If you would like to introduce your music project effective to an international based audience, you have to invest more than ever before in promotional efforts to succeed. That means, there has to be more than the usual coarse of action like the usage of multiple accounts at those important communities like MySpace, Vampirefreaks, or at Facebook.
I like to describe those minor matters, because the release of the second album 'State Of Mind' of the Dutch-based trio XMH is a remarkable example, if multiple possible promotion channels got activated.
First, this album got released by the German label Danse Macabre Records around May 2010. The being of Benjamin Samson (vocals, programming), Isa Garcia (vocals, keyboards), and Pieter Sperling (keyboards, programming) at this renowned label offers the quite important fact, to get European distribution via Alive. To double this feature and to undersign the hope into the abilities of this act, this album got picked up by the newly installed German DJ- promotion agency M2C, which consists of Bruno Kramm (DAS ICH/Danse Macabre Records) and the female Hardbeat promotion-queen Jessica Schellberg. In short: this assures intense club play for XMH in Europe. And to match all of this: the US-label Nilaihah Records has worked out a license deal and takes care to service the North-American market. Asides the expected promotional onslaught to service all relevant North-American-based DJ's, magazines and online resources, this album at least should be available at every retailer like Metropolis, COP International, CDBaby, or Storming The Base for Canada. To sum that up, there are a lot of promotional activities and hopes of the responsible people behind this Dutch music project, which could help them to reach a lot of higher steps. Musically I don't have too much doubts, that this project won't reach a higher step in their career, as they are able to impress with some clever arranged synth loops and some programmed delicacies. They are talented in their kind and offer maybe one of the best works released during the last three months ' but what kind of music are they providing?
It is globally that kind of Harsh EBM/Dark Electro, which falls under that ugly moniker Hellectro. And seriously, I am disappointed in those parts, where XMH try too obviously to copy elements and synth arrangements, which have been discovered by thousands of other band projects during the last 6 years before ('Dictate', or the usage of dumb voice samples like in 'Komasaufen'). Massive DJ inserts may means to walk a relatively compatible path compared to the up and rising projects of the scene like SUICIDE COMMANDO, X-FUSION, or related. But XMH prove with some of their pearls available on here too ('Neon Venus', featuring Isa Garcia providing the lead vocals), that they are capable to offer a wider musically spectrum, than the usual repetitive stuff (check also out the accompanying guitar riffs in 'State Of Mind', or 'Tears In Rain').
A good and quality Harsh Electro album for sure, but with some tendencies to repeat some phrases, but after only a second full-length album, the complete sound dimension and abilities could be normally seldom pointed out. A Dutch band project, which still hasn't reached the end of the rope.

This is the second of two releases I receive from the same source, Dimitry i. of Tallinn, Estonia, the first being Freakangel's 'The Faults of Humanity' covered in a previous review. Although Dimitry seems to run both bands, here in Suicidal Romance he hands over a good chunk of the vocal reins to Viktoria Seimar, which is a very good thing because Viktoria has a lot of vocal talent. Apparently this isn't the first outing for Suicidal Romance ' their 2007 debut was 'Love Beyond Reach,' and in 2008 an EP titled 'A Kiss to Resist'. I haven't heard either of those, so all I have to go on is 'Shattered heart Reflections' which is just fine.

The lineup in this band is Viktoria Seimar (lead vocals), Dimitry i. (vocals, lyrics, music), and Maarja Korstnick (synths, lyrics, visual concept). In Europe I believe the band is on the Infacted Recordings label, but in the U.S., it's Metropolis, so I'll just consider them a Metropolis import, which isn't a bad thing to be at all. This is very cool Darkwave and dark synthpop, and the most obvious comparison would be to L'ame Immortelle due to the contrast of Dimitry and Viktoria's vocals. However, neither of them sound identical to Sonja K. and Thomas R., which is another good thing as I can only take L'ame Immortelle in small doses. Viktoria's vocals are a lot smother than Sonja's though. If there is anyone that Viktoria does sound like, it would have to be'¦another Victoria! Victoria Lloyd from Claire Voyant. If fact, their voices are so similar at times, it's uncanny. What I like about both of them is that both their voices soar, and are always in key. This is something you don't always find in the goth/darkwave world, so when you get it, it's much appreciated. Dimitry's vocal style with Suicidal Romance is toned down from his Freakangel vox, somewhat like Claus (Leaether Strip) or Rudy (Wumpscut) in their more restrained moments. A wise move on Dimitry's part.

One great thing about 'Shattered Hear Reflections' is that the songs across the board are really good, and the contrast between Dimitry and Viktoria's voice works more often than not. The synth arrangements are competent and don't compete with the vocals. I have to hand it to Maarja for her tasteful and effective playing. It suits the band perfectly. A tasteful yet powerful blend of synth and piano. The vocal melody is memorable which bodes for a high replayability factor. It's dark, but not too dark. Just edgy enough to be intriguing with sufficient drama to hold your interest, and it only seems to get better with repeated listenings. There is also an occasional touch of complimentary harmony with Viktoria's vocals. Everything is so well done that I'd be interested in seeing how they pull it off live.

It's hard to pick out standout tracks when they're all so good, but 'Words That Change Everything,' 'Her Song,' and 'Build Me a Heart' are three of the best. Dimitry is very lucky to have a talented singer like Viktoria in this band. Her vocal acrobatics are enthralling. It's almost Phantom of the Opera-esque in a dark romantic sort of way. I could easily see her being tapped for a track or two on a future Delerium album if Fulber doesn't get her first for Conjure One. Whatever the future holds, it seems like a pretty secure one for Suicidal Romance, considering the quality of 'Shattered Heart Reflections'. Definitely a strong 'BUY'.

Not too long ago I was given the nod to review two albums that came from the same source, although not the same record label. The two bands, Freakangel and Suicidal Romance are both from Tallinn, Estonia, and share a key member ' Dimitry i., who on this album does vocals and seems to be the leader. What he does with Suicidal Romance we'll save for the next review. Although there are some dark-electro similarities between the two projects, Freakangel has the more aggressive style and Dimitry is definitely the vocal captain in this band. He is assisted by Art (ex-Kamaloka) on guitars, and frOzen (frontman of cB, aka Cyclone B) on keyboards. Also, these guys really seem to look the part; starkly goth-industrial at a time when most similar American bands just seem to be going with a nondescript look.

In the realm of dark-electro-industrial EBM music, it's hard to come up with anything that hasn't been done before. The style has been well-defined by the likes of Suicide Commando, Hocico, Funker Vogt, Leaether Strip, Wumpscut and so many others. Obvious comparisons to these bands are nearly pointless. So how does a band possibly stand out from the pack? Well, it ain't easy, but I have to give Freakangel credit for trying.

The opening prelude, 'Frailty,' on 'The Faults of Humanity' is a moderately slow industrial instrumental dirge with a bit a dramatic strings and crunchy percussion. That's followed by an old-school EBM style stomper called 'Gods Blind Game'. The synth riff sound is fairly standard and Dmitry's vocals are pretty much along the lines of Hocico, but perhaps a tad nastier. I have to say that it is catchy, and good dancefloor fodder. Rock solid guitar work by Art too. I like the triple-beat on the chorus; it adds a bit of character. There is also a cool bit of dark industrial ambience at the end. 'My Darling Bullet' is another straight ahead stomper but it has a couple of interesting things going for it- a sparsely interjected dialogue sample ('Do you want to die?') and smoothly gliding wordless female vocals, I'm guessing from Viktoria Seimar of Suicidal Romance. What a contrast, something really different in this kind of music.

'Crawling in the Dark' slows the pace down a bit and is plenty gloomy. Dimitry's vocals are no less malevolent though. Very gothy. 'The Last White Dance' picks up the pace again and frOzen's old-school analogue synth work is commendable. Nothing you haven't heard before, but well-done. 'Curse.Forgive.Kill.Cure' seems like it goes on for a little too long without anything of significance happening. 'Together Against It,' which follows is a little more sonically interesting, and also has a better chorus. 'It's Not a Lovesong' almost seemed like another piece of filler until the wordless female vocals saved it from being a fast train to nowhere. By the time I got to 'Price For All of Us' I realized there was little in the way of beat variation throughout most of the material. I don't think it's necessary to make them ALL dancefloor suitable. Some extended atmospherics and unusual beat-play would have been nice, but it is what it is. Since there really isn't any variation in Dimitry's vocals, some variation in the music would have been good. 'Under Code' carries on in a similar manner with nothing particularly outstanding. A little disappointing. 'Finale' is a brief atmospheric piece with wordless female voice, synth and piano, and no percussion. I would have rather have heard that expanded to five or six minutes and have skipped one or two of the lesser interesting tracks on the album. The band is to be commended though for not overusing dialogue samples, a flaw that a lot of dark electro-industrial bands succumb to.

Oh, 'The Faults of Humanity,' they are manifold, aren't they? For a debut album, this is still pretty good; not perfect, not great, but pretty good. Worth checking out. By the way, this album also comes in a 2 CD version (I only reviewed the 1 CD version) if you can't get enough Freakangel.

It seems the Australian band Dandelion Wine in the intent to modernize their sound (and in order to do it, they've chosen to get out of Australian exterminate boundaries and wisely move to Berlin where they organized a recording studio in a small apartment in Kreuzberg, surrounded by snow and ice during the last severe German winter) managed to translate ancient emotions into a simple but up-to-date musical language. Attaining to the most voluptuous side of electronic music as well as to the beatitude of ethnic (mainly sprayed with Middle Eastern and Arabic heady scents'¦) elements reminding me of Sufi tradition, Dandelion Wine sinters eastern and western themes and music , ethereal sounds and cranked electric guitar lines, unconventional acoustic instruments (whose impressively furnished stores include nice freaky rarities such as medieval lutes, dulcimer, sansula ' an instrument similar to the African marimbula - or the bell cittern ' a medieval 12-string sort of mandolin -) and contemporary machines (mainly recognizable analogue synths and big beating drum machines!) but above all gravitational pressures opposing soul raisings.

The swaying melodies and the subtle ethnic percussions of the title-track All Becompassed By Stars is going to set the stage by wrapping the listener in the emotive field you could perceive when staying in the middle of a desert surrounded by star-light spotted sky, whereas the electronic tentacles and the bizarre intertwining between a tribal percussion set and a march-like movement introducing Gravity ' a superbly mixed track! - seem to broke that dreamy flight by giving voice to somewhat mysterious gravitational pulls inspiring the moaning-like way of singing by Naomi Handerson and the roaring guitars by Nicholas Albanis! A snake-charming guitar riff reminding to me some guitar sample I heard in Juno Reactor's Shango introduces the intriguing mixture of eastern suggestions and electronic pop song's catch in Shards and it's nice the moment it turns into a sort of framework for the prog slides emerging up to the dust just before the song reaches its peak through an enjoyable pressing rhythm. The snake-charmer put temporarily away the guitar in order to play a flute to start the flaming electronic belly dance of Nowhere ' one of the catchiest track in my opinion! -, while Sidereal and Early Warning Sign ' an entrancing mournful ballad, perfectly interpreted by Naomi (which lacks of a certain dramatic grip in other passages of the record'¦) on a Spanish guitar melodic web, exploding in an energetic but plain goth-rock song structure, which stands as the better crafted track of the whole album ' could be considered as the highest emotional peaks (nearby those stars becompassing everything!) of this album even if both of them are quite plain and lack of woolly sound treatments. Dandelion Wine's rustic, but kind-hearted medieval vein strongly pulses in the sweet tapping of Orbit, a track introducing the last part of the part featuring a less intrusive presence of electronic buzzing devices, followed by the bittersweet lulling ballad of XVII containing the hypnotic sound of what seems a glockenspiel.

In Seven Times As Bright the twinkling voice of the stars weaves a crystalline and glassy melodic garland over the spectral vocal moaning by Naomi and the mystical breathe pervading the closing track, Seven Times As Bright, being the most abstract of this interesting release. It's quite difficult to give an exact definition of Dandelion Wine's style and even these Australian sorcerers usually make fun of a similar attempt by describing it as medieval trip-hop, but it's quite easy to recommend some listening to it even if they lack of the intellectual fervour distinguishing similar bands such as Dead Can Dance or Ataraxia and Naomi has not the same mystical eagerness of singers such as Natacha Atlas!

Three weeks after the release of the third chapter of the SOME TUNES series, Basserk proudly give birth to a new volume! The fourth CD compilation of the SOME TUNES series does what you're expecting from an album that on the rear cover reports as genres: electro, pistolpop, fidget and bass... it beats you hard with bass frequencies, distortions, catchy tunes, loud 4/4 or syncopated drum beats. As usual, along with bands that already released E.P.s or participated to old volumes of the series, this fourth chapter presents to the Basserk lovers some new names: from Belgium Vecho ("Who you calling" is a good grime techno tune with funny phone samples), Trashing Teenagers ("Freakz on 66" is a classic Basserk tune with obsessive distorted bass lines and bouncing rhythms) and Depuis91 ("Body" is a distorted melodic instrumental with hard beats and traces of pop melodies), from Germany Ita Atari & Rampue ("Space rocket" is a fun upbeat electropunk tune a bit a la B-52s) , from UK Narsti ("Not as strong as the machines" is a nice instrumental mid tempo which mix two step, electro and pistolpop) and Boemklatsch ("Noisy" sounds like a retro videogame acid tune) from Netherlands. Along with them you'll have the chance to dig new classics like the ones of Petr Passive ("Ganz sticky" is a classic grime dance song with dub rhythms and electro vocals) or Rawfare ("Floor luv" mix house vocal samples and grime sounds).