I had originally planned to start work on a summary of the best releases of the second quarter of 2021 (April - June) on the post-punk/goth scene, but by the middle of the second month it was already clear that in the more traditional gothic genre alone, arguably the poor relation so far of the largely synth-based goth/post-punk/wave revival, there were more than enough high-quality releases to merit a full top twenty listing. In no particular order therefore, here are some of the current highlights from a subgenre which (political controversies notwithstanding) is clearly rising and reverberating more strongly than at any other time in over two decades.
1. The Black Capes – The Bride of Frankenstein
After last year’s impressive sophomore album Lullabies
for the Dead, Greek gothic rock act return with a hugely impressive new
song which is the title track for a new Frankenstein movie in their
homeland. Alex S Wamp’s basso profundo croon is highly effective in this
slow-burning delight as the band enhance their deservedly growing reputation as
one of the best old-school gothic rock acts on the scene.
No YouTube video available for this track, so just a Bandcamp link here
2. Black Angel – Live To Love
Growing up in the UK’s original 1980’s goth scene, Black
Angel mainman Matt Vowles is back with the lead track from the band’s
forthcoming third album, The Prince of Darkness. With Corey Landis still
providing a classy lead vocal, Live To Love rides a galloping bassline
and understated riff and continues the sumptuously produced gothabilly seam so
richly mined on the second album Kiss of Death released last year.
Bandcamp link here
3. The Wake – Perfumes and Fripperies
A-League goth legends The Wake have released a new video to
accompany the title track from last year’s comeback album Perfumes and
Fripperies. Whilst far from the best track on the album, the shimmering
guitar lines and velvety vocals reveal both the original charm of the second-generation
frontrunners and the subtlety of their song structures. With a vibe that
recalls those moments of slumber between deep, decadent slumber and the harsh
light of the new day, the new video is a welcome invitation to revisit one of
2020’s most rewarding releases.
Bandcamp link here.
4. Gemidos Necrofilicos – Cutun
Chilean project Gemidos Necrofilicos have an instantly
appealing low-fi charm and demonstrate keen goth sensibilities on new release Relatos
Malfidos. Cutun is typical of their short evocative bursts of
darkwave deathrock and revels in a strong melody tinged with cinematic b-movie
horror movie ambiance, and marks Gemidos Necrofilicos out as one of the leading
lights of the pre-dominant Latin American gothic scene.
Bandcamp link here
5. Byronic Sex & Exile – The Mirror
Leeds’ hearse-driving “Mr Goth”, Joel Heyes, is back with another
fascinating album of well-written gothic folk tales. Heyes always wears his
bruised heart on his sleeve, and has a dandyish authenticity and wit that
transcends what can be a somewhat nombrilistic genre. As ever, the individual
tracks on new EP Yorkshire Gothic cover a range of styles, but with a
bluntness and depth which are suitably epic to represent Goth’s (sic) Own
County. Standout track The Mirror tells a spooky tale of an alleged magical
ritual once performed on York’s river Ouse in the shadow of the famous Minister
cathedral.
Bandcamp link here
6. A Cloud of Ravens – Tithes and Offerings
Another band with a new video highlighting a key track from
a recent album is A Cloud of Ravens, recent interviewees on this blog and
authors of arguably the year’s most outstanding album so far. Tithes and
Offerings is the album’s standout track, a stark and atmospheric verse
contrasting with an epic chorus which highlights the rougher edges of Matt’s
vocal, whilst the video itself, featuring bassist Beth is symbolic of the
band’s effortless cool.
Bandcamp link here
7. The Last Cry – Lifeline Part One (isolation edit)
UK scene stalwarts have released a timely return to form last
year with the album Lifeline, and an “isolation edit” of lead track Lifeline
Part One has just been released. The Brighton based band’s 2010’s
reformation has rightly been greeted with enthusiasm by those who loved the
distinctive sound of late 80’s goth, and the new version of Lifeline Part
One develops the classic sound further.
Bandcamp link here
8. Raven Said – A Flowering and a Flattering
Mastered by Pete Burns (of Kill Shelter fame), Raven Said’s recent
single A Flowering and a Flattering adds a new depth to their previous
old school gothic rock sound, updating it for this third generation revival. Andy
and Maria deliver another quality song with a lyric about a “heartbroken
Valentine”, steeped in the melancholic vibe of traditional gothic literature,
and hinting at a more creative new direction for the genial Russian duo.
Bandcamp link here
9. Glasszone - City of Light
Orleans-based act Glasszone’s sound is a perfect balance of
moody gothic rock and typical French coldwave, and City of Light from the new Moments LP released this month is a great introduction to their sound.
Beautifully layered soundscapes rise and fall, continuing the uniformly high
quality of previous releases from one of the most underrated projects on the
current scene.
Bandcamp link here
10. Dreamscape – Dreamscape
Dreamscape is a side project featuring the wonderfully
Nephilimistic vocals of Drew Freeman (late of Sometime The Wolf), and this
single track released on Bandcamp though clearly highly derivative, delivers a thrilling
slow-burning epic of a track which would fit very well on FOTN’s classic Elizium
album.
Bandcamp link here
11. Everlust – Land Of Dreams
Latvian goth metal lite band Everlust evoke memories of
Evanescence and Lacuna Coil at their world-dominating millennial best on this
lead track from their new album, with a real lilting earworm of a melody over a
descending bassline, metronomic crushed riffs and the classic ethereal
verse/stadium chorus mix. A strong vocal, clean production and a well-crafted
song structure, albeit with a bizarre coda featuring an impressively Minnie
Ripperton-esque vocal range at the very end, combine to make this one of the
stand-out tracks of the year so far.
Bandcamp link here
12. Sex Gang Children – Death Mask Mussolini
Whether on his solo releases or when reviving the SGC
moniker as on new album Oligarch, Andi’s releases are always a breath of
fresh air, freed from the shackling straitjacket of gate-keeping expectation by
a career of confounding genre norms. The abiding sense of theatricality and the
plangent whine of his voice always make a new set of songs a genuine treat, and
in a typically varied selection of which Death Mask Mussolini is the
most traditional, SGC reaffirm their position as one of the scene’s most
consistent performers and strongest influences.
Bandcamp link here
13. Jyrki 69 feat. Steve Stevens – White Rabbit
Billy Idol’s collaborations with Steve Stevens led to some
of his greatest alternative dancefloor hits (“Rebel Yell”, “White Wedding”
etc), and the guitarist returns with some trademark melodic power chord
sequences on this atmospheric cover of the Jefferson Airplane psychedelic classic
(known to most goths from The Damned’s version) with second generation goth
royalty Jyrki of the band 69 Eyes, whose leathered croon is one of the most
distinctive voices of the genre. There are no surprises here, just two
consummate professionals pooling their talents to create another slice of
goth’n’roll heaven.
14. Vazum – Haunted House
US deathrock-tinged act Vazum first caught my attention with
their twisted Vazumnacht release at the end of 2020 featuring contorted
and Krampused-up versions of some perennial Yuletide favourites, and new single
Haunted House from the forthcoming album V+ is a haunting,
claustrophobic in-your-face song with its disturbing “In your heart, violence,
violence, violence” chorus in a similarly thrilling vein. Buzzing bass, spooky
guitar riffs, pounding drums and atonal sounds in a wilfully muddy mix make
this track a genuinely dark delight.
Bandcamp link here
15. Cathedral In Flames – Blacktrain
With their studied gothic look and careful use of genre
tropes, Prague’s Cathedral In Flames sometimes come across as one of those acts
trying just a little too hard to be authentic (they even have a track called Twilight Of The Goths), but there’s enough variety and
quality on new album Hang Me High And Bury Me Deep (see what I mean?) to
retain the attention of the most ardent critic. Whilst the lyrics and music of
latest single Blacktrain are utterly predictable (think mid-era Sisters
crossed with second generation bands like Rosetta Stone and The Wake), it’s an undeniably
well done pastiche.
Bandcamp link here
16. Vampires of Rome – Wish You Were Dead
Talking of risibly stereotypical “goff” acts, The Vampires
of Rome are back with another single which is as gloriously over the top as every
other aspect of the project (name, image and sound). Wish You Were Dead
begins with a suitably Wagnerian Euro-goth riff, and the overall effect is
Angels of Liberty and Rammstein combining to cover Lucretia, My Reflection.
If that doesn’t whet your appetite whilst inducing a slight eyeball roll,
you’re reading the wrong blog.
Bandcamp link here
17. La Procesion de lo Infinito – la Tumba de los dioses
This round-up ends with four oft-overlooked releases of the
past couple of years which are being re-released in a new or extended, and the
first of these is the vinyl debut of Columbian duo La Procesion de lo Inifito’s
re-release of the wonderful album La Era Oscura (The Dark Age) on Peru
label In Club Records. Bolstered by the inclusion of a couple of extra tracks which
didn’t feature on the (still available) original CD release on Gothic Rock records. Featuring a mix of strong yet ethereal female vocals and angular
guitar progressions, this well-produced treat has a wonderful late 90’s feel
which will appeal to fans of The Eden House or Christian Death alike. If you
have yet to dip your toe into the lush waters of Hispanophone goth, this darkly
melodic debut would make an excellent starting point.
Bandcamp link here
18. Into Grey – Frailty
Also on In Club comes the first physical release (on CD and
cassette this time) of one of the albums of 2020, Into Grey’s self-titled debut
EP of deceptively complex “miserygoth”. Jermaine Artis’ solo project is a
perfect juxtaposition of bleak introspective lyrics half-whispered over
meandering basslines, a stark backbeat and interwoven lush guitar which sum up
in musical form the beauty of misery. Into Grey have also recently released a
new single, Waiting Here: driven as usual by a simple eight-to-the-bar
bassline and basic drum pattern, Artis’ unsettling deadpan vocal wilfully
clashes with some typically excellent guitar interplay, with warm synth swathes
adding extra layers to the mix.
Bandcamp link here
19. Slow Danse With The Dead – He Speaks Too Much
In Club Records’ run of impeccable taste continues with a CD
issue of another of our top 10 albums of 2020, an extended release of Slow
Danse With The Dead’s eponymous collection of tracks originally released as a
series of singles and EPs. Whilst operating in similar miserygoth terrain to
Into Grey, SDWTD’s sound is more minimalist and synth based, but no less
powerful and melodic.
Bandcamp link here
20. Stranger and Lovers – Succubus (S.F.)
Saving the best until last, Stranger and Lovers’ brand new
release Masochistic Love on Young and Cold Records brings together
remastered versions of the tracks from their debut cassette self-release with
the stunning singles (like Succubus) drip-fed onto the market over the
past six months. The Mexican act’s overtly S&M imagery and (thankfully
largely indecipherable) lyrics will be a turn-off for some, but the beat-based grooves
featuring superb modern goth guitarwork and synth pulses melding ancient
hardware with modern studio techniques make for compelling listening on an
album which sets a new bar on the current darkwave scene.
Bandcamp link here
