The ten artists included in this year’s countdown can be justly proud of their work in 2021 which has been rightly lauded by review sites and fellow musicians across the globe, further extending the once tight musical boundaries of the goth/post-punk scene. Whilst 2021 has seen the release of more incredible archive material (such as The Sisters of Mercy’s and the March Violets' seminal BBC sessions, or the excoriating Red Lorry Yellow Lorry live set) and belated vinyl releases of classic albums of the past decade (La Era Oscura by La Procesion de lo Infinito springs to mind), there is so much incredible new music that these have been excluded from the countdown. Here, then, is the Goth/Post-Punk Revival blog’s Top 10 of 2021.
10 Vazum – Haunted House
Rarely does a band come along with a startlingly new take on the gothic
genre, but there’s a refreshing originality about Vazum’s instantly
recognisable “deathgaze” sound which permeates 2021 album V. Since Emily
joined the band the previous year, the signature sound has truly taken shape
and the claustrophobic, horror movie creepiness is enhanced by some buzzsaw
bass from Emily, Zach’s atonal, often pleasantly discordant but always
inventive guitar mush and the highly effective twin male/female vocal assault of a style which has enhanced alternative music since the days of The March Violets.
9 Vlimmer – I.P.A.
Very occasionally, an artist comes along who seems to create
sound in an extra dimension, constructing mind-blowing soundscapes that result
in a thrilling sensory overload for the listener. Trent Reznor was one such
musical genius, The Soft Moon’s Luis Vasquez is another, and Vlimmer’s
Alexander Leonard Donat can now be safely added to that list. His Vlimmer
project’s debut album, Nebenkorper, after a series of bewilderingly
eclectic EP’s, was a stunning showcase of his talent, with I.P.A. the
standout track.
8 Whispering Sons – Vision
This Belgian post-punk band is young, original and brave –
three words not always associated with bands in the genre. After the success of
debut full-length album Image, the five-piece returned in 2021 with a
more challenging yet ultimately rewarding set of generally more stripped-back
tracks where raw emotion was very much to the fore. Stand-out track Vision
has a typically subtle, tight and complex song structure with a wonderfully
off-kilter chorus and dramatic climax that recalls the heady musical days of
1981, when angular chord changes and intense endings were ten-a-penny. Having
become festival headliners in their native land, the general expectation was
that they would work on the more commercial aspects of their sound, but their
retreat into more introspective mode is the sign of a band who both believe in
themselves and are in it for the long run, and Whispering Sons have proved themselves to be true artists who deserve to be taken seriously.
7 Ground Nero – The Furnace
Ground Nero Mk 1 was one of the most aurally rewarding and
exciting new bands of the 2010’s, but the departure of wonderfully charismatic frontman
Gwijde Wampers has ushered in a more polished sound with potentially broader
appeal with the recruitment of Mark E Moon’s Mark Sayle on vocals. The three
singles released in 2021 confirmed that the band’s trademark gothic “wall of
sound” is very much in place, with guitarist/keyboardist Nomad still very much
to the fore. The Furnace allowed Sayle to showcase a darker vocal
perfectly in keeping with the driving power of the musical backing underpinned
by bassist Peter P. A new album is promised for 2022 which should see the band
scale further heights.
6 Antipole/Kill Shelter – All For Nothing
The album A Haunted Place brought together two of the
brightest stars on the post-punk scene in recent years, Antipole’s Karl Morten
Dahl and Kill Shelter’s Pete Burns. The synergic effect of the Norwegian’s
uniquely uplifting reverb guitar tone and the Scot’s razor-sharp backbeats can
be heard in full force on All For Nothing, with other tracks on the album creating
a more mellow vibe on one of the most consistently excellent releases of the
year where the skip button will remain unused after multiple plays.
5 Stranger and Lovers – Ultra
Another relatively quiet year for Stranger and Lovers, who
finally released a significantly expanded vinyl version of their outstanding debut
2019 cassette release, plus one extra new single this year. Ultra, one of
the new tracks on the vinyl version of Masochistic Love, emphasised the band’s
unique ability to merge the classic 80’s goth sound with a 2020’s club vibe.
The Mexican band, who specialise in using authentic vintage instruments
combined with cutting edge studio technology, are currently working on their
second album, which will surely enhance their growing global reputation as a band
who can appeal to hardcore goth rock fans and basement clubbers alike.
4 Black Angel – Serene
The rise and rise of Matt Vowles’ Black Angel project
continued unabated in 2021 with a third consecutive killer album entitled Prince
of Darkness. Vowles successfully resuscitates the corpse of 80’s goth with
a knowing blend of high production values, skilful songwriting and exquisite
performances, like The Sisters of Mercy’s chart-friendly Steinman productions
of the late 1980’s. Fans of The Mission and The Cult will also enjoy Prince
of Darkness as Vowles makes the difficult task of producing consistently high-quality
gothic rock seem effortless, on an album which has a cyclical feel. Serene
is typically lush, with Corey Landis’ measured vocal multi-tracked over a
lilting dark melody that creates a film noir ambiance, drawing the listener in
ever closer.
3 Then Comes Silence – Where Do You Go?
As well as releasing a new single When You’re Gone and
recording a new album for 2022 release, Then Comes Silence produced the
excellent Horsemen project, a series of four simultaneous EPs featuring cover
versions of songs originally recorded by everyone from Gene Vincent to Buzz
Kull. Inventive, powerful and precise, the covers allow the band to pay their
musical dues whilst breathing new life into the originals, and highlight some
forgotten classics such of this dark delight originally found on The Shamen’s Drop
album. The Horsemen project cements Then Comes Silence’s position as the most
original and exciting act of the twenty-first century on the post-punk scene.
2 Actors – Strangers
The sophomore album from Canadian band Actors was simply
stunning, a wonderful set of beautifully accomplished dark pop songs which
should have massive crossover potential for the mainstream market. With their
roots in classic 1980’s pop (most of which had of course originally evolved from the more avant-garde end of the
alternative genre), Actors are sonically a cross between Alphaville and Modern
English, with insistent beats and strong melodies carried by Jason’s angelic
voice floating perfectly over the top, in the epic pop style of Keane’s Tom
Chaplin. With enough of a dark edge to still appeal to post-punk fans but with the grandiloquent
sweep beloved of commercial radio, Actors deserve to be huge.
1 Diavol
Strâin – El Reflejo de Mi Muerte
Like most of the acts in the Top 10 this year, selecting just one track to showcase here proved to be a real challenge, and in Diavol Strâin’s case this was particularly true, so I’ve gone for two superb examples of their craft. El Reflejo de Mi Muerte and Destino Destruccion both contain all of the elements which makes their sound so utterly compelling – the insistent drum machine backing, Lau’s impassioned, foghorn vocal and driving yet meandering basslines, and the incredibly inventive, wonderfully textured guitar lines from Ignacia who also handles keyboards. The Chilean duo’s utterly modern take on the essential elements of 80’s goth acts ranging from Xmal Deutschland to Killing Joke, and Sonic Youth to Siouxsie and the Banshees is totally compelling, each track taking unexpected twists and turns and taking the listener on a darkly thrilling mystery ride. Whereas earlier releases were sometimes mired in a muddily cacophonous mix, Elegia del Olvido, Elegia del Horror’s notably cleaner lines allow for greater appreciation of their sumptuously layered twenty-first century gothic darkwave genius.
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