Darkwave

Hours of Worship – Death & Dying Vol. I Review

Hours of Worship – Death & Dying Vol. I Review

“Not even a year ago, I sat down with the sophomore LP, The Cold that You Left from Lisbon/New York City duo Hours of Worship. Its dour, moody sensibility had me channeling my inner goth as it spun its miserably pretty synth soundscapes. Now, Death & Dying Vol. I—with part II due later this year—has arrived to double down on the despair.” Sad as sport.

Maud the Moth + Trajedesaliva – Bordando el manto terrestre Review

Maud the Moth + Trajedesaliva – Bordando el manto terrestre Review

“Unquestionably I spend most of my listening time browsing this site’s namesake aesthetic, but I also enjoy sticking my nose elsewhere to try to catch a whiff of what else may inspire that same special beauty in ugliness I desire. Though the Maud the Moth (Amaya López-Carromero also of healthyliving) side has a metallic line to the pleading halls of Scotland’s Ashenspire, Trajedesaliva (the duo of Mon Ninguén on synths and unavena on voice) hosts no such connection, living in their own experimental electronic ambient world.” MOAR Moth?

Hours of Worship – The Cold that You Left Review

Hours of Worship – The Cold that You Left Review

“I was born in the mid-90’s, so neither it nor the 80s are decades I remember. Hours of Worship’s second LP, The Cold That You Left, however, is so soaked in that era’s signature gothic electronica that it gives even me nostalgia. The duo’s professed touchstones of Type O Negative and early The Cure are pretty much on the money. This is pure aestheticized depression that goths everywhere would clamor to inject directly into their veins. I’m no Wednesday Addams wannabe, but listening to this makes me want to dye my hair and paint my nails black, apply heavy eyeliner, and start hanging around in graveyards.” Goth in a dark place.

Lament Cityscape – A Darker Discharge Review

Lament Cityscape – A Darker Discharge Review

“Wyoming, famously, hosts some of the United States’ most beautiful nature preserves—also famously it lacks urban comforts and is one of the two rectangular states. This expansive, rural landscape shapes an existence and mindset that’s decidedly different from the metropolitan portrait of tap-to-pay cafes, melting pot crowds, and city-speed sprawl. For better or worse, Mike McClatchey has called Buffalo, Wyoming temporarily home—a home that has fueled his boiled-over frustrations into this more solo edition of Lament Cityscape, A Darker Discharge.” Rural rabies.

Lunar Shadow – Wish to Leave Review

Lunar Shadow – Wish to Leave Review

Lunar Shadow is a relatively young act, but they’ve logged more miles on their progress-o-meter than some bands do over several decades. Here on album number three, Wish to Leave, they’ve undergone their third significant style shift. Having started life playing a form of retro epic metal fused with black metal, they quickly shifted and incorporated a significant Goth rock element on 2019s The Smokeless Fire, while still trying to make their traditional/epic/NWoBHM/black style function. Now a scant year and change later they’ve shifted deeper into Goth rock and post/indie territory.” Sudden departures and chronic indecisiveness.

Ulver – Flowers of Evil Review

Ulver – Flowers of Evil Review

“Off the back of 2017’s The Assassination of Julius Caesar and the Ulver Primer which we ran a few weeks ago, 2020 has bequeathed unto us a new full-length title from Norway’s Ulver. Flowers of Evil sits in an unusual place as successor to the most poppy Ulver release, an album which I underrated at the time but have come to love. Rarely simple and never expected, Ulver has built a career out of subverting expectations and always pushing into new territories. How does such a band follow the most accessible album of their story?” Just look at the flowers.

The Alligator Wine – Demons of the Mind Review

The Alligator Wine – Demons of the Mind Review

“Picture a scene of domestic bliss lockdown homelife, as Mrs. Carcharodon enters to the kitchen, where yours truly is playing with the shark pup, and, after a lengthy pause, asks: “Is this one of your promos? It’s actually pretty good—sort of reminds me of Nick Cave in one of his alter egos like Grinderman.” An astute observation and one that got me wondering, what are the limits or boundaries to what we do and do not review here on this ol’ metal review site.” Power metal, and only power metal.

Cursed Moon – Rite of Darkness Review

Cursed Moon – Rite of Darkness Review

“I’m often a little cautious when introduced to new bands who seem to be born aloft on a draught of novelty furore. I feel the same familiar shiver when I see the “retro” tag scratching around in the promo bin, but even I can admit that, sometimes, retro does not negate relevancy. Enter Cursed Moon. This one man entity hailing from L.A, combines the 80’s melodrama of darkwave (new wave and post punk combined with gothic rock) with the feral nature of early black metal to spawn debut album Rite of Darkness.” A blaze in the L.A. sky.