After a demo, an Ep, and the "Folk'n'roll" series, the hellenic band is back on the track, 7 years after their formation. A nice digipack Cd with booklet limited to 500 handnumbered copies, collectors will be pleased. As for the content, I've seen them labeled as neo-folk and I've read about an alleged Current 93 influence. I find "folk-noir" a very suitable description though, and the C93 influence not that sharp anyway, simply because C93 are not the Ramones or Motorhead, it's something always "moving", while Mani Deum seem a bit stuck in some of the stereotypes you would expect. I mean, I don't expect a band like that using hip-hop loops and singing about the life in the Smurfs village, but if "folk-noir" gives you a clue and you might think about the usual love/blood/death bohemia themes, well, I guess you're right. I'm not that picky, a wise use of stereotypes can be entertaining at least, if not even meaningful, but Mani Deum it's like a pale reflex of some C93 (yeah, why not?), some Nick Cave, even some Paul Roland with very worn lyrical themes and plain form. I've appreciated some songs, like "Nemesis", after 3 listenings it got stuck in my mind, but nothing I'd kill for, also because of the support of some vocals that are nothing more than honest while they would be supposed to be the "selling point". Yes, definitely a "honest" band, but if you need to go further, well, they need too...

This is a new project from Firenze, Italy, started by the young and talented artist Verdiana Raw, joined by Antonio Bacchi on guitar with the later addition of Fabio Chiari on percussions. All the compositions are based on Verdiana's vocals and piano. Songs are deeply evocative, not merely melancholic, the emotive spectrum is wider though the atmosphere is always pretty much ethereal. Some extremely rarefied guitar parts wisely overlapped strengthen the effect. Vocals are the outstanding point, ranging from sweet tones to some crazier pitches, capable of harmonic and timbric "jumps" like madame Diamanda Galas taught. And yes, I guess that Diamanda Galas is a strong influence, I dare say early Dead Can Dance are also a big influence. Maybe also because of the alleged esoteric topics, the reminded me a lot of Ordo Equitum Solis in their minimal version, I find a lot of similarities between Verdiana and Leithana's singing. This project deserves your attention, I'm sure that a bright future stands in front of them simply because they deserve it, talent won't be wasted, no crap!

I use to remember an italian band that was so fond of Ramones that was called Bernardones. The musical result was indeed not as hilarious as the monicker, and of course not as good as Ramones. That's the problem, when the role model is so clearly shown it's impossible to avoid comparisons with the original, and the result is always the same: you can't compete with the Gods. That's why I hate cover bands. That's why Atomic Neon job is very dangerous. After a first superficial listen you can already frame them in coldwave style, and most of all vocals are a complete Robert Smith rip-off'¦ but not as good. The only way to avoid comparisons with the Gods is trying to make the whole thing as much personal as possible, alternatively doing it in a "godly" way. Luckily music is not just an exercise of Cure-like playing, but it's 100% coldwave the way you would expect it. So fans of the genre will be very pleased from this album, music is sad, harmonization between bass, guitar and keyboards is melancholic, very well done, perfectly 80's if it wasn't for the sound. That's the only thing Atmoc Neon didn't stick to the 80's with, the sound is very modern, and maybe coldwave fans with ears that care might find it a bit overproduced and not raw and spontaneous enough. There's also a hidden ebm mix after the last and 13th track

Another Canadian band on Noitekk as well as DYM, Distorted Memory unleash a pretty nice second album after "Burning heaven", released in 2006 on Noitekk as well. Jeremy Pillipow's creature is into harsh-ebm/industrial as you are expecting, dance-floor groundbreakers alternated to some slower-paced songs, pounding bass lines, usual arpeggios (with some hi-nrg hints here and there). But not the Combichrist kind of clones proliferating around if this is your question, though there are many points in common. Vocals are harsh but more natural and with less effects than the average, kinda more black metal. Rhythms are driving, but songs sometimes show some unusual (for the genre) middle-eastern music influences, and I must say that "Swallowing the sun", probably the best song, though the less catchy and danceable, of the record, reminds me a lot of Ministry's "Hezbollah" (from "The land of rape and honey" album). This is something noticeable witnessing the attempt of putting some new ideas in a kind of music often stuck to the same recurring standards. "Hand of god" remix by Die Sektor included. Fans of the genre should take note of Distorted Memory.

Provocation can be truly effective and clever (Crass for instance), can be funny (Gwar anyone?), and can be useless and stupid (I'm thinking about all those pretend-nazis in the goth scene). It's a triangle Jesus and the Gurus from Switzerland chose to be part of. While in the past they have indulged on a kind of nazisploitation imagery mixing it with religious symbology and a bit of fetish, the new record seems to focus more on the funny side though still a bit silly. For those familiar with 80's metal they remind At War a lot with this war-praise imagery. Music it's coherent as you might expect. It's martial in the way Laibach are. It's a matter of vocals also, not only of drum sounds and patterns, german language suits perfectly for this purpose. It's slightly folk, folk in the sense of songs sung being drunk at the Oktoberfest, "Sag mir wo du stets" is a perfect example. Musically they might remind Laibach as said before, but mostly they remind Rammstein (yes, they are ripping off a Ministry riff just as them) with a more electronic edge and more pumping rhythms, Feindflug is another name coming to my mind. Distorted guitar is an important part of their aggression nonetheless. There are some instrumental short tracks that sometimes show some more interesting sound and research. In the end, I don't know how much serious they are, they remain just a bit cheesy to me, but they are catchy after a few listenings, success is at hand. Nice "no plastic" gatefold packaging for this Cd