This is the debut release of one of Germany’s most sought-after Dark Electro/Industrial-acts, which has finally found a decent label home with the Bavarian-based Klangdynamik Records. Consisting of Arnte and Schmoun, this female/male-leaded duo presents a sort of Dark Electro music in a classic manner. Heavily inspired by the works of acts like MENTALLO & THE FIXER, older X MARKS THE PEDWALK, PUPPY or PLACEBO EFFECT, the dark-minded sound of the early 90ies generally, can be found and discovered in the music of NORDSCHLACHT. For some of their tracks you’ll have to add a rather sedating IN THE NURSERY-like cold mood ("Strokes", "The Sear And Yellow Leaf") to get a nearly complete idea for a comparison. While the band name hasn’t any further or historically explainable meaning, NORDSCHLACHT offer an outstanding debut from the very first instrumental track "Fortune Of Humanity" to the last tune, "Forrester (FAZE remix)". Their well-thought arrangements and synth-textures can be called epic, they always fill in thick, melodious, but also cold-minded synth layers. Dancefloor-compatible and beat-oriented tracks are in a minority ("Adrenaline Overdose", "Forrester (FAZE remix)") here, this music is rather constructed to get consumed on your home entertainment or a good pair of headphones. Mostly Arnte takes care to provide the main vocals, which are sort of distorted whispers mostly subtle integrated in the mix. Schmoun gets her inserts too, offering a clear, almost romantic sounding performance ("Causality Paradox", "Don’t Let It Go" – what a catchy track!). Besides the known formula of reflecting social-problems and failures of mankind, some rather scientific content like cybernetics ("Forrester") or mathematically problems ("String Theory (Album Mix)") can be discovered in their lyrics as well – quite unusual and unexpected. The whole album comes out quite tastefully arranged and aggressive moments are really reduced. I guess seldom before a debut release could impress that much with such a coherent and majestic outfit like this one. Take the recent OBJECT-recordings or FIX8:SED8 and fill NORDSCHLACHT in this fine line – Germany’s multi-layered and complex arranged Dark Electro-league marches forward and grips to the stars.

New full-length for this well-known and internationally renowned German Electro/Industrial trio. Since they’ve done some remix contributions for some Chart-breaking acts like OOMPH! or ONETWO, it seems to be only a question of time, until [:SITD:] themselves can look on Chart positions. Enough capable stuff is featured for this on this new album, while the harder-minded EBM/Electro-listeners will even find a fair amount of some straighter oriented stuff ("Stammheim", "Kreuzgang V.2", "Propaganda"). Musically not too much news can be reported from this new album, it seems that the earlier years of experiments and the finding of the right sound direction have a bit gone towards to routine. Nothing wrong on this, since the studio work and the arrangements of [:SITD:] can be named as being one of the best and tastefully produced around. What is definitely new is the fact, that also Tom now picks up the microphone for one or another track to offer his vocals. And mostly the result is satisfying, Tom’s voice sounds a bit smoother compared to Carsten and it works the best on the rather slow, nearly Synth-/Electropop-like tunes ("Reincarnation", "Displaced" or the engaged dual performance with Carsten on "Herbsterwachen"). I guess it can be realized that [:SITD:] do concentrate the most to polish a bit their outfit, maybe with the side-effect, that their music sounds lesser aggressive than before. But it’s still an experience to discover the sinister sounding works with its epic and multi-layered arrangements, "Telepathic" has to be named, for sure one of the favorites out of this album. Lyrics got as usually provided in both languages, German and English, and like the title of the album announces it a bit, [:SITD:] deal with a lot of things related to the human kind and behavior. "Herbsterwachen" can be interpreted to be a reflection of the happenings in the ex-eastern part of Germany during the fall of the GDR-regime, but it can be also seen as a statement against the ongoing inertia of the people for taking all politically decisions without protest. Engaged lyrically content, music and production without failure, [:SITD:] are offering once again an album which defines standards. Their successful way will continue, no doubt.

Although album and band name are sounding pretty much dedicated to the EBM/Electro-scene, the solo project of the German musician A. Schwarz hasn’t too much to do with this style. MANMACHINE stands for a rather harsh and noisy outfit, variable styles between Powernoise, Experimental and Cold Meat-like Electronica can be discovered. As I could see on some photos, A. Schwarz doesn’t seem the be the youngest horse in the SkullLine-stable and has followed the creation of Synth-driven music since the early beginnings. So he has very late decided to record and to release his very own Experimental Electronic-recordings. It shouldn’t therefore wonder, that most of the provided instruments seem to have a veteran and analogue-based background. MANMACHINE’s tracks are pending at times drastically between the styles, even if you think a song would follow a foreseeable line, the complete track fades over to just another quite different mood. Mostly the music is instrumental arranged, even some sparse and pitched down vocals here and there got integrated. "I Have A Dream", aptly named after the legendary words of M. L. King which got sampled here, comes out like a screaming monster with several live improvised noise elements. Even more static and dark comes "Im Fleische Des Krieges", while "Menschfabrik" creates fat sound layers completed with some subtle distorted rhythm patterns. MANMACHINE’s debut surly isn’t the hi-end solution of Electronica arrangements, but a quite fair and experimental-minded kind of work. Strictly limited to 100 exemplars and again provided in a special package, as usual for the most releases of the SkullLine-label.

Daniel Myer (haujobb., ARCHITECT, CLEANER, etc.) returns finally with a new DESTROID-album after the already 4 years old debut release "Future Prophecies" (Out Of Line). It seems that there has been some very unsatisfying happenings with his contract at the German giant, because that debut went totally down under. Signed now to the Scanner-label out of the Dark Dimension label group, he offers with "Loudspeaker" a top-notch quality album which is worthy enough to strengthen his reputation. See, this is the work of an experienced musician, who has already seen and felt the good and bad terms this scene and the music business generally can offer. It shouldn’t wonder, that on some tracks some acoustic instruments will get a slot besides the always ruling Electronica as well. I shouldn’t forget to mention his partner, Seb Rydell, because with DESTROID Daniel has decided to cooperate with an additional musician. But all who have expected a similar and a bit torn up sounding album like the debut, will be quite astonished, how calm and linear, but still extremely coherent this new DESTROID-album can be, not too much remembers on the debut. "Loudspeaker" offers a decent cross-section of Myer’s talent, be it the natural sounding vocal performance or the at times obviously, at times rather subtle placed typically sound experiments. No hectic on here, no aggression, no use of cliches, no curry favor on already discovered genre-typically redundancies – just simply a layered produced album a la Myer. Although this album got straight produced, some pieces will work any better to sink in and offer a rather discouraging content ("Let Me Leave", "Friend Or Foe (The Betrayal)") – it seems a bit that Myer has found the right way to receive some cure through his lyrics and compositions, some content here makes you think. Enough dancefloor-filling stuff is of course available too, "Bird Of Prey", the energetic "Revolution", "Moral" or "As The World Turns" have to be named. It’s surely not the harshest and/or darkest work available, but all who’ve heard and consumed Myer before shouldn’t expect this. A great album and a possible contender for the imaginary "album-of-year"-title. Let that contest begin!

I already introduced to our readers Cultural Amnesia on my Anna Logue Records article and after about a month from that article I'm here again talking about them because there's a new reissue of their old material released by Vinyl On Demand. PRESS MY HUNGRY BUTTON is a double compilation album (their subscribers will receive also an E.P. titled "Still hungry") which after "Enormous savages" bring to the attention of the lovers of the early 80's experimental/wave sound thirty tracks (plus four on the E.P.) which are coming from the three tapes album the band did during the 1980÷1983 period ("Video Rideo", "Sinclair's Luck" and "The Uncle Of The Boot") plus unreleased tracks of the latter period which where intended for their first album "Obscenity" which have never been released. First of all a warning for those of you who want to approach this kind of releases: on this record you won't find a homogeneous track list as well polished sounds. Instead you'll be able to feel three English kids' urge of creating something new and liberating. I remember you that after the hippie movement and after the '77 movement (social and musical), 80's were the Margaret Thatcher years. Years of cultural repression which saw a certain musical grew only during their first half. Cultural Amnesia as well as early Coil, Portion Control, Nocturnal Emissions, etc. absorbed the creative rebellion of early industrial music (T.G.) and if the three bands I mentioned extended their interest on the industrial side, Cultural Amnesia mixed it with the post punk sound/attitude. Any musical instrument was usable someway, no matter if it was a guitar, a synth or a drum machine. Cultural Amnesia embraced totally this kind of spirit and on PRESS MY HUNGRY BUTTON you can find early electronic experimentalism, post punk rawness as well as two covers (a delirious lecture of "Satisfaction" and a short electro/post punk version of Human League's "Being boiled"). Few songs of the previous collection released by Anna Logue are here with a different version and maybe only "Scars for e (alternate take 1)" and "Sacrebleu (original version)" (you find them on the extra E.P.) are the same. I'd like to remember to you that Cultural Amnesia are active again. I checked their new material on their website and I liked the new sound which keep alive the old spirit but updates it with the use of new technology.