Welcome back to 'On our Sensors!'
Presenting you with new releases in February and a few before that, as well as great tracks or albums that are new to me that I have been enjoying, whether older or new - found in the 'Discoveries' section.
(The discovery section in this one will be larger than usual as it's three months worth of discoveries rather than one and therefore I wont have time to write individually on each inclusion again.)
Finishing off with my personal top 3 tracks I've been listening to in the last month.
Also worth remembering is that I don't just cover the electronic alternative scene exclusively, but Nordic and tribal folk music on occasion too as these two genres and music tastes are so strongly intertwined in our scene. So you'll find a few such releases included below.
Some releases may not be included that you'd expect either because I plan on doing a full article for them in the near future or I may have already covered them!
(Possibly for other reasons, it is difficult to research EVERY band so if you feel a band should not have been included for any reason please feel free to inbox the Elektro Vox page on Facebook.) Have a scroll through the Reviews, News, and Interviews section of my site HERE to find out.
I must also stress, these are not reviews! If someone just copies and pastes your info and puts it on their site, don't devalue yourself by calling that a review!
This is just an... Infomercial :)
Enjoy!
Recent releases
Albums:
BACKBONE - Bestial Mouths Industrial / Darkwave / EB /Synthpop
Cyberaktif - eNdgame Industrial / EBM / Electro
Dan Narkosis Industrial / Dark Trance
Abject Terror is my personal tribute to one of my favourite sci-fi horror films, the cult classic Event Horizon. It's dark, foreboding, psychological, traumatic imagery and depictions of torment, it stands as one of my all-time must watch films for anyone into horror.
As such, my mind has brought forth it's own darkness, and forged a musical soundscape that offers the listener a brutal experience. For best results, wear headphones, and set your media player to cross-fade by 1 second.
Dav Dralleon - Street Krvzader Darksynth / Cyberpunk / Metalsynth
Dav always makes incredible concept albums aNd this time the KING of BPM blasting synths is back with another great addition isnpired by 'Streets Of Rage' including the track 'Vertikall Daemon' with MORIS BLAK!
Once a peaceful and vibrant city, ABADDON has become the haven of cyber mental terror under the control of a powerful megacorporation known as VALHALLA and its artificial intelligence, DEATHBRINGER.
The streets have turned into battlegrounds where injustice knows no bounds, leaving the most vulnerable ones to the mercy of VERTIKALL DAEMON, one of the city's most dangerous gangs.
Despite this devastating chaos, several factions of rebels, gangs, and scientists rise against this domination. In the heart of urban confrontations, groups like STREET KRVZADER, VULKAN FORCE, and METAL WARRIORS join forces to create ZANTETSUKEN, a powerful cyborg samurai destined to challenge DEATHBRINGER.
Who will survive this war?
Will humanity survive the machine uprising and accept that AI rules over our civilisation ?
d.o.G - Ghostly Haze Electronica / Dark electro
Jazmin Bean - traumatic Livelihood Hyperpop / Pop-metal /grunge / Trap Metal
Korine - Tear Remixes Darkwave / Indie pop / Post-punk / Synthpop
NINA & Ricky Wilde - Remixed Hearts Darksynth / Dreampop / Retrowave / Dreamwave
Twin Tribes - Pendulum
Coldwave / Darkwave / New wave / Post-punk
January 2024
STOP A MOMENT!
Please consider donating or fundraising for Beyond Reflections who supply an essential service to so many.
www.beyond-reflections.org.uk @BeyondReflectUK
Their support really does save lives!
---
We also support our good friends at Beat:Cancer, you can click the logo to donate and also keep up to date with their awesome music events on the B:C website!
Singles and EPs:
Aesthetic Perfection - TOXIC (Deadbeat Remix) Industrial Pop / Electronic / Industrial
Agnis - Antipriest Dark electro / Witchpop / Industrial
ALEX - BVRN Genre bending dark electro / Experimental retrowave
Bjorth & Munknorr Nordic Folk / Dark folk
BLACKBOOK: Echoes And Shadows Synthpop
Switzerland’s most mysterious synthpop duo, BLACKBOOK, is back with an unforgettable new anthem! "Echoes And Shadows" invites you to embark on a journey where memories spring to life, and the past weaves an enigmatic spell.
With a powerful beat and captivating melodies, this remarkable song will transport you to a realm where nostalgia and curiosity collide. It's a musical journey that takes you deeper into the shadows of your own experiences, leaving you yearning for more.
Join BLACKBOOK on this intriguing expedition through the corridors of time, where echoes of the past dance alongside mysterious shadows. Get ready to be hooked from the very first note!
Call Me Sleeper - Perpetua Industrial bass / Midtempo
Fred H, 'aka' 𝐂𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐌𝐞 𝐒𝐥𝐞𝐞𝐩𝐞𝐫.
A genre-bending producer with a knack for heavy dissonant tones.
"We don't have to be pioneers, we just need to be varied enough to scratch different itches."
-Fred H
Caravel & Køzløv - Adrenaline Assault Industrial Techno
Clepsydra - Resin Techno / Hardwave / Witchouse / Electro chillout
Combichrist - Planet Doom Industrial / EBM / Aggrotech
Danheim - Vígspá Nordic folk
Faderhead - The Hell We Need Futurepop / Dark pop / Industrial
HEALTH - Be Quiet and Drive (Far Away)
Electronic / Industrial / Electro Chillout
Helix - Unimaginable Place Darkpop / Dream pop / Synthpop /Trip hop / Electro
This is a fantastic listen and if you only listen to one EP on this list, let it be this one!
A collaboration between musician Tom Shear (Assemblage 23) & vocalist Mari Kattman (Day Twelve, Mari & The Ghost), Helix is a genre-defying sonic tapestry of electronics, organic elements & haunting vocal harmonies. Trip-hop, dub, dream pop, synth-pop, & lofi combine into a mélange of seductive beats, found sounds, eerie textures, & distant melodies. Sonic cinema for sleepwalkers & insomniacs.
Kveld - Heltegrav Nordic folk
There's never too much information on Kveld - hailing from Norway, but their Nordic folk music always seems to hit the right spots should the mood take you.
Luca Agnelli - Let's Go Crazy Heavy Techno / Industrial Techno
Melt Motif - I Wanna Be Your Dog Darkwave / Indie electronic / Alt rock / industrial
After two albums and subsequent remix albums in two years, the time has come for Melt Motif to follow Sid Vicious and Sonic Youth: Interpret 'I Wanna Be Your Dog'. This is, however, no blueprint of the three-chord debut of The Stooges, but an approach dipped in Melt Motif's industrial darkness.
OFFL1NX - NOT GONNA GET US Electronic / Witchhouse
I couldn't really find any info on this artist but a good rework of the classic Tatu track that was worth adding in.
Processor - Odd Rebels Cyberpunk / Retrowave
Rabbit Junk Industrial Metal / Cyberpunk / Neon Metal
Our first release of 2024! It's an avalanche of film score, drum&bass, and industrial metal. We hope you enjoy listening to it as much as we did making it.
This is our second contribution to the original soundtrack for the comic book series Clowns vs Nazis. In this scene, the character Viridis unleashes total unrelenting destruction upon a legion of racist goons to the cathartic delight of the reader. For more on the series, see below:
Clowns VS Nazis is the love child of Inglorious Bastards, Mad Max Fury Road and an R rated version of the Power Rangers that also includes a badass customized soundtrack to jam out to while reading.
All issues feature a 17 song, fully licensed Original SoundTrack from the likes of Venjent, Rabbit Junk, Sebastian Komor, Death Blooms, Zardonic (coming in a future issue) and many more, (17 songs at the time of this writing with more on the way for future issues)! Just scan the QR code in the back of the issue to access the full OST.
Many of the characters are historically accurate, and the script includes many of the lesser known atrocities that the Third Reich carried out during the war.
The end product will span over 200 pages in film script format, with over 40 songs being designed specifically for the characters and story being told, all of which will be free to anyone that purchases just one single issue.
Lyrics:
My eyes turn black!
I AM the murder!
Scenius - I Want More Darkwave / Electropop / Post-Punk / Synthpop
Simon Carter (Feat. Fredrik Keith Croona) Industrial / Dark electro / Future pop
A more industrial pop track from Simon featuring Fredrik who some of you may know form the first four Menschdefekt albums (some of my favourite industrial of all time) and the band Against I.
Simon Carter - Invasion Techno / Industrial / electronic
The track 'Dimensions in space' is just Wow, *chef's kiss*
This sci-fi inspired EP is a complete Invasion of your mind and will also surely cause an invasion on the dancefloor...
S Y Z Y G Y X - Your Sex Is An Accelerant Dark Electro
The Bass Gang - If I Had A Heart Nordic folk
A cover of the main title theme form the show 'Vikings' but done in a somewhat more traditional folk manor in terms of the female vocals from Ekaterina and the sparse instrumentation.
Tonebox & Lazerpunk - Insider Threat Cyberpunk / Midtempo / Synthwave
It's been a long time since I wanted to work on something with Tonebox. His song Celestial Breakdown is one of my old-time favorites that I played in almost all of my DJ sets. Finally our collab track Insider Threat is out on all platforms. A slow and heavy midtempo/cyberpunk banger with some heavy synth elements. Enjoy!
Song is downloadable as "pay-what-you-want" and free to use for creators. You can use it for your youtube videos, tiktoks, instagram reels, facebook videos, stream it on twitch, anything. If you use it somewhere, send me a message and show me what you did with it.
Help this song blow up on Spotify! Listen to it there too, save it, add it to your playlists!
Spotify link:
Links to Lazerpunk: linktr.ee/lazerpunk
Links to Tonebox: push.fm/fl/toneboxmusic
Truly Significant - Within Reach Industrial bass / Dark electronic
YONAKA - PREDATOR Electro / Hyperpop / Alternative Metal January 2024
Discoveries
Albums:
Aleah - Aleah Dream pop / Gothic July 2020
There is almost no info available on Aleah Stanbridge but this is a wonderfully peaceful and melodic drift through space and Gothic time, especially the track 'My Will'.
Amulet - Perfect Fusion Industrial / Dark rock / Dark electro October 2022
Perfect Fusion is a seven-track remix release from Amulet’s full length 2021 album House of Black + White with electronic revisioning from Stabbing Westward, Grendel, Stoneburner, The Joy Thieves, 11Grams, Red This Ever, and unitcode:machine.
Through the miracle of modern alchemy, Amulet and their cohort of mad scientists have created what mankind has been reaching for: a perfect fusion of AI and human.
Starting with a base of organic analog musical substance provided by the humans of Amulet, the panel of geniuses in artificial intelligence have used the power of the electric binary to exalt the best of both worlds into this creative cocktail of computer science.
Driving beats for the dance floor fused with powerful sirenic vocals to electrify your darkened soul, Perfect Fusion is a remix album that will go down both in the history books and at the club.
Artesia - Hilvern
Darkwave / Gothic / Folk August 2017
Biomekkanik - Violently Beautiful Coldwave / synthpop / industrial
2014
Another band with very little info to include but check out the track 'Kamikaze Playboy' and 'Melancholy Friend' for some great upbeat synthpop.
Neon Odin - Allfather Synthwave / Norse electronic / Norsewave / Retro wave December 2023
Principe Valiente - Oceans New wave / Post-punk / Shoegaze / Darkwave May 2017
After an outstanding self-titled debut album in 2011 and the breathtaking "Choirs Of Blessed Youth" in 2014, the Swedish post punk / shoegaze band lead by Fernando Honorato, true to their vision, continues to carve out its own unique musical path. Drawing inspiration from ambient experimentalists like Cocteau Twins, 80's sci-fi soundtracks as well as exuberant vocalists like Bowie and Kate Bush, PRINCIPE VALIENTE ventured deeper into the sonic landscapes of their minds.
The intensity of the atmospheric sound and the interplay of melodic guitar strings, the dark drifting drums, rhythmic bass lines and above all the warm, emotional voice of the singer, have remained. The listener is captured in a mixture of longing and loneliness, which is fluently and hypnotically directed. Calm pieces alternate with energetic compositions, such as the recently released single "Strangers In The Night", and give the album a strong note of ambivalence.
With their third work "Oceans", the band has created another alluring world with "human, all too human" lyrics and phantasmagorical soundscapes. Cool, yet impassioned and loaded with sweet anxiety, PRINCIPE VALIENTE have managed to make an irresistibly beautiful and intense continuation of what was started in the previous two albums.
"Oceans" was partly recorded by the producer Martin Ehrencrona (Les Big Byrd), and partly in various basements and art school lobbies around their hometown Stockholm, Sweden. The combination of innovative and inspired material makes for an invigorating listen as it is difficult to pinpoint in regard to genre.
"Oceans" will be released on May 12th, 2017 on CD and as a download by afmusic, and as a limited Vinyl edition by Manic Depression Records.
Pure Obsessions & Red Nights - Heirs of the Red Nights
Coldwave / Darkwave / Industrial rock /Post-punk May 2023
Raizer - Resurrection Electronic / Rock / Drum & Bass September 2021
Raizer’s second full-length album masterfully blends influences from modern rock, metal, and drum and bass for a sound that is unmistakably their own. This high-octane recording includes all of the band’s recent hit singles, including "Phoenix," "Explode," and "Free," along with new, never-before-heard creations. Resurrection is out now on all platforms from independent electronic rock label FiXT Radium.
Rúnfell - Vangheimr Nordic folk April 2018
Vinnie Camilleri Nordic folk / Norse electro August 2021
2 Forks - Quanticode Industrial rock / Electronic October 2023
Daniel C - the drummer for The Wake steps out with a side project. The pandemic: The Wake’s scheduled European tourdates were being cancelled or postponed, leaving Daniel with time on his hands, and lots of it, for the first time in decades. Needing an outlet, he reached out to his childhood friend and former collaborator Gil Singer, and between them they conceptualised the new project. Daniel was to step out from behind the drumkit into the role of frontman: to write songs, play other instruments, sing, and lead the project. Certain limitations and challenges were also decided on, i.e., that Daniel would not play acoustic drums or anything too familiar and easy, forcing him out of his comfort zone. In the process, he adopted the persona of ‘Danny 2 Forks’ to assume these new roles for the project. Gil Singer, who also resides in their local Compound Studio, was to meanwhile act as principal engineer, and co-conspirator with writing and programming, while also adding some guitar and bass. Once Daniel and Gil had written and recorded 11 tracks, their old friend Mark Gamiere was enlisted for additional guitars, completing the circle.
In all, the new album was created in under a year. ‘Take It’ by 2 Forks is the first of several video-singles from their forthcoming debut album, ‘Quanticode’.
Singles and EPs:
ALT BLK ERA - I'm Normally Like This Electronic / Dark rap / Alternative Metal February 2023
Amira Elfeky - Tonight (Demo) Goth rock / Alternative Rock July 2023
For someone with over 600k monthly followers, again another artist with very little info available. This is a deep emotional chiller.
Aram Zero - Cyber Ronin Japanese traditional / Dubstep / Electronic / Industrial October 2022
This is an incredible infusion of all thing Japanese traditional with metal, cyberpunk, Dubstep, and industrial. A rave worth blast this one!
二口魔菜 Futakuchi Mana - YOUR NEW MORNING ALARM
jrock / jmetal / Hypernoise April 2021
Give My Remains to Broadway - Beyond the Gates of Xouztoth Coldwave / Darkwave / Shoegaze / Post-punk January 2022
Hoshikuma Minami - Shinra Dark Pop Hyperpop / Darkpop / Hyper noise August 2023
HEAD SPLITTER - Cyberpunk 2077 Fan made Soundtrack
Cyberpunk / Dubstep / Dark electro April 2019
House Of Serpents - Ritual (Feat. Battlejuice) Synthwave / Goth rock / Electronic
August 2023
This is one for those who love super upbeat 80's Synthwave that has a harder, feistier, and more dance heavy kick!
Jordan Fiction - Gallowdance
Darkwave / Trad Goth /Dark electro
July 2023
Lights of Euphoria - Man And Machine Futurepop / Synthpop / EBM June 2022
Melissa VanFleet - Ode To The Dark Gothic Metal / Alternative Metal
October 2018
Probably my favourite discovery I have included in these articles so far, Melissa's voice and style is quite similar to Amy Lee's from Evanescence and is utterly enthralling!
OÐR - ASAR Dark techno / Nordic Techno / Dark Folk / Tribal techno November 2021
Sara Landry - Incoming Hard Techno / Acid Techno July 2021
Topographies - Not My Loneliness, But Ours Dream pop / Post-punk / Shoegaze May 2020
The EP entitled Not My Loneliness, But Ours, is a meditation on community, collectivity, and isolation recorded during the world coronavirus pandemic. The tracks were written and recorded by individual members in their San Francisco bedrooms and home studios and augmented by passing the files back and forth online before being sent to friend and collaborator Alexis Berthelot in New York for mixing and mastering. The EP then is a transcription of the collaborative process, removed from the communal spaces of the rehearsal room and the stage, the locations where the band usually works out new ideas and songs. Still, the four songs express a longing for the presence of others in a world that has become increasingly remote, both before and as a result of the pandemic. The lyrics posit that the organizing element of being human is an innate aloneness. Paradoxically, this collective loneliness unites us, gives meaning to art, and offers us a chance at connections with not only those who we live with or around but the panoply of human existence; the living and the dead. The mood of the songs is one of melancholy hope and faith in a world that can seem at times permeated with an ever-deepening darkness. The band hopes that these songs can act as small wayposts within this “land of shadows”, as Tolhurst intones in the dreamy ballad “In Your Hands”, somewhere to rest, take stock, and move forward with others and within oneself.
Weird Wolves - Overdrive Electro rock / Electro-Goth / Dark electro December 2021
Top 3 tracks this month
Honestly 2 and 3 are thanks to my partner discovering them, not the usual industrial tracks you'd expect for my top 3 of the moment but all great tracks! Melissa VanFleet - Ode To The Dark From the EP Ode To The Dark Gothic metal / Alternative metal
October 2018
I put this EP in the discoveries section and all of it is perfect, this track in particular has been round and round my playlist all month and I'll let the lyrics do the rest of the talking here:
I let myself go, drowned in the dark
It opened my eyes and blackened my heart
An ocean of evil poured over me
A life of deception, I'm finally free
I hear you, I hear you calling
I'm listening, I'm following
Sing me a requiem as I lay me down forevermore
I pray my soul to find paradise it never felt before
Forevermore
I walked through life as a hollow shell
Searching for purpose inside my hell
So I made a promise for eternity
And await the fate lying beyond this sleep
I hear you, I hear you calling
I'm listening, I'm falling
Sing me a requiem as I lay me down forevermore
I pray my soul to find paradise it never felt before
Forevermore
A covenant lead to everlasting rest
But who will I be if I'm awakened again
For, forevermore, more
Sing, sing me a requiem
As I lay me down forevermore
I pray, I pray my soul is taken tonight
And I find paradise, paradise
Forevermore, forevermore
Forevermore, forevermore
Forevermore
FKA Rayne - Woof Nu-metal / Industrial / Hypernoise / Alt-Rap Single from October 2023
An aggressive track of power play mentality. Fierce and empowering, it's a track that has to be heard.
FKA Rayne is an alternative singer and songwriter from Surrey. Known for her unique sound that pairs elements from her prior stint as a pop musician alongside heavy, industrial and nu-metal influenced noise, FKA Rayne is creating waves in the international music scene, and becoming a sought after act.
tiLLie - jeLLiefish aPocaLypsE Alt pop / Hyper pop / Alt rock Single from October 2023
Silly, fun, dance fulfilling, and filled with enough brain scratching noises to keep anyone satisfied, this is entertaining beyond words.
Thank you
Quick note: Elektro Vox is an ad free site that costs a lot to run and get content for. If you like our work please consider commissioning an article, making a small donation to keep us running, or sub to our YouTube for band interviews and music streams. You can also list your band or business on our Alternative Directory! Thank you!
Check out the alternative directory for E-stores, online Goth goods, and new bands to discover. Get yourself listed with us!
Thank you for viewing and please feel free to share on social media and like us on Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook @ElektroVox