New Medieval music from The Fossil Dungeon, this time with an electronic twist. Kyrie could be considered a dark Industrial version of the classical original. This blends nicely into the next track which gets a bit more traditional sounding but then I was hooked by track three, "Hortus Conclusus". This an electronically enhanced Medieval track that will make you want to get up and ?jig’. This instantly went into my iPod favorites with five stars. I’ve played the track several times since listening to the album for this review already! Another great standout track is "Bagpipe Torture", a very odd mixture of Industrial and Techno influences with bagpipes. "Hagios Alexios" is a bit more traditional sounding and incorporates some great Medieval flute. The third standout in my opinion is "Metsaltir". This has some great hand drums and strings and is very Arabian/Persian influenced sounding. I love Middle-Eastern textures! "Backwoods" is very dark and brooding, a stark contrast to most of the album, and includes some electronic ambience which makes it sound like it could have come from a movie soundtrack. "Carmen Vernale" begins sounding like a May Faire and then electronics are added to take it into a more modern feel while maintaining the overall Renaissance/Medieval instrumentation and composition. Overall, this album is highly unique and very insteresting! I highly suggest it to anyone interested in various forms of music from Renaissance to Industrial

Pelerinage is a Medieval music release from The Fossil Dungeon label, mostly known for it’s gothic, darkwave, and neo-folk releases. L’Ensemble Deux et Compagnie is an Anglo/French ensemble from France. Their music tunes are varied but overall the album is like taking a step into the Middle Ages. Some tracks, like "Bizzaria d’amore", make me think of walking through the Bizzarre of shops. Others are like visiting a Medieval cathedral. Overall, this is a beautiful collection of works that will have strong appeal to anyone interested in the Renaissance and early Baroque period where these come from. Fans of the middle-ages or Renaissance Faire will be excited to add this to their collections! I have often looked for this type of music but not usually with any success aside from the few pieces one might find in the Classical music section. However, the works here are much more appealing and, in my humble opinion, sound more artistically performed and more authentic!

This 7 track CD by The Silence Kit certainly sounds familiar even upon the first listening. Yet, it is completely something new at the same time. It's like when you hear something familiar but you can't quite put your finger on why it sounds as familiar as it does. Careful listening will reveal varied aspects of influences from bands like Joy Division, The Cure, Echo & The Bunnymen, and maybe even a bit of The Swans. There is still something I cannot quite put my mental finger on, but this is something that will appeal to anyone moved by the barer forms of Gothic rock from the early punk ages. There is something raw and disturbing yet very beautifully revealing within the chords and rhythms of The Silence Kit. Patrick McCay, founder, lead guitarist, and keyboardist for the band, has definitely tapped into the emotional isolation portrayed by the early forms of his genre. However, he has updated the sound a bit with modern electronics but no so much that you would lose the raw, earthy tonality of the DYI rock band sound.

I found this to be an unexpected drop in my box. As a DJ remix CD it also seems to be a bit of an unexpected pairing as well in some ways. Two high energy female DJs on a 2CD set by System Records, this creates several minutes of nightclub styled dance music with two distinct flavors. The first is DJ Baby Anne who's overall style is that of the Bass Culture. This femme fatale hails from Orlando, FL and mixes the likes of Malicious Mike, Trixie, Scratch-D (Dynamix II), Mylo, and KMFX as well as dropping a few of her own unique tracks. The second is Jen Lasher, this was the big surprise for me! This cute redhead reveals more of the underground styles between EBM and Synthpop. I found this a pleasant switch from 'traditional' DJ remix projects I've heard previously. Many of the artists she spins have a retro-modern Synthpop flair, some with EBM overtones. I would never have expected to hear Wolfsheim and Covenant on a DJ remix disc! Very nice! She also spins quite a few great tracks I'm previously unfamiliar with by bands such as The Glass, Naommon, Roxanne, The Knife, Mason, Infected Mushroom and one of her own making. The first disc starts out rather 'traditional' to older bass style DJ mixes then slowly transitions into something less familiar and more unique. Overall, I found this to be entertaining and fun to listen to. Not the type of disc I normally purchase but if you are looking for something fun to play at parties and you have a mixed crowd of trendies and alternatives alike, you can get away with this nicely!

The soon to be released "Cost of Living" by the Canadian trio Jack & Lizz, known as Richter, bring an interesting combination of sounds the table. Compared to bands like Apoptygma Berzerk, Covenant, and Wolfsheim, I found some rather undefinable combinations involved as well. There seems to be a bit of New Order and Caberet Voltaire influences on the very synthpop "Come Clean". The follow-up "Dirty Prophet" takes us right into industrial territory showing a bit of KMFDM, 242, as well as the afforementioned associations. Richter definitely seems to create a fluid expression which combines the best of 80's wave and industrial bands with those of the modern EBM and synthpop arenas. They also create a smooth combination of analog and digital instrumentation without overdoing the guitars. Instead they are pleasantly blended into the overall texture of the project. The driving male vocals tend to have a bit of that 'android' feel to them that gives a sort of 'clinical' impression, much like early Gary Numan. The backing female vocals add to the atmosphere and enforce what the rest of the project is already doing. In other words, there is no vocal clash you might get in some projects where it seems like both are trying to lead. Instead they both work very well in combination and support everything else going on. Many styles combine to create a fluid translation of a uniquely new style, a bit monocrhomatic but with some interesting layering and mixing. While there is lots of activity, it maintains a very smooth texture that is somehow 'soothing' even while dark and kinetic.