Observer: Nyxx & Apocryphos

I Die : You Die -


Nyxx
Salt EP
SHVDOW Records
NYC artist Nyxx’s take on the contentious industrial pop sound has proven versatile and mutable, as evidenced by the material on the recent salt EP. Made up of the title track and three collabs, two with the IDM-touched industrial songsmith genCAB and one with queer darkwaver Danny Blu, there’s a surprising amount of variety, while remaining true to Nyxx’s arch musical persona. Where “salt” itself captures a slinky, seething grind that comes complete with bent and chords and distorted growls, “Body Count” goes uptempo with Nyxx and Blu trading off bitchy one liners and a shouted hook behind a solid bit of bouncy electro. Even the genCAB team-ups are distinct from one another in their execution, with “Crown” hitting a mood between seething and melancholy, turning up the drama for its big chorus and tweaky breakdown, “Gun” (probably the project’s best track to date) is a rock solid slice of clubbed up electropop, thick with richly detailed production and tremendously catchy and charismatically delivered vocal hook. Between its variety and its balance of smooth and rough-edged electronics salt packs plenty into its tight 14 minute run-time.
salt – EP by Nyxx

Apocryphos - Ultimum Saeculum
Apocryphos
Ultimum Saeculum
Cryo Chamber
The latest in a slew of releases (solo and collaborative) which Robert Kozletsky has released as Apocryphos over the past decade since the dissolution of Psychomanteum, Ultimum Saeculum is a deep and subtle reminder of the sort of focused control and power Kozletsky holds in his drone-heavy style of dark ambient. Framed by the concept of the last 24 hours on earth, the record uses a host of field recordings and pedals to build warm and tremoring rises and falls. As with preceding Apocryphos work, Ultimum Saeculum is likely best suited for those already initiated into dark ambient, and those who have a taste for the style will be drawn in both by the uncompromising purity of Kozletsky’s take on it, as well as his talents in detailing and executing it, and it’s really in the latter that his latest excels. By the time choral-like harmonics emerge on “1200 (Astrophe)”, the listener’s already so attuned to the subtle textures which thread through the record that the blooming warmth of the piece’s chords shimmers all the more in contrast with the wind recordings in which it’s buffeted. From the undertow-like timbre of his core drones to the light dusting of just enough adornment, Ultimum Saeculum gets the details and the craft of dark ambient right.
Ultimum Saeculum by Apocryphos

The post Observer: Nyxx & Apocryphos appeared first on I Die: You Die.

We Have A Technical 553: Bon-Bon

I Die : You Die -

Assemblage 23

Assemblage 23

We’re offering up one of classic, easy going Pick Five episodes this week folks, as we each look back at some underrated singles. Which tunes came out too early or too late to hit the spotlight? Which hinted at roads less travelled by established bands? And which tickled the fancies of the Senior Staff just because? As always, you can rate and subscribe on iTunes, download directly, or listen through the widget down below.

The post We Have A Technical 553: Bon-Bon appeared first on I Die: You Die.

Ye Gods, “Black Moon”

I Die : You Die -

Ye Gods - Black Moon

Ye Gods
Black Moon
self-released

Antoni Maiovvi’s work as Ye Gods has emerged as a sustained, and perhaps most importantly, deeply considered branch of the UK expat’s expansive discography, which spans techno, italo, and post-punk. While the wit of the name might have initially suggest that Maiovvi was approaching the metaphysical and occult themes of the project with some sense of bemusement, there’s nothing shtick-heavy about Ye Gods five years into its tenure, as even a passing listen of Black Moon, the second in a suite of three LPs, shows. Instead, Maiovvi continues to release work which reflects a tactile, honest, and surprisingly approachable perspective on psychedelic styles and themes which producers have for decades opted to cloak in mystery.

Black Moon picks up closely after the preceding The Arcane & Paranormal Earth, and while careful listeners will detect some subtle changes in the details of these six tracks in comparison (for his part, Maiovvi has said that he was aiming for a less grounded and more dream-like release), the core elevator pitch remains the same. A combination of ambient and post-industrial soundscapes and beats coalesce and fragment, with an emphasis on sustained mood (think Deleuze’s take on durée) rather than noise or fraught drama. Indeed, a relative lack of distortion and abrasion makes Black Moon feel much smoother than Earth, though I’m too much of a secular ignoramus to know if that’s reflected in the differences in specific imagery or hermetic references in the two volumes (and don’t even think of asking me to contrast the two different magic squares on the cover art).

Still, Maiovvi draws and maintains interest via hypnotic repetition throughout Black Moon, and you don’t need to be a Thelemic initiate to understand the repeated “If cleanliness is godliness then dirt is my king” mantra on “Av HaTumah”, perhaps something of an answer to the similarly recurring question “of what substance are you made?” on Earth. These lines of questioning, be they purely philosophical or mystic, of trying to find a baseline for matter, reality, and perhaps most importantly, of experience, rest at the heart of much of the Coil discography Maiovvi is clearly influenced by, and quite frankly it’s refreshing to hear someone take up that aspect of that band’s legacy rather than the elements of pure shock, confrontation, and extremity. That’s matched in the musical direction of Black Moon, which even in its darkest moments, like the looping boiler room groans of “Complete Despair & Disrepair”, opts for a vague sense of the uncanny via pitched sampling of the Louis Malle film from which the record takes its name. Two thirds of the way through this trip the destination may not be visible to those of us along for the ride, but damned if it isn’t a smooth ride.

Buy it.

Black Moon by Ye Gods

The post Ye Gods, “Black Moon” appeared first on I Die: You Die.

Autodafeh, “Greed”

I Die : You Die -


Autodafeh
Greed
Scanner

It’s been a solid decade since we’ve had a new LP from Swedish EBM purveyors Autodafeh, a time period where the neo-old school body music movement they were loosely affiliated with has largely dissipated from the broader dark alternative club consciousness. Known in their heyday for their various allusions to mid-period Front 242 (the most notable of which was the wink-nudge chorus of their single “Divided We Fall”), their 2025 comeback record Greed has many of those same markers, and some of the associated issues that come with their brand of fealty to the greats.

That’s a roundabout way of saying that Autodafeh haven’t changed super significantly during their hiatus. That’s not a bad thing necessarily, as there’s generally a lot less retro-EBM going around than in the early 2010s, allowing these songs to standout more easily. There’s more than a few fine examples of Autodageh plying their trade, such as mid-tempo nodder “Find Myself”, which works a steady groove and peppers in portentous samples of men speaking seriously and calls to prayer, all glued together with a simple FM bassline and a brassy synth lead. “Tame Your Body” goes a similar route, adding in plenty of extra percussion and synthlines that mirror the bassline to allow vocalist Mika’s spot-on DeMeyer-isms to shine.

That said, Autodafeh’s homages to legendary acts and songs have always been one of the things that makes or breaks them with listeners; either you’re cool with them paying tribute to the classics, or you find they veer too far into crass imitation. This was less of an issue a decade and half back when all their peers were competing to take the gold in the Muscle n’ Hate Olympics (indeed, their allegiance to 242 was even a little refreshing in a sea of Nitzer soundalikes), but it sticks out a bit more now than it did then. The bassline to “Shame On You” is half “No Shuffle” and half “Lightning Man”, similar enough to each to raise a few eyebrows, while the halting, slightly pitched delivery of the vocals on single “One Step Forward” brings “The Bog” to mind once you notice their similarities. This can often lead to playing a game of spot-the-reference that distracts from the listening experience, with things like the title track’s interpolation of the hook from The Invincible Limit’s “Push” eclipsing all other aspects of its composition.

This is of course one of those ear-of-the-beholder situations, and one never gets the impression Autodafeh are trying to pull a fast one. Indeed, they’re a band whose best moments have always been in service to the EBM gods, and it can be fun to hear them weave some further afield sounds into their tapestry, such as the minimal electro beep-boops of “Backstabber” and the Juno Reactor-esque 32 bit racing game rush of “Under the Blood Red Sky”. Greed does what Autodafeh has always done, and it’d be weird to expect anything else.

Buy it.

Greed by Autodafeh

The post Autodafeh, “Greed” appeared first on I Die: You Die.

Tracks: April 7th, 2025

I Die : You Die -

As we’ve been alluding to on the podcast for the past couple of weeks, world events are likely going to result in shows and tours being cancelled (as well as simply not being booked), as well as would-be attendees being incapable of attending live shows, or simply being hesitant of travelling to do so. We mention this by way of telling folks that if there are shows or festivals happening near you, the bands and promoters involved are likely going to be counting on local audiences more than ever. Obviously economic uncertainty in addition to travel security is a factor right now (oh, what a time to be alive), but if you do have the means to do so, consider dishing out a few extra shekels here and there to help out the artists in Our Thing as well as those working to put them on stage. On with this week’s Tracks!

Bootblacks, white coats

Comaduster, “Wavelike”
It’s been ages since we had new music from friend of the site Réal Cardinal and his Comaduster project, but the first seconds of new track “Wavelike” certainly made the wait worth it. If you know the project, you’ll no what to expect; incredibly elaborate sound design with endless amounts of micro-glitches and edits, married to honest-to-god-songwriting and melodies. Interestingly we’re hearing a lot of Cardinal’s interest in the current wave of hyper-comples progressive metal more than ever before. Great stuff, as it always has been and always will be.
BLACK SUN RAYS + WAVELIKE by Comaduster

Rhys Fulber, “Running Out Of Sand”
At the clip that Rhys Fulber’s solo run has been going, a layoff of nearly a full year since his last LP actually seems substantive…which is of course to ignore his heavy touring, remixing, and even photography schedule. Still, this stripped down and direct banger is a great reintroduction to the style Fulber’s been plying so well, its core programming and rhythm feeling both of the moment and calling back to the earliest roots of electronic dance, all augmented with just enough of the subtle atmospherics which Fulber’s imbued his standalone work with.
Running Out Of Sand by Rhys Fulber

Bootblacks, “Only You”
Bootblacks have been priming the pump for the June release of Paradise for a while now, releasing singles like “Forbidden Flame” and “Wilderness” that rank amongst the best songs in the band’s catalogue to date. New taster “Only You” continues that trend, taking the bands synth-tinged post-punk and wedding it to a groovy rhythm courtesy of Chris Vrenna (!!) and some smokey sax from session player Benjamin Harrison, resulting in a genuinely great rave-up that showcases the NYC band’s unique identity in full.
Paradise by Bootblacks

Unter Null, “Coming Up To Breathe”
We couldn’t tell you exactly when we shifted from thinking that Unter Null was simply on hiatus to presuming that Erica Dunham’s long-running industrial project had been permanently retired, but the sudden appearance of this new cut not only undoes those presumptions but has us flashing back to the lay of the land the last time we would have heard from Unter Null. Immediate and flashy with a healthy amount of acidic bite, this is a great reintroduction to one of the stalwarts of a classic club-focused style.
Coming Up To Breathe by UNTER NULL

Give My Remains To Broadway, “Coke – Remix (feat. Casket Cassette)”
Give My Remains To Broadway’s take on darkwave has relied on lean, speedy minimalism and a heavy influence from pop-punk and indie rock of generations past, and so it’s not especially surprising that their new set of remixes of the This Party Sucks EP don’t go for easy four-four club layups. Instead, reworkings like this one with a feature from LA’s likeminded Casket Cassette play things close to the chest, making only minor modulations to the already dialed in and focused original.
This Party Still Sucks by Give My Remains to Broadway

Mari Kattman, “Anemia”
Recent Metropolis Records signee Mari Kattman brings her signature powerful vocals and some mid-tempo dancefloor grooves with new single “Anemia”. If you’ve followed Kattman’s work between her numerous guest appearances, as half of Helix with Tom Shear, and her solo work the control and confidence of her delivery won’t be a surprise, but the single does show some growth in song construction, with a strong instrumental hook and nice tight dancefloor arrangement that compliment the vocal perfectly.
Anemia by Mari Kattman

The post Tracks: April 7th, 2025 appeared first on I Die: You Die.

Observer: alienobserver &

I Die : You Die -

alienobserver - Metamorphosis
alienobserver
Metamorphosis
popnihil
Coming on the heels of a debut single last year, alienobserver’s first EP makes for a charming and considered slice of electro-pop with some airy touches of classic ethereal releases and a hint of modern darkwave. Blending sampled vocals and twinkling synths in the foundations of her tracks, the Orlando-based Meg Campbell uses a light touch to make a real impact on four brief pieces which put her hushed but clear and affecting squarely in the spotlight. Despite having the sort of range and delivery often used to hover in pure atmospherics, there’s tightly crafted songsmithing on Metamorphosis, from the warm summer drizzle of “You Got Me”‘s downward meandering harmonies to the straightforward lilting nod of “Kerosene Autonomy”. Campbell’s wounded delivery on “Heart Beats” recalls lesser known dreampoppers from generations past like Sully and Claire Voyant, while the subtle and classy string stabs in it point to sharp pop instincts of a broader cast. Understated doesn’t have to mean underwritten, and you’ll likely be pleasantly surprised by how addicting and easy to listen to alienobserver’s statement of arrival is.
Metamorphosis by alienobserver


WLDV
Primigenium EP
self-released
Spanish producer WLDV has made a regular habit of releasing short EPs every year or so, usually featuring a specific musical and thematic concept. Primigenium is a bit rougher-edged and more crunchy, as befits its subject matter, namely man’s primal instincts and the defiance of self-imposed order. The record’s two main tracks approach this in different fashion, each a mini-treatise of sorts: “Abomination” is more akin to the cinematic and giallo-horror styled vibe of WLDV’s classic material, with bright leads and spooky pads, but layers extra distortion and saturation to its percussion, the dialogue samples repeated and manipulated until the words start to lose coherence and become unnervingly guttural. In contrast “Nether Void” feels like an entirely new avenue for the project, a percussion driven vocal track that recalls Dive and early Synapscape, a slow-rolling distorted rhythm guiding its processed vocal down empty corridors, awash with metallic reverberation. Bookended by two complimentary short pieces that presage and summarize the use of space and harsh sonics, it’s as complete a statement as WLDV has made in the format.
WLDV – Primigenium EP by WLDV

The post Observer: alienobserver & appeared first on I Die: You Die.

We Have A Technical 552: Bears Of Industrial

I Die : You Die -

Iszoloscope

Iszoloscope in Ottawa

We’re going hard in the powernoise paint this week, as we look back on records from very different periods in the history of the subgenre, Tarmvred’s Subfusc and Iszoloscope’s The Edge Of Certainty. There’s a lot of lateral discussion about the genre on the whole, in addition to consideration of what stands out about these records so many years on from their release. We’re also breaking down the recently announced line-up for the thirteenth instalment of the Cold Waves Fest. As always, you can rate and subscribe on iTunes, download directly, or listen through the widget down below.

The post We Have A Technical 552: Bears Of Industrial appeared first on I Die: You Die.

Korine, “A Flame in the Dark”

I Die : You Die -


Korine
A Flame in the Dark
Born Losers Records

Korine occupy an interesting corner of the broader synthpop/new wave revival movement; the Philadelphia based duo of Morgy Ramone and Trey Frey have successfully invoked both wistful melancholia and youthful hope in their songs, pulling in elements from darkwave and pop-punk for flavour. Their latest, A Flame in the Dark, is an interesting quantity in their catalogue, not peaking as high as previous records, but showing stronger songcraft overall across the album.

The issue with the two proceeding LPS from the band (The Night We Raise and Tear) was that their best songs made the surrounding cuts less memorable. Damnably catchy, instantly memorable cuts like “Burn the World”, or “Fate, or “Train to Harlem” made it hard to give the rest of their material a fair shake. A Flame in the Dark might lack earworms of the calibre of those cuts, but the floor for songwriting and performance has come up considerably.

A cut like “Blue Star” is a perfect case in point, balancing post-punk bass and bright synthwork with a nuanced vocal from Morgy, hitting the mark between hopeful keening and mopeyness with aplomb. Arrangements remain straightforward, but are cannily tuned in service to songs with breakdowns and transitions creating more movement and dynamics than ever before; note the variation in the vocal line on the first and second verses of “Twist the Knife” that reflect the punchiness of the chorus, and how “The Line” confidently stays at a slower tempo to really let it big feelings come across.

Better songcraft might seem like a poor trade for the mega-hooks that built Korine’s following, but it ultimately benefits the listening experience a great deal. In isolation a single like “Anhedonia” is a solid cut, but in the context of the variety and shape of the record its speedy rhythm programming and sing-songy melody elevate the surrounding cuts, creating more movement, more contrast and a more complete album experience. If (like this reviewer) you had Korine pegged as a singles band with okay albums, then A Flame in the Dark might require you to recalibrate your listening – those that do will find charms aplenty to enjoy.

Buy it.

A Flame In The Dark by Korine

The post Korine, “A Flame in the Dark” appeared first on I Die: You Die.

Minuit Machine, “Queendom”

I Die : You Die -

Minuit Machine - Queendom

Minuit Machine
Queendom
Synth Religion

It would be tempting to consider the sleek club stylings of the new record by longstanding French darkwave project Minuit Machine in relation to changes in the project’s personnel. With Hélène De Thoury, the long-term writer and producer of the project having retired from music due to the tragic side-effects of COVID, Minuit Machine is now the solo project of vocalist Amandine Stioui. And while there’s plenty in Queendom which could go on to distinguish this era of the band, the changes it makes are often subtle ones.

Given how directly club-focused the pre-release singles which begin the record are, it might be easy to forget how 24, the last LP to be helmed by De Thoury, held similar priorities. But if 24‘s rhythmic focus felt like a bootstrapping of the icy spaciousness of the band’s roots, using massive, echoing kicks as radar-like probes of Minuit Machine’s hazy atmospheres, Queendom feels much more nimble and insulated, with its arpeggiated programming sitting square in the listener’s face rather than on some distant horizon. Whether in the freestyle halftime of “Denied” or the moody bass which paves the way for slowly unfurling synth peals on opener “Hold Me”, Stioui’s found ways of keeping even the most insistent of beats approachable and almost cozy.

Queendom thus isn’t a total break from Minuit Machine’s existing style, but for every moment which hearkens back to the past, there’s another which takes a quiet detour down a lesser trod path. The icy, stabby leads of “Cent Fois” call back to the stormy midnight raves of Violent Rains‘ club bids, though Stioui’s laid back and disarming vocal approach (also appearing on third single “Party People”) brings the drama somewhat to heel. That more off-the-cuff delivery is carried through on the melancholy “Mes souviens”, the with its reflective and understated vocal standing in stark contrast to the pensive slowburn of the title track, which still feels of a piece with the shimmering darkwave monoliths which cemented the band’s rep a decade back.

Between De Thoury’s departure, Stioui stepping up to the plate as a composer, and the presence of collaborators like Lloyd Philippon (RAUMM), there are a slew of factors which could have either botched Queendom‘s equanimity, or at least pushed it beyond fans’ hopes and expectations for a new Minuit Machine record. That it finds some ways of tastefully changing up the project’s delivery while still keeping one foot in the elements which made it so enthralling initially is a victory in itself.

Buy it.

QUEENDOM by Minuit Machine

The post Minuit Machine, “Queendom” appeared first on I Die: You Die.

Pages

Subscribe to Gothic BC aggregator - Feeds