Goth/Post-Punk Revival: The best new July releases

July was always traditionally the start of the summer music festival season in the 1980’s, with the broadminded bookers of European staples like Torhout/Werchter and Roskilde often engaging some of the giants of the goth/alternative scene alongside more mainstream artists, although the long, hot days made the traditional black leather “uniform” almost unwearable and the scene would largely aestivate awaiting the welcoming dark embrace of Hallowe’en.

With the global music scene no longer at the diktat of major labels, the gothic world continues to produce high quality new music throughout the year, and this July has been no exception with some exceptional new sounds on release. The globalisation of the scene, thanks to the internet in general and Facebook and Bandcamp, along with the temporary death of touring due to the pandemic, has blurred the traditional concept of musical seasons. This month’s selections again demonstrate the breadth and depth of the range of music covered by the goth/post-punk genre, with more experimental tracks featuring more prominently this month, another sign of the health of the current scene, with more risks taken and less reliance on (over-)familiar tropes.

The twenty selections for this month are roughly grouped according to sub-genre:

1. Ground Nero – The Furnace

With the new “mystery singer” now revealed to be Mark Sayle of Mark E Moon, Ground Nero unleash their third single of the year and the darkest yet, with the Manxman’s deep snarl rasping out a dystopian lyric over the usual shimmering angular “gothic wall of sound” which marries the guitar sheen of the Chameleons with Killing Joke’s manic energy. The band are currently working on their higely anticipated sophomore album.

2. Kill Shelter/Antipole – Nine While Nine

Hot on the heels of thier outstanding album earlier this year, the cutting edge Scottish/Norwegian pairing combine to synergical effect once more for esteemed label Unknown Pleasures’ tribute album to The Sisters of Mercy, Honoris II. Choosing one of the more reflective tracks from FALAA, Karl Morten Dahl’s reverbed staccato guitar plucks are underpinned by Pete Burns’ dancefloor savvy backbeat and baritone vocal for most of what is a relatively straight cover, although the lengthy outro is where the guitarist really gets to stamp his mark on the original.

3. Lucida Fila – Sinister

Talking of The Sisters, the second teaser track from Mexican band Lucida Fila’s forthcoming album Screams of the Damned gallops along pleasingly like a Sisters tribute band covering Iggy’s The Passenger. The project’s sound is far more rounded than on previous releases, although the vocals are still occasionally a little pitchy, making this a promising release for fans of trad goth.

Bandcamp link

4. Stranger and Lovers – Addicted to Pain

More goth’n’roll from Central America, with leading act Stranger and Lovers showcasing a love of Cramps influenced scuzzy dark twang, with a typically echoey and lyrically instinct deep goth vocal from Axel. Biker goth for the third generation. Stranger and Lovers are another act who combine vintage instruments with modern studio technology to update the classic goth sound.

5. Gothzilla – Ilaria

More Scottish goth with the third single from the Auras album from Gothzilla, with main man Tim Jarvis roping in his daughter Holly to provide a haunting earworm of a chorus and elevate the song above more typical light melodic goth rock fayre.

6. Okvlta – Nocturna

Deathrock/goth punk/horror goth seems to have been undergoing a real revival in the past couple of years, particularly in its native US West Coast seaboard states, but this stunning new release is from Colombian band Okvlta, whose impressive album En las entranas de la bestia was released in the middle of the month. The scratchy guitar tone and foghorn female vocal have the same energy and passion as early Xmal Deutschland.

7. New Skeletal Faces – Banshee Sex Tomb

Also vaguely flying the deathrock flag are New Skeletal Faces on their new two track single, whose lead track Banshee Sex Tomb has a grungy metal riff topped with a semi-screamo vocal redolent of classic era Neurosis, a musical nightmarish apocalypse not for the faint-hearted (yes, I mean you, Drab Majesty fans!).  Second track Extinction of Bodies is slower and doomier but no less powerful for all that.

8. Ariel Maniki and the Black Halos – Strangers

Ariel Maniki has carved out a deserved reputation for high quality layered gothic rock over the years, which will be reinforced by the lead single from the Costa Rican’s new album Black Light, which features sharp production and a keen sense of melody (in the style of The Mission or H.I.M. in the verse before venturing into darker territory on the chorus.

9. Deliverance – This House Again

Once again, an act from Central America takes the lead in the trad goth revival, with Mexican act Deliverance erm, delivering their strongest set to date on ASTRAL, which is now available to order for August release. Mainman Rul Deliro’s strong vocal leads the way, over solid if somewhat generic Missionesque gothic rock. The Kentucky Vampires’ Zac Campbell contributed guitar to one track on the new album, which is one of the most anticipated of the summer.

10. Mark E Moon – Event Horizon (Death and Gravity mix)

Event Horizon was always the strongest and most commercial track on Mark E Moon’s sophomore album Old Blood, and this month it was released as a three-track digital single, with the main Death and Gravity mix benefitting from an additional sequenced synth motif from Phil Reynolds which is not dissimilar to the one on Japan’s Quiet Life. Mark Sayle’s warm timbre is perfect for the strong melody and exquisite production which sees Mark E Moon straying their furthest yet into dark Pet Shop Boys territory, a perfect sound for the summer alternative dancefloor. The Crying Vessel remix of the same track takes a little longer to get going and is, as expected, a little starker and plinkier than the main mix despite a surprisingly rough guitar tone in the verse.

11. Attic Frost – Sell-out of Broken Dreams

Attic Frost is a new name to me, but their debut EP released this week is highly promising affair. After an atmospheric intro reminiscent of early Kaelan Mikla, the Bremen outfit’s lead track Sell-out of Broken Dreams develops pleasingly along the lines of classic French cold wave, with the freeze-frame shimmer of Pornography-era Cure.

12. The City Gates – Le silence

Also playing classic upbeat melancholic wave are Canadian act The City Gates, whose album Age of Resilience is rightly picking up praise for its infectious hooks and distant, echoing vocals. This sub-genre is amongst the most highly-populated of the current scene, and only releases with the quality of The City Gates' rise above the generic standard.

13. The Blue Hour ft Barry Galvin – Cold and Bare

On a more experimental tip come The Blue Hour, whose album Lore, out this month, compiles tracks from the past couple of years, many of which feature guest artists of the calibre of Barry Galvin (Mephisto Waltz) and Michael Louis (Shadow Assembly), who both feature on lead track Cold and Bare. The real star though as ever, is vocalist Marselle Hodges, whose “goth Kate Bush” musings dominate an ethereal, almost trip-hop gothic reverie.

14. Abrasive Trees – Now You Are Not Here

There’s another impressive female performance on Abrasive Trees’ well-crafted latest release, with Jo Beth Young guesting on key track Now You Are Not Here. The song’s acoustic/drone backing gives off goth psychedelia comedown vibes like the more ambient moments on Floodland, cementing the reputation of another project capable of attracting high quality guests (Peter Yates of Fields of the Nephilim fame features on another track).

15. Voidant – La Loba

Having featured on several tracks on Caroline Blind’s acclaimed 2020 album The Spell Between, the Red Lorry Yellow Lorry guitarist Dave "Wolfie" Wolfenden again teams up with the former Sunshine Blind vocalist for a new side project, Voidant. La Loba features a spooky, twangy, bluesy guitar riff over a classic triphop backbeat, with Blind’s meandering vocal continuing the dark, dreamlike ambiance. Expertly engineered by 1919’s Ding and mastered by David Whitaker (ex-Danse Society), Voidant’s debut release is a sumptuous yet tripped-back delight.

16. Clan of Xymox – The One Per Cent

Having drifted ever further into She Past Away territory on recent releases, veterans Clan of Xymox are back with a more introspective album with lyrics focused on the pandemic lockdowns, whilst musically following the usual dark layered synthpop blueprint, which makes the slow-burning track The One Per Cent even more of a refreshing change to the somewhat generic fayre available on the new album Limbo. Starting with a reverb drenched guitar intro, Ronny Moorings’ vocal is multi-tracked in the style of classic Perry Farrell, giving the track an epic feel whilst retaining a slowed-down electro-goth pulse.

17. Vlimmer – Fensteraus

Berlin-based Alexander Leonard Donat must be one of the hardest-working and creative men in the business, a kind of goth Prince, and recording under the name Vlimmer, having completed his genre-defying XVIII part cycle, has produced an outstanding two track new EP, whose lead track, Fensteraus, begins with a haunting analogue synth riff which has the same unsettling effect as solo John Foxx or early Human League. With shouted distant vocals a la Nine Inch Nails, the song takes on a vaguely low-fi industrial feel, before imaginatively taking a different turn over a post-punk bass riff, before combining the elements in a dramatic closing section. The imaginative whole has the cumulative cinematographic effect of a more daring Kissing The Pink, a less intense The Soft Moon or even a more avant-garde Imagine Dragons, such is the epic feel of the song from one of Europe’s most prolific artists.

18. Slow Danse With The Dead –  You Are Not My Friend

Talking of prolific, as usual this month there’s another new low-fi track to enjoy from Albuquerque one-man band Slow Danse With The Dead. A typically catchy mournful synth riff over an authentic 70’s Wurlitzer drum machine drumbeat is the perfect backing for a basso profundo deadpan delivery of another tale of disappointment from the current king of the “miserygoth” subgenre.

19. Beneath Black Waves – Rites and Passage

The Meunier brothers from Vermont combine to great effect on the dark surfgaze of Rites and Passage on Beneath Black Waves’ highly promising debut release, an introspective track driven by a dark twang guitar riff.

20. Deathtrippers – Burn

Leeds band Deathtrippers have been favourites of Goth/Post-Punk Revival blog over the past couple of years, and they enhance their reputation in taking on one of the goth holy grails, a track off The Reptile House EP for (like the first track of this round-up) the Unknown Pleasures tribute album to TSOM. The Deathtrippers’ version keeps many of the key elements of the original – the stumbling, driving beat, the psychedelic guitar swirls, the masked backwards vocal – whilst adding a cool new ending and avoiding the pitfall of imitating the original vocal too closely in what is a highly respectful tribute to their hometown heroes. The band's previous releases have also recently been compiled on what is already a sold-out limited vinyl release from Spain's Dead Wax records.

Bandcamp link

Ten Questions to ... Mark Sayle (newly confirmed singer with Ground Nero)

 The identity of the mystery new singer of goth act Ground Nero has finally been officially revealed! Arguably the worst-kept secret on the goth scene in the past few years, it can now be confirmed that Mark Sayle, who is also the voice of Isle of Man darkwave act Mark E Moon (whose second album Old Blood was released to great acclaim on Cold Transmission earlier this year), has taken over from the legendary Gwijde Wampers as the frontman of the Belgian band which is famed for its full-on dark gothic “wall of sound” and has provided the vocals on the three tracks the band has drip-fed to an impressed global gothic scene over the first seven months of this year.

Sayle’s vocals, a smooth baritone croon which can become more of a raspier growl should the situation require it, is a perfect match for the Ground Nero aesthetic going forward, and the project’s place in the upper echelons of the current goth/post-punk movement seems assured.

The first song from the new project In The Blood set the tone for Ground Nero 2.0 from the outset, with the familiar elements of Peter Smeets’ inventive guitar layers and dramatic keyboard swirls combining with Peter Philtjens’ driving bass sound to create a huge sonic experience representing a modern update on a traditional 1980’s gothic sound, making full use of contemporary studio technology, with Sayle’s brooding yet melodic vocal line adding to the atmospheric yet intense and powerful overall effect.

Follow-up single Promise was even better, again showcasing Smeets’ songwriting skills and typically grabbing the listener’s attention from the opening chords, his wonderfully deep and ringing guitar sound propelling the exquisitely produced track forward, the song embellished with another superbly angular trademark Ground Nero middle eight, on a release which gave Sayle the chance to show more of his emotional and vocal range.

This week has seen the release of the third (and best yet) song, the claustrophobic maelstrom of The Furnace, with its punkier intro twisted by a Psychedelic Furs style off-kilter guitar riff over a heavy  chugging Killing Joke bass and fairground organ chords, with Sayle in imperious deep-voiced Eldritchian form (in the style of the verse of Detonation Boulevard or the more recent live cover of Police Car for example) spitting out a lyric of nightmarish misery, whetting the appetite for a sophomore Ground Nero album which is due later this year.

Keen to find out more about Mark’s recruitment, how he will balance his commitments to two of the scene’s most prominent bands, and Ground Nero’s own plans for the future, I reached out to the genial Manxman and he responded immediately to my interview request. Many thanks to Mark for clearing up the remaining mysteries about his new role and. like many Ground Nero fans, I’m genuinely looking forward to hearing more from a project which never disappoints.

Ground Nero's music is available at Bandcamp.

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1. You’ve just been revealed as the “mystery new singer” of Ground Nero. Why was it such a secret, and was it hard to keep schtum for the past six months?

Mark Sayle: I think the initial idea was, if I recall correctly, that we'd run a competition and a fan who guessed my identity correctly would get a prize but that the 'grand unveiling' would be at our debut gig as Ground Nero 2.0 at Sinner's Day. That proved to be a little ambitious though as quite a few people recognised me.

It wasn't easy keeping quiet as I was so excited to be singing and writing lyrics for such a fantastic band. I told my immediate family, my partner in Mark E Moon (Phil Reynolds) and of course Andy and Suzy at Cold Transmission.  Everyone in the know has been very supportive and lovely.

2. Yes, quite a few people on the scene managed to guess your identity, had you realised that you have a very distinctive voice?

Mark Sayle: Rather typically, I had no idea my voice was distinctive (which Phil found hilarious, he wondered out loud how anyone would mistake it!) but apparently it has been noticed by quite a few people so I guess that's me told!

3. How did the role in Ground Nero come about? Did you know the two Peters personally already? Did you have to audition, or was it a straight invitation?

Mark Sayle: I was Facebook friends with Nomad (Peter Smeets) but didn't really know the guys at all. Nomad had heard the Mark E Moon album Refer and was very impressed with my vocals. He contacted me with the intention of the three of us doing a sort of side project. Once he had sent me some music and I had put some vocals down for our first collaboration (the single In The Blood) it became apparent we had something special. I was asked if I would be interested in singing for Ground Nero and I was absolutely floored. This amazing, legendary group whose songs resonated with so many people, wanted me to sing for them! Of course, I said yes.

4. You were presumably already a fan of Ground Nero before you joined the band, can you remember when you first heard them, and what you liked about their sound?

Mark Sayle: I heard Ground Nero in or about early 2019. I was immediately drawn to that huge “wall of sound”. They had an awesome, very dark, presence and I was immediately drawn to it. When W Festival asked for suggestions for another act on the bill for their (unfortunately cancelled) 2020 Festival, I was one of many, many fans that asked specifically for Ground Nero.

5. Your vocal style is very different to your predecessor in the band, Gwijde. Which songs from the Ground Nero back catalogue (the Divergence album and two EPs) do you think will particularly suit your voice for live performances?

Mark Sayle: I'm really looking forward to playing with GN. I think, however, that the main focus will be on looking forward. There are some songs from the back catalogue which I'd love to tackle (Run From Your Relatives is a favourite for me) and there are some I think that would be better left alone. Gwijde is such a distinctive vocalist and I don't know that I want to try to reinterpret what he has done so fantastically already.

As a 'Ground Nero 2.0' we are more interested in looking forward and bringing the fans a fresh, new experience.

6. With the twin complications of Brexit and Coronavirus, have you been able to meet up with the guys in the studio, or has it all been done digitally and remotely? Will you be spending any time in Belgium?

Mark Sayle: So far it has all been digitally via Skype and working in our own separate studios. The Isle Of Man was effectively locked down for a year or more and travel has only just restarted. I'll definitely be spending some time in Belgium later in the year though, we have a good few shows and I'm really looking forward to rehearsing the new material (and maybe a couple of oldies) with the guys.

7. How does the songwriting process work? Does Nomad produce a full backing track and you add the lyrics and vocal to suit, or is it a more back-and-forth process?

Mark Sayle: Typically, Nomad and Peter send me an instrumental demo, to which I'll write lyrics, add vocals and occasionally edit a little to help the song 'flow' a bit more. I'll send it back to Nomad and he'll then take the vocal take into the studio, undo any unnecessary edits (haha) and rerecord the track properly. Recently, Peter has supplied a bassline and Nomad has written guitars and keys around it before sending to me. It's worked wonderfully so far, it's a very natural way to work for me.

8. You were already combining being in two bands, Mark E Moon and Slow Decay. Are you planning on keeping your commitment to all three?

Mark Sayle: Slow Decay has been on hiatus for nearly two years at this point and, while I would never want to drop it completely, it is definitely on a back burner. Mark E Moon and Ground Nero are my main focus for the foreseeable future.

9. There’s been a hugely positive critical reaction to the three digital singles which have been released so far this year. Is there a new album in the pipeline, and if so, when can we expect it?

Mark Sayle: The reaction to the singles has been amazing. Old fans and new have been very kind and said lots of nice things.

We're working hard on a new album and already have a wealth of material. We would expect the release to coincide with Sinner’s Day [1st November] but don't quote me on that haha!

10. As you said, Ground Nero are booked to play at Sinner’s Day later this year, on the Belgian stage. Will that be your debut gig with the band? Which other bands on the bill are you looking forward to watching or hanging out with?    

Mark Sayle: Sinner’s Day will be my first gig with the band, although we hope to get a good bit of rehearsal in ahead of that, and we hope to put on an amazing show for the fans.

As for other acts on the bill, I'm really looking forward to seeing The Chameleons, Gary Numan, Minuit Machine and She Past Away among others. Back when I was fronting the punk band Poison Hearts we supported both the UK Subs and The Stranglers so it would be great to see them again and catch up. Charlie Harper of the Subs also happens to be one of my favourite humans so it'd be great chatting to him again. I'd really like to meet Hélène from Minuit Machine/Hante, as I think she's one of the best songwriters out there at the moment and of course, Your Life On Hold would be great to meet too, they make such great songs. To be fair I'd be happy to meet anyone on the bill as it's a fantastic line up this year.

The best new June releases

 "At midnight, in the month of June, I stand beneath the mystic moon." (Edgar Allan Poe)

June was traditionally a month when the music scene in the Northern Hemisphere began to wind down towards the summer festival season, with the university towns and their lucrative circuit of gigs closing down for the academic year, but on the goth scene it has always been a time for significant releases (Juju, arguably the quintessential genre-defining album, came out in this month forty years ago), and 2021 is proving to be no exception, with a plethora of emerging and more established artists on the current scene releasing new music this month.

This was originally planned to be the Goth/Post-Punk Revival blog’s second quarterly review for this calendar year, but this is already the third batch of highlights, an acceleration purely dictated by the sheer number of quality releases already this year as we reach its midway point. From dark pop to full-blown gothic rock, the sub-genre niches continue to develop with ever-evolving soundscapes to entice the listener, and this month’s round-up may be the best yet.

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1.       Then Come Silence - When You’re Gone

Goth/Post-Punk Revival’s favourite current band is back with a brand-new song part-premiered in the stunning live-streamed show from the dungeons of the Swedish Royal Palace earlier this year. When You’re Gone should become a staple on the playlists of alternative (and not just exclusively goth) radio stations around the planet, with Alex Svenson’s strong baritone vocal over a melodic post-punk soundscape with the dark duelling guitars of Hugo Zombie and Mattias Ruejas Jonsson providing an edge to a track which is very much in the vein of our 2020 album of the year Machine.

 2.       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 return with a more challenging yet ultimately rewarding set of generally more stripped-back tracks where raw emotion is 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 dramatic climaxes were ten-a-penny.

 3.       A Pale Horse Named Death – Believe In Something (You Are Lost)

Even in these mask-dominated times, I can imagine the open-mouthed horror of elder goth gate-keepers at the inclusion of APHND in this run-down. Doomgaze, goth grunge, stoner metal, or however you categorise them, the band fronted by ex-Type O Negative sticksman Sal Abruscano is peerless when on top form (as on this new single) when it comes to surprisingly uplifting doomy minor-key melancholia. So what if it has more than a hint of classic early nineties Alice In Chains, turn this up, listen to the affirmative mental health message of the lyrics, close your eyes and imagine that liberating weightless feeling of crowdsurfing over a moshpit. Glance skywards, and you might just see the late, great Peter Steele nodding along to this appreciatively.

 4.       Vazum – Loved 2 Death

If Type O Negative represent the past of guitar-based goth, Detroit duo Vazum are very much its present and future. After a series of well-received earlier gothgaze releases with other musicians, main man Zach Pliska recruited bassist and vocalist Emily Sturm for a couple of lockdown EPs last year celebrating Hallowe’en and Christmas with a dark twist, taking the band’s sound in a unique and thrilling new direction which reaches its apotheosis with the release this week of new album V+. Combining the cool, churning, driving beat of Curve with the clashing and occasionally cacophonously discordant guitars of Siouxsie and the Banshees, Loved 2 Death is typical of the distinctive, full-on yet mildly disturbing Vazum sound.

 5.       Nox Novacula - Ascension

Also moving up to the A League with their latest release is another US act Nox Novacula, who mix a strong female vocal with a slightly raspy deathrock guitar sound in a deliberately fuzzy mix, giving the impression of a grungier, more muscular Ghost Dance, on their new album Ascension. The title track is a great gateway to what is an impressively consistent album as a whole, with both power and melody lending the overall sound an anthemic feel.

 6.       1919 – TV Love

Veterans 1919 are back with a great new album, Citizens of Nowhere, with UK scene regular (and album producer) Simon “Ding” Archer replacing the equally experienced Karl Donner on bass. The recruitment of the comparatively youthful Rio Goldhammer had brought a new energy and political conscience to the reformed band on recent albums, and teaser single Singing to the Universe’s radio-friendly chorus might have led some scene observers to the conclusion that the band was aiming at a more mainstream alternative audience. However, on tracks like TV Love, sole founder member Mick Reed’s punishing syncopated tribal beat remains the dominant sound, reminiscent of those early single releases which brought accusations of Killing Joke plagiarism, with typically fine creative guitar work from Sam Evans, who keeps the spirit of the late Mark Tighe alive within the group whilst never attempting to merely imitate him.

 7.       Black Angel – Serene

The rise and rise of Bristol-born Matt Vowles’ Black Angel project continues unabated with a third consecutive killer album entitled Prince of Darkness. The overall sound might be so “old school” that the desks have inkwells, but 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. 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.

 8.       Ground Nero – The Promise

After debuting their new line-up with the single Into The Blood at the start of the year, Belgian trio Ground Nero are back with an even more perfect exposition of their self-proclaimed “gothic wall of sound” in new song Promise. If there’s a better intro to any track this year I have yet to hear it, with the wonderful deep, ringing tone of main writer Nomad’s guitar blasting the eardrums from the opening chord, with other trademark meandering riffs in the middle-eight. Bassist Phil keeps the beat metronomic to better showcase the excellent lower range of the (still) mystery new singer (although eagle-eyed viewers may have a better idea having seen this video!). Having scored this blog’s album of the year in 2019 with Divergence, Ground Nero will be strong contenders again this time around when they work these full-blooded new songs into a full set.

 9.       Ashes Fallen - Vampira -The Ballad of Maila

Ashes Fallen have been on the scene for a few years now, but have significantly upper their game on new album A Fleeting Melody Out Of A Fading Dream, with James Perry’s vocals much stronger than on previous releases and the ubiquitous Gordon Young’s crystal sharp mastering adding extra layers of depth to the overall sound. Lead single Vampira gave a glimpse of the increased production values which have added an extra gloss the band’s overall image, style and sound, moving them closer to Black Angel territory.

 10.   Adrenochrome – The Knife

With their Sisters-referencing name this band (a kind of Oakland supergroup featuring members of Otzi and Cruz de Navajas amongst others) were always onto a winner in my eyes, and there is some of the charm of the early Sisters’ habit of building a song round simple and repeated riffs, although in truth the overall sound of The Knife is more reminiscent of punkier female-fronted bands like Brigandage and Xmal Deutschland which can surely only be a good thing.

 11.   Permafrost – Closed Eyes

Naming bands after my all-time favourite songs is clearly becoming a thing, although there’s not an obvious Magazine influence on this band from the beautiful Norwegian coastal town of Molde. New single Closed Eyes is typical of their modern wave sound which they appropriately describe as “optimistic melancholy”, with vibes of The Cure, Holygram and fellow countrymen Mayflower Madame along the way.

 12.   Hallowed Hearts – Supernova

Another one for fans of The Sisters of Mercy, Hallowed Hearts take the mood and (why not?) the melody of all-era goth classic Marian as the basis for the stark upbeat gothgaze of new single Supernova, the lead track of the New York band’s excellent five track EP, which also features their take on a song well-known to fans of The Sisters’ 90’s incarnation, Pink Floyd’s Comfortably Numb.

 13.   Dresden – Inevitable

Argentinian duo Dresden follow-up their successful 2020 debut EP La Revelacion del Vacio with another EP Ignis Era, whose lead track Inevitable is drenched in the archetypal 2020’s heavily reverberated Cure-esque guitar tone popularised by Antipole, embellished here with mid-tempo goth rock which contains all the usual elements, from breathy low-in-the-mix vocals to occasional swirls of synth.

 14.   Esses – Little Mouse

Little Mouse is the first track pre-released from Oakland band Esses’ forthcoming LP, Bloodletting For The Lonely, which has the unbeatable deathrock credentials of being produced by the legendary Skot B and being released on Poland’s Bat-Cave label. Little Mouse is exactly the kind of energetically shouty unsettling deathrock punk one would expect from the band, with all the loose edges mercifully left intact.

 15.   149 – Vertigo

Back to the East Coast for another band who put the punk into post-punk. Vertigo is the opening song of 149’s self-titled debut EP and from the opening riff which borrows heavily from Killing Joke’s Pssyche, the track is a thrillingly low-fi electropunk ride. The rest of the EP fulfils the promise of the opener, albeit a little less breathlessly, allowing for a little more light and shade into a sound that is definitely zeitgeist-capturing.

 16.   Underground Fire – Passage

Fans of trad goth rock will lover this new track from Scandanavian goth'n'roll scene veteran Rob Coffinshaker’s current project, with the Swede in fine crooning form over another song which leans heavily on Steinman-era Sisters. Retro? - yes, uncomplicated? - yes, shamelessly unoriginal? – yes,  but there’s a great foot-tapping chorus, some classic riffing and a timeless feel to a track that is quintessentially goth.

 17.   Slow Danse With The Dead – Forget Me Not

It wouldn’t be a proper Goth/Post-Punk Revival blog round-up if it didn’t contain an excellent new release from the ever-prolific New Mexico one-man band Slow Danse With The Dead. Although the usual melancholy, semi-deadpan vocal is very much on display on Forget Me Not, the minimalist misery-goth sound has been fleshed out with some plaintive echoing guitar in a pleasing new direction from a project which never fails to deliver.

 18.   Kaelan Mikla - Ósýnileg

Ósýnileg is the second single of the year from Icelandic ice queens Kaelan Mikla, whose journey towards global dark synthpop world dominance continues with a frankly somewhat dull and saccharine-coated song which has more in common with the production heavy likes of Strawberry Switchblade and Dubstar than their own raw and energetic early efforts, although the main repeated one-finger synth motif means that the sound is still instantly recognisable as Kaelan Mikla.

 19.   New Haunts – Still Dark Sky

If Kaelan Mikla’s crown seems to be slipping somewhat, into the breach storm UK act New Haunts with their debut for seminal label Cold Transmission Records, Still Dark Sky. The title track is effortlessly cool dark electro, mixing a breathy and occasionally pitchy Alice Sheridan vocal with a deceptively simple haunting melody over an eminently dark and danceable beat.

20.   Dark – In The Shadows

Hamburg-based alternative dancefloor champion Dark is back with another killer synth riff and accompanying beautifully shot video with In The Shadows. The very epitome of the current club-based electro-goth sound, In The Shadows again features an ultra-bass male vocal over a 160 bpm backing, carrying on the great work of last year’s debut EP Nightmare.

Ten Further Questions to ... Matt Vowles (Black Angel)

 

Over the past two years, Black Angel have risen to the forefront of the goth revival, with a winning formula of memorable choruses, clean vocals, ringing guitars, driving basslines and thoroughly professional production. The brainchild of musician Matt Vowles, who grow up in the vibrant UK goth scene of the 1980’s. Black Angel hark back to the time when goth music was prominent in the musical mainstream, and the band’s winning mix of melody and passion pays tribute to the major players of that classic era without ever trying to imitate them.

Today is the official release date of Black Angel’s third album, Prince of Darkness, which further refines the band’s vision which was first revealed on the stunning debut album The Widow and its impressive follow-up Kiss of Death. With Corey Landis’ trademark vocal multi-tracked one octave apart usually to the fore, Black Angel’s songs range from up-tempo gothabilly rockers to dreamier, more languid tracks where Vowles’ guitar licks shimmer and shine.

Fans of old school gothic rock with some pop sensibilities intact will love both the sheer professionalism of the overall sound and the obvious strength of the songwriting on an album which will further cement the band’s growing reputation and act as a gateway artist for more “elder goths” to discover the respectfully creative work being produced by new artists on the scene.

Impressive graphics, innovative marketing campaigns, high quality videos and strong fan engagement have undoubtedly all been key strands of Black Angel’s success to date, but as with the previous releases, it is the sheer quality of the music on Prince of Darkness which will continue to grow Black Angel’s reputation as one of the most reliable – and potentially most commercially successful -  bands on the scene, with many fans pre-ordering the latest album on the strength of debut single Live to Love alone.

Keen to hear more about the album and its genesis, I contacted Matt Vowles for a further interview (see his previous interviews for Goth/Post-Punk Revival here and here) and was delighted when he agreed to discuss not only the current album and the classic Black Angel sound, but also his views on the current scene and his plans for the future. My grateful thanks to Matt who becomes the first person to face the Ten Questions for a third time!

Black Angel’s music can be sampled then bought from their Bandcamp pages.

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1.       Your new album is entitled Prince of Darkness, a name associated with amongst others, Satan, Ozzy Osborne and UK spin doctor Peter Mandelson. Was it more cinematic references which attracted you to the phrase?

 

Yes the new Black Angel album is called Prince of Darkness as it is totally influenced by cinema and romance, think of Gary Oldman in Dracula in the early part of the 21st century. It has nothing to do with Satan or devil worship - this is pure decadence and romance - although he’s a vampire, so he might end up killing you…so there’s that!

 2.       The first single from the new album, Live to Love, has a distinctive “gothabilly” beat which was increasingly prevalent on the second album Kiss of Death, whilst the other teaser tracks like the album opener Alive and Serene have a rockier, more darkwave feel more like those on your debut The Widow. What is your thought process when deciding which track to put out as a single?

 

Live to Love definitely did have more of a thundering psychobilly beat to it, I’m a big fan of the Meteors too - that inspired the feel of this song -  and when I listen through the songs deciding which would be good to put up as a single this one came up trumps. It just has that feel to it I think people will latch onto immediately. It actually came at the 11th hour - I decided to move Duran Duran’s The Chauffeur to our next album as I didn’t feel as though it was quite the right fit so for this one, so I wrote Live To Love at the last minute - then got it over to Corey and it all came together very quickly -  I was super pleased with the end result so I thought, why not put it out as a single?

 3.       You seem to now have a settled line-up, with Corey continuing on vocal duties after the change of singer between the first two albums. Do you foresee any further additions to the line-up in the future?

 

As long as Corey will have me this is the line-up for keeps now. This album had a really good feel to it and Corey has really found his feet and is considered as important as the music is for Black Angel.  It's worked out great, it definitely feels like you can’t have one without the other now. Corey’s vocal takes on this album have been perfect from the faster up-tempo numbers to the one or two slower more ballad-like tracks at the end of side two. We recorded all of the vocals remotely again, the process is that he will give me about 6 to 8 versions of each song in a low register and I basically go through and edit to comp track in that lower register. I then send it back to him and he does an octave up version.

The lower octave is the bones of the vocal track and gives it stability and then the higher register vocal gives it the sparkly stuff - and the balance between the two works out really, really well. He totally crushed it on this album.

On Prince of Darkness I wanted to explore a little more. I consider myself as a guitarist, if you would put me on the spot, extremely weak, but put me in the studio and give me time and I can normally come up with something pretty cool, given enough inspiration as well.  Sometimes you just get super lucky and a riff just happens at the time, as you can be going round and round for hours and it drives you totally nuts!

 4.       Your own guitar sound is actually much admired by other guitarists on the scene. Can you tell me a bit about the set-up you used in the studio on the new album, and your favorite FX pedals etc.

 For Black Angel the guitar sound is essential, maybe not the most essential but is definitely up there. The bass and the drum sound have to be exact and the guitars have to complement so I do spend a lot of time trying to find Guitar tones that I like. I’m a big Line 6 fan and I use, in no particular order, the Pocket Pod, AmplifyTT, the HDX500, and Helix.

 I tend to download tones from the Internet and tweak them like many people do, but yes, Line 6 is my favorite, and if they would like to endorse me and send me all of the gear I’m fine with that!  :-) 

 5.       The global pandemic put paid to any opportunity to tour the last album. Do you aim to tour more extensively and play festivals etc when this becomes possible?

Black Angel are extensively a studio band - we have played before in LA but I tend to direct myself to writing and producing songs and albums and making music videos etc. I get a kick out of the creative side and can’t help but keep doing it - if I don’t, it drives me crazy. I did like it when we played live though, maybe when we get a little bit of a bigger following we’ll be invited to play at some bigger festivals - that would be so awesome!

 6.       The last year has seen a rise in the political conscience of the goth movement in general, with BLM and the US presidential elections for example. Is this something which is reflected in the new Black Angel album lyrically, or are you still primarily writing about relationships?

This is something I stay out of. Yes, Facebook over the last year has had quite the roller coaster ride with the goth scene. For me, and many will disagree, my music is not about politics and has no connection with that whatsoever, it doesn’t need to be - for me it’s mostly about life, love, and relationships, And that’s already a lot of ground cover.

I want a Black Angel project to be about escapism, I’m not trying to make a statement, I want you to listen and enjoy it and get a kick out of it and dance on the dance floor when you hear it in a club I just want people to feel good when they hear it.

 7.       When Black Angel first arrived on the scene, your reference points were very much UK first generation bands like The Damned and The Cult, and on Bandcamp you suggest that the new CD would sit well between those of Bauhaus and The Sisters in your average goth’s collection. Now that you’ve been around for a while, are there other bands of the current goth revival who have impressed you as similarly carrying on the flame from earlier times?

That’s a really tough question and I think to make it easy and for nobody to get offended, I think I’m just going to stick with nobody in the goth revival movement right now is really even close to what I think was the pinnacle of goth music in the 80s, Black Angel included. Now this is my opinion, and I feel music is totally subjective, so this is where I’m coming from. 

I’d like to expand on that -  I don’t think a lot of this is the fault of the bands. I think it’s a fault of the industry at large, as bands are not being taken under the wing of larger labels and engineers and producers and being nurtured into what the big goth bands that before us went through. They are not getting to see the whole process, they are just, which is very important indeed, making the music and the putting it out themselves. But...I think it needs the rest of the layers with it, I think it needs large scale production. That doesn’t mean it needs to sound epic, it just means it needs to feel extremely well-crafted by producers that have been doing this for decades.

WE are definitely in the same boat -  I consider myself a producer but I do not consider myself anywhere near on the same level as many of the producers that have come before me, particularly in the 80's. This is what is missing: I wish the music industry would sort itself out and return to what was a winning formula. Bands need to be discovered, they need to be signed to an honest label, they need to be crafted, mentored, and to go through the system and be allowed to grow as artists. The music industry has never been at such an all-time low, it’s complete chaos right now, but this is a bigger question for maybe another time. However, just to add to that, the music industry consumers are maybe at an all-time high, with companies such as BANDCAMP helping artists, as it seems as though the consumer wants to buy the physical merchandise of compact discs and vinyls from those bands and support them, that is absolutely fantastic and could not be better: it’s the front end of the process that needs to be fixed.

 8.       You recently celebrated your fiftieth birthday. Was Black Angel a project which you wanted to get fully up and running before reaching that milestone? If so, what is your next target musically?

 Yes, it was my 50th recently and definitely a milestone but thankfully I skated right through it without any scars 🙂

Since Black Angel was founded three years ago, I have definitely found my musical calling and I will continue to write for as long as it gives me pleasure to do so and hopefully people will continue to respond to it. I’ve already got the next four albums mapped out!

We are so thankful for everybody’s support, especially our Bandcamp supporters, over the last three years, it’s been totally amazing and I am constantly blown away by the response.

 9.       Like most other artists on the current scene, you have a full-time day job, family responsibilities etc. How difficult is it to find time for Black Angel?

Yes, I do have a family, children, and a full-time job, thankfully I’ve been a Re-Recording Mixer in the film and television industry for nearly 3 decades so I am at a level where stress is a lot more reduced than it used to be - and although it can be very intense sometimes timewise it always seems to have worked out with my musical projects - and I always have always found time to do them.

Although, many people asked me ‘when do you sleep?’ And I always have to remind myself as I have a tattoo on my arm that says ‘never enough’ inside of a hourglass timer, at the bottom is a skull and it the top is a tropical beach scene, I have to remind myself that I can’t kill myself trying to get to the pinnacle of all my goals or when I do reach it, that I will be so exhausted and half-dead I won’t want to do anything else - so there’s always a fine balance between family, career and music. It also helps if you have a totally awesome wife and partner (thanks Catherine:)

 10.   I get the impression that you are a prolific songwriter and had most of the Prince of Darkness album already written when Kiss of Death was released. Will there be a similarly short wait before the fourth album? Do you have any songs already written for it?

You are correct, I am always creating and thinking about the next step. After I finish an album I have to go through the publicity stage and normally during that time it isn’t very creative for me, so I need to start writing again - so after Kiss of Death was released, I already had half of Prince of Darkness written musically and now over these next few weeks as Prince of Darkness comes out and we get into the publicity stage, I’m already itching to get the guitars out and in fact, while I think - while I am answering your questions - I’m thinking that maybe in a moment, after this last question, I can sneak in a couple of hours of writing the next album…..

And off he went into his studio, to work on tracks for the next Black Angel album, tentatively and appropriately (Matt knows his market!) entitled The Devil In The Black Dress. The third album, Prince of Darkness, is out today, and is highly recommended to all fans of 80's goth. My thanks again to Matt for his time and for the music!

Ten More Questions to ... Joel Heyes (Byronic Sex & Exile)

 One man project Byronic Sex & Exile is not only one of the most prolific acts on the current goth scene, but also arguably the most interesting, as evidenced by the latest release, a digital-only mini-album with the arguably tautological title Yorkshire Gothic. Although firmly based in the epicentre of “Goth’s Own County”, the city of Leeds where The Sisters of Mercy formed in 1980, BS&E main man Joel Heyes has cast his net to the further reaches of the county on this latest set of songs which are based on folk legends which prove that the region has a link with things dark and mysterious which significantly pre-dates not the music scene of the past four decades but the mid-nineteenth century novels of the Brontё sisters and Bram Stoker’s 1890’s tale Dracula which was dramatically set in the coastal town of Whitby (now the home of several annual goth festivals).

Heyes carefully researched the various spooky tales which tell of ancient themes like vengeance and fear, whether the phantom coach that rose into the air and swooped up the 199 steps to the cliffltop graveyard of Whitby Abbey to collect any fisherman and sailors who had died on terra firma and swept them over the cliffs to their rightful resting place in the North Sea (The Coach), local witch Mary Bateman who suffered the occupational hazard of being hung in York in 1809 having been found guilty of murder (The Witch), or the mystery location on York’s river Ouse where five stones dropped into the water would turn the fast-flowing stream into a mirror which would reveal the person concerned’s future (The Mirror), and his well-crafted lyrics imbue the resultant songs with a genuine air of mystique.

Sonically the tracks range from slower ballads where Heyes once again successfully harnesses his inner Nick Cave such as The Witch or The Sea (a story about fantastical mermaids in the old fishing port of Staithes), or more upbeat darkwave like the fuller arrangements of The Barghest (about a mythical black beast with crimson eyes which was a harbinger of death) and The Mirror, possibly the strongest track, which is set over a Bauhaus-esque syncopated backbeat. Arguably the most “on point” song is The Saint, which tells of the misfortune of those who removed (at the time of the English Reformation) the bells from St Hilda’s (Whitby Abbey) over an almost danceable beat, whilst the more muffled closing song The Hermit was recorded live on bleak Ilkley Moor itself, the erstwhile abode of the titular loner.

Most artists would be happy just to upload the album to Bandcamp and Spotify and wait for the meagre royalties to trickle in, but Heyes, the hardest working man in goth and ever the romantic, not only produced a couple of live stream shows from his own candle-lit living room whilst swigging from a goblet of blood-red wine but set off by public transport, locks flowing and guitar case in hand, to perform windswept mini-sets troubadour-style from dramatic locations like the US radar listening station at Fylingdales, the hill opposite Whitby Abbey and even Ilkley Moor itself, before withdrawing to the fireside snug of a country village pub for a well-deserved pint of Guinness and the obligatory weather-beaten social media selfie.

Keen to discover more about the release of Yorkshire Gothic and its accompanying tour, I got in touch with Joel and was both grateful and delighted when he agreed to answer ten more questions, having already responded to an initial batch last Spring when BS&E’s excellent Romanian-influenced album Cu Foc was released. I also took the opportunity to throw in questions about his continued fundraising efforts for a refugee charity, his recent purchase of a hearse (!), and his plans for the future.

 

Like other Byronic Sex & Exile releases, Yorkshire Gothic is available on Bandcamp.

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1.       Whilst most artists licked their wounds and retreated to the studio during the pandemic, you continued to perform live, streaming regular intimate solo shows from the comfort of your own home. How difficult was it to perform just looking at a device rather than an appreciative audience?

It was pretty difficult after a while – I think the novelty of livestream shows started wearing off for everyone towards the end of last year, and as a performer it’s pretty boring and mundane to do shows to camera like that. Everyone had to suddenly become experts in video editing, sound engineering, and mime, in order to do a show. Plus I also had to completely turn my flat upside down to set up for one, which I was pretty sick of doing. So although I think I gave it a good go and made the best of it, I’m very happy to begin the transition back to more standard live shows.

 

2.       You released an EP last autumn and more recently a new release entitled Yorkshire Gothic, which is lyrically inspired by some spooky Yorkshire folk tales. Where did you learn about these stories, and do you see the “goth” movement of the last forty years as being a continuation of that local heritage?

 

I like to think of it that way, although that’s probably a minority opinion. Although Leeds is very much the centre of the goth scene in Yorkshire, I think it’s also clear that we all like travelling out towards the periphery – York, then the moors and then Whitby – and I like to think there is a link between the scene and the cultural memory of our collective, eerie legacy. So I tend to consider the moors as the Mississippi Delta of Goth, in a way. In terms of the stories themselves, I like to spend  weekend breaks at a hotel overlooking the east coast outside Whitby during the winter, which tends to involve a 3-mile walk over the countryside from the main road, and I collected a few things to read in that environment - The Caedmon Storytellers books were all very important, as was ‘Ghosts & Legends of Yorkshire’ by Andy Roberts. Others I found out about more naturally, such as that of the hermit of Ilkley Moor which I discovered through a pub in Wharfedale named after him that I used to drink at.

 

3.       Whilst “normal” live shows are still banned in the UK, to celebrate the release of Yorkshire Gothic you boldly managed to put together a one-man tour of notable outdoor locations across the county, just you and your guitar, troubadour-style, streamed live on Facebook. Looking back on what was clearly quite an arduous trek by public transport during a pandemic, what do you feel that the tour achieved?

 

Apart from some great memories, such as performing ‘51^st State’ by New Model Army outside the American base at Fylingdales (after being moved on by the police!) and performing a full set overlooking Whitby bay, it was a great exercise in recovering my self-respect as a performer after being out of commission due to lockdown. It’s actually much better to perform to the crows in a field outside Pickering than it is to do yet another Facebook live event, strangely enough. Plus it’s always valuable to see these things through – I love putting crazy ideas into practice. But ultimately, it was great to bring those songs into the environment they were written for, as it created great energy.

 

4.       Yorkshire Gothic marks a return to home after the Romanian themes of the previous album Cu Foc. Will you be revisiting Transylvanian themes on future releases?

 

Well, I think it’s inevitable that I’ll do something around the vampire/Dracula themes that I avoided on Cu Foc, but that’s a while off yet. What I would like to do is bring Cu Foc to a proper show sooner rather than later, as it was never really performed in full last year. Plus I’ve mostly finished an alternative mix of that album which I’ll be making available on my Patreon (when I get round to launching it!).

 

5.       The tour reminded me a bit of other heroic ventures which ended up being chronicled in written travelogue form, like “Round Ireland With A Fridge” or “The Uke of Wellington”. Have you ever thought of documenting your life as a national gothic treasure in a more literary format?

 

I am actually writing a mock-memoir called I, Wessie – mostly a tongue-in-cheek gothic bitchfest where the beans are spilled without discretion. But as ever, I need the time to write it. And a good lawyer!

 

6.       Has the Yorkshire Gothic trek whetted your appetite for fuller tours when the possibility returns, hopefully later in 2021?

 

Yep – got a full, two-week tour in September ready to announce to support the next album proper (Unrepentant Thunder, which is out in August). Being able to tour extensively is one of the advantages that the BS&E project really has, and it’s easily my favourite thing to do as a musician.

 

7.       BS&E now seems to be having more of a global reach, with more bloggers, DJs and reviewers picking up on the project. What would be your ideal next step - would you like to play WGT, one of the emerging US or Belgian goth festivals, or head to Latin America for example?

 

I’m extremely keen to play outside of the UK, so any European shows would be the practical next step – although post-Brexit logistics make these things difficult. I was actually looking to organise a few shows through my contacts in France, Germany and especially Italy – which was one of the strongest bases of support for BS&E from the start – but COVID saw to that. But I would especially like to play Greece (particularly Athens and Missolonghi) with the next album, as that would tie in very nicely with the Byron theme it deals with.

 

8.       Your own credentials as Leeds’ unofficial current Godfather of Goth have been further boosted (not that that was necessary) by your recent purchase of an old hearse as your form of personal transport. What kind of reaction has there been locally?

 

I’m glad to say that the reaction has been generally positive – a hearse hasn’t really raised an eyebrow in Leeds 6, funnily enough! Plus when it turned up everyone assumed it was mine anyway, which is the kind of brand recognition that you have to be happy with. Probably fair to say that everyone I encounter these days talks to me about it (whether I want to or not). Fun times ahead with it, certainly.

 

9.       You’ve always had a very clear political conscience and have supported refugee and asylum-seeker charity PAFRAS through both compilation albums that you’ve put together and with the proceeds of live events which you’ve put on as part of Goth City. Are you encouraged to see that, in the wake of BLM, the worldwide gothic community has nailed its colours to the mast of inclusion and diversity?

 

I’m glad where it happens, but it’s very much an uphill struggle at the moment. The general understanding of political ideas, within society as a whole not just within the goth scene, is so poor and suggestible that it’s a matter of being constantly alert for reactionary elements within the scene – as well as supporting those who are making their voices heard against them. So I’m encouraged, but we all have a long way to go.

 

10.   You’re just back from the Yorkshire Gothic tour and you’ve immediately set off to walk along historic Hadrian’s Wall again just now to raise more funds for PAFRAS. Do you ever rest?

 

When the work is done (or mostly done!) I’m actually on holiday next week, so I’ll be watching all the matches in the Euros on TV and having all the wine & Guinness I can take. Then it’s time to finish the next album…

 

Huge thanks to Joel for taking the time in his ultra-busy schedule to answer my questions. All photos are taken from the BS&E Facebook page. You can still sponsor Joel for his recently completed charity walk here