"Live at Wave-Gotik-Treffen" like the name implies is a live Klinik performance CD that was recorded at the Agra Halle in Leipzig, 29th May 2004. The surprise here is that this is a reunion CD that includes Dirk Ivens. More often than not most reunions of older bands are sad affairs that not only accentuate how old and tired (burnt out) they are as humans but how out of date they have become. This is not the case with this Klinik reunion. Having been close to the band in those early days this is a perfect way not only to celebrate the great work they set forth back then but moniker of what has become the standard by which most industrial work is measured by today. When Dirk Ivens and Marc Verhaeghen are in sync there is a magic in the chemistry that is unmistakably tangible. This music calls on our primal instincts to meet a primitive modern thrust of electricity in an abusive yet sensual manner. Songs like "Hours and Hours" and "Sick in Your Mind" will always be favorites of mine but all stages of the Klinik legend are represented here. And for the person who is new to the band I would highly recommend this release as a comprehensive introduction to what is about the Klinik that makes them so important. Highly recommended.

High Blue Star is a duo from Minnesota consisting of the vocals of Laura Reade and the music of Brian Green. Their debut release titled "High Blue Star" is a mix of both old school sensibility and new school technology. Drawing on such sources as Massive Attack, X-Mal Deutschland, and Brian Eno their sound is a collision of industrial gothic walls of substructure and experimental tactfulness that works its way into your soul. Having had the pleasure of seeing them live I can tell you that they reproduce all of the nuances here. Laura Reade may be one of the best singers I have ever seen. She is powerful and charismatic and in control of some very unique pipes. I hear references to Siouxsie, Danielle Dax, and even Joy Division in the sound. Yet they are in no way an 80’s tribute sort of act. The music is very current and frankly is some of the best gothic electronics I have heard in the last five years. Brian Green works his instruments in synchronized layers of color waves that rush through the body making this a physical as well as psychological journey. Songs like "Serotonin" and "Dragonsaw" will claw their way into your mind and you will find yourself unable to escape these dark melodies. Highly Recommended!

The genre of experimental sound art has long been a tradition reaching back to the early 1980’s collective known as the Los Angeles Free Music Society (LAFMS). Artists such as Neef or Bruce Licher’s Project 197 were experimenting with this format in its infancy. Inspired by free form improvisation work akin to those artists the White Trash Firecrackers set for an interesting debut. Unlike their predecessors they use an array of electronics, tape manipulations, and sampling to create compositions that range from clever noodling to the beautiful accidents of juxtaposition.
There are no politics here, no clever melodies you can hum and certainly no pretension. If anything the White Trash Firecrackers are bit on the raw side. Their sound art is confrontational and brave. It is industrial in nature but not industrial music. The soundscapes are dissonant at times and humorous at others, and certainly not for the squeamish.

As industrial music marches on into its third decade so do many of its important figures. One of those figures Gin Devo formerly of Vomito Negro continues his efforts with the release of Pressure Control’s "Vamp." "Vamp" is an anthemic, and clearly Belgian industrial music that finds its inspiration from bands like Throbbing Gristle or the Klinik. Its pulsating rhythms and digital programming keep the body interested while its harsh vocals and array of white noises entertain the mind. Written much like an electronic pop recording in the sense that these are song structures, the difference here is in the style. Gin Devo and his collaborators Manie Grace and Jericho have a sensitivity to each other that is rarely found. The nine tracks are all apocalyptic warnings of the gothic nature and are quite catchy. The best two being the tracks are "Vamp" and "C.O.D." and you’ll find yourself singing along to them. There is a lot of bad Industrial/EBM Cds out there right now and this is not one of them. Highly recommended.