Amy and Michael refused to give up The Oontzcast for yet another week. Again they have a special guest cohost to try to be the more awesome Oontzcasters.
Author Archives: Michael
:Podcast: The Oontzcast – Episode 70
Episode 70 of The Oontzcast is hosted by Michael, Amy and a surprise guest. they did whatever the fuck they wanted, cuz that bitch Christina is at KINETIK! Sense the jealousy? As a side note, j. was in fact, NOT at Kinetik but at home editing the fuck out of the remaining Twin Cities Massacre coverage.
:Music News: New “Nightmusic” video from Grimes.
:Music News: Grendel’s Official Timewave : Zero Video Released
:Music News: Die Sektor gives some sneak peaks of their upcoming release.
Currently underneath the heating lamp over at NoiTekk is Die Sektor’s newest album, which is set to be released on May 4, and will be titled The Final Electro Solution. In anticipation of this release, Die Sektor is giving us – the fans – an early listen.
:Music News: Marilyn Manson’s Video for “No Reflection†Revealed
The first single from Marilyn Manson’s forthcoming album, Born Villain, now has a video supplement. Posted yesterday on YouTube, “No Reflection†precedes the group’s eighth studio album (and first non-Interscope Records release) by less than a month. Born Villain will be out May 1, 2012 on Cooking Vinyl and (Mr. Manson’s own) Hell, etc. Records and can be pre-ordered on Amazon. (more…)
:Interview: Ludovico Technique
:Interview: God Module Interview (part three)
:Video: God Module – “Rituals”
:Interview: God Module Interview (part two)
:Video: God Module – “Lucid”
:Interview: God Module Interview (part one)
:Video: Imperative Reaction – “As We Fall”
:Video: Imperative Reaction – “Giving Up”
:Video: Imperative Reaction – “Time Doesn’t Care”
:Video: Die Sektor – “The Final Electro Solution”
:Video: Die Sektor – “Corpus Accido”
:Interview: Die Sektor
:Interview: Rasputina Interview (Part Two)
:Interview: Rasputina (Part One)
:CD Review: DYM – The Swarm
DYM – The Swarm
Release Date: February 25, 2011
Label: NoiTekk/COP International/Deathwatch Asia
Website: www.enterdym.com
Review by: Michael Faries
Canadian group DYM(or Death to Your Modern, for long) released The Swarm earlier this year. This new release contains six all-new tracks, and their whole previous album, 2008′s The Invilid, remixed. That makes for 16 songs to sift through with no remix repeats, unlike most remix albums. If you aren’t familiar with DYM’s sound, it’s EBM with harsh vocals swathed in Breakcore. If you aren’t familiar with Breakcore, go check out Venetian Snares. Then come back here before your head explodes, comforted by the knowledge that DYM’s form of Breakcore is a lot less out of control. In fact-and, perhaps, surprisingly-it’s damn near perfection in concert with EBM. (more…)
:CD Review: Distorted Memory – Swallowing the Sun
Distorted Memory – Swallowing the Sun
Release Date: March 25, 2011
Label: NoiTekk
Website: www.distortedmemory.com
Review by: Michael Faries
Canadian Harsh-EBM project, Distorted Memory, is back with a sophomore release entitled Swallowing the Sun. Moving ever so slightly away from the sometimes hardline Dark Electro genre on this album, mastermind Jeremy Pillipow intriguingly mixes in loads of World music, making-at times- for an other-worldly sound. Another addition to Distorted Memory on this album is actually a substitution: the heavily processed vocals of their debut, 2006′s Burning Heaven, are replaced with lightly processed Black Metal screams. While it may be good or bad-depending on your tastes-that the vocals sound more like a human than a computer, definitely works well for this album, considering all the non-computer-based sounds involved. But don’t let the terms ‘World music’ or ‘Black Metal screams’ turn you off, because neither of those aspects are abused or overused. (more…)
:Rivet: Vigilante – The New Resistance
Vigilante – The New Resistance
Release Date: March 25, 2011
Label: Artoffact Records
Website: vigilante.cl
Review by: Michael Faries
Outspoken South American musician Ivan Munoz returned in March with a new Vigilante album, The New Resistance, pumping fists with a diverse faction of musicians from various groups ranging from Atari Teenage Riot to Public Enemy. While-musically-that may seem like an odd mixture, the message behind the groups is the tie that binds them in The New Resistance. And that’s what this album is all about, according to Vigilante: “Railing against a perceived erosion of civil liberties, totalitarianism and media control, the lyrics of The New Resistance insist that there are still dreams to fight for, truths to be told and ideals worth dying for!†(more…)
:CD Review: Hanin Elias – Get It Back
Hanin Elias – Get It Back
Release Date: Europe: May 27, 2011/N America: June 7, 2011
Label: Rustblade
Website:Â www.HaninElias.com
Review by: Michael Faries
Digital hardcore scream queen Hanin Elias returns from the death of the label she established, Fatal Recordings, with Get It Back. If you’re a fan of Elias, you may have been wondering if the ex-Atari Teenage Riot front woman was ever going to return to destroy your speakers, as she’s been off the radar for some time on a small French Polynesian island. Listening to Get It Back, it seems she’s been hard at work in paradise on this new album. According to Elias’ official web site, for the past five years she’s been creating material with–among others–Industrial Company Inc’s Diego Sagredo. ICI had grown up listening to her work and knew all of her songs, making this a match made in…um…Chile, where they met in 2008. This new team, combined with the “soothing energy of the island†makes for a boundless genre converter, all while keeping the essence of Hanin Elias intact. And–as you’ll find out when you get to listen to Get It Back–her essence is as boundless as the music itself. (more…)
:CD Review: Arian 1 – Total Detection
Arian 1 – Total Detection
Release Date: April 26, 2011
Label: Orion Records
Website:Â Â http://arian1.com/
Review by: Michael Faries
From Lima, Peru, come EBM-Futurepop group Arian 1 with their new sampler and remix album, Total Detection. Being touted as “pioneers of the EBM-Electro scene†of their region on their official Myspace page, brothers Eduardo and Cesar Leiva may at first seem like just another electronic group with grandiose dreams. But, I must say, they have some impressive material on Total Detection to make all the touting far from unbelievable.
Orion Records’ Arian 1 get some help from another member of their label on the best track from this album. Nausea’s remix of “No Time†adds to the emotive power of the electric guitar sound from the original by layering-in some arpeggiated synths and hard-hitting, noisy drums that are guaranteed to get any Electro-Industrial fan’s feet squishing a bug or ten. (more…)
:CD Review: Rasputina – Great American Gingerbread: Rarities & Neglected Items
Rasputina – Great American Gingerbread: Rarities & Neglected Items
Release Date: April 5, 2011
Label: Filthy Bonnet Recording Co
Website: rasputina.com
Review by: Michael Faries
Great American Gingerbread: Rarities & Neglected Items, the newest b-sides album from Rasputina, is finally offered to us after being kept hidden away in Melora’s secret stash for quite some time. Being recorded mostly in the early 2000s, you’d think it would be a little outdated. But this is a Rasputina album, and there’s no expiration date on such a thing. Also included-for your listening, and viewing, pleasure-is a DVD of a 2002 concert performed at the Knitting Factory, in New York. (more…)
:CD Review: Schattenschlag – Psychosis
Schattenschlag – Psychosis
Release Date: January 31, 2011
Label: PaterNoster
Website: www.schattenschlag.com
Review by: Michael Faries
Psychosis, the new album from Schattenschlag, was released at the end of January. Having a diverse mix of electronic genres, Psychosis gives you plenty of variety to rack your brains. The tracks originating from this release spread from techno to EBM to hardstyle, not to mention the other half of the songs that are reworks of their original versions.
A couple of the best songs here come in the form of bonus tracks such as “Dear God (A Praise from the Insane)†and “Confusion Illusionâ€. The former sprouts a less busy beat that makes for a real creepfest when the synths come along, and a cleaner, more appealing version of Schattenschlag’s typical multi-pitched, distorted vocal sound. The latter gives you more of those pleasant vocal attributes, while giving you a nice electro/industrial beat to stomp those overpriced boots to. (more…)
:CD Review: MALAKWA – Street Preacher
MALAKWA – Street Preacher
Release Date: February 25, 2011
Label: Alfa-Matrix
Website: malakwa.com
Review by: Michael Faries
Out of the depths of Marseilles, France, charge the self-described ‘digital punks’ MALAKWA with their sophomore effort, Street Preacher, an in-your-face electro/punk collage. Now signed to the label Alfa Matrix with the likes of Unter Null and Front 242, MALAKWA may finally get the exposure that they deserve.
It might be necessary right off the bat to describe the vocal sound of the band, seeing as this might make or break the listener’s opinion of the band anyway. Think: the shouting and enthusiasm of Atari Teenage Riot, with a more accessible and assembled club-friendly approach.
:CD Review: Nausea – Consequences of SelfMutilation (Remixes, Versions & Rare Noises)
Nausea – Consequences of SelfMutilation (Remixes, Versions & Rare Noises)
Released: May 5, 2010
Label: Orion Records
Band Website:Â myspace.com/nauseatechnologic
Review by: Michael Faries
Chilean group Nausea present to you a remix and cover album entitled Consequences of SelfMutilation (Remixes, Versions & Rare Noises), a follow-up to their 2007 debut album SelfMutilation. If you’ve not heard of Nausea, and you’re a fan of power noise, industrial techno, aggrotech, and/or digital hardcore, I recommend that you check this one out.
The opening track, “Join in the Chantâ€, is the first of four cover songs on this album. This version of the classic Nitzer Ebb hit is fun to listen to, even if slightly lacking in the vocal-enthusiasm department. The lacked enthusiasm is counterbalanced, though, by Roberto Fernandez’s enjoyable pronunciation of his word ‘muskle’.  Almost the same can be said their Ministry cover, “Burning Insideâ€: it’s a very fun song to listen to, bringing you back many a year. The original’s wet vocal sound is replaced and-in my opinion-improved by Nausea’s characteristic dry, distorted vocal sound. These two songs are worth your listen, as they are great updated versions of songs you [forgot you] love. (more…)
:CD Review: Combichrist – Making Monsters
Combichrist – Making Monsters
Released: September 28, 2010
Label: Metropolis Records
Band Website: www.combichrist.com
Review by Michael Faries
The latest full-length album from Combichrist, Making Monsters, is out. If you don’t have it yet, do yourself a favor and go get it. If you’re already a Combichrist fan, there won’t be a whole lot of big surprises for you on this one. Andy LaPlegua continues his experiment with all of the key ingredients that you’ve come to expect from it: 1 cup industrial, 1 tbsp techno, an unhealthy splash of screams, and an (seemingly) unhealthier pinch of toned-down vocals full of potential energy.
LaPlegua passes the mic to start off the album. The song “Follow the Trail of Blood†has a fairly slow tempo, but is loud and obnoxious courtesy of Bleeding Through vocalist Brandon Schiepatti. Schiepatti’s screams fit so well with the music on this one, the listener ignorant of the liner notes surely will assume LaPlegua to be behind the mic.
:CD Review: Fliter – The Trouble with Angels:
Filter – The Trouble with Angels
Released: August 17, 2010
Label: Rocket Science
Band Website: www.officialfilter.com
Review by Michael Faries
The Short Bus isn’t coming back. Filter is back, though, with a new album entitled The Trouble with Angels. This time around, Richard Patrick-with an all new band in tow-takes a crack at a harder sound than his preceding Filter album, Anthems for the Damned, had to offer. According to an interview Patrick did with theaquarian.com, in speaking to Angels producer Bob Marlette, “What I’ve learned is that the heavy fans are pissed. They want some good old-fashion ass beating.†I’m not sure how much “ass beating†you’ll get, but let’s see…
:CD Review: Swans – My Father Will Guide Me Up a Rope to the Sky
Swans – My Father Will Guide Me Up a Rope to the Sky
Released: September 27, 2010
Label: Young God Records
Band Website: www.swans.pair.com
Review by Michael Faries
Swans are back from the dead with a heart-pu
mping new album, My Father Will Guide Me Up a Rope to the Sky. After fourteen years, founder Michael Gira has stumbled into some fresh, new Swans inspiration after working with his band Angels of Light. According to Gira on Swans’ official Myspace page (myspace.com/swansaredead), “After 5 Angels Of Light albums, I needed a way to move FORWARD, in a new direction, and it just so happens that revivifying the idea of Swans is allowing me to do that.â€Â   Gira may be going in a new direction, but this is, unmistakably, Swans’ return.
(more…)
:CD Review: Rasputina – Sister Kinderhook
Rasputina – Sister Kinderhook
Released: June 15, 2010
Label: Filthy Bonnet Recording Co.
Band Website:www.rasputina.com
Review by Michael Faries
Rasputina’s new album, Sister Kinderhook, is a return to their yesteryears. The sound is very much reminiscent of their first album, Thanks for the Ether. Sister Kinderhook leaves behind the previous albums’ louder sounds that were heavily influenced by rock and electronic music of the past half-century. Also noticeably missing-as far as the listening ear can tell-is the cello distortion that made the Rasputina sound so distinct.
But somehow they’ve managed to fill that absence with some mighty new additions.
Melora Creager-the only constant member of Rasputina thus far-takes the banjo on in such songs as “Snow-Hen of Austerlitzâ€, a song that maintains her hook-heavy style, with a catchy tale of a girl raised in a cage as a pet. And if that’s not enough for your captive tastes, check out “Kinderhook Hoopskirt Worksâ€, which also employs banjo in what seems like an unforgiving advertisement for an 1800s’ clothing factory. (more…)