Track Listing: A Magic Bag, Our Flesh, Watching from the Darkest Places, Before These Crimes, One Less Day, I Want, Witches Gold, Memories Kill, Nightingale, Ombra Mai Fu.

Really solid! Beautiful, finely rendered, old-school gothic. This music features the kind of soul and refinement that only comes with years of dedicated playing accompanied by a belief in what you’re doing. This stuff has been on nearly continual replay since I got my hands on it, especially “One Less Day”, which I just can’t get enough of. The last track, “Ombra Mai Fu” is a real ear opener. It’s opera... and I don’t mean some sort of operatic goth/pop. Ya gotta love it. (reviewed by AF)

For more information, check out www.mephistowalz.com

Track Listing: The Gate, Amber, Faithless, Starsong, The Prisoner, Aftermath, Bloodwires, Painted On The Sky, Mystery Harbor, Crystal, The Sun Dance, Murrain, The Twilight Fades, Sandstorm.

Amid the throng of new gothic music, Ashengrace stands a winner. After a three year hiatus from the last album, Sandstorm is a dark delight of ambience; the lush soundscape of glimmering guitar and velvety vocals are something for dark shoegazers and gothic doomsters to take a note from. Reminiscent of Ionia-era Lycia without being a carbon copy. Definitely recommended. (reviewed by MM)

For more information, check out www.ashengrace.com

Track Listing: Spiders And Flies, Sirens, The Love Of Hate, Why?, The Coldest Days Of Winter, Wings Of Faith, Toy Rockets, Waiting For The Answer, Just Like A Timepiece, Lady Of Rain.

OK, despite the fact that there are some closet metal-heads out there does not give license to a label to expect us to like everything that claims to be “dark metal”. Despite the attractive album artwork, there’s nothing really engaging about Dead Soul Tribe’s latest effort. I just shake my head in disbelief. Will they ever learn? To be fair, I cannot fault DST for their work for what it is. It’s well produced and the songs competently crafted, but there’s just too many guitar solos happening here for it to redeem itself. They want us to think, “Sturm und Drang“ and “Blood and Thunder”, but it comes out “Stunk and Clang”, and “Thud and Blunder”.

Just forget it, I can virtually see these guys getting their hair stuck in their machine heads from excessive head banging. Pass on this one folks, they already have a solid fan base. Anything more would just be “GRAVE-y” and they certainly don’t deserve your cash either! (reviewed by KM)

For more information, check out www.deadsoultribe.com

Track Listing: First Blood, Dreamfree,You Are My Disease, Rise Again, Wyrd Sisters, The Crossing, We Are Your Kings Under The Sun, Hearts Are Hollow, Torment, Grave New World.

There’s a lot of promise here. Soulscape have been touted as, “The Great Goth Hope,” and as much as I’d like to, I’m afraid I can’t jump on the band hearse here. Like I said, there’s a lot of promise here. Great hooks, great use of keyboards, some infectious grooves happening like “First Blood,” and Dreamfree is destined for the club play lists (if it isn’t already). So why the reticence? Simply put, their influences are too obvious. I don’t have to cite them all here, you’ll hear them yourself. Mel Draper’s voice isn’t quite focused yet, he sounds as though he’s wavering between David Gahan and Peter Murphy with a bit of Covenant’s Eskil Simonsson thrown in for good measure.

This is their first real effort though, so I cannot dismiss it outright. I’ll say it again there’s real potential here, but I can’t really pass judgement until I hear more work from them in the future. That being said, buying this disk is no way a risk, and maybe that’s why also I’m not getting too excited. It’s a little too safe. Nonetheless, I will give them the benefit of the doubt, check them out, you won’t be disappointed, but it might leave you wanting more. (reviewed by KM)

For more information, check out www.soulscape.org

Track Listing: Nothing Left To Fear, Hell’s Candy, Goth Girl, Strange Dreams, Long Gone, The Graveyard, Black Sheep, Bedlam Road, Evil Twin, Still Waters Run Deep.

Appealingly naughty, even to the point of being downright nasty. Syrupy, sexy, yet somehow still ethereal with dreamy female vocals, accompanied by hard-edged, sleazy rock. This features guitar riffing of the sort that used to be termed “rude” in the early, bluesy days of heavy rock. The subject matter is unfailingly goth. The man-slut in me responds by sprouting horns. (reviewed by AF)

This sort of reminds me of listening to Vanity or Appolonia (Prince’s protéges back in the 80s); it’s that sleaze-rock effect, but I don’t think it works here. Her voice is too whiny-girly. (reviewed by MM)

For more information, check out www.thelazylane.com

Track Listing: False Positive, Come Down From There, Turn Inward, Dumb Shogun, Blind Clockmaker, Amsterdamage, Karma Kamikaze, Angry Ton/Are You Unhappy?, Reciprocal Proportions.

So-five-minutes-ago electronica and guitar merge with occasional lyrics. Melodic and light, but it feels like an immature effort. Perhaps it’s a vain attempt to hybridize electronic with indie rock, but nothing here resonated with me. Null Objct may have potential, but this album just didn’t do a thing for me. (reviewed by MM)

For more information, check out www.nullobjct.com

Track Listing: Notherwhere, Obsession, Primal, Lust, Urge, Blade, Fervour, Whim, Seduction, Dream.

I was pleasantly surprised by this. I didn’t know what to expect, but I’m not disappointed. The theatrical, cinematic quality of Pocket Universe’s music will remind you of Midnight Syndicate, but it has a funkier, more sensual ambience of a Cirque De Soleil performance. No surprise here really, as this talented duo both have theatre backgrounds. You’ll find everything here from mystery, sexual intrigue, and the exotic. This album is good for everything from chilling out, to getting intimate, to playing in the background while working on a creative project! Ah, if multitasking were only this sexy! Never mind though, lie back and relax, let it seduce you! (reviewed by KM)

For more information, check out www.pocketuniverse.org

Track Listing: Coming To Get You, Still In Love, Wash Away, Tell Me Secrets, What Do You Want?, Coming Home, Drifting, Dreamscape, Are You Ready?, It’s Time, The Mind I’m In, Coming Home (radio edit), Wash Away (radio edit).

Vocalist Lana Lokteff purrs over slinky, dark electronica, as designed by NIN’s (The Fragile) Keith Hillebrandt. From the seductive Coming To Get You to the Oriental-esque twangs of The Mind I’m In, this album drew me in for repeated listenings. Reminiscent of Curve and Collide. (reviewed by MM)

For more information, check out www.magdalenesdream.com