Morbid Outlook - In Rotation, July 2004

It’s been four years since we heard from Attrition, and it’s been worth the wait! True to form, this album is one that has you gushing all sorts of poetic adjectives. (I’ll try not to indulge here). Suffice to say from the moment you press, “Play” it mesmerizes. From the intro, “Andante” to the last track“Still Life”, it’s a perfect seduction that takes hold of you and does not let go. Martin’s growls, juxtaposed over haunting operatic vocals, lush effects with sound bites judiciously placed complete the work. Dante’s Kitchen demands repeated listening and you will happily comply! (Reviewed by KM)

Long awaited new output from the reknowned belle noir group. Just what you’d expect from them... only more and better. How they attain such a condensed profundity of sound is, as it should be, a mystery. Beautiful mix of electronic and acoustic music providing plenty of awe and frissons. (Reviewed by AF)

For more information, check out their site at www.attrition.co.uk

Track Listing: Endif - Ashes, PTI - Icons, Y-Luk-o - Further, CEOXiME - Beg ‘n’ Plead, Infinity Interrupt - S.E.P., Cruciform Injection - My Solution, Sealed in Silence - Todeswunsch, Cryostate - Slow Assphyxiation, 12 Stitches - Sickness, Lukotyk - Let Go of Me, Compliant - Wide Eyed Innocent.

Ok, I’ll admit I tend to be jaded about what passes for “Industrial” these days. So much of it is just a blurred mash-up of the old-school innovators (shame on you if you don't know who)! So I was pleasantly surprised listening to this compilation. Granted, there are echoes of Cabaret, T.G., Skinny and the like, but on the whole, there’s some refreshing mutations in this “genre”, and this “genre” is “Hard-Electronic/Industrial”, as defined by the Thirdwave Collective.

This bunch has taken upon themselves to push the envelope further promoting the North American talent of said “genre”. Despite the onslaught of this new music category, these people are on to something. For example: Compliant have some fun mixing up the theme from “Halloween” into their schizophrenic “Wide Eyed Innocent”, while Endif build a solid groove that grows with intensity with their track, “Ashes”. “Sickness” by 12 Stitches also has a infectious groove guaranteed to get you moving. Even Infinity Interrupt’s, “S.E.P.” sampling of the eponymous Carmina Burana (remember Apotheosis scandalous take on this?) is novel in its approach. It’s encouraging when come across a collection like this, especially when you feel you’re being force-fed your fiftieth cheeseburger. Take heart, here some cultural fibre for ya! (Reviewed by KM)

Track Listing: Swamped, Heaven’s A Lie, Daylight Dancer, Humane, Self Deception, Aeon, Tightrope, the Ghost Woman And The Hunter, the Prophet Said, Angel’s Punishment, Comalies.

In the last decade Goths started owning up about their metal influences, and forerunners Type O Negative certainly helped establish it as well. Since then, “Goth-Metal” – if you wanna call it that – has flooded the market often for the worse. Italy’s Lacuna Coil however, has always had some artistic merit, and this latest effort is testament of that.

While lyrically the songs are bombastic, there is some nice embroidering of music here. Heavy, without being leaden. Operatic, without being melodramatic. “Swamped” is a very sexy track with Zeppelin undertones. While “Aeon,” is down right pretty. Christina’s vocals definitely infuse life into these songs. There’s a sincerity here that is so lacking with so many bands. As far as I’m concerned, Evanescence should be taking notes. So if you’re still apologizing for your metal tastes, Lacuna Coil should rectify that. It’s like Count Chocula – c’mon you know you wannit! (Reviewed by KM)

Italian dark metal band featuring male/female vocals over multiple guitar textures and a fine rhythm section. Not your usual headbanger outfit, despite being included in the current Ozzfest lineup. Cristina Scabbia’s lovely, yet powerful voice frequently attains etherea, while Andrea Ferro provides the masculine growl (and also fine vox claire). Quality musicianship throughout, sans much of the usual riff-happy pyrotechnics and pomp associated with the genre. Everything seems geared toward service of the muses, rather than insufferable human vanity. (Reviewed by AF)

For more information, check out www.centurymedia.com

Track Listing: Doomsday Averted, Secret Message, Possum of the Grotto, If Your Kisses Can’t Hold the Man You Love, The Mayor, When I Count..., High On Life, Wicked Dickie, My Captivity By Savages, Saline the Salt Lake Queen, Oh Injury, When I Was a Young Girl, Momma Was an Opium Spoker, Nov. 17dee, Girls’ School.

The masters... er, mistresses of neo-Victorian chamber grunge (aka cello rock) are at it again. This is perhaps their best effort yet. The usual blend of black comedy, enlightenment, insight, surrealism, dada, and beauty... let’s not forget beauty. A must purchase – try to find a copy of the soft covered, limited edition, early release of the album, which contains a bonus CD of outtakes, alternate mixes, and songs that didn’t make the official release. Quite worth the effort if you can find one. Melora Creager’s voice has attained to a powerful vigor and soul these days, and the addition of underground sensation, Zoë Keating, on second cello brings an extra influx of creativity that most former members of the “Melora does it all” days seemed to lack. (Reviewed by AF)

For more information, check out rasputinacom.siteprotect.net/contents.html

Track Listing: America is Not the World, Irish Blood English Heart, I Have Forgiven Jesus, Come Back To Camden, I’m Not Sorry, This World is Full of Crashing Bores, How Can Anybody Possibly Know How I Feel?, First Of The Gang To Die, Let Me Kiss You, All The Lazy Dykes, I Like You, You Know I Couldn’t Last.

Now, I know plenty of folks are tired of hearing whiny ole Moz, but this album is fan-fucking-tastic, and I’ve had it on repeat for weeks. I’ll even go as far to say that this album holds the magic of The Smiths. That velvety voice delivers; from the bold lyrics “You know where you can shove your hamburger,” in “America is Not The World” to the poetic “I’m... slipping below the water line” in “I’m Not Sorry”, this is a tight album, and well-deserving of several listenings. (Reviewed by MM)

Track Listing: Ring Around The Rosey, So Saith the Song of the Sigurd, Kyrie Eleison, Pastime with Good Company, Solus, Maestitia Desperatio, Tempus Est Iocundum, Jubilation of Earthly Delights, Veni Veni Emmanuel, In Taberna Quando Sumus, Palastinalied, Dum Pater Familias, Palastinalied (21st Century Remix).

A medieval folkloric soundtrack that kicks off with an acidic rendering of “Ring Around The Rosey” to a club-beat version of “Palastinalied”. Definitely pure to its source and not of the neo-medieval genre. A bit of a dry listening, but fans of Unto Ashes and Qntal will certainly appreciate this release. (Reviewed by DK)

For more information, check out www.fossildungeon.com

Track Listing: 50 Cent Ring, Come With Me, Soft Lullaby, Sleepwalking, Keep Me, Naked, 4th Day, Bad Idea, Citygirl, Itch, Be Together.

Ambient synthgothdancepop? Female vocals vaguely reminiscient of My Scarlet Life with a dash of Blondie, sans any obvious guitars... lighter and missing that sense you are listening to a “band”. Good music to cruise by or dance yer buns off into the wee hours. Nice melodic touches and harmonic convolutions. Since I am not much of a fan of this genre, whatever it might be (I like mine darker and harder), I kept waiting for it to suck... but it didn’t. Damn, it even kept piquing my interest. Girlish in that manner of someone you can’t help being attracted to. (Reviewed by AF)

This album is pure girly pop on the new wave tip. Vocalist Christine Ingaldson brings early Madonna to mind. Consider it to be the coffee beans in between fragrances, something light to mix it up inbetween listenings. Though not my normal fare, this album is a lot of bouncy fun. (Reviewed by DK)