Merciful Nuns - Thelema VIII (+ Allseeing Eye)

2016-02-26 (News)

The Trio Infernal strikes again: "Thelema VIII", the eighth album from the occult rock gods led by mastermind Artaud Seth (ex Diary of Dreams, Garden of Delight) has been announced. The man himself, Jawa Seth and Jón Tmoh arguably spearhead the international Goth-Rock scene. Hardly any band in this genre can boast a vitae like the Merciful Nuns.
"Thelema VIII" pounds ear-drums with an implosion and rarely the album succeeds in drawing the listener so convincingly and quickly under its spell.
Instantly pinpointed and excessive songs, wild and menacing dark penetrate the auditory canals. In the Merciful Nuns' typical style we find the synapsis exceeding the process of mere listening by posting a fundamental question of meaning in its literary context. On this occasion we find the inquisitive Socrates on his journey into the abyss of a dystopic society living in accord with Thelemitic principles on a distant exoplanet. 
First copies come with the exclusive, and hand-numbered "Allseing Eye" EP, featuring 4 exclusive versions/tracks as double-package. The EP is not available seperately.
 

Mirror - Mirror

2016-02-25 (News)

"As a songwriter, I've spent a lot of time in my music career trying to be innovative. And one thing that struck me was watching the way [David] Lynch would use music in films. Rather than being innovative, the music was used in a way that was familiar. In other words, anything that sounded kind of challenging melodically, I got rid of. I made everything in a way like a lullaby." -Thomas Anselmi
"Mirror" is a tour de force in song-writing, with the help of an impressive cast: Dave Gahan (Depeche Mode) takes on vocal duties for the fantastic album opener "Nostalgia"; Warhol superstar and actor Joe Dallesandro makes an appearance on "City Lights"; Mike Garson, the pianist from David Bowie's "Alladin Sane", contributes; as do guitarist Knox Chandler, former Grapes of Wrath keyboardist Vincent Jones, who produced the record, and Download collaborator Phil Western. 
Remastered reissue on both vinyl and CD.

Project Pitchfork – Second Anthology

2016-02-24 (News)

Before Project Pitchfork once again set sail for new horizons, Peter Spilles makes use of this welcome opportunity to enrich the world's most extensive Dark Electro compilation with another chapter. Consequently entitled "Second Anthology", also this next part is reviewing the unrivalled career of this legendary project. It accommodates the status of this special album by including four pieces that have been entirely re-recorded and resung in the studio. This ethos holds true for every single one of the 33 tracks on this brimful anthology. All the songs have been remastered and partly remixed and the package comes with a sumptuous 28 pages booklet.
The retrospective runs up till the latest release "Blood", encompassing twelve years of vibrant Dark Electro history, bundled in a lavish boxing and crowned with a brand new song. If Project Pitchfork do something, they do it right.

IAMX - North Star

2016-02-23 (News)

"It is about becoming unhinged… being sucked into a black hole of madness and psychological pain and clawing a way out",” explains Chris Corner of internationally revered band IAMX bout his new single and video “"North Star". "“Nature can relieve the burden of obsessive everyday stress, it can diffuse the never ending 'story of me' and guide you back to a calmer mental state. ‘'North Star’' symbolizes this guide.”"
You can watch the video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FLmC2hSRwKM.

L'Âme Immortelle - Unsterblich

2016-02-22 (News)

The sheer amount of passion L'Âme Immortelle inject into the extraordinary compilation "Unsterblich – 20 Jahre L'Âme Immortelle" is nothing short of striking. Much adored classics from two decades of darkly romantic music history, compiled from every single chapter, every single official release and every single form of artistic grandeur blaze in the light of an entirely new sound. By teaming up with Krischan Jan-Eric Wesenberg (Rotersand) and Gregor Beyerle (Skyla Vertex, Reaper) a sound came to life marrying the Electro bones of their early days to the production standards of today, thereby creating something new and stunningly epic. In a unheard-of show of strength the band and their producers succeeded in conserving the early pieces' unparalleled aura and yet creating an all-new listening experience.
As a voluptuous extra, this opus is further refined and graced by countless rare and unreleased photos from Sonja Kraushofers and Thomas Rainers archives, adding a mesmerising visual component to this musical body of work.
It contains 28 pages booklet and13 of the most popular L'Âme Immortelle tracks in completely new recorded 2015 versions.

Henrik Nordvargr Björkk / Margaux Renaudin - Anima Nostra

2016-02-21 (News)

Henrik Nordvargr Björkk is the colossus behind the world renowned acts Pouppée Fabrikk and MZ. 412.
Combine the ritual aspects of MZ. 412 and the darkest ambience from Nordvargr, with vocal materials and a rising spiritual awakening, and you get Anima Nostra - a collaboration between Margaux Renaudin and Henrik N Björkk that marks a new era in the vast cannon of the latter and as well as the former. Anima Nostra is also a visual experience, with artwork that will guide the open mind into deeper understanding. The album features guest vocals by death metal mastermind Nader Sadek, recorded inside the sacred Sneferu pyramid in Cairo. Included is an alternate version of MZ. 412's 'Mourning Star'; an even more ominous behemoth than the original, this track perfectly complements the rhythmical structures contained in the album. A remarkable synchronization of minds. Comes in a magnificent, metallic-print adorned 6-panel digipak, with 8-page booklet, containing stunning alchemical artwork throughout by Renaudin.