„This is not dead which can eternal lie and with strange aeons even death may die.” This epigraph fits just perfectly here.

You guessed it right. Flint Glass draws its inspiration from the books by a master of horror literature, who lived a very secluded life and few are the people who knew him in person, H.P, Lovecraft. Unlike Bal-Sagoth, who among many others also found the writer inspiring, Flint Glass composes no metal music but dark ambient. Gwenn Trémorin, the only man responsible for this project is no newcomer. His first album “Hierakonpolis“ was released in 2003 and re-released in the following year.
What we have here is a re-release of the sold out 2006 “Nyarlathotep“ album which comes with a bonus EP to it. Hence two CDs altogether. The new seven tracks mesmerize no less than the original 15 plus four remixes to them (by Ah Cama Sotz, Disharmony, Xabec and TMO&Empusae), which are also featured on the first CD. Cold Meat Industry is a label that has released quite a number of similar projects in the past if you need some comparison. Mlada Fronta is another name that comes to your mind while enjoying Flint Glass. The new tracks are also free of vocals just in the vein of the project and I believe any vocals would be redundant here, even spoken samples. The music involves various elements changing from warmer to colder pieces. Rather rhythmical and sometimes industrial-like elements give place to ethnical themes like in “Hypnos”. But also very slow and utterly disturbing pieces are no rarity on the bonus CD.
This album is not a good choice if you are planning a romantic night with your partner. But it is a great accompaniment for reading any horror book in solitude with only dim light lit. Creepiness and spookiness are guaranteed. Fans of such atmospheres and experiences should not let this album slip between their fingers or putting it Lovecraft-like; between their tentacles.

New York-based Electronica-wizard Frank Mokros is back with a new double CD album. Disc 1 offers the new studio work of Frank, which continues with his futuristic IDM/Electronica music we could discover with his last year’s brilliant album “Elekatota: The Other Side Of The Tracks”. The presented variety and diversity in his music arrangements somewhere based into genres like Ambient, IDM, Noise and Industrial can be heard very seldom – Frank has the abilities to write perfect film scores for Sci-Fi- and Cyberpunk-related movies yet not produced. Multiple layered, high complexities in the production of synth and drums/percussion – yes, Frank’s music is demanding – but the listener gets so much rewarded for his full attention, which is required to consume his masterpieces of music. TOTAKEKE is one of the very few founded flowers, which someone can be identifying with. Normally tend to I prefer the rather straight arranged tunes, which allow some Industrial dancefloor movements. Tracks like “Disconnected Inside”, the harsh and nearly Powernoise-like “Anterograde Amnesia”, and the extremely catchy title track services this greed well. But here are 2 additional pearls needed to be mention, “Permanent Note”, reminding with its mighty basslines and the rather slow tempo on “Bio-Mechanic”-like FLA featuring more complexity, and the eerie “Patient HM” with its simple, but so damned effective piano sound inserts. But all of these good things don’t end here, because Tympanik Audio has decided to assign all free slots of your CD players with Disc 2. This second disc offers some new interpretations of “Pull The Plug” and “Ignorance” provided by Frank himself, some new amazing tracks (“Gone”, “Can’t Feel Time” and “Buried Is…” – A-MUST-LISTEN-TO!) and several remix contributions by Frank’s highly-acclaimed label comrades. ZENTRIERT INS ANTLITZ (“Permanent Note”), the raw PNEUMATIC DETACH (“Anterograde Amnesia” – how could someone think, that Justin Brink would put his fingers on any additional tune? Nice cover art too, Mr. Brink!), AUTOCLAV 1.1 (“Lost And Falling” – can a remix score against an original? It can! Well done, Mr. Young!), LUCIDSTATIC (“The Things That Disappear When I Close My Eyes”), ACCESS TO ARASAKA (“Contusions” – that nervous hacking hi-q programming offers creativity – a new talent to follow!), FLINT GLASS (“Patient HM” – nice try, Gwenn, but that’s one of the most difficult remixes. Nothing can rival with the brilliant original) and the Slovakian heroes of DISHARMONY (“Memoria” - quality as usual, Ryby, we’ll come on your new tunes soon…) are featured here. I could slander again through this whole album and will be surely find several additional gimmicks and attractive things to report of. It’s a matter of fact, that albums of TOTAKEKE won’t never get boring and the music offers so much new facets to discover, which I could easily use as an additional apology, why I’ve delayed the review that long. However, get this masterpiece!

Some labels do celebrate an anniversary quite silent – regarding the Czech label Monopol Records, I guess only a very few hard-liners of the international Electro/Industrial scene have realized this. It needs to be said, that there has been some silence around this label during the last two years after the release of the last DEPRESSIVE DISORDER studio-album. This may is a logically consequence of the currently uncertain times and the ongoing lack of sales of the physical CD’s – especially young and small labels suffer enormously through this. However, it’s good to see and it warms my heart that Michal Lepsik still hasn’t given up his fight to offer quality Electro/Industrial music especially to the fans and listeners of the Czech and Slovakian and other East-European countries. And the featured content proves his efforts right, because all band take this chance to offer new and for the most unreleased stuff and some of them do really the best they can. The already mentioned DEPRESSIVE DISORDER are still highlighting the label roster and offer with ”Apology” a marvelous Dark Electro tune, while the remix of Germany’s THE RORSCHACH GARDEN on ”Reality” scores with its minimal EBM bass-lines. The collaboration with Aliens Production out of Slovakia is still alive, as DISHARMONY (they offer a fantastic teaser named ”Evolution” of their upcoming new album...), OXYD (the rather Ambient-minded side-project of the both DISHARMONY-protagonists...), FRONTIER GUARDS (featured on here with another great and unreleased cinematic score...), ANHEDONIA (”Evacuation Guidelines”, recently on returning with a new album...) and LAST INFLUENCE OF BRAIN (couldn’t decide to continue with the ex-Vendetta-Music side-label E.A.R. and have joint instead the ranks of Aliens...) prove this. Also Monopol’s projects asides DEPRESSIVE DISORDER offer remarkable stuff, MASTERMIND (offer a seducing Electropop-tune...), GREGORY and especially the trio of NO NAME DESIRE are featured and hitting the nail. Plus, there some new and undiscovered names I strongly recommend to follow regarding upcoming activities like MY ASPHYXHIA, INTERFACE SURGERY (isn’t that a DEPRESSIVE DISORDER side-project?) and/or ECLIPSED. A lot of good and interesting stuff to discover, this Monopol Records compilation is a great example and acts like a guide-line for many other labels doing something comparable. Let’s hope the best that we can welcome Michal and his fine label roster with a 6th, 7th, 8th and so on anniversary compilation again.

01 bratri v tracku : photo
02 disharmony : evolution
03 depressive disorder : reality ( the rorschach garden rmx )
04 mastermind : time is out
05 my asphyxia : poison
06 interface surgery : critical impact
07 oxyd : alcasonic
08 last influence of brain : revolution
09 anhedonia : evacuation guidelines
10 gregory : relax
11 eclipsed : countenance
12 no name desire : caustic
13 depressive disorder : apology
14 frontier guards : insider
15 broom carwell : vltima ratio regvm

No, this isn’t the long-awaited first full-length album of Australia’s Dark Electro duo EMPTY – ”only” a new CDEP, but a release with some remarkable content. ”Never Get To You” at least seems to be a kind of a fresh breeze, because with the title track, the band has integrated a quite different and unexpected musically course. As being lately for the most part inspired through IDM/Electronica music, Aaron Potter and Daniel Brunet show and prove easily, that they fit well also with the elements extracted out of this style. Take on one side the latest audible results of DISMANTLED and try to mix it with the last lighter DISHARMONY recordings, and you’ll get a glimpse, how smooth and almost ”sweet” this duo can sound. Still multiple layered, but the often pronounced comparison to FLA and aliases often presented through that typically sci-fi-related sampling work and the newly discovered lighter synths sounds turn a bit into the background. This can be also recognized through the clearer sounding male vocals, the huge fx manipulation got reduced especially for the main track. Besides ”Never Get To You” and its four remix contributions by DISMANTLED, PASK, IAMMYNEWT, and ANGEL THEORY, you’ll get one additional new track entitled ”Forgotten Dreams”, which rather focuses to present an IDM/Break-Beat performance combined with the typical vocoderized male vocals, which we’ve often heard from EMPTY. This one stands pretty much in the shadow of the title track, since it lacks of a clearer catchy attitude. ”King of Kings” is finally a cover version originally composed and recorded by The Models – do I hear on it tendencies to a calmer and more melodic outfit? However, I see the need to release this teaser EP, especially to ”warn” the harder Electro-minded purists, that EMPTY can sound diverse. Check our newest interview with both protagonists on here, to pick up the newest info about this Australian duo.

The Slovakian label Aliens can be seen as a kind of last bastion, which defends itself successfully against any hypes and up-to-date kinds to produce Electronica music. Rather following the classic style to produce authentic Dark Electro music, also the Czech project FRONTIERGUARDS fits well with the labels’ manifesto and releases with ”Predestination” its debut. FG is a side-project of the rather EBM-related outfit BEAMSHIP, which we had on here with their debut a few years before. Martin ”Atreid” Pavlik, who is responsible for all audio results of FG, presents a different musically environment compared to BEAMSHIP, which allows a constant Ambient-related influence to take part. ”Predestination” is for the most part a pure instrumental album, only on two of the 9 own compositions Martin has picked up the microphone to provide some vocals. It is definitely the dark and complex layered mood, which attracts on this album. A track like ”Betrayed By Light” is a marvelous example by integrating a rough and rather experimental drum pattern programming, some good samples and a menacing but remarkable synth programming. Some of the classic yelworC-recordings come to mind by listening to this tune. And no, ”Predestination” avoids to satisfy the needs of a dancefloor-junkie, mostly all of the tracks are based into mid-tempo, if not into slowness – with the one exception entitled ”Transcendental Experiment”, which disturbs with its faster structure a bit the float of this fine Dark-Electro/Ambient-Electronica-album. Additional remix contributions by musically relative related acts like the DISHARMONY-side-project OXYD, the Greek SUBHEIM or the label colleague of ANHEDONIA offer their best abilities, to produce some fine alternative versions to the original compositions. ”Predestination” is also the return of multi-talented graphic artist Tom Galle, who could himself make a quite good name thanks to his collaboration with their side-project HEEL – extremely well documented through a special bonus video track. Demanding, but attractive Electronica music not to underestimate.