Active since 1995 and at their active four albums DIE! are releasing their latest one titled STILL for Echozone. The review of this album could be easy and fast by telling you that if you like bands Rammstein or Oomph! STILL incarnate that kind of sound at its best. This would be right but maybe a little too fast, so here's more: the fourteen tracks (there's a fifteenth one which is a sort of spoken word with background noises) of the album offers energy, melody, angry vocals (note that they use only German language) and granitic guitars. Mid tempo songs alternates in your face rides but on both the cases they are always based on industrial guitar sounds. A characteristic of the band's sound is to have always synth sounds that underline or sustain the melodic lines. I have listened to it a couple of times and I haven't found a filler or else. You can check every song at this page: http://www.bob-media.com/cms_echo/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&layout=blog&id=40&Itemid=64

NEON FRACTURED NIGHT is the third release by The Truth About Frank and it is downloadable for free at the label's website at http://www.weirdandwired.net/neon_fractured_night.htm. The release opens with "War enabled at 3 kom como", an industrial fractured track with dub rhythms where samples create an interesting web of sounds made of filtered vocals and digital bleeps. With the second track "When the lights wear out" The Truth About Frank start a sequence of five tracks focused on industrial rhythmical based loops. The first track of the lot sounds interesting and creates a good ambience but the following one "Say hello to warm shoulders" to me sounds too minimal and with few interesting inserts to be interesting. "Late train chloroform trauma" is sounding like a post dadaist dream where sounds create an oneiric voyage. Hypnotizing but not musically intriguing. "Times of children" sounds great thanks to its rhythmical martial industrial atmosphere and its dramatic melodic touch. "The grey legend" is the eleven minutes long closing track and it totally reminds me of the first Boyd Rice album (the black record) revisited in the digital era.

After eleven years and four albums Gina V. D'Orio and Annika Line Trost are still able to entertain and surprise their audience. In the past they toured with Peaches, Sonic Youth, Marylin Manson and Jon Spencer and they convinced all of them about their ability to create a fresh mix of electronic music/punk/pop. Thanks to this appreciation, on their fifth full length album UPPERS & DOWNERS Gina and Annika have J. Mascis, Thurston Moore and Jon Spencer as special guests. The eleven tracks of the album sounds dissonant but at the same time they are kinda pop thanks to their vocal duets. Samples are used heavily but they are always functional. Guitars and weird electronic sounds often clashes and form a good energetic music background. Sometimes melodies recall me 60's girl bands and this create a particular effect with the weird electro punk music they make. UPPERS & DOWNERS sounds entertaining, intriguing and melodic and I'm suggesting you to check it... for real!

These are usually George Clooney, Oprah, Brad and Angelina, and other stars of the entertainment business that are known for their charity projects aiming to help the starving and the deprived. The Gothic scene has not yet become known for such activities if I’m allowed not to mention a small number of exceptions. The main reason for that is probably that nobody makes any real money here unlike in Hollywood unless your band plays Wembley. Therefore it is especially good to hear that the guys from Elektrofront Erzgebirge, Black Rain and Promofabrik started a charity project with a purpose to help children in Bihar, the poorest province of India. All the money gained with the sells of this 2CD compilation goes to Humedica, the project of the PENIEL SOCIAL INSTITUTE. With that income two school, an orphanage and a hospital will be supported.
The "Help Can’t Wait" compilation unites over thirty artists of the contemporary dark electro scene all of whom contributed their works with altruistic and non-profit intentions.
Now, except for your wish to help the children in Bihar, why should you purchase the 2CD? Let me mention just a handful of artists that are featured on it: Leaether Strip, Die Krupps, Vigilante, Jäger 90, Soman, Elite, Die Perlen, A Spell Inside, Wynardtage, Cephalgy, Project Pitchfork, Wintry, Black Wedding etc. Many of the titles are released as remixes.
The opener by Leaether Strip bears the title of the whole album and sets the motto for the album; dark, intensive and urgent. TET offer a track for fans of military themes. Der Gleichstrom throw into the listener "Antagonist" that will not make anybody fall asleep. The German Industrial Rock dinosaurs Die Krupps contributed a live version of "Für einen Augenblick" which is no worse than the original in any aspect.
Phase III enliven the atmosphere a bit with their "Es wird dunkel". The song is about our fun and funny scene and the lyrics include names like: Tilo Wolf, Aderlass, Die Verbannten Kinder Evas, Schelmisch, Rammstein, Letzte Instanz etc. put together in peculiar combinations that always make me grin when I listen to it. Black Wedding close with Schnitter Tod" (Reaper of death) according to their traditional electronic but slower manner and remind everybody that one day we all will leave the theater on earth, each in his way. Wake up, people and do something good out of your lives. You only have got one. And making this world better is a part of that. More than worrying about your puny existence only. If only just a couple of you will by this limited to 1000 copies compilation, I’ll consider my good deed for today done. Thank you for your help.

Wow! The return of the international renowned Industrial-musician Mika Goedrijk under his main project THIS MORN’ OMINA promises a lot, although this new release is only a 5-track-EP. Together with partner in crime Sal-Ocin (EMPUSAE, TZOLK’IN), he has decided to hire with Spike a third member for all future productions of this Belgian IDM/Industrial outfit. These five tracks are musically more based into the Dark Electro genre featuring a slight Tribal influence, instead of Noise, a quite surprising, but welcomed development. The main track is "Momentum", available in two versions, a hard and forward moving tune, which should be able to appeal the dancefloor-oriented people. No cheap Hellectro relations included, this piece is one of the few smooth pieces consumable at your home entertainment too. "Nuraghi" starts with some fine layer sounds which remind a lot on TZOLK’IN until the beat and some sparse inserted vocals dominating the scenario. Another highlight has to be named with pure instrumental tune "Ananda", which leaves completely out all floor-compatibility – it’s the dark mood well presented through tasty arrangements, which score here. Again – all I can say is "wow!" – this EP is a mouthwatering new sign of life of this Belgian collective. When to expect a new album... ?