NEL& JP - Desinteresse (Digital Single) (Self-Released) Nel Mertens (lyrics, spoken words) and JP De Brabander (all instruments, mix, master, production) are back at it again. The still-nascent project is already in its second year. Borderless, without any embarrassment, without shame, and straight to the point. The raw poetry and the boundless virtuosity of the instruments unite in taboo electropunk. The lyrics are critical, romantic, poetic, sometimes raw, but always meant to touch.Their new single "Desinteresse" is a prelude to the album"En waarom niet"which is expected in the winter autumn of 2024. And what a single! A raw indictment of the inaction of many.A kick in the stomach for those who denounce many things but fail to react.Or yes: with meaningless “likes” on one or another social medium.Those who watch the misery with a sad look, and that's it. We hear no loud voices, see people standing up for each other very little, for greater social engagement, as if interest is mainly limited to within the walls of the living room. It's danceable,devastatingly raw,driven and passionate. [JB] CLAN OF XYMOX - Exodus (CD/Vinyl/Digital) (Trisol) An established name since 1985 when their self-titled debut album was released by the legendary 4AD label, although one year earlier in 1984, the EP "Subsequent Pleasures" had already been self-released (later reissued multiple times). The Dutch band Clan Of Xymox quickly gained fame as the Netherlands' most important goth/new wave export. It's now2024,40 years later,and founder RonnyMoorings still stands tall with his Clan of Xymox, and he's far from finished. “Exodus” is the 18th full-length album from this clan, which once again rises above the mediocrity where many others linger. Although the sound is not really comparable to the very old releases, which I am a big fan of, the atmosphere and the beauty of melancholy remain effortlessly and elegantly intact. Melancholy, passion, but also existential fear and a pulse on a world in pain. "Exodus" breathes Clan Of Xymox from every groove (yes, also available in various vinyl versions) and has no skip moments.Not even a single sign of weakness. [KI] AKALOTZ -ANGRY BODY MACHINE (Digital) (Scanner) Akalotz has been active since 2007, but the band truly gained momentum when Nico Klenner joined Thorsten Haury, and they released their debut album"Shift To Evil" (2014, Electro Arc). Their sound is clearly influenced by EBM, which continued on their 2017 follow-up"Confront,"released by ElectroAggression Records.Seven years later,Akalotz reemerges under Scanner (Dark Dimensions label group) with a new sound, self-described as dark body music, in their album"Angry Body Machine.""Angry Body Machine" retains an EBM backbone while incorporating structures, arrangements, and sounds reminiscent of the 90s German dark electro wave.This style blends gothic influences with robust electro, appealing more to dark electro than pure EBM enthusiasts. The label dark body music aptly describes this release, which also features elements reminiscent of the Canadian school, evident in tracks like "Savage" and the powerful "Mind Control.”"Akalotz delivers a coherent sound that will resonate with (dark) electro/EBM fans. [KI] THE RED MOON MACABRE - Magna Macabre (CD/Digital) (Self-Released) Renzo Tellez sure knows how to spoil his fans. Ever since his comeback in 2021 he has built up a rather impressive biography.‘Magna Macabre’ is his latest Vamp aka brainchild. Consider it a bit like a ‘2024 Collected So Far’. It features all his this year released tracks on one album, but then also remastered with a better sound quality.The in december of 2023 released single‘Frau Perchta’was supposed to be his last release for the time being but in the beginning of 2024 a surge of creativity led him to record the full album titled ‘Danse The Plague’.And the creativity even went on.What would follow were the album ‘Macabra Mourning’, the EP‘Magna Mortem’, and,after buying a newguitar,the album‘Thirteenth Funeral’.It’s these four albums that are now remastered and released into one collection.If you are familiar with his earlier work you will also notice the songs deal with human mortality instead of legends, history and fantasy. Call it Gothic Rockwith a more funerary theme.Summed up; This is ‘Straight from the Grave-Releasing your Inner Demon’Old-School Goth Rock. [HC] www.peek-a-boo-magazine.be - 10 - Read full reviews on http://www.peek-a-boo-magazine.be/en/reviews/
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