Ample Population is John Ashe and Jasi Richardson, the first all black gothic/darkwave band that enter the gothic scene and been very well received in their hometown Baltimore, Maryland. My wife and a couple of friends of mine was shock when I told them that the band is black after I played them this awesome 4 song demo cd-r. Ample Population is a reminder of the early XYMOX & THE CURE. The cd-r kicks off with "Red Cloud Afternoon", a very intriguing love song, which I can't stop playing. This song got me so interested because of the catchy guitar/basslines and dark synth sound. "Road Map" have a dark edge with John's voice sounding so deep saying the words "There's no other way to be down/I take the negative with me underground." The guitar and bassline on "Sunshiny Road" and "Letter From Baltimore" have a Cure feel. AP have alot to offer to the gothic/darkwave fans who crave for more bands like them to listen to. Nice to see another black artist doing something distinguish besides myself.

This is a 10th anniversary special edition cd of their 1992 release, which is remastered and feature bonus tracks. Pure electronics that go great to a sci-fi thrill/horror soundtrack. Harsh vox blends with dark synthesizers that will carnage and brings the chill inside you. Amazing what these Philly's duo doing who doesn't sound like no other industrial band.

Darrin Huss and Remi Szyszka is back with a new album, a follow up from their previous "The Hiding Place," which there is a remix of the song on this synth-pop, ambient and ebm disc, "Endangered Species." Hardfloor beats, futuristic & digital synths sounds will move you to songs like "Renegades", "Damaged Soul," and "The Beyond." Some of the tracks have remixes with the help of Massiv In Mensch, Negative Format, and others.

Chicago's based, The End, recorded an extraordinary cd titled "The Hands Of Hope", which talks about love, sadness, hope, and lost. Ryan Socash who do mostly all vocals and play instruments pours out his emotional feelings. You can definitely hear the expressions he's pulling out of his system. The album is darkwave pop with songs like "Gods Above God", "Beyond Recovery", "Aurora's Lost", "The Faithless Daze", and the self title "The Hands Of Hope". There are two songs on disc that's different from the rest of the tracks; "Here I Fall" have a synth-pop dance feel and "Tears (Love Last)", a harsh industrial noise-filled. The End mostly perform acoustic, it'll be interesting to see how they sound unplug.

Empire State Human new 2002 release "Alpha & Omega" is the follow up from their previous highly acclaimed debut cd "Pop Robot." There are 15 rare tracks from both the "Martian Anthems" & "Pop Robot" recording sessions. These diverse digital electronica tunes features remixes and collaborations with some of today's best underground artists such as COUNT TO INFINITY, FREEZEPOP, WAVE IN HEAD, & ONE LAZY EAR. Some songs have mid-tempo ballads like "Fallout" and the beautiful piano and strings melody "Wait Until The Night." A remake of two movie themes; John Barry's "Persuaders" and John Carpenter's horror classic "Halloween" that's done in a techno style. The Irish trio is very talented and unique in their own way. Who knows what will they do on their next album. If you like Erasure, I guarantee you'll like ESH!