Single Review: K-Bereit - A Forest

Here we have yet another cover of The Cure's classic - A Forest. Opening slowly with retro lo-fi synth sounds that emulate those of the early 80s, it slowly builds up before unexpectedly dropping into a fast beat. Featuring a groaned, not quite singing vocal style that has become common in EBM, it follows the basic structure of the original in a club-friendly form before tapering off into something that doesn't resemble it at all. By this point the synth sounds have lost that retro feel and simply feel cheap. It's not a particularly strong cover of A Forest and is probably destined to join the rest of the floor-clearing covers that only make people long for the real thing more.

Side-B starts off much stronger with a driving psychedelic synth sound, however as the track goes on it gets weaker. The vocals are the best feature on the release, they're strong and very distinctive throughout. Structurally it's sound, but the production and quality of the synth sounds leaves a lot to be desired. You're either going for an old-school sound or you're not, leaving it somewhere in the middle just makes it sound rushed and unfinished.

Richard Dawkins to feature on upcoming Nightwish album

Thought Nightwish couldn't get any more bizarre? Today it was revealed that Richard Dawkins was recording for their upcoming album at a studio in Oxford.

Dawkins is well known for his often controversial statements. His inclusion on the album has been met with mixed views by Nightwish fans on facebook.

It is not yet known what role Dawkins will be performing on the album.

Post by Nightwish.

Review: Fen - Carrion Skies

When asked to name a British black metal band, one might give the answer Cradle of Filth or maybe Venom - the band that gave the genre its name. Most people would struggle to name anyone else, though, as over the years there's been a lack of quality black metal from the UK, and when a good band does come along they never reach the level of recognition and fame that their European peers do.

Where British black metal has lacked Fen have certainly made up for. They formed in 2006 and have over the years developed a bleak atmospheric sound inspired by the desolation of the English Fens. Their fourth album Carrion is set for release November 24th.

The album has only six tracks, but as often with atmospheric metal they're long ones and with that length comes a lot of diversity within each of them. Each song is full of strange and contrasting moods, it's so cold and bleak, yet it embraces you with such warmth. It's so close, yet so distant. 

Musically the style has progressed beyond traditional black metal creating something more intelligent, thoughtful and diverse, though the genres roots shine clearly through. At times it's like there's an undercurrent of rage while a stream of contentment soars blissfully above it, like a stormy sea beneath a blue, cloudless sky. Throughout it's like being saved from the abyss, before the music turns around and drops you right back in it. 

The music transitions seamlessly between the light ethereal and heavier passages, utilising a wide range of black and post-black styles. These are intertwined with cleaner guitar melodies. Vocally there's a mix of clean and harsh styles which are sometimes combined, aiding the music's multi-textured quality. The smooth vocals echo a deep sense of melancholy and at times apocalyptic despair. Everything combined sends shivers down the spine. 

With Carrion Skies, Fen have succeeded in creating a diverse record that seamlessly brings together many seemingly juxtaposing styles, resulting in an emotionally captivating end product that will satisfy listeners looking for something more than empty shredding and cold rage. 9.5/10

BBC announces season of programming celebrating all things Gothic

This autumn BBC will air a series of programmes exploring the history of Gothic literature, architecture, music and artwork and their place in British culture. This is in collaboration with The British Library who are running the UK's biggest ever Gothic exhibition "Terror and Wonder: The Gothic Imagination" alongside it.

"A host of famous literary faces will look back on Frankenstein’s creation in A Dark And Stormy Night: When Horror Was Born, while in The Art Of Gothic, Andrew Graham-Dixon looks back at how Victorian Britain turned to the past for inspiration to create some of Britain’s most famous artwork and buildings.

In The Genius Of The Gothic, Dr Janina Ramirez looks at Perpendicular Gothic, Britain’s first cultural style and Dan Cruickshank looks back at Gothic architecture’s most influential family in The Family that Built Gothic Britain.

BBC Four delves into the archives uncovering classic performances from Siouxsie and the Banshees, Bauhaus, The Cure, Sisters of Mercy, The Mission and more in Goths At The BBC."

The season will start with: The Art Of Gothic: Britain's Midnight Hour, BBC Four - Mon 20th October, 9pm. See the full schedule here.

The British Library exhibition has already started and will run until 20th January. For more information and booking visit the BL website.

Single Review: Stoneman - Liebe Liebe

Set for release on 9th October, Liebe Liebe is the latest single from Swiss dark rock band Stoneman.

With Liebe Liebe the band gives us German style industrial/gothic metal at its best. The song has a very accessible feel with lots of catchy hooks. Harsh industrial style vocals are presented alongside clean singing. The guitars are solid, and the synth sounds are great. The production is very clean and everything can be heard crisply at it's optimum level.

I much prefer the other track on the release, "Kaltes Klares Wasser." It has a much more distinctive sound, one of anthemic horror. Organs and bells combined with pounding guitars and beats create an intense sound like Theatres des Vampires crossed with The 69 Eyes and Blutengel.

Review: Siren's Legacy - The Kraken

How would you expect a band with a name like Siren's Legacy to sound? Somewhere along the lines of Nightwish or maybe Sirenia? If so, then you'd be right - their sound is almost exactly between the two.

Their logo might look a bit like something you'd see on the sign of a fish and chip shop, but musically they're actually quite good. The intro attempts to be epic and would succeed with a real orchestra, but to be honest it's beyond the means of most bands to get hold of one. Maybe better production would do the album some favours too, the guitars seem a bit muffled and the mixing and levels certainly aren't at their optimum.

Symphonic metal is a genre that has been done and overdone again. One of the downfalls of the album is that it's full of clichés, but if you're setting out to make symphonic metal that's basically what you set out to do - the likes of Nightwish and Therion set the template over a decade ago and ever since it's been followed. A strong-point of the album is that it does it well, it's packed with distinctive and memorable melodies that make it stand out from the orchestral crowd. There's a variety of different guitar riffing, as well as plenty of solos. The sweet melodic piano also stands out throughout.

Vocally the female lead is rather like Anette Olzon but with a more operatic quality at times. In fact she is very diverse, at times her voice is soft, at times it is cutting and at others it is sweeping and powerful. Harsh male vocals are featured at times, but I'd like to hear more. There are also some nu-metal style male vocals which I don't think work so well.

As I said earlier, symphonic metal is a genre that has been overdone to death so much so that is has become merely a parody of itself. However, musically this band is strong enough and has enough distinctive melodies to stand out from the crowd. 7/10

Review: Lisa Morgenstern - Metamorphoses [EP]

Following her debut album 'Amphibian', Metamorphoses is the second release by German piano artist Lisa Morgenstern.

The EP opens with the darkly intricate piano piece 'Hairy Moon'. Reminiscent of 'Moonlight Sonata' this emotive piece delicately combines piano and cello with otherworldly vocals creating something eerily atmospheric and melancholic. The second track is an unexpected cover of 'Sweet Dreams [Are Made Of This]' by Eurythmics. The piece is given the dark piano treatment, and combined with the ethereal vocals it shows an entirely different side to the original. It is transformed into something so dark and haunting. This is followed by another version of 'Hairy Moon' which sounds positively familiar after the first.

The fourth track 'Eskalation' is equally as beautiful as the rest of the album. There is a third version of 'Hairy Moon' and even at this point I'm pleased to hear the melody again. The final tack 'Metamorphoses' begins with some sweeping Dead Can Dance style vocals, and continues to unfold in a cinematic style. Everything is going so smoothly, but is then effectively interrupted by jagged distortion like a paradise shattering before your eyes.

In summary: A beautiful journey through a darkly ethereal moonlit world.