LA MER – Tetrahedra

RELEASE YEAR: 2023  BAND URL: https://godzovwarproductions.bandcamp.com/album/tetrahedra Not knowing quite what to expect from this visually intriguing album sporting a painting by Henri Martin as its cover artwork, I was pleasantly surprised by it morose mixture of catchy black metal, goth rock, and industrial music. La Mer sounds different to pretty much everything else out there and…

DATAROCK – Media Consumption Pyramid

RELEASE YEAR: 2023  BAND URL: https://www.datarockmusic.com/ Norwegian synthpop/new wave/indie rock eccentrics Datarock are back with a lovely new slice of memorable music that is bound to make you dance and think at the same time. With its infectious sense of enthusiasm and energy not to mention its quirky lyrics and pristine-sounding production, Media Consumption Pyramid shows…

OCEAN OF LOTION – LouiLouiLoui

RELEASE YEAR: 2023BAND URL: https://www.facebook.com/oceanoflotion/ Saucy, entertaining, eclectic, and above all highly uplifting, the sparkling new opus by Ocean of Lotion is the kind of thing that is impossible not to dance to unless you are a sourpuss or completely dead inside. What you get is synth-driven pop containing catchy melodies, an endless supply of…

HONEYVEIN – Honeyvein

RELEASE YEAR: 2022  BAND URL: https://www.facebook.com/honeyveinmusic/ The talented Bastian Veland (Dobbeltgjenger, Ossicles) released this solo offering of his via the ever-reliable Apollon Records not that long ago, and what we have here is essentially a wildly eclectic and diverse collection of catchy tunes that harbor elements from experimental rock, quirky pop, electronic music, and something akin…

SICK N’ BEAUTIFUL – Starstruck

RELEASE YEAR: 2022  BAND URL: https://www.facebook.com/sicknbeautifulband/ These industrial hard rockers from Italy released this energetic output titled Starstruck containing several meaty tunes a few months ago, and I must say that I found it a rather refreshing and inspired listen. With its crunchy riffs, impassioned vocals, and explosive rhythm section, the LP contains both heart and…

KARL BARTOS – The Sound of the Machine: My Life in Kraftwerk and Beyond

Omnibus Press, 2022 RELEASE YEAR: 2022  BAND URL: https://omnibuspress.com/collections/frontpage/products/the-sound-of-the-machine-published-on-14th-july-2022 Renowned artist Karl Bartos, who is undoubtedly best known for his pioneering work with the German avantgarde outfit Kraftwerk, published this mammoth 634-page autobiography of his a few months ago, and it turned out to be an informative read and a bit of an eye-opener in many…

HEMESATH – So Schön

RELEASE YEAR: 2022  BAND URL: https://www.facebook.com/hemesathband/ The German act named Hemesath is something quite different and hard to pigeonhole in terms of style and genre. Using such diffuse terms as alternative rock and alternative metal often blows ass simply because they tell you very little about the actual music, but in this case, I have no…

THANATEROS – On Fragile Wings

RELEASE YEAR: 2022  BAND URL: https://thanateros.bandcamp.com/ The German folk-inspired metal outfit known as Thanateros released this twelve-track effort of theirs just a few weeks ago via Echozone and despite not being what one would deem an immersive experience or an enthralling listen, it does have its merits and some rather interesting ideas to it. In truth,…