This album stay in a sub-genre of dark wave, DM-Clone: listening to "Back in Place" is like listen to an outtake of "Violator". That rhythm, that sound, that synths but also, fortunately, that level of production too. It's subjective to say this is a musical value or not, certainly this project plays his match on the production quality and songwriting. This album is thinked, planned, the synth are layered in a clever way. Listening to "something" could well be instructive to all people playing this type of music: a carefully layer of drum machine, synth and a clean line of vocal. That's it, simple but seductive. "Silent Days" is the track that set the line of the album. It's not original at all, but the form is carefully done. While the songs run on the cd, i never stop thinking this could well be a great album if only there's almost one original musical idea, because the songwriting is enviable.
Distance, a cooperation between Avalist who produced some albums of Misantrophe and René (ZERITAS), has openly declared his influence but, with a more personal path, could well stand above many popular acts of dark wave.

This release is the debut album from a californian goth/glam rock band. Just to be clear: they sounds good, probably they are a good live act, but they lacks songwriting. Goth rock is not a simple matter these days, or there's some original ideas so there's something important or, simply, there's great songs. This album is a collection of rock songs without a production able to emphasize the quality of the band, sometimes it sound like a good demo. It sounds cold, digital while they needed a more warm analog, live sound.
This is a good record only for collectors of the genre.

The collaboration between the two industrial/dark ambient polish projects is a mesmerizing production of sorrow. The album is inspired by two poems: 'Madman' and 'Modern Icarus', aiming to tale the descending into the pits of madness of a man. However the result is not so strongly conceptual and linear and, honestly, sounds more like the descending into despair and the self-consciousness of it; but the technical level of the production is amazing and the album sounds good.
The album starts with "mind infinite" and his bass drone and some noise coloring the darkness. "Do you see them too" begins to show the structure of the work: there's a dark ambient drone and some field recordings inserts that create the atmosphere. The result could well stay in a movie due to the cinematic effect. "last waltz" is a love song for dead people with his romantic line of piano. Then the voices: "It's a suicide ... a complicated situation" in the track "boundless oblivion", this track is the peak of the album: bells samples, noise, field recordings tell the story of someone trying to understands what happens in someone else mind. "A clear fuse" close the album with some sort of irony with the carillon like line of piano.
The album sounds well and show that it's conceived as a concept, this is not a innovative release, the composition is full of all the typical trademarks of the genre, but is a record of substance and really well produced.

The new sampler from Prikosovenie label is centered upon the five elements. The first element is earth, and is the most world oriented centered upon african rhythms and harmonic chants, and is centered upon "Materia Prima" a mesmerizing song by Jean-Paul Trutet. Water is the element which is symbolized by quiet voices and soft sounds of flutes and harp, the peak of this part is the intimate voice of Julien Jacob. Fire is the element of the household and, so, we enter in ethereal territories with Dendelion Wine, Dizzi Dulcimer and Stellamara. The use of ancient instruments is nothing new these days but the intricate lines of "Dizzi jig" is worth of a listening... a really enjoyable pieces. Air include the most resonance based tunes in theory, but in practice is the logical prosecution of the previous part. Personally i would switch the Caprice tune "memory" with "XVII" by Dendelion Wine in the tracklist but the elements separation is not to be taken seriously, of course. The space part includes the most ambient and drone music from this label and feature two notably tracks "L'impatiente" a track by Lys centered upon an hypnotic carillon and field recordings with a stunning musical result. This album is closed by "Pruits stellaire" by Daniel Perret and Crista Galli, based upon harmonic chants and resonance with could be a soundtrack for some meditations.
This compilation has a direction: from the world music to the ambient, and cosmic, music. So it's not the classic sampler of 16 songs a label thinks should be of some interest. It's a good introduction for a label which seems to have a clear vision of the sound it would be associated with. If you like new-age it's worth of a listening because it contains al least two gems at the end of this long sampler.

The new album from Argine is an album inspired by autumn the season of falling leaves and days becoming shorter. After "Dentro" a short instrumental which open the album there the first peak of the album "Risveglio" when a piano gives light to a sad and calm acoustic guitar riff (we are in pure neofolk territories). "Lontana" could well stand in a Death in June album, and this is a compliment. "Pioggia" drives us in war songs territories with a good choice of synths and the rage of the electic guitar and the filtered voice. "Distesa" yelds perfectly the band's idea of autumn with a wounderful description of a landscape and the melody of the violin. Then the album continues with two electical songs "umori d'autunno" e "insofferenza" and two acoustical songs "Ad una finestra" e "Parole e segnali conosciuti". "Dicembre" is almost a new wave songs with the lines of electic guitar and the fast rhythm. "Blu Luce" close the album with an atmosphere which recall the first light of the dawn after a long night. This band shows a solid idea of song structure and musical ideas of a variety unknown of most band of the neofolk scene. This album will end up in an end of the year playlist.