it’s a task that “Smoke & Mirrors” does not find hard to match. The music, the beat, the vocoder, the lyrics may remind of an earlier rave era, but hey, the future is what it used to be! So it’s just fine to bring that back into the 2010’s. “Smoke & Mirrors” counts, just like “Stealth Cantorum” among Viva Music favorites from the album. It has zest, it accommodates perfectly dance routines and is a factotum of the band’s willingness to show what they have been up to in recent years. “A Deeper Dub”, a wonderful rendition of the already classical “A Deeper Love” from C+C Music Factory is a rare bird, keeping essential hues and making over the track into an essential compilation item for this year, truly contemporary. And if all this sounds happy go lucky, then it is time for “Love Is Evil” to show you the other side of engagement, with cultural theorist Slavoj Zizek’s voice sampled from one of his most known diatribes against the evil purported by love (mind you, it is universal love and love that fails to emote and restore a cosmic balance that he is talking about). And the carbon print of very refined emotion that is left by this track invades luxuriously the next track, “Odessa Dubstep”, a frantic piece of music, that is surely to attract some massive attention from club dj’s and radio hosts. The same can be claimed without any lenience about both “Motorbootee” and “Traumarama”, tracks that play purposefully with musical notions Apollo 440 were and can be again loved for. Back to fancy, “Fuzzy Logic” with an interlude from Discordianist philosopher and illuminatus Robert Anton Wilson, is on the lighter music side, but laden with meaningful quotes and proving to be quite a potent manifesto for the kind of epoch we are currently living in. To cap the compilation, the final track, “Music Don’t Die” returns to the beat and flair we love in Apollo 440 and covers the silence with very enigmatic and at the same time revealing sounds.

“The Future’s What It Used to Be” is unsurprisingly a great album, and making worthwhile if not the entire nine year wait for the new album, at least the gaps left by the absence of Apollo 440 sounds in recent years. Because yes, they have been missed, and it is good to have them back. Enjoy!

Apollo 440 – Official Website | on Facebook | Discography on Discogs

“I would go as far as saying that this is the most personal record since “Als die Liebe starb” The wounds that made me write the lyrics and songs are basically still bleeding” (Thomas Rainer, interview for Goth Times, Jan-27)

Tracklist: “L’Étang Mâlo” * “No Goodbye” * “Absolution” * “Wie Traenen im Regen” * “Empty” * “Demon Be Gone” * “The Heart” * “Banish” * “Why Can’t I Make You Feel” * “Dort draussen” * “Hold Me”

About L’Âme Immortelle – “Momente”:

A moment is the highest form of existence. What is life but a succession of single moments? Painful, beautiful, challenging, rewarding glimpses in the eternal stream of existence. It is these moments which we remember consciously, which we look back upon at the end of our days. And whatever may happen: No one is going to take these memories away from us. On “Momente” (English translation: ‘Moments‘), L’Âme Immortelle immortalize exactly these moments, build darkly shimmering monuments to these essential happenings in life. (source: Resurrection Records)

L’Âme Immortelle – “Wie Traenen im Regen” – Official Video:

L’Âme Immortelle – “Momente” – Viva Music Album Review:

Out tomorrow Jan-27 with Trisol, the much awaited new album from L’Âme Immortelle entitled “Momente” (English: “Moments”) comes after 4 years of absence from the new release section with a vibrant and firm-handed album. We have had news in recent years of Nachtmahr, Persephone, Whispers in the Shadows – to name some of the acts in which L’Âme Immortelle members explore their musical craft – but however grand their respective releases have been, a L’Âme Immortelle release was much awaited and definitely, even before getting to listen to it, one of the highlights of 2012.

“Momente” is reassuringly no different from previous releases from L’Âme Immortelle’s 15-year+ activity if you think of the seriousness with which they adapt to music and are able to transmit their emotions. However, any new album is a development of a previous phase of the existence of a band and definitely a time capsule for emotions that would have otherwise escaped the filter of the heart of listeners. And from this perspective, “Momente”, stands open and proud like a scrapbook of one’s finest emotions, with a new lease of life for a beloved project such as L’Âme Immortelle.

The opening passage, “L’Étang Mâlo” pierces through the fog with a very inspired reading of Théodore de Banville’s homonymous poem, the one which, if you haven’t read, you should, absolutely. Just think of the opening motto of the poem: “Quand le froid de la mort enveloppe cette argile souffrante, où va l’âme immortelle?” (English: “When coldness wraps this suffering clay, Ah! whither strays the immortal mind?”). The reading, accompanied by elegiac music, creates momentum and renders valid the further deployment of the album in this atmosphere of eerie awareness of the duality of life and death. And with the advent of “No Goodbye”, you know you have made a wise choice of listening to this album, and that there is no turning back. With elegant vocals and a very mimetic musical course, the song pushes forward disarming private emotions and a delicacy.

With a plus of beat and with the inherent cadence of the German language, the special feel granted by “Absolution” is at the same time a song you would want to listen in your privacy as well as surrounded by equanimous people in a concert venue.  The feel is preserved by the grandiose “Wie Traenen im Regen”, with its melancholy, liquid state, which is bound to bring you closer to yourself.

The emotional course of the album is further enhanced by “Empty”, the melodic line of which reminds of classical and contemporary alike, brimming with power and eloquence. And as if the first half of the album were not enough, the cavalcade of “Demon Be Gone” adds to the album a varied and thoroughly special flavor. A Viva Music favorite, it keeps close quarters with another favorite, “The Heart”, the yarn of which spins in a both personal and universal time, of emotions comprehensible to all and just to oneself. With a modern Lady of Shallot disposition to resignation and emotional survivalism, “The Heart” charms with its alluring and enticing body of music and lyrical content. And from the same lit side of the moon, “Banish” arises, with its captivating tempo and with the ominous chant of will, freedom, and self-inflicted illusions antagonizing the demons of the past. Opposing the surefire aplomb of “Banish”, the more fluid feeling of “Why Can’t I Make You Feel” stands out, it is the one that comes with unrequited love and spins amorous destinies around imaginary feelings. “Dort draussen” (English: “Out There”) is tempestuous and glorious, and a song we would definitely to see more facets of via remixes and is definitely wishlisted for a live performance. The closing “Hold Me”, the candid and overpowering track that rounds up the feeling of the album, is surely going to linger in your deepest and your most intimate after listening to it for the first time, it follows the rhythm of nothing less than life.

“Momente” is an album that is made of the exact proportions of serenity and love ambitions so as to depict in its various glimpses a very imaginative and true to life collection of feelings with accurate verse and a music you will have no other chance but to fall in love with. Enjoy!

L’Âme Immortelle – Official Website | on Facebook | Discography on Discogs

RSVP to the Facebook event here.

Black Head Agency presents Industrial Booom – ReBoot Festival between April 27 and 29: three days with a great lineup in Budapest’s Barba Negra Music Club (Prielle Kornélia u. 4.). It’s not the first time the festival happens, last year’s edition was one we are sorry to have missed: still in late April, acts such as Vomito Negro, Suicide Commando, Blitzmaschine, or The Klinik provided during the 3-day festival sufficient entertainment for the dark crowd.

This year, the festival lineup includes a lot more acts, and in addition, their names together spell the lineup of a reputed festival. Although not complete to date (negotiations with Blutengel and Plasma Pool, as well as a DJ set by Covenant’s Eskil are also under the organizers’ scrutiny), the lineup includes:

Day One, April 27 – “Mechanix Day”: Project Pitchfork, The Neon Judgment, Haujobb, 32 Crash + surprise band

Day Two, April 28 – “Electronic Body Day”: Escalator, Absolute Body Control, Klutae, Spetsnaz, Front 242

Day Three, April 29 – “Dark Side Day”: Sonar, Clan of Xymox, Diary of Dreams, In Strict Confidence, Dance or Die

Festival tickets are available until Feb-15 at HUF9,900 (approximately EUR45), as well as day tickets between EUR20-25. For more information check the agency site (http://www.black-head.eu/), or on the venue site (http://music-club.barbanegra.hu).

Tracklist: “This Is the Life (Album Version)” * “This Is the Life (Vogel Remix)” * “This Death (Terrolokaust Remix)” * “This Is the Life (Aesthetic Perfection Remix)” * “This Is the Life (WhiteQube Remix)” * “Le Petit Mort (16volt Remix)” * “This Is the Life (Imperative Reaction Remix)”

About Inure – “The Offering” (forthcoming album):

Inure‘s third full length release, “The Offering” wields an even heavier edge than past efforts. With production by Imperative Reaction’s Ted Phelps, Moore has given rise to the band’s most diverse and compelling work to date. Adam Moore‘s vocals weave together the haunted, distant shouts of classic European EBM with the raw aggression of American industrial rock while staunch industrial rhythms fuse with the furious riffs of Adam Vex (Imperative Reaction) on guitar. It’s this fusion that truly sets “The Offering” apart. With special guest appearances from Joe Letz (Combichrist) and Eric Powell (16Volt), “The Offering” grabs hold from the first dissonant note of “This Death” until it releases you to the icy depths of “Cold.” (source: press release)

Album tracklist: “This Death” * “The Call” * “Rapture” * “This Is the Life” * “The Strange” * “All Alone”* “The Offering” * “The Mind Killer” * “So Far Away” * “Cold”

Inure “This Is the Life” (digital single) – Viva Music Review:

Out with Metropolis Records one month prior to the release of their third album, “The Offering”, the new single from Inure, entitled “This Is the Life” is a very provocative and appetizing selection of music, one that sets very high expectations from the forthcoming album. With a catchy title and a running order of artists who collaborated for the single remixes that is bound to make you curious, the single is an energetic and danceable industrial rock/electronic compilation. Aesthetic Perfection, Imperative Reaction, Terrolokaust remixes are votes of confidence for the new track and by extension for the new album, and given the fact that the original track is definitely worth more than one listen, it is with these new nuances and statements that other musicians make via the remixes that the true value of the song is highlighted. Imperative Reaction’s remix is possibly the most driven one, while the one crafted by Aesthetic Perfection deepens the darker shades and the symbolism of the track. Of equal perspective are the other remixes as well, with the Vogel one taking you by surprise with just how versatile a track can be. And if the main track of the digital single release is about life, the band thought wise to supplement the compilation with a track which are conversely about death; the preview remix of the forthcoming album song “This Death” with a vicious, penetrating Terrolokaust remix, as well as a renamed version, “Le Petit Mort” by 16volt, with a hoppier beat, but nevertheless proving to be a sound alternative that does justice to the dimensions of the track.

After the preview offered by the single release we are bound to impatiently wait for the album release. Luckily we are one month away from the release date. Enjoy!

Inure – Official Website | on Facebook | Discography on Discogs

Tracklist: “Engel der Dunkelheit” * “Spring Nicht” * “Tanzmaschine” * “Asche” * “Mein Leib” * “Am Grunde” * “Goetter” * “Schmerz” * “Diener” * “Tanzmaschine (Club Remix)” * “Herzschlag” * “Tanzmaschine (Single Version)” * “Mein Leib (Club Remix)”

About Stahlmann – “Quecksilber”:

“We wanted this album to show an even more danceable side. We wanted to merge metal guitars with danceable EBM and dance, and at the same time focus more on the elements that pertain to electronic music.  And while doing so, we wanted to stay true to ourselves.” (…) Stahlmann stand for a new era of German music. They represent a new generation of harder music sung in German, and they develop the menacing and yet powerful vibrations of the so called Neue Deutsche Härte that began in the 1990’s with Die Krupps and Oomph and were perfected at a later date by Rammstein.  Founded in 2008, the first band engaged in industrial sounds, but also in driving rhythms of metal, and gothic intense melodies, all put together in one furnace, forging their craft from the solid base of their character and music. With catchy lyrics, a deep and distinctive voice, as well as a spectacular appearance, Stahlmann are a very welcome and much awaited addition to our music scene. (source: press release)

Stahlmann – “Spring Nicht” (Video Trailer):

Stahlmann – “Quecksilber” – Viva Music Album Review:

“Quecksilber” (English: “Mercury”) is an album that is sure to get your musical attention. Released on Jan-20 with Afm Records/Soulfood, the album departs from a very sound premise of being creative, diverse and at the same time keeping to the straight and narrow of music-making, production and performance. The opening track, “Engel der Dunkelheit” (English: “Angel of Darkness”) is breathtaking, and its effect lingers on, and before you know it, there’s “Spring Nicht” (the track you have probably gotten a taste of from the video trailer). A great composition, both from the point of view of music and lyrical content, the track seems to take one over with the exact dosage of harshness and elegance, and seems to charm even at its most austere. With “Tanzmaschine”, and the very inviting ‘dance with me’ becomes anthemic and manipulates one of the most enticing pieces of music we have heard of late. And taking into account the numerous versions of the track (“Tanzmaschine (Club Remix)” and “Tanzmaschine (Single Version)” are also included in the album), it is not only one of our favorites, but also one of the songs the band themselves give extra credit to. And that’s not random, since the popularity of the track is rising; just the first week of the album release, the single “Tanzmaschine” is soaring in German Alternative Charts, where you can find it at number 4, in a select company made of And One, Eisbrecher and [:SITD:]. The more melancholy ridden “Asche” (English: “Ashes”) is up next in the album, rendering sufficient breathing space before the sound storm of “Mein Leib” (English: “My Body”), with its swooning precision and mesmerizing vocals. In its advance, it makes everything new again in the album, and the ensuing track, “Am Grunde” causes a replenishing sense of grandiose, progressive and overpowering emotion. A pleasure to listen to, just like “Goetter” (English “Gods”) and “Schmerz” (English: “Pain”), the refinement and actual danceability of which contrasts with previous tracks, but also is richer, and promising more permanence. Special mention should be made of “Diener” (English: “Servant”), the energy-packed outburst that consolidates the album’s premise of the band to combine more than one genre under one and the same regulatory principle and still, provoke and emote deeply. And before you can even reflect on the track’s relevance, there’s “Herzschlag” (English: “Heartbeat”) to take you further by surprise, with its musical depiction of a very emotional landscape, in which musical creativity and vocal A+ exercise tell the story of how a person can actually be another person’s heartbeat. Closing the compilation, the remixes of “Tanzmaschine” and “Mein Leib” add poise and substance to the album, making it a well-rounded musical effort, worth revisiting whenever you’re in the mood for energetic, crafty music with edge. Enjoy!

Stahlmann – Official Website | on Facebook | Discography on Discogs

Tracklist: “Remember” * “Cause and Effect” * “Transition” * “Doubt” * “Control” * “Fragments” * “Unknown” * “Not Afraid” * “Second Reality” * “Sanctuary”

Other mind.in.a.box news on darkwave.ro: mind.in.a.box at Amphi Festival 2011 | mind.in.a.box at E-tropolis 2010

Released by Dreamwebmusic today Jan-20 in Europe and within a few days with a second US release, mind.in.a.box’s newest, “Revelations” has a well-chosen title and a very corporeal bearing to take in on first listen. To start with, the album surely is packed with ‘revelations’ for the novice listener, but they do not neglect the usual crowd that knows how to carry a tune whenever the keyword is mind.in.a.box.

mind.in.a.box  - “Revelations” – trailer:

The thing with “Revelations” is that it constantly brings to mind all the things that we admire in music, but rendering them in a manner that seems at the same time disarmingly familiar and strikingly new. Older mind.in.a.box, but as well as connections as diverse as Moby and VNV Nation come to mind when listening to the album, and that is not because of influences, but of the multifaceted sound that is proposed by the album. Prefaced by a lyrical, but poignant “Remember”, the album takes off in no time toward the level of sound that mind.in.a.box accustomed us with; and once the blaring madness of “Cause and Effect” kicks in, your ticket for the ride is guaranteed. A lot of feel-good, good-natured music ensues, and that is only the icing on the big tasty cake of “Revelations”. A Viva Music favorite, just like “Cause and Effect”, “Transition” operates a shift of paradigm in the album’s structure, minimizing the sound variety in favor of a very heart-rending, and philosophically healthy overview of an end-of-the-world scenario. “Doubt”, which will no doubt bring to mind a heavy rotated track such as “Amnesia” is definitely a good listen, no matter the latter comparison, since good music, no matter the vested inspiration, is still good music. And if the familiarity is growing, that only makes the up next “Control” and “Fragments” more likely to surprise and be the unexpected swerve that makes any party lush and sensuous. With “Unknown”, in which the blend of true to life electropop and a 1980’s feel is truly amazing, the album is sure to charm more than one ear; and with another Viva Music favorite, “Not Afraid”, the charming effect is crucial. And the vivid, well-wrought “Second Life” is just as amazing, you can actually feel each beat of the composition and you crawl out of your shell in no time. To cap a great album, “Sanctuary” offers a great deal of sheer emotion, and does so in a musical wrapping that is at the same time enticing and glorious.

If you enjoyed “Revelations”, you will be happy to hear that a remix album thereof will be released in March 2012, comprising five dance-friendly versions of tracks from this album. And if meanwhile you keep on listening to this great album, it is as if the release date of the remix compilation is tomorrow!

mind.in.a.box – Official Website | on Facebook | Discography on Discogs

Tracklist: “Back Home (Club Mix)” * “Wounds” * “Rick” * “High (Live in Peine, the Original)” * “Back Home (Mixed Conditioner)” * “Back Home (Berlin Mixer)” * “Missing Track”

Other And One news on darkwave.ro: And One – Tanzomat Album Review by Viva Music

 One year after their diamond-studded “Tanzomat” and after a lot of turmoil that accompanied the band’s renewal in 2011, And One renew their covenant with their scene with the release on Jan-13 with SPV of a new EP, entitled enigmatically “Back Home”. With three mix versions of the title track, but also a live version of “High”, and two studio edits of “Wounds” and “Rick”, the EP is a charming piece of music, and there is a definite chance we are not the only ones believing so. Adding up to the good reviews of the EP, their 1st position in Deutsche Alternative Charts helps with understanding the thirst there was after such a satiating experience such as “Tanzomat” of new material from the same line of creative thought. Which, as much was expected, did not turn but partly true. There are prominent hues of “Tanzomat” jutting out into “Back Home”, but there’s also the replenishing promise of something new, part of any artist’s path of redefinition. And we are glad it is there, definitely so, all the more as “Back Home” is compelling, forcing you to listen it as a whole and revisit it promptly. The new EP is not the only good news that And One drags into the house as the clocks say 2012 already; numerous live dates and also a “Cover for the Masses Tour” with enviable names such as Covenant and Welle:Erdball.

All the tracks and versions included in the EP claim their compatibility with club and dance, but with that refined vein of elegance and eighties inspiration that make And One one of the few acts who still know how to do that without sounding ridiculous. Of course, it’s easy to see through the weft of the EP and decide what allegiances And One are willing to make, but they are all powerful and endearing. With the exception of the multi-faceted “Back Home”, which, as the EP flows, you will notice, seems to renew its content from one version to another – to the effect that the thick and elastic rope lassoed from the Club Mix to the Berlin Mixer you get a whole new song, so to say – is not the only highlight of the album. The live version of “High”, as well as the good vibes sent by “Wounds” and by the Viva Music favorite “Rick” interlaced in the attentive work of the EP create a very well-natured and interesting breathing space

This cadenced ascendance toward the pampering of a track in its multifaceted qualities, taking us back and forth in time, creates the meandering effect of a prodigal return to one’s home base, where the music is just good and you feel cozy. And that is “Back Home”. Enjoy!

And One – Official Website | on Facebook | Discography on Discogs

Latvian Gothic wonder voice Vic Anselmo goes on tour across the Europe in March 2012 with her new album “In my fragile…”. The album was out in Europe in August 2011and got a great response from music medias: 4th place in Zillo and Sonic Seducer’s soundchecks, Gothic – “Fantastic!”,  Legacy – 14/15.

Read Viva Music’s review of Vic Anselmo‘s “In My Fragile” here.

Vic Anselmo supported an European tour of German legendary electronic avantgarde duo Deine Lakaien. Vic Anselmo opened all 24 shows of Indicator tour and got a recognition and awesome response of big audience in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Luxembourg. Except tour with Deine Lakaien she had two European club tours with her band and performed at such big festivals as WGT 2009 (D),Castle Party 2009 (PL), Waregem Gothic Festival 2010 (BE), Elf Fantasy Fair 2010 (NL), and Dark Mills 2010 in London. Vic also performed on stage with Das Ich as a guest artist at WGT 2011 and Amphi festival 2011. she also performed a guest vocals for Mesh at M’era Luna 2011. In August/September 2011 Vic Anselmo performed a China tour.

Vic Anselmo In my fragile… 2012 tour dates: 09.03 Riga (LV) Naba club /  10.03 Liepaja (LV) Fontaine Palace / 16.03 Herk-de-Stad (BE) Gothville festival / 17.03 Rijswijk (NL) Gothic & fantasy beurs / 18.03 Rijswijk (NL) Gothic & fantasy beurs / 20.03 Krefeld (D) Jazzkeller / 21.03 Bochum (D) KULT / 22.03 Berlin (D) Duncker club / 23.03 Uster (CH) Rock city / 24.03 Annaberg-Buchholz (D) Alte Brauerei /