Limited to 150 copies, CRACKS IN THE VOID is the first release by Mockingwyrd. Behind the project there's a mysterious bass player that probably is also collaborating with Kaaos in Eccentris, Typhon Sleeps Heavily and Rytannia. Also on this release the person behind Mockingwyrd uses only the bass guitar to create two suites that remembered me the drones created by the guitars of early Earth records. The bass roars through the effects beings picked, rubbed and used as a magical wand just to create isolationist landscapes that are capable of catch the attention in no time. "Primordial soup" and "Stirrings of life" will fight to find their place into your CD players by winning other boring ones which have tons of cool sounds but without passion... Try it.

With the second CD release of Lukas Schneider the German label Dependent brings out just one of those beloved, but also courageous and in some phases strange release for which this label has reached a fine name world-wide. AUTO AGGRESSION isn’t at all like your daily and usual Electro/Industrial listening and like on his debut Lukas provides again a rather diverse and experimental minded kind of work. The concept for this "Artefacts" (NO typo here...) means to collect and to re-assemble audio byproducts out of digital sound manipulations. What sounds in this description as a real inaccessible extreme experiment isn’t at all that strange. Musically he offers his fine worked out mixture which combines Electro (A Thousand Fires"), rhythmically Powernoise ("Blame", The Sky Is Not Yours", "Speed"), Ambient, Electronica ("Mechanical Sun") and Pop art ("Shallow Things"). Definitively from the intelligent side of music, the used sounds are of course self-created and arranged. Mostly instrumental tracks, Lukas could add again Nives Garasevic doing the female vocal parts on two tracks, and Eskil Simonsson of COVENANT to perform on the track "A Thousand Fires". Always cool to discover something different, unfortunately also this release will be one of the last of this fine label.

Damero is the project of Marit Posch, a gentle girl which works at BPC and HAPPY IN GREY is her first album. The album contains eleven tracks that fit very well the title as they give the idea of the sound you can find inside warm houses into a cold and grey winter. Marit's voice gently paints little melodic pop moments that are enriched by multi layered sound structures created with glitch sounds and little distortions and everything is in balance from i.d.m., techno and electro pop. Some tracks sees famous guests like Apparat, Nevis Peak, Zander VT or AGF helping out Marit (which did a good work already by herself). Generally the tracks have a similar melancholic atmosphere (thing that I found having a certain importance for the first listening) but if you listen to the album carefully you can hear a good amount of different sounds that will make you see the tracks under a different point of view. The tracks I preferred are "Right wrong", "Okay okay" and "Things gone" because they are a good example of upbeat songs with a little of melancholy.

Somehow this Czech act is to me the lost child of the Advoxya label. Long awaited, here comes their second release on this Russian/Hungarian label. "Fallen Angel" is the most recognized title available originally on their last full-length CD "New Gate", which got released already two years before. It’s a bit hard to categorize the sound of this act. Diversity is richly given, elements of Electro/Industrial, Metal and some chaotic Punk-like styles can be heard in a very explosive and energetic mixture. Also the chosen remixing acts prove their abilities and offer some not expected surprises. IMPACT PULSE have to be mentioned, available here with two different remix works (Hungarian and Russian Modul remixes) on "Fallen Angel" – both offer linearity through straight Electro-styled arrangements). The Czech fellowmen of DEPRESSIVE DISORDER can surprise with a spherical cover version of "Fallen Angel" – I have indeed never before heard about that a band creates instead of a remix a cover version – what a brilliant idea. The Russian act SANGUIS IN NOCTE has instead to the other remixing acts worked out two different remixes on "Hunter", originally also taken from "New Gate". Guitars aren’t foreign for them, but they use it wise in these tracks and can offer an American-like Coldwave feeling. Two new tracks are available as well plus a special live video of "Fallen Angel" to conclude this 45 minutes long EP. IMMUNOLOGY seems to be for Advoxya the act to explore the rather guitar-driven genres and you’ll need to be a bit more open-minded to find the right access on their stuff

A DCD compilation set brought to us by the Spanish label Caustic Records which provides the excellent idea to collect several rather underground acts of both countries France and Spain. It is a fine collected initiative to offer these acts a platform to publish some promising material. And indeed, I have found here several tracks and artists on which it is hard to believe that they haven’t been yet recognized by a wider audience. Also the both compilers of the darkest pieces out of both countries speak for quality. CD 1 got compiled by Pedro Penas Y Robles – better known under his band H.I.V.+, while the second CD was compiled by DJ Dogme, who stands behind the French label and online community Axess Code. Additional help they received on the production and the artistic concept by Caustic Records label chief Manix S. and from Yann Soutre of the French act REMAIN SILENT (...why not on here with a new track???) providing the mastering of this DCD set. The French act NEON CAGE EXPERIMENT opens this compilation with a new and rather slow tune, which once more approves their status. PUPPYan-like ominous synth layers, complex programmings and the authentic vocals of Laurent K. (STIGMA) celebrate a strong recommendation to check out more of their stuff – now signed to the US-based Vendetta Music/Electro Aggression Records there should be something out soon. Pedro aka H.I.V.+ has united here with THE HACKER and offers a rather danceable version of "Növö Disko". The "black sheep" on this whole compilation is the guest appearance of PSYCHE providing an updated version of the classic track "Unveiling The Secret 2.0". CHRISTOFFER KAH has to mentioned here too and can totally convince with a danceable track featuring rather old-school EBM bass lines, dark restranged vocals and great melodic content. And have you ever thought about that the French old-school EBM act VOID KAMPF can provide a convincing Dark Electro-minded instrumental tune, instead of "body-muscle-machine" shouts? They can – hats down – but have I heard an obviously use of a FLA sample ("Infra Red Combat") in their track? However, it’s one of the best surprises here! PAIL, the Spanish project leaded by Manix S., comes up with a new euphoric and danceable Dark Electro track, which makes hungry for more! TANNHAUSER, next to PAIL also signed to Caustic Records, is an act which – to my shame – I haven’t discovered anything about. What a big mistake, as they can prove here. A lot of fine tunes to check out here and while CD 2 maybe features the lesser known artist names, it stands head to head in quality to CD 1. SENSORIAL RESPONSE is a new signing for Caustic Records and their first audio sign of life is a fine worked-out instrumental piece. EMBRYO is a new cooperation project by Bruno L. of NEON CAGE EXPERIMENT and Dominique Debert of BRAIN LEISURE – they aren’t afraid to use some guitar riffs to provide a different kind to their rather classic EBM-inspired tunes. Comes then one of my most favorites, E:S.R. with a new and unreleased alternative version of "Regression", which should even raise the collector’s value of this compilation – excellent quality as usual from this fine French act. Musically in a comparable style comes then a collaborative effort by both relatively known French acts BRAIN LEISURE and SKOYZ, while the following cooperation between H.I.V.+ and DEADCELL (= Bruno of NEON CAGE EXPERIMENT) reminds strong on some INTERLACE/NECRO FACILITY tunes featuring a fine but dark melodic content. Best surprise to me is the return of the French act DATA RAPER aka Anthony Dupre. He has released one album called "Carbon Flora" on the French label Brume Records, but afterwards it got silent around him. Fantastic programmings, rich and detailed synth textures, vocoderized vocals – let’s hope and keep all the fingers crossed that he will return. We then get into the part where the searching qualities of DJ Dogme are asked for, because behind names like MIND NECROSIS FACTOR, QUANTIC CHURCH, ZAUBER and SPLATTERPUNK are hiding mostly undiscovered acts – not lesser talented for sure, but they stand mostly in their very first beginning of a career – as far as this is possible in this poor scene. EX_TENSION I need to mention as well, and I hope that this French act will finally soon coming up with a long announced CD release on Cortex Records. The veteran act K-BEREIT also receives a free slot providing straight EBM bass lines with rather chaotic textures. This is globally one of the finest compilations around of the last six months for sure, especially and thanks to the fact that the generic Trance/Techno-inspired Hellektro formula hasn’t find any free slot. The compilers have done a great job and could collect quality, congrats to all of you. Some more and mostly known names I miss here (TAMTRUM, ALLIED VISION, CULTURE KULTUR, OBSZÖN GESCHÖPF...), but this maybe would mean they have to replace some talented newcomer... However, I hope for a continuation, the second chapter has to follow, please...

CD1 selected by HIV+_

1.NEON CAGE EXPERIMENT "memento"
2.LAAG "submit"
3.MAURI "critical day (feat. Victor HAZE)"
4.THE HACKER & HIV+ "növö disko"
5.TERENCE FIXMER "substance"
6.PSYCHOSOMATIK "release me (industrial mix)"
7.PSYCHE "Unveiling the secret (PEOPLE THEATRE ext. version) "
8.CHRISTOPHER KAH "urban night"
9.VOID KAMPF "restore hope (instrumental)"
10.PAIL "dignity corrosion"
11.TANNHAUSER "born in fear"
12.GEISTFORM "alter"
13.LTNO "lucyfer rising (SCHOOLBUS TEENAGE Rmx)"

_CD2 selected by DJ Dogme_

01.SPROG "discordia ( M-linc vocal)"
02.SENSORIAL RESPONSE "Your life is mine (instrumental)"
03.EMBRYO "save me from myself "
04.E.S.R "regression ( Human wasteland mix)"
05.BRAIN LEISURE vs SKOYZ "the maze"
06.HIV+ vs DEADCELL " transmutation (rmx)"
07.DATA RAPER "prosium"
08.MIND NECROSIS FACTOR "senescence"
09.QUANTIC CHURCH " millenium jihad"
10.ZAUBER "funeral imagination"
11.EX_TENSION "freedom (Ultimate mix)"
12.TWINKLE vs SHIZUKA "?"
13.K-BEREIT "blue halo"
14.MUCKRACKERS "fraktion 27"