And after a long slumber there was music

Oh man, oh man, music! So much brilliant music and so little time. What to list to, what to miss. Is music the spice that brings that little glint of glee into your life, or are these just the mad rantings of an obsessed “critic”?
Apologies
Let me offer most sincere apologies to so many musicians that, in my thoughtless haste, I said I would do reviews and interviews for but thus far [...more]

Grave Concerns Issue 1 – Best of 2009

Not so secretly (or secretly, depending on who you talk to) I had the honour of editing Grave Concern’s E-zine’s Best of 2009 issue. So far there are plans to put these issues out quarterly, lets hope this works out better than it did for another dark culture ezine.
There are tons of great reviews of some of 2009’s best industrial (and related genres) albums. The issue also contains, amazing art work by Cesar [...more]

Review: C/A/T – We Are Still Alive

This article first appeared at www.graveconcernsezine.com
Label: Crunch Pod
Release date:
Reviewer: JimZombie
There is so much to write about with C/A/T’s latest release. I could spend hours talking about the social and political aspect of the album. Equally I could spend as much time again on the musical aspects of this well polished EP. We Are Still Alive is one of a few albums released this year that has appealed me on both a stylistic and [...more]

Review: XP8 – Drop The Mask

This review first appeared at www.graveconcernsezine.com

Label: Metropolis, Infacted
Release date: 6/01/2010
Reviewer: JimZombie
Crack the plastic, insert disc, press play and the music will do the rest. Bind is a brilliant album opener – so dancy that you will grove away even if ever so subtly. Blind, is one of those dance tracks that will appeal to many being damn easy to listen to and even easier to dance to. Most of the other floor oriented [...more]

Review: Underwater Pilots – Tranquil Places

Release Date: 2004 (Europe), 2006 (US)
Label: Infacted (Europe), Van Richter Records (US)
Tranquil places is not a new album, originally released in Europe during 2004 and the US in 2006. For some years, the band went on hiatus as Manuel G. Richter and Gregoire Vanoli pursued other projects. Manuel co-produced Anne Clark’s “The Smallest Acts Of Kindness” and worked on his side project Xabec. Some time during late 2007 or early 2008, the band [...more]

Interview: Pieter and Bram of NTSRN

Interview by PromoFabrik (www.promofabrik.com) – February 2010
Secondary English edit by JimZombie
Leo interviewed Pieter and Bram of NTRSN. Read on for what they have to tell about the band and their debut album called “People Like Gods”…
Leo: Hi guys, we are happy to get the chance to ask you a few questions….
Pieter: Hello guys!
Bram: Hello, nice to meet you.
Leo: Pieter, please introduce Bram to our readers!
Pieter: A normal guy with black hair and [...more]

^[SiCk0]^ – Sickness Volume Four

Release date: 15/2/2010
Record label: Intolerance Records
Where to begin with ^[SiCk0]^’s Sickness Volume Four? With such strange and interesting music I find myself inclined to find out a bit about the artists. A good place to start is with the artist’s bio on Intolerance Records -
“Nobody knows if ^|SiCk0|^ is male or female or even human for that matter… ^|SiCk0|^ wears a different type of disguise at every show. ^|SiCk0|^ has been known to [...more]

Interview: Daniel Graves of Aesthetic Perfection (Australian Tour)

JimZombie: How does it feel to be kicking off your first Australian tour in Sydney?
Daniel Graves: We are very honored and excited to be here. Not a lot of bands are offered the opportunity to come all this way, so we are indeed, very grateful.
JZ: How did the tour come about, was it more than just an invite?
DG: Joseph Chillari of Fiend Magazine and Riveting Promotions caught our show at the Wave Gotik [...more]

Sonik Foundry – Mechanized

Release Date: November 2009
Record Label: Hitman Records
I was quite excited on first listening to this album but unfortunately, Mechanized has a short half-life that eventually leaves you with the bitter realisation that, “this could have been so much better!” Most tracks hint at great potential and songs like My Experiment, Mechanized and Deep Inside almost make it, as long as you aren‘t overly intent on listening (analyse and you will despair). Well-programmed sound [...more]

Essence of Mind – Try and Fail

Album: Try and Fail
Band: Essence of Mind
Release date: 4th-12-09
Record Label: Alfa Matrix
Essence of Mind’s electro-rock Try and Fail is riddled with teenage angst, relationships issues and break-ups. The album never strays far from these issues for long and gets tedious fast. Great in bits and pieces with a solid sound throughout; this is a mood based album especially good for those suffering from a traumatic recent break up and needing a good old-fashioned [...more]