One of the characteristics of an important musician is that no matter how much work they deliver you can’t wait to hear something new from them. In that respect Dirk Ivens a.k.a. Dive and or Sonar delivers on a timely manner. He is compiling an amazing if not unearthly discography of industrial experimentalism that not only covers the Dive and Sonar releases but also finds its roots in the early Klinik releases where he made his start as the front man for that iconic trio. If you are a loyalist where Ivens is concerned you will be thrilled to know that this CD is most like his early effort "Concrete Jungle." However, dismissing this as an attempt at recapturing something nostalgic from the early days would not really be unfair but truthful as "Behind the Sun" like all Dive releases are works of art that stand on their own. This music relies on repetitious hypnotic trance-like rhythms that are colored by an array of white noise vocals and effects. The production Eric Van Wonterghem is essential in capturing the "dirty" sound nuances that are the signature of Iven’s work. Less commercial or lets say less club friendly than "True Lies," "Behind the Sun" lives in a more cerebral zone of industrial music making and has a more sophisticated quality. For Ivens industrial music is not about just the amplification of raw power but about the finesse of making such elements say something meaningful. Highly Recommended.

"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of older bands are sad affairs that not only accentuate how old and tired (burnt out) they are as humans but how out of date they have become.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.

Seemingly owing as much of their sonic heritage to Dead Can Dance as Front 242 surprisingly works for German duo Gottesfinsternis on their first full length release "Angstschrei". Although the jaggurnaut of more 'traditional' agrit-techno-dustrial rears it's powerful head throughout the album as a whole, it's moments where the band allows more subtle sounds to creep in that the disc truly shines. The mysterious beckoning of "Enleitung", the first track, starts things off right with a far off chanting that swirls around periodic heartbeats of dissonent clangs. After a couple of tracks of more straightforward
ebm, the gorgeous "Nur Macht", opening with a haunting, reverb laden piano that bubbles to the surface occasionally throughout the song (providing not only a perfect counterpoint to the driving beat that eventually arrives), but also proves Gottesfinsternis has a better ear for melody than most of their 'Tragedy For You" influenced peers ever will. Instrumentation-wise, the band seems to favor the cold edge of
digital synthesizers for most of their work, which suits the agressive drive behind the majority of their songs perfectly. Overall the appregiations and razor sharp melodic leads scream 'mainstream goth club potential', although to be fair, the German singing may prove problematic in this pursuit, at least stateside. For this reason I hope that subsequent Gottesfinsternis releases consider going the route of the English penned 'thank you's' in the linear notes here; As most self deprecating, black mascara wearing boys on the dancefloor will tell you, lyrics come first. -Joe Pazo

The Evolutionaries are a new collective from the tri-state area who pour all their love for industrial, ebm, rock and pop into their own blend of these genres. Right from the opening track you can unmistakably tell that one of their major influences is Trent Reznor (probably the era of "Broken" and "Pretty Hate Machine" mostly) but as soons as the singing starts you'll know that they are really heavily into the entire Nothing records roster. You do the math: you have a singer that sounds just like Marylin Manson and a tasteful and aggressive production that flirts with saturation just like NIN's sound does, add to that some ebm influences here and there and the obvious yet vaguely hidden influence of rock and pop (they mention Waits, Fripp and Bowie as some of their mentors) and you'll have an exploding mixture of sounds that will certainly please many of our readers. I personally dig this a lot because I grew up with NIN, but I can see how some might argue that The Evolutionaries might be a touch derivative. On the other hand, who isn't nowadays anyway... plus they say it themselves: "we are evolving"... Let's see what time brings us, I am sure as their evolution continues they'll hook us with more blazing industrial-rock.

I have been following this band ever since they were just starting out. This is a very powerful female-fronted melodic metal band. Their use of electronic drums and synths could appeal to industrial and gothic fans as well. The vocal is very Evanescence-like and the music as well only it is faster and heavier and more metal than just hard rock. The double-bass drum attacks reminded me of prime Manowar without the cheese. Guitarist Nazareth Sando was a former member of Fallen Empire. The members of Of Infinity are quite an accomplished individuals. Most have had musical experience in the past and most have music-industry interests and or are getting an education for it. The singing talent of Alessandra Zinicola sure will get this band noticed by the major labels if not a bigger indie record company. Of Infinity will go to the top as soon as they are handled by the right people. I can't wait to hear more!