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December 21, 2011

Suicidal Romance “Memories Behind Closed Curtains”: Viva Music Album Review

Tracklist: “Love Will Have Her Revenge” * “Whisper Goodbye” * “Slave/Slave  – feat. Pete Crane (of Shiv-R)” * “Hold Me” * “Don’t Go” * “Ecstatic – feat. Felix Marc (of Felix Marc)” * “One Love” * “Forever as One” * “Amour Amour – feat. VVA” * “Behind Closed Curtains

Other Suicidal Romance news and articles on darkwave.ro: Suicidal Romance “Whisper Goodbye” Out Sep-16! Viva Music Review

Suicidal Romance “Memories Behind Closed Curtains”: Viva Music Album Review:

Released on Dec-16, Infacted Records’ (http://www.infacted-recordings.de/category/news/), new Suicidal Romance album, “Memories Behind Closed Curtains” is a feast for the eye and ear and definitely one of the latest additions to your Christmas shopping list. It has zest, it has a story, it is rotating high on danceability and refined emotion. The album debuts with a high energy tempo and a great anthem with a title made to measure: “Love Will Have Her Revenge”. Comforting and alluring, the track is astutely followed suit by “Whisper Goodbye”, the preview track we had the chance and honor to listen to in September, prior to the album release, under the guise of a very elegant single, featuring remixes from Psy’Aviah and Reaxion Guerrilla. And however motivating it is to listen to this track in the makeup of the album, it would be unjust to single it out as pre-eminently the best track from the album without prying into the tease of the remaining tracks, so be averted, if you managed to listen to the single release, make sure you keep your mind and ears open for “Memories Behind Closed Curtains”. “Slave/Slave – feat. Pete Crane (of Shiv-R)” is also an older acquaintance, the remix versions provided by Die Sektor and Incubite) being featured on the same aforementioned single release.

Hold Me” qualifies as superb club scene gemstone, with a quite balanced harsh electronic sound and warm melody, all mellowed down by the vocals provided by Viktoria Seimar. The same holds true of “Don’t Go”, in which the credible harshness of vocals is doused liberally with quite suave undertones. In “Ecstatic – feat. Felix Marc (of Felix Marc)” the focus shifts a little, and the vying voices of both Seimar and Felix Marc are set in an unmistakable, strike of genius musical space. You will love “Ecstatic”, that is for sure! A true Viva Music favorite, “One Love”, the charisma of which brims over in elegant and dance friendly gushes, is followed by “Forever as One”, before surrendering the floor to another great track (and not coincidentally, we suppose, from the same semantics of love): “Amour Amour – feat VVA”, showing the darker and sharper edge of Suicidal Romance, in brief, an ancient and modern chant, performing fine both as a club piece or an item for solitary listening. The last track of the album, “Behind Closed Curtains”, which gives the theme of the album, memories that are kept behind a wrapping that makes memories incapable to pierce through, hurt us or others, and were they not given voice through music, they would remain forever dead to the world, is a complex instrumental piece, that leaves room for a musing space and enthuses profoundly.

Memories Behind Closed Curtains” is a beautiful addition to this year’s already superb album output. Enjoy!

Suicidal RomanceOfficial Website | on Facebook | Discography on Discogs

December 19, 2011

2011: A Music Year in Review (Viva Music version)

2011 was a great year for our scene. Just a quick roundup of the acts and artists who released new material this year is sufficient to give you an impression, however fleeting, of the great tumult the scene has caused and the important additions 2011 has brought to our playlists. New releases from VNV Nation, Apoptygma Berzerk, Haujobb, Sopor Aeternus, Covenant, Kirlian Camera and Diary of Dreams kept music lovers on edge and numerous other releases made their days worthwhile throughout the year.

In 2011, Viva Music had the pleasure and honor to listen to and review some 100 albums. In order to read our reviews, you can go to the menu and pick Album Reviews from the Interviews & Reviews section, or navigate using the right-hand visual cover flow. Pluses between brackets in the article lead you to the featured reviews.

Readers’ choice in terms of number of Facebook likes indicate Apoptygma Berzerk’s “Black EP vo.2” (+), Global Citizen’s “Nil by Mouth” (+), Haujobb’s “New World March” (+), The Cruxshadows’ “Valkyrie” (+), Ghost and Writer’s “Shipwrecks” (+), Autodafeh’s “Act of Faith” (+), Tenek’s “EP2” (+), Shiv-r’s “This World Erase” (+) and Covenant’s “Modern Ruin” (+) as top favorites. We have no doubt it was the beauty of the respective albums and not of our reviews that kept them up in the charts!

With numerous releases, the appreciation of the public was unanimous. It was an honor to have around VNV Nation’s “Automatic” (+), Kirlian Camera’s “Nightglory” (+), Diary of Dreams’ “Ego:X” (+),  Sopor Aeternus’ “Children of the Corn” (+), Aesthetic Perfection’s “All Beauty Destroyed” (+), KMFDM’s “WTF?!” (+), And One’s “Tanzomat” (+), Sin D.N.A.’s “Afterlife” (+), Lowe’s “Evolver” (+), IAMX’s “Volatile Times”, Imperative Reaction’s “Imperative Reaction” (+), Necro Facility’s “Wintermute” (+), Amduscia’s “Death Thou Shalt Die” (+), and System Syn’s “All Seasons Pass” (+ ).

No less impeccable and listenable in a loop proved to be a set of albums which, should you have missed them, are up on your shopping list next time you hit a record store. Ad Inferna’s “There Is No Cure” (+), The Pain Machinery’s “Surveillance Culture” (+), God Module’s “Seance” (+), Mona Mur & En Esch’s “Do with Me What You Want” (+), Leaetherstrip’s “Untold Stories” (+), Vic Anselmo’s “In My Fragile” (+), Solar Fake’s “Frontiers” (+), Mina Harker’s “Bittersuess” (+), Lahannya’s “Dystopia” (+), and Lord of the Lost’s “Antagony” (+).

Special mention should be made of Romanian wonders LeVant’s “Beyond the Masque of Eden” (+) and Brazda lui Novac’s “Dizzy” (+).

Let us not forget the beautiful events we were invited to attend, and had the pleasure to experience in 2011. We provided detailed footage both under the guise of reviews and photo galleries at Amphi Festival (+), Nordstern Festival (+), and Nocturnal Culture Night (+). In 2012, we intend to attend to more such events and keep you posted on our beautiful and dynamic scene.

As Viva Music we also organized our own events in Bucharest. You can take a look at the feedback we received for the third edition of our Darkwave.ro Festival (with Tenek, Rabia Sorda and Project Pitchfork, +), for our Combichrist (+) and Kirlian Camera (+) concerts, as well as for our support for the first Nine Inch Nails Tribute in Bucharest (+). We do our best to keep our scene alive and the response we get is always heart-warming and positive.

 

What was your favorite release in 2011? And what are you looking forward to in 2012?

Moon.74 “Newborn”: Viva Music Album Review

Tracklist: “Gun” * “The Day You Disappear” * “It’s Hurting Me” * “Strange Convention” * “We Are” * “Into My Arms” * “Dirty Mind” * “Oblivion” * “Stalking Horse” * “Moonlanding” * “Breath” * “Newborn” * “Lost

Released in October 2010 with Echozone, the debut album from electronic/EBM act Moon.74 is a recent and very pleasant discovery with Viva Music. Although released last year, we thought about sharing some impressions on the album prior to this Friday’s video release (Dec-23) – the first video by Moon.74, with music written by Dominic Hein and remixed by Rico Huellermeier.

 “Newborn” is a great find, and we thought the sharing spirit of the coming holidays is the best opportunity to share to Moon.74 fans and Moon.74-curious fans Viva Music’s review. In general terms, everything is superlative, but taking a track-by-track approach might open your appetite for Moon.74’s music, since we believe that the feel good continuum of the album deserves all the attention one can get. The opening track, “Gun”, with its alert and alluring beat made us think of Chekov’s gun, the one he said about, “one must not put a loaded gun on the stage if no one is thinking of firing it”. Gunfires will ensure, this is for sure, but their delicate intricacy might be less evident on a first listen. The glorious music of “Gun”, reverently paying tribute to all the music we like, ranging from Depeche Mode to Apoptygma Berzerk, musicians Moon.74’s Dominic Hein counts among his influences, just like the other tracks compiled on the debut album is pretty long, which might be regarded as a shortcoming in the case of some albums, but with “Newborn” it actually is a blessing. More joy to the world! “The Day You Disappear” mellows out on a similar note, but instead of creating premature plateau, takes up the good feel set by the previous track and makes it deeper and less conjectural. “It’s Hurting Me” as well as “Strange Convention” are ampler in scope, and their electronic efficiency is simply startling. With refined emotion and particularly striking openness, both songs speak up about sentiment in a manner which is intimate and general at the same time, and that makes them great above average. “We Are”, a Viva Music favorite soars in dark undertones and carries a very positive vibe, while also being a quite entertaining dancefloor choice. “Into My Arms” takes up with the same musical benevolence an intense emotional experience and creates unsuspected harmony. “Dirty Mind” shifts a little the composure of previous tracks toward a sexier sound and interest, and with its very teasing core it has a persistent aftertaste. Another memorable track, “Oblivion” exploits the same dark streak featured in “Dirty Mind” and does not seem to settle for a definition, with its very charming sound it reaches out a wider audience than the previous tracks. And after a gemstone such as “Stalking Horse”, the time is ripe for “Moonlanding”, an excruciatingly beautiful track with a very atmospheric and historical tinge of a beginning and relevant musicality. Rougher in both intent and musical rendition, it is followed by the milder “Breath”, only to commit seriously to the same realm of music with the onset of “Newborn”. On listening to the track, all mystery around why it was chosen for the title of the album as well is dismissed; it is a great addition to the album layout and a magnificent soundtrack for our contemporary lives. The ending title, “Lost” is, a very prolific piece of music, that adds to the emotions captured by the album a whole script of beauty and resilience. (more…)

December 8, 2011

Aesthetic Perfection “All Beauty Destroyed” – Viva Music Album Review

Tracklist: “A Nice Place to Visit” * “The Devil’s in the Details” * “The 11th Hour” * “Hit the Streets” * “One and Only” * “Inhuman” * “Celebrity Sin” * “Filthy Design” * “Motherf***er” * “Under Your Skin” * “The Little Death” * “All Beauty Destroyed

Aesthetic Perfection – “All Beauty Destroyed” Viva Music Album Review:

The third and most recent Aesthetic Perfection album, was released in November with Out of Line and Metropolis Records and it all looks very good! With various formats released simultaneously (including two-disc and special editions), and hailed by two earlier single releases (late 2010/early 2011 “The Devil’s in the Details” and late 2011 “Inhuman”), the album is a complete and very fulfilling experience for the listener, which, is not unusual for an Aesthetic Perfection album.

There are several character traits of “All Beauty Destroyed” that need to be taken into account when addressing the question of just how good it is. Namely, one cannot talk about the new album without resorting to superlatives, but these superlatives are taken from the verbal realm of domination, aggression, violence, and protest. This is to say, there is not a song that speaks sweet, but brandishes instead the sword of a conqueror. Without false pretense, and without trying to pose nice where this will be superfluous and ridiculous to some extent, the album is an honest and animated appeal to embrace a new aesthetic perfection, that of all beauty destroyed. (more…)

December 7, 2011

Amduscia “Death, Thou Shalt Die”: Viva Music Album Review

Tracklist: “Damn Punks” * “Desequilibrio Mental” * “I’ll Hate You” * “Seduccion es mi placer” * “F*** the F***ing F***ers” * “Solo Maquina (Antihuman Remix)” * “R.I.P.” * “Creepy Life” * “Adicto al dolor” * “How I Hate You” * “Wild Girls” * “Battle in Paradise” * “Creepy Life (Cid Project Remix)” * “Creepy Life (Eelectrovot Remix)

About Amduscia – “Death, Thou Shalt Die”:

After the tragic untimely death of sound wizard Edgar Acevedo in March 2010, it was not clear whether the fourth studio album of Amduscia was ever to see the light of day. His brother Polo, the band’s shouter decided that there could not be a better legacy for the Mexican band, completed the album by himself and had it produced in a German studio. “Death, Thou Shalt Die” has become an album that is hard to top in terms of intensity. Amduscia have not sounded this compact, aggressive, striking and club-compatible since their debut. Now, the band rises like a phoenix from the flame, with a record that sounds like a challenge – a challenge to the grim reaper himself!

Amduscia “Death, Thou Shalt Die” – Viva Music Album Review:

Out on Dec-02 with Out of Line Records, the new album from Amduscia takes its title from the remarkable and memorable last line of metaphysical poet John Donne’s “Holy Sonnet X”, one of the most commonly referred to verses about the individual’s revolt against implacable death. The title reference is even more evocative if we take into account its history of bereavement and the fact that it is added to a band name so full of meaning such as Amduscia, after the demon whose voice of thunder is heard during storms, accompanied by the sound of trumpets of medieval lore. (more…)

Amphi Festival 2012: More News!

Filed under: Amphi Festival — Tags: , , , , , , , — admin @ 2:26 pm

Counting Amphi Festival among the reasons to look forward to 2012, organizers are happy to announce that the preparations – not for Christmas but at Christmas time – for the 11th edition of the Orkus Open Air Amphi Festival of Jul 21-22 next year are as thick as if the festival were to start tomorrow! And what preparations they are, ladies and gentlemen!

New bands are added to the lineup, with more than 20 confirmed acts to date. The Sisters of Mercy, And One, Eisbrecher, Blutengel, Project Pitchfork, Combichrist, Camouflage, Front Line Assembly, DAF, Mono Inc., Corvux Corax, Nachtmahr, 18 Summers, Coppelius, [:SITD:], Solar Fake, Haujobb, Assemblage 23, Seabound, Aesthetic Perfection, A Life Divided, [X]-RX, Tyske Ludder, Whispers in the Shadows, Eisenfunk, Schoengeist, Lord of the Lost. Also, Dr. Mark Benecke, the expert forensic specialist is going to take you in the fascinating and bizarre world of forensic biology.

Amphi camp, located in the beautiful Jugendpark is going to open its gates at festival time, and you can already purchase camping tickets exclusively from the Amphi Festival ticket shop. Information on camping, facilities and rules can be found here. www.amphi-festival.de/2012/camping.html

Christmas special offers abound in the Amphi Festival shop, with 25% off 2011 edition merchandise like t-shirts, girlies and tank tops as well as special discounts on car stickers. This opportunity is open until Dec-18, so you can still order and have gifts shipped in time for your dear ones.

Festival tickets can be booked via the Amphi Festival ticket shop, from Protain and nationwide CTS/Eventim offices. Keep yourselves up to date about the event on the festival page: www.amphi-festival.de, and their Facebook page: www.facebook.com/amphifestival.

December 6, 2011

Janosch Moldau “In Another World+Second Best”: Viva Music Album Review

Tracklist: “In Another World (Single Version)” * “Second Best (UK Single Version)” * “In Another World (Riot Mix)” * “Second Best (Highlight Mix)” * “Second Best + In Another World (Video by Hendrik Schindler)” * “Second Best Video Re-edit by 2av GmbH

About Janosch Moldau:

Based in the rural area of Southern Germany, over the last years, Janosch Moldau has created an international stir with his berlinesque and glamorous electronic pop sound. Janosch Moldau brings together electronic “plush-rock”, 80ies “synth-wave” and a severe bout of melancholy. “In Another World + Second Best” are the first singles to be released from the forthcoming 2012 album “Lovestar”.

Janosch Moldau – “In Another World + Second Best”: Viva Music Album Review:

Released on Nov-25, the new single from Janosch Moldau is already a hit – a first-week #18 in D.A.C. and #28 in top 100 videos from myvideo.de, the single combines two songs from the forthcoming “Lovestar” (2012, tba) providing single version, remixes, as well as video material in a very appetizing disc.

With a very positive and energetic sound, the opening “In Another World (Single Version)” is at the same time hymn and elegy and compiles a great deal of emotional background in very pertinent composition and vocal exercise. If that is the way “Lovestar” is going to sound like, then we’re already dancing around impatiently until it’s out! And when we thought this was a sort of decoy or bait to get us to like the single, the effervescent and sexy sound of “Second Best (UK Single Version)” lit up and took us to a superior level of sound, really appetizing and glamorous. In the same permanence of good feeling the first remix of the single compilation, namely “In Another World (Riot Mix)” took us where we belong and set us nice and cozy in an ambient of very flavorful sounds, while the second mix, “Second Best (Highlight Mix)” draws with a fluorescent pen in the dark signs and symbols that are at the same time arcane and known to us. Mention should also be made of the video material included in the single release (“Second Best + In Another World (Video by Hendrik Schindler)” * “Second Best Video Re-edit by 2av GmbH”) concludes the journey with very creative and decorous material.

Janosch Moldau – “Second Best” (video):

Janosch MoldauOfficial Website | on Facebook | Discography on Discogs

December 5, 2011

Lahannya – “Dystopia”: Viva Music Album Review

Filed under: Album Reviews — Tags: , , , , , , — admin @ 5:12 pm

Tracklist: “Dystopia” * “Out of Time” * “Save Me” * “Not Innocent” * “Cocoon” * “Never Enough” * “What Kind of World” * “Beautiful Wasteland” * “Scavenger” * “The Stand” * “Only Time Will Tell” * “Army of Freaks

Lahannya – “Dystopia”: Viva Music Album Review:

The third album from Lahannya with Kabuki Records, “Dystopia” (out October 2011) the best of industrial and gothic, as well as tinges of rock and metal converge in order to provide a very neat musical experience. Though not easy to put in a single category, the album strikes as unitary and universal, and shows in the intricacies of its latticework great creative and production effort. From the very fulminating beginning of the track that gives the name of the album, namely “Dystopia”, the anthem value of the song is enhanced and becomes a manifesto for a world that builds up from the remains of the world as we know it, which shifts away, like a drowning continent, from our realm of perceptions.

Unbeknownst to us, the world that puts brick over brick of solid sound in “Dystopia” loses the concept of time in “Out of Time”. Deprived of unneeded artifice and ornament, the track evolves in a free world of untarnished sounds and proliferates in a manner that is at the same time pleasing and appeasing. With equal eloquence, “Save Me” takes the floor before the more personal, and truly hitting a bulls’-eye “Not Innocent” invades all our senses. It’s lucky that “Cocoon” is next – that is a song that serves as a good album appetizer if you aren’t convinced yet you should listen to the album. With extra zest and definiteness the advance of “Never Enough” takes us up with superb sound and a well-wrought complex of feelings, the kind of which lingers ambiguously in “What Kind of World”, another great – instrumental as well as vocal – exercise.

Beautiful Wasteland”, a Viva Music favorite, is a great addition to the playlist of the album. With a myriad of senses and emotions, the song is a very empathetic interface for very contemporary and fathomable feelings. “Scavenger” as well as “The Sound” promote the same feeling, and make it sure the listener knows by now that what s/he has listened to before in the album is not a fortunate coincidence, but instead, a programmed, sustained effort that yields a lot of results. Impactful, it’s time for “Only Time Will Tell” to create a special bond with the listener, and to conclude such a listenable and captivating album, “Army of Freaks” becomes memorable from the first listen, and makes sure it is the kind of palatable musical effort we’d like to see pouring in each and every production.

Dystopia” is a new world. Possible, uncreated and at the same time accomplished, with a mutability of forces and emotions you will certainly relate to. Enjoy!

LahannyaOfficial Website | on Facebook | Discography on Discogs

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