Ylem

Album art for Ylem

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A band known for its ever-changing style, Dark Fortress shows its fans once again how different they can be from their past incarnations. After their experimental opus Eidolon, the German Black Metal act attacks this year with their newest spawn: Ylem.

Not wanting to waste any time with introductions, the first track (that also happens to be the title track) begins with speed and aggression. This first track contains a little bit of everything Eidolon had, probably with the purpose of giving new-old fans something familiar to hold on to.

Hold on to? Yes, this is a long journey that will show you many sights.

The Magic In My Heart Is Dead trailer

God Module is back on business. The Magic In My Heart Is Dead EP is scheduled for released on February 23. Meanwhile, you can check their trailer. Let’s hope for a nice surprise.

We The Fallen

Artwork for We The Fallen

Brutality made audio. That’s it. That’s the only way of describing this album, which is one of the best Industrial albums of the year, if not the best.

After their last album on 2007, Psyclon Nine did some extensive touring here and there, before finally working in this album. Indeed, they spent a lot of time in the album, but definitely it was worthy. It is, perhaps, the best album by Psyclon Nine. Ever.

Even though I’m tagging the release as “Industrial album”, after listening to it a couple of times, I’m not sure if it is the correct tag. Psyclon has moved to a hole new concept of music. While the keyboard synths of Nero are still there, I’m not sure if it can still be considered purely Industrial. It sounds more like an Industrial Metal album.

This album, is not suited at all for Divine Infekt fans. The ones who didn’t like Crwn Thy Frnicatr will probably hate this one. Luckily, every one seems to like it. Take the vocals from INRI, but make them harsher. Take the guitar riffs from Crwn Thy Frnicatr, but make them heavier. Take also the same drum style, just a bit faster. Finally, take some other Metal elements, and fuse them all with Vlixx and Jon Siren.

There you have it. We, The Fallen.

Until We Die / Severed Head

Artwork of Until We Die/Severed Head

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After a long time, Johan Van Roy is back. It’s been three years since Bind, Torture, Kill, the last release of Suicide Commando. After all these years and an extensive touring, we finally get a hint of what will be the next album with this release.

Johan Van Roy is one of the most important personalities in the industrial scene. With an extensive discography starting on 1988,Suicide Commando is a flag band in terms of Industrial/Harsh EBM bands. Suicide Commando’s last release, X:20, is a must have for every industrial fan, and it’s probably one of my favorite compilations. Ever.

Until We Die / Severed Head is a 7″ vinyl limited to 500 copies, containing 2 tracks with the same name. The album starts with Until We Die, which is another perspective from the traditional music Suicide Commando made until this moment. The same catchy, plastic synths are used through the track, but murder, heavy beats are something I was missing in new releases since Amduscia’s Madness in Abyss.

Those beats, are simply incredible.

Evangelion

Album art for Evangelion

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Have you ever had a dream? A dream so good you wished you would never wake up? Behemoth is a band known for moving from disappointment to incredible success with each release they make (withing the same release). Transforming from Black to Death Metal, and becoming one of the most popular Metal bands there is.

Evangelion (the dream) is inevitably one of the best albums of the year, spawned by a band with so many followers it just “ain’t  right”, Behemoth proves once again that there is a reason for them reaching the place they are in (no, not Mall Kids for you CoF and D.Burger fans out there)… Skill.

Like so many albums lately, this one has a fast and completely independent introductory song: It definitely serves its purpose of announcing “You WANT to listen this album”, and still manages to be a song by itself. I hope they play Daimonos as the opening song for this album’s tour.

Shemhamforash was one of the two songs everyone got to listen ages ago, and its order in this album, when followed by the gargantuan Ov Fire and the Void declares one thing: There are monsters hiding beyond track 3 ov this album!

Alle Lust Will Ewigkeit

Album art for Alle Lust Will Ewigkeit

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Thomas Rainer has made himself a name making music with L’ Âme Immortelle since 1996. However, it was not until 2007 that he decided to start making music under the moniker Nachtmahr, its second album released only a year after the project was born.

Fortunately (and incredibly), a third release hit store shelves this year.

It would appear Alle Lust Will Ewigkeit was an album designed to terrorize dance-floors with its incredible rhythm and unstoppable beats. An amazing album that can be danced from beginning to end (repeat, and repeat again).

The album’s intro song (and title track) is filled with Nachtmahr’s war theme.  Although it is the slowest song in the entire album, it is nothing but a welcome message to the monster that follows right away.  Code: Red starts as a noisy, very rhythmic song that evolves into a completely different and entertaining atmosphere. If I could give this song a nickname, it would simply be “tease”, for it is only a warm up for the entire album.

Das EP

Artwork for Das EP

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Almost every Industrial fan out there knows who is Sebastian R. Komor. Komor made himself a name in the industrial scene by creating some of the best synths ever existed for Icon of Coil, one of the most important Future Pop bands.

After Machines Are Us, the band stopped its musical production. The project is still alive, as the band keeps playing some concerts, but after some years of absolutely no new material, and the growing popularity of Combichrist, Andy LaPlegua’s main project, the direction of Komor needed a 180° turn.

Soon, he met Renee Cooper, whom he later married. They agreed to move to Canada, where Renee resided, and started to work on her first album. Miss Komor, led to the creation of the Zombie Girl. Jenifer Parkin, also met Komor, and after knowing each other, they decided that Komor would produce the third album for Ayria, Hearts for Bullets.

Komor soon started to gain importance in the industrial scene. After helping to produce both projects, Alfa Matrix asked him to start a new project, by himself. After having a laugh, due to the name “Komor Kommando” he decided it was time to materialize his ideas from those long years working for every other project.

And so, the Das EP was born.

Metallica: World Magnetic Tour 2009, at Mexico City

Poster for World Magnetic Tour '09

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Or in other words, the concert I was asked to go 3 hours before. It was great. Before anything, I’d like to thank Kika for inviting me to this concert. Girl, I really owe you one. You made my day.

Metallica is one of the most influent bands from the Metal scene. Considered one of “The big 4” from Thrash Metal, they have walked a long way across the years, with 9 studio albums and over 45 singles.

After 10 years of total absence from Mexico, Metallica decided it was time to come back to record their live DVD. Personally, it’s the strangest concert I’ve been, and probably the strangest thing I’ve ever done. But hell. It was good.

It was about 3. I was connected, waiting for my ex girlfriend to appear so I could talk to her (again) when little Kika asked me if I wanted to go. The first thing I thought was “Hell. It’s been a long time since they were here. It’s ‘Foro Sol‘. It’ll be a hell. More than 50 K people jumping at the same time. “The DVD will be recorded there. It’s bound to be great”. So the answer was “Yes, I want to go, but I don’t have the money…”

Reformation 1

Artwork for Reformation 1

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How about good, old Future Pop? The recently published track from Dawn of Ashes made me think in how Apoptygma Berzerk died completely, after founding the very same Future Pop along with VNV Nation. It’s sad when top notch bands decide to change their style, which sometimes even happens with the departure of a member. The results are almost never good. A change in a very good, almost always means the end of it.

VNV Nation is a curious band in this aspect. Although they were the co-founders of Future Pop, their career fell when they started to gain popularity, particularly in the main stream sector. Three albums were published, Advance and Follow, Praise The Fallen and Empires. The fourth studio release of the band was named Futureperfect, and that’s when VNV Nation started to loose their original followers, due to the fact that someone out of the band started to manage them. The songs were no longer written by Ronan Harris, and even their image changed. Everyone agrees that they looked like rockers.

Time passed, Futureperfect was released and it made its underground fans rage. Matter + Form was later released, and with it, the decision of VNV Nation to go back to its origins. Wise decision. Judgement hit the market on 2007, and rumors started spreading that it would be the last VNV Nation album.

Festival Kinetik 2.0

Poster for Festival Kinetik 2.0

Festival Kinetik is a one of a kind gig. It takes place once a year in Montreal,Canada, and it features some of the best Industrial bands in the world. This year: Ayria, Terrorfakt, Grendel, Amduscia, Life Cried, Soman, XP8, Aesthethic Perfection, among others are taking over the scenario of the Usine C.

Ydolon should be sleeping by now, so I’m posting some videos recorded by him:

Phase 1.0 Ayria and Terrorfakt.