Thursday, November 22, 2012

A Drama Radio - "Virtual TV Test" [2012]

Artist: A Drama Radio
Title: Virtual TV Test
Label: Mental Excitement
Genre: Dark Ambient / Experimental
Country: Russia
Release date: 2012

Track List:
  1. The Snow (TV Startup)
  2. Mourning (TV Morning)
  3. Amber Nip Nature (TV Pain)
  4. The Spill Song (Extended TV Bug)
  5. Brave Old World (TV News)
  6. Nurses Love The Worms (TV Values)
  7. Spectral S.O.S. (TV Host)
  8. The Bloom Ocean (TV Sleep)
  9. Parasomnias Parasuicide (TV Death)
  10. Icy Cacophony 2009 (TV Help)
  11. Ann Reprise (TV Bye)
  12. Test (TV Shout)
  13. Waitfall (bonus)
  14. Script (bonus)
A Drama Radio is an experimental music project started by Nazar Markov in 2008. I think he knows about my blog (because of Cracked Core and his label), though I'm not sure if he reads it on regular basis. While I didn't like his debut album ("Perdition Signals", 2010), "Virtual TV Test" is definitely interesting, although not easy to get into. While it still can be classified as dark ambient, it's quite experimental and obviously influenced by the classic industrial scene. Just like all the other Mental Excitement releases, this album is distributed completely for free.

Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Ok.Sa - "Awake!" [2012]

Artist: Ok.Sa
Title: Awake
Genre: Synthpop/Darkwave
Country: Belarus
Release date: 2012

Track List:
  1. O.K.S.A.
  2. Wings(Up To The Sky)
  3. Golden Hoops
  4. Awake
  5. Just Another Winter
  6. Behind The Wall
  7. Mourning
One more female-fronted synthpop/darkwave project from the ex-USSR (this time from Belarus). Personally I found this demo a little boring (except for the last track), but the band clearly has potential, and it's good to see Belarusian scene becoming more diverse.

Suicidal Romance - "Love Beyond Reach" [2007]

Artist: Suicidal Romance
Title: Love Beyond Reach
Label: Infacted Rec.
Genre: Darkwave, Electrogoth
Country: Estonia
Release date: 2007

Track List:
  1. Love Beyond Reach
  2. Not Alone
  3. Will It Be (For Us)
  4. Call Me
  5. Angel Of Love
  6. White Snow
  7. Poisoned Kiss
  8. Lonely Tears
  9. Prince Of The Darkness
  10. Star
  11. In This Night (Lullaby)
  12. Not Alone (Blutengel Remix)
  13. Star (Lost Area Remix)
I discovered this band in 2007, when I was a big fan of L'ame Immortelle and wanted to find something similar to them, but from the ex-USSR. Suicide Romance are a Russian/Estonian project based out of Tallin, consisting of composer Dmitry D. (also in Freakangel) and two female vocalists (Viktoria and Maarja). "Love Beyond Reach" is their first release, sounding a bit naive and simplistic, but that's what is good about it. I for one don't like their consequent releases at all (especially "Memories Behind Closed Curtains"), despite much more professional production - they're just too boring for me. It also should be noted that "Love Beyond Reach" is their most melodic and least "aggressive" release, which I think goes well with the lyrical content. The lyrics on this album are mostly about love and sexual relationships, which aren't my favourite subjects in general, but in this particular case I found the lyrics quite touching. Overall I'd compare SR with Blutengel, in terms of both music and band's image:

P.S. Don't know if their label is OK with this album being available for download, so I won't post the direct link... but anyway you can search for it on filestube, if you wish.

Sunday, November 11, 2012

Neurotech - "Transhuman" [2008]

Artist: Neurotech
Title: Transhuman
Genre: Industrial Metal
Country: Slovenia
Release date: 2008

Track List:
  1. Impakt
  2. Transhuman
  3. Down the Drain
  4. Subsonic Omega
  5. Nex
Although a small country, Slovenia gave the world an impressive amount of excellent industrial projects - Laibach, Coptic Rain, Borghesia, and now Neurotech, an one-man band started by Wulf in 2007. Here's his debut EP "Transhuman", released in 2008. Didn't chech out the subsequent releases yet, but anyway all of them are available off Neurotech's bandcamp page for free (just set the price to 0).

Saturday, November 10, 2012

Oversun - "Pinnacle's Obsession" [1998]

Artist: Oversun
Title: Pinnacle's Obsession
Genre: Industrial Rock
Country: Russia
Release date:1998

Track List:
  1. Burn In The Night
  2. Niya (Burn Mix)
  3. Test Behind
  4. Torture Tower
  5. Lullaby
  6. Pleasure Of Lust (Burn Mix)
Oversun were an industrial rock/metal project started by two members of a relatively well-known Russian progressive metal band Ens Cogitans in late 90's. The name "Oversun" is apparently taken from the sci-fi novel "Destination: Amaltheia" by Arkady & Boris Strugatsky. 
They're largely forgotten by now, even though their second album, "Tragedy of Time", received an award from DarkCity magazine, and there were even plans to release it on Metal Blade Records. As for this album... well, it isn't a masterpiece, but it isn't a bad debut either, especially if we consider the time it was released.