Germany's In Strict Confidence Happen To Be One Of My Favorite Dark Electro/ Synth- Pop Bands, And I

Germany's In Strict Confidence happen to be one of my favorite Dark Electro/ Synth- Pop bands, and I really love the Utopia album.

I've been listening to this one a lot while writing my Thesis, as it tends to have a calming effect on me. It's beautiful, ethereal, upbeat, and even a touch angsty. The dual vocals are always on point, and mix seamlessly. It has a softer approach than genres like industrial, but elicits a great deal of emotion instead.

As it seems rather hard to find the whole thing on Youtube, I'll leave you with some of the music videos from it. However, I do strongly suggest checking out the full album sometime, especially if you like darker electronic music.

Obscured

BlutEngel + Hocico

Well it finally happened, an alliance between two prominent dark electronic acts that really should have been done ages ago.

Chris Pohl of BlutEngel has been busier than ever it seems. He released two albums as BlutEngel last year, just dropped this, and has a new project, She Hates Emotions, that just released material. But I digress, back to the track at hand.

I find the song has a decidedly more Hocico sound to the music, but a very BlutEngel bend to the vocal work. It makes for a nice blend, and frankly I'd actually be up for a whole album of it. All three vocalists present lend their easily identifiable twist on their respective parts, and the combination of Pohl and Agroyam as music composers is fantastic, a mix of dark melody and harsh beats. Honestly this single is a superb combination of these bands and their sounds, and they really outdid themselves ensuring it blended well.

The other tracks present are remixes by each band that showcases their personal styles more, and an additional remix by Rasco Agroyam's side project Dulce Liquido that has a very minimalist Aggrotech sound. If you get the digital version there is a bonus remix by German electronic act S.I.T.D., with a bit more ebm/ industrial sound.

As of this writing there's a handful of physical copies left, however it is also available digitally on the Out of Line Music Bandcamp page, and probably other digital platforms as well.

Finnish band Grave Pleasures bring the classic deathrock sound to the modern day. The Funeral Party 7in is from 2016, and its so much fun to listen to. Macabre echoes of the 80s, these 2 songs are simultaneously rocking and somber, and I've been listening to them a lot this past month.

My favorite is the first track, Deadenders, which maintains a dark yet upbeat tempo and overall sounds exactly like the 7in title: a funeral party. Wailing vocals elicit apocalyptic imagery while blending exceptionally with the guitar melody to pull you along for the ride. The second track, Cold War Funeral, is a slower dirge, the rainy morning after the party in the cemetery. I strongly recommend checking them out if you are a fan of the genre, or just dark music in general.

Also, if you're familiar with the band Beastmilk, this is the project that rose from those ashes.

The Marching Fire

13th Sky

I've learned over the years that I'm terribly picky about my goth rock, death rock, and post-punk in general. I have a small selection of bands I love dearly, yet outside of that I struggle to find new material that appeals to me within the genre.

Well 13th Sky have easily joined my small selection. This is a beautiful blend of dark influences that roars like a punk album, but remains catchy and melodic like the best goth rock. It's fast, fiery, melancholic and scathing.

The guitarwork is superb, clearly pulling from classic deathrock, Sisters of Mercy jangles, and even what sounds like horror punk and surf rock on some tracks. The vocal work is blessedly it's own thing, no Andrew Eldritch try hard here. I would equate it to a deeper Mat McNerney of Grave Pleasures with almost a touch of Michale Graves.

The rhythm section is energetic, catchy, and foot-tappingly good. The drumming is upbeat and reminiscent of the finest punk batteries. The bass lurks in the background, taking center stage when evoking that classic goth rock sound, such as on Solace. And the synths are tastefully utilized, creating atmospheres and filling out the overall sound while never being overdone.

You can pick up this Los Angeles, California based band's material from their Bandcamp page.

Airengrav

Storms of Agony

This release from one of Zane Young's (Elegiac, Gormanudr, Blitzgeist, Sacrificial Sounds Label, etc.) numerous black metal projects is one of the best black metal releases I've listened to this year. It's a concise, powerful, ferocious album that blends black metal with noticeable heavy metal melodies.

The vocals are superb agonized howls and vengeful roars, and accompany the pummel of the music perfectly. The opening vocal work on Anchor for My Burning Soul is exceptionally vicious, and one of many reasons it's my favorite track. The guitarwork is a great mix of rapid, headbanging tremolo riffs and pleasant Iron Maiden-esque passages, usually as openings and interludes. Songs such as Dualities of Dominance and Amphimixis tap this classic metal sound to create memorable melodies before throttling you. I also enjoyed the riffwork in Like Wind Against Flames, a mournful, desolate tone that reminds me of Elegiac's Pagan Storm album from last year. And Barbarian Hammer is a full tilt flaming roller coaster of a track.

The rythym is also fantastic, an all out battery attack that weaves around the riffs just right. The latter half of Anchor for My Burning Soul hits especially hard, a raging, riffing, pounding track that howls into the abyss. Again, probably my favorite, though that's a tough call when all of the tracks are this good.

Particularly enjoyable is the build from Faint Glowing Embers into the pure black metal majesty of Black Magic and Metaphysics. An apt title, because the track is classic second wave black metal through and through. Frankly, the entire album is raw, unapologetic black metal that deserves your full attention.

Tapes can be picked up from the Sacrificial Sounds Bandcamp page if still available, and is also always available digitally.

Bandcamp Daily

Artists and Labels Offering Donations, Special Merch, and More Today

Including those donating to organizations fighting for racial justice and change.

Bandcamp are returning all revenue directly to bands and labels for today's sales (June 5th 2020), and numerous musicians and labels are using the opportunity to offer discounts, specials, and raise donations for various causes.

Naturally there's several punk labels and bands, but also several heavy metal labels, from Apocalyptic Witchcraft to Dark Descent. I've put all the heavy metal labels and bands I recognize from the list in the tags, but you might recognize a band name I don't.

Invictus Productions in particular are donating to a wildlife preserve in Ireland, and the aforementioned Dark Descent to a homeless youth outreach program. For several of the labels you will need to check what their discount code is and make sure you apply it! Some are automatically slashing digital prices, but will also discount physical merch as well if you use a code.

Please note though, due to the revenue return, even if a band isn't offering a discount, today your money is fully supporting them! Meanwhile several labels are also using this as reason to give more revenue than usual to bands for sales. Plenty of reason to support the musicians you like, all of whom have taken a financial blow this year.

I also know this list is not comprehensive, so you might do some more digging and see if your favorite band or label are doing any discounts. I've included some in the tags that I received messages from announcing discounts/ specials/ donations that I didn't see on here. Note that Non Serviam have an ongoing 1€ digital album sale.