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.

And once again a new full-length album for Germany’s scene-leader when it comes on romantic Electro/Wave/Pop-music. At least also the still growing success of BLUTENGEL has meanwhile brought up a lot of copy-cats, but at least nothing matches the original. For Chris Pohl this project reflects rather more the electronic-driven sound compared to the Goth-Rock-infiltrated TERMINAL CHOICE – and BLUTENGEL gets more successfully than ever before. On "Labyrinth" BLUTENGEL still offering their known formula by offering classic compositions with catchy melodies, Futurepop-like easy-to-consume arrangements and the clear vocal performance by Chris and his two female counterparts, Constanze Rudert and Ulrike Goldmann. Why slapping that cow before it stops to give milk? Of course, the sound quality is top-notch and crystal-clear, so are the vocals and several tracks offer a great singing-along-the-chorus-attitude ("Dreamland", "Shame") – but stop! Before I start complaining that nothing changes this sultry program, the track "Body Move" differs the most from the usually BLUTENGEL-recordings. Quite harder bass lines and a manipulated vocal performance by Chris give this track the required mood to figure out the desire of the lyrics. Not a high-end layered composition of an Electro/EBM-track, but a difference to interrupt a bit the mood of the BLUTENGEL empire. At least and as a conclusion, BLUTENGEL can surely impress the 14-years-young Goth-newbies the most with their rather simple-minded song structures and arrangements, while others may accept this album as the right soundtrack to recover after a broken relation at a dark autumn day. Nothing to spectacular, simply a new BLUTENGEL-album. In latest news, this album could climb on some high positions in the German album sale charts, congrats.

As being released as one of the last Dependent releases ever, here comes the new and at all 4th album of the US-based Industrial-duo MINDLESS FAITH. Consisting of Chris and Jason Sevanick plus a handful additional guest musicians, they’re walking musically the paths which got defined before by acts like UNIT 187 or BATTERY CAGE. "Medication..." offers a typically American-sounding kind of Industrial uniting Coldwave-like attitudes like raging Metal-guitar-riffs, drum pattern diversity and harsh vocals with lyrics providing a social-critic and politically content. The message seems to be clear – MINDLESS FAITH are trying to awake the masses out of a kind of mass-psychosis which caused through the permanent misinformation and news censorship through the Bush-Administration on CNN and all related television stations. But not only this, they like to rage generally against all failures of the "American Way of Life" and can report out of own experiences ("Independence Day", "Red Lines"). They’ve by the way ended their relation to Metropolis-Records, on which the last album "Momentum" got released and have re-animated their very own and long year active label AlterCulture, which has been their home since the early years. Interrupted here and there through some generous settled in dark intro/outro-like ominous sounding instrumental passages, their sound comes out rough and filthy. Slight distortion effects on some of the synth bass lines or some of the drums can be discovered as well and are the reason for this. It should be mentioned that this album needs at least a few spins more than usual, because the stuff and content doesn’t come out that accessible as expected. The patient listener will rewarded with a thick and layered sounding Electro/Metal-Crossover-album, which has its own charisma. A decent output, but far away of the "revolutionary next big thing", which the in this case embarrassing German info sheet likes to announce.

Wanna play with toys? Well, the French of TWINKLE want, better said, they’ve done in past to get the right mood for their first full-length CD, and second release at all. Being normally signed to Audiotrauma-label, where they already released an EP entitled "Processing Industry" in 2K5, this full-length album comes out as a collaborative effort with the German giant Ant-Zen. Consisting of Yves Cornu and J.-B. Leduc, they offer us a unique blend between rhythmically Powernoise, Tribal-elements and a fine nose for Experimental structures. It isn’t at all a harsh and aggressive noisy output, it rather plays between the genre boundaries in a varied kind. The more than 8 minutes long "Ton Style" is a perfect example to discover some content of the TWINKLE universe. A manipulated music-box melody got repeated and infiltrated with dozens of strange percussion elements and varies the speed. "Joue Avec Moi" is a collaboration effort with the Audiotrauma-comrades CHRYSALIDE and maybe the most Powernoise-like track here which features a rough vocal performance. "L’envers De La Vague" sounds like a dedication to the works of Dirk Ivens a.k.a. DIVE. Check also the strange sample collage "Le Joueur" to find your most favorite toy. While most of the provided stuff comes out rhythmically arranged and likes to animate you to dance, I recommend to check out this album under a pair of headphones. There’s a lot of intelligent and never heard before stuff available here which needs your full attention.

The Australian musician David Thrussel and his famous SNOG-project I surely don’t need to introduce any nearer. Active now since more than 15 years in the Electro/Industrial genre, he also can’t be musically sorted in to get a constant and remaining style description. On "The Last Days Of Rome" he offers some more or less subtle Electronica elements with a constant acoustic attitude through guitars and his still a bit strenuous sounding voice. Always and ever an eye-feast are Thrussel’s essays referring on politically and social-critically themes, which he of course likes to point out through his lyrics, too. The art deals with the influence of promotion banners regarding new cars and status symbols, while his essay "A Capital Day" describes and exaggerates the routine of our affluent society. Thanks to some quite different license deals he has given out, this version of this album, released by the Ant-Zen companion label Hymen Records at least offers several bonus tracks, so on this release you’ll get at least 20 tracks. Some have to be mentioned: "City" comes out calm and catchy, but with a melancholic mood. Also note, that it is "Christmas Everyday" for the freaks in the White House – what a fine track. It’s fun to follow Thrussel’s sarcasm richly spread through his lyrics, while it makes you think of on several things as well. You’re wrong with it, if you look for a new and modern sounding Electronica/IDM/Ambient-release, for which the Hymen is otherwise an excellent resource for. This one has to be seen as poetry - fine work, keep on the vision of a better world!