Archive for goth rock

Lumous Gothic Festival XX – Final Episode

Posted in Editorial/Opinionated, Festival, Gig with tags , , , , , , , , , on 13th July 2020 by izaforestspirit

Finland’s biggest Gothic music event Lumous Gothic Festival celebrated its twentieth anniversary this year. The original plan was for this year to be the last Lumous with the final edition of the festival taking place in July 2020. The on-going worldwide coronavirus pandemic meant that the plans had to be drastically altered. There was a very realistic possibility that the event would have to be canceled like many others have been. Luckily, thanks to the low infection rates within Finland and successful preventative measures, small scale events were permitted with restricted access based on the capacity of the venue. Due to the international travel restrictions, only a handful of local bands were able to perform and the only venue available to host the event was a small pub in the city centre called Dog’s Home. In addition to the live performances, the event was also streamed live via the festival’s Facebook page.

Now before I go into more detail about this year’s event, I would like to tell you a bit about my own personal experience of Lumous Gothic Festival. 2020 marks the eighth year of my participation in the festival. My first Lumous was in 2012. Since then I have not missed a single Lumous Gothic Festival. It has become one of the highlights of my summer. I have met some really nice people there and I discovered several new bands including: Das Ich, Shiv-R, Auger, Raven Said, Sleetgrout and Sekret Teknik.

Shiv-R, archive photo from their show at Lumous Gothic Festival 2016
DAS ICH
Das Ich, archive photo taken from their performance at Lumous Gothic Festival 2019

Sadly this year I was unable to attend it due to the restricted access and the limited capacity of the venue but I still managed to stream the event online from their Facebook page.

This time line up comprised four Finnish bands: Chaos Research (neo-classical/darkwave/ambient), Old School Union (EBM with punk influences), Sekret Teknik (synth-wave) and Gothic rock legends Two Witches.

Friday 10th July 2020 (live stream)

I have actually seen Chaos Research live at the same venue two years ago so I pretty much knew what to expect from the live stream. They managed to create a chilled-out atmosphere thanks to the operatic vocals combined with the electric cello and drums. Not my kind of music but if you are into neo-folk or dark ambient then you will probably enjoy this.

Archive photo, taken from the performance at Lumous Gothic Festival 2018

https://chaosresearch.bandcamp.com/

Oldschool Union were highly entertaining to watch. I like some some old school EBM but I’m not the biggest fan of punk. The performance was fun and amusing to see. I particularly liked the song ‘Vartalovasara’.

Image may contain: one or more people

https://www.facebook.com/Oldschool-Union-

Saturday 11th July 2020 (live stream)

I have only just discovered Sekret Teknik a few days ago. I liked their performance and their take on the synthwave genre. My personal favorite part of the show was the song ‘Nightsky’.

Image may contain: 3 people, people sitting and sunglasses

https://sekretteknik.bandcamp.com/

Then it was time for the band that has been involved with the festival right from the start. Two Witches front-man Jyrki Witch is one of the organizers of the event. Two Witches were the first band at the very first Lumous Gothic Festival back in 2001 so it was only fitting for them to be the closing act the final chapter of Lumous. It was an acoustic show. They played some of my favorites including ‘The Dark Angels of Sin’ along with some newer tracks such as ‘Spirit Sacrifice’. Unfortunately I missed some of the live steam due to a connection problem.

Archive photo taken from their performance at Lumous Gothic Festival 2016

https://www.facebook.com/Two-Witches-Official-

Jyrki Witch also announced the winners of the Lumous 2020 Award – Club Gothic Night.

So that was it. After twenty years Lumous Gothic Festival has come to end. I am very grateful to have had the opportunity to participate in the event for the past eight years. Hopefully there will be something new emerging from the Finnish Gothic scene to fill its place. Kiitos Lumous Gothic Festival! You will be missed.

Iza Raittila

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Raven Said – Beyond The Darkest Hour

Posted in Review, Uncategorized with tags , , , on 13th May 2020 by izaforestspirit

Raven Said
Beyond The Darkest Hour
Released 17th April 2020
Goth Rock/Post-Punk
Released via Secret Sin Records Ltd.

’Beyond The Darkest Hour’ is the debut album from the Russian Goth rock duo Raven Said. The band was founded in 2014 in Ekaterinburg by vocalist-guitarist Andrey Agapitov and Maria Agapitova (piano, synth, violin and percussion). I first discovered them after watching their performance at Lumous Gothic Festival. They cite ‘80s Goth rock, post-punk and new wave as their main influences along with an interest in the occult and spooky Gothic themes. Oh and in case the name wasn’t enough of a clue they are also fans of the works of Edgar Allan Poe. Some of the songs were previously released as EPs and their entire discography is available from their Bandcamp page.

Well, if old school Goth rock is your thing, then you are in for a treat. This album has all the hallmarks of a classic Goth rock record including melancholic vocals, eerie, scything guitar work and spooky synth melodies. Lenore was part of the live set at Lumous Gothic Festival. It’s one of the songs that stood out for me and what made me check out the band’s music after the shows. Ok, it’s a little slow but I really like the spooky atmosphere. There are also some more dance-friendly tunes such as Love That Black As Coal. This one is more keyboard-oriented and a little less melancholic.

Another song that caught my attention was Fragile Hope; the most dance-friendly track on here. It’s catchy with a good keyboard intro and the guitar sounds less gloomy. The guitar riffs can even been described as….(dare I say it..?) – uplifting. Yes, that’s right, I’ve just used the term “uplifting” in a Goth rock review! Oh no… Oh the horror! What ever shall we do? I say that we just keep listening and dance along, that’s my plan at least.

To conclude, ‘Beyond The Darkest Hour’ is a very well executed Goth rock album that is bound to please fans of the style. There are only a handful of Goth rock bands that I like and I am pleased to say that Raven Said is one of them.

8/10

Iza Raittila

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Fields of The Nephilim announce UK shows

Posted in Misc., News with tags , , on 14th June 2018 by izaforestspirit

The legendary Goth rock band Fields of The Nephilim have announced that they will be headlining three shows in The U.K. this autumn. The dates will include All Hallows Eve (Samhain) and The Day of The Dead. This mini tour also marks the 30th anniversary of one of the band’s biggest hits –  ‘Moonchild’.

They will be joined by the special guests, Austrilian psych-rock band The Church.

See the poster below for the schedule:

For more details visit:

https://fields-of-the-nephilim.com/

https://www.facebook.com/FieldsOfTheNephilim

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Two Witches 30th anniversary show

Posted in Gig, Live with tags , , , , , on 9th September 2017 by izaforestspirit

Dark Side Cowboys, Freaknagel, Harmony Garden
Klubi, Tampere, Finland
8th September 2017

The Finnish Goth rock band Two Witches celebrated their 30th anniversary last night. And what would be a better place to celebrate it than one of my favorite venues in their home city – at Klubi. I’ve seen them live before, but their anniversary show promised to be something special. Support bands including the Swedish alternative rock band Dark Side Cowboys, Estonian industrial band Freakangel and others.

I arrived too late to catch the first band Harmony Garden, who apparently played an acoustic set. The first band I saw was Dark Side Cowboys. I’ve seen these guys live before when they played Lumous Gothic Festival a few years ago, so I pretty much knew what to expect. Their style is difficult to categorize, it’s a mixture of old school, Fields of the Nephilim -style Goth rock with hints of darkwave and even some industrial. One thing is for sure, they know how to put on a great show. 4/5

Freakangel is a band that I used to like a lot when they first came out; I really like their first album. Sadly I’m not that keen on their newer releases and I don’t particularly like the direction that they are heading with their latest album. Their show was better than the first time that I saw them live, but it’s a shame that they only played one track from ‘The Faults of Humanity’. Other songs I recognized included ‘Parasite’, ‘The Used’ and ‘Book of Violence’. 3/5

Then the time came for the heroes of the day, Two Witches. These guys are usually very good live. This show was special in the sense that it gave the audience an insight into the band’s history. Singer Jyrki Witch was keen to share some anecdotes about the band’s early days. They also had some surprise guests with two former members of the band, Nauko and Toby joining them on stage for a few songs. As usual, they played an mixture of old and new songs including fan favorites such as ‘The Dark Angels of Sin’, ‘Dead Dog’s Howl’, ‘Inner Circle Outside’ and ‘Burn The Witch’. One surprise addition to the setlist was an old darkwave track called ‘Cat’s Eyes’ sung by Jyrki alone as an encore. 5/5

In summary I had a good time. Good music and it was a fun night out in town. Dark Side Cowboys were great live, Freakangel had its moments. As for the night’s heroes…Thirty years and still going strong. Happy anniversary to the Two Witches!

Iza Raittila

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Fields of Nephilim announce exclusive winter solstice show

Posted in Misc., News with tags , , , on 28th June 2017 by izaforestspirit

The legendary British goth rock band Fields of the Nephilim have recently announced that they will be doing an exclusive show in The UK this winter. The event named ‘Saturnalia’ will take place at the O2 Forum in Kentish Town, London on the winter solstice, 21st December 2017.

The show is named after a pagan festival which also takes place on the winter solstice. Winter is one of the prominent themes of this particular performance. The audience can expect “a truly spellbinding set celebrating the band’s illustrious career.”

You can check out the poster below:

No automatic alt text available.

For more information visit:

http://www.fields-of-the-nephilim.com

https://www.facebook.com/FieldsOfTheNephilim

 

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Lumous Gothic Festival 2016

Posted in Festival, Live with tags , , , , , , , , , on 17th July 2016 by izaforestspirit

Shiv-R, Two Witches, Aesthetic Perfection

Klubi, Tampere, Finland

15–16th July

For the past few years, Finland’s biggest Gothic event – Lumous Gothic Festival – has been one of the highlights of my summer. There was some rumours going around that last year’s 15th anniversary edition was going to be the last one. Luckily that was not the case. Not only is Lumous still running, they actually sold out the Saturday’s show. This year the music on offer was a mixture of EBM, Harsh Electro/Aggrotech, Goth Rock and neo-folk.

Friday

First up was the futuristic-styled EBM duo Blastromen. These two really looked like extras from one of the Tron movies, thanks to their luminous “space robot” suits. They played some catchy EBM enhanced with robotic vocals and plenty of flashing lights. The flashing lights were a bit too much for my little camera to handle but I enjoyed the performance. 3/5

Goth rock is one of the most popular genres at the festival. I’ve seen a number of good Goth rock bands at Lumous and Canis Lupus was no exception. Unlike some goth bands who tend to overdo the melancholic and gloomy atmosphere, these guys actually looked like they were enjoying themselves. Their vocals and overall style reminded me of Sisters of Mercy. 4/5

The night’s headlining act, the Australian Harsh Electro band Shiv-R was the main band that I came to see. I’ve only discovered them recently so I was keen to see what they are like live. Their show was very energetic, filled with lots of creepy imagery projected from the screens and lots of very catchy dark electro tunes. I was dancing pretty much throughout the show. 5/5

 

Saturday

Every year Lumous Gothic Festival features at least one “wild card” – a band or solo artist who sounds or sometimes looks dramatically different from all the others. This year that “wild card” was the British neo-folk artist Naevus. This was a special “solo set” featuring just the band’s singer on acoustic guitar. Whilst I can fully acknowledge that Mr. Lloyd James has a good voice and he is a talented guitar player, this type of music is simply not my style. 3.5/5

Local favourites, the renowned Finnish goth rock band Two Witches are big part of the local Goth scene and they are heavily involved with the festival. Last night was the official release party for the brand new live album ‘Voodoo Wytches -Live. I’ve seen them live before but each show is a little different… This time they played at a venue packed full of cheering fans at a sold.out show. Their set consisted primarily of old songs including several classics such as ‘Vampire Empire’, ‘The Dark Angels of Sin’, ‘The Omen’ and ‘Burn The Witch’. It was really good to see them live again. There’s not that many Goth rock bands that I enjoy but Two Witches is definitely one of them. 5/5

 

Whilst I’m not a massive of their latest work, I have to admit that American electro- industrial Aggrotech band Aesthetic Perfection are always entertaining to watch live. I’m a big fan of the first three albums so I was really happy when they played most of the hits from that era including: ‘Spit It Out’, The Great Depression’, ‘Inhuman’ and ‘The Ones’. ‘Antibody’ wasn’t bad either but I’m not super keen on their mellow ballads. 4.5/5

 

So there you have it. Another great weekend at Lumous Gothic Festival. Two Witches is always fun to watch live, Aesthetic Perfection put on another great show, Shiv-R was a new discovery and my favourite performance of the festival.

Iza Raittila

 

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Remain in Silence – …And The Soul Goes On

Posted in Review with tags , , on 22nd March 2016 by izaforestspirit

Remain in Silence
…And The Soul Goes On
Released 18th March 2016
Wave Wave/Dark Wave/Goth Rock
Released via M.I.G Music GmbH

‘…And The Soul Goes On’ is the long-awaited new album from the dark wave pioneers Remain in Silence. The band was originally formed back in the mid 1980s and they were amongst the first bands in the German dark wave scene.

My knowledge of dark wave is very limited. I’ve seen a handful of dark wave bands at Lumous Gothic Festival, but other than that my only experience with the genre are a few songs by The Cure along with the early albums by Lacrimosa, The Crüxshadows and Blutengel, which is often classed as synth-pop rather than dark wave. All of these have certain characteristics in common: the dark, Gothic atmosphere, melancholic tones and emotionally profound lyrics. Remain in Silence is no exception to this and they fit the genre description very well.

In many ways, if melancholic and melodic Goth music is your thing, then this is the album for you. While I have no problem with the gloomy atmosphere, I did have some issues with the slow pace of the songs. Let’s just say that I like my Goth music to be one of the three options: more dance/synth-pop -like (an example could be Blutengel), the catchy Goth rock variety akin to the likes of Two Witches or symphonic/orchestral Goth rock style of modern Lacrimosa. This album has only a handful moments like this, most notably the catchy, electro pop track Wrapped in Ice which is one of the few songs on here that I could actually dance to. Another one is the new edition of an old Remain in Silence classic, Hope in Fear in which the guitar tunes have a bizarrely pleasant and uplifting vibe to them despite the overall depressing tone of the vocals. Then finally there’s the eerie yet beautiful instrumental Endless Sea, which is the perfect track to end the album, summing up the dark atmosphere that was present throughout.

Technically speaking there is nothing really wrong with this album. It’s clearly well written and executed by highly experienced and skilled musicians. Yet despite this I struggled to get through it and really focus on the songs. Even for some who enjoys Gothic atmospheres and the odd bit of melancholic rock or electro, this was an album that was just too slow and ponderous for my liking.

3/5
Iza Raittila

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Two Witches live in Tampere

Posted in Gig, Live with tags , on 14th May 2015 by izaforestspirit

Larva, Two Witches
Redemption Club at The Dog’s Home,

Tampere, Finland

13th May 2015

After my recent travels it was nice to go to a local alternative event for a change. Two Witches is a local Goth rock band and this was a free show to celebrate their keyboard player Zynthexia’s birthday. The venue was a pub called The Dog’s Home, which is located near the train station at the heart of the city centre. Tampere has a sizable Goth scene so the venue was full by the time the bands started.

Larva

First up was a Spanish terror EBM duo called Larva. I was not sure what to expect when I first saw them because the singer was draped in leather and covered in corpse-paint which is usually more befitting for a member of a black metal band than an industrial/EBM one. Yet after hearing the first notes of the synthesizers, it was pretty clear that this was going to be electronica. Not a guitar or drum kit in sight, just some harsh screams and cries (mostly in their native Spanish) and synthesizer beats to dance along to. I liked their eerie atmosphere and the creepy vocal samples in the songs. They reminded me a little of their Mexican brethren, the Aggrotech band Hocico. 5/5

Two Witches

I’ve seen this band live before at Lumous Gothic Festival last summer so I knew what to expect. They are one of the very few Goth bands that I actually like and they usually put on a good show. I guess that a large part of their appeal is down to the singer Jyrki Witch’s stage presence. Unlike some Goth rock frontmen, this guy actually looks like he’s having fun performing live. Since this show was in honor of their keyboard player’s birthday, they stopped at one point to sing to Zynthexia “Paljon Onnea!” (Happy Birthday in Finnish) and they encouraged the crowds to join in. They then continued to play a mixture of old and new tracks to the delight of the audience. 5/5

In summary, I had a great time. It proves just how close-knit the local Goth and industrial scenes are. Just as with Lumous Gothic Festival, this was a rare occasion for people who like these types of music to get together under one roof for a free concert. Hopefully there will be more of these events in the future.

Iza Raittila

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Two-Witches-Official/167374843332778

https://www.facebook.com/larva.official?fref=ts

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Lumous Gothic Festival 2014

Posted in Festival, Live with tags , , , , , , , , on 6th July 2014 by izaforestspirit

Lumous Gothic Festival 2014 @ Tampere, Finland

Two Witches, Ordo Rosarius Equilibrio, Leaether Strip
Klubi, Tampere
4-5th July

Lumous Gothic Festival is Finland’s largest goth event. It was established back in 2001 and has become an annual event held in central Tampere. The music on offer is strictly non-metal, ranging from goth rock, darkwave, industrial and EBM to neofolk. The actual festival is a four day event but the main shows take place on the Friday and Saturday.

Friday
The opening act was meant to be the Russian Harsh EBM band Steelgrout. Sadly they were unable to make it due to some problems with their Visas. Their replacement was the Jyväskylä-based Finnish EBM act Unzyme. Before their substitutes started, they actually played a message from Steelgrout to the audience in which the Russian band apologizes for not being able to make it. Unzyme describe their sound as “biomechanical pop” which is essentially synthpop with lab experiments as a their main theme. Their set was entertaining and it was a good start to the night. 3.5/5
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Next up was the Swedish goth rock band Malaise. I’m not a massive fan of goth rock, but these guys were better than I expected. They combined the classic goth rock sound of bands like The Sisters of Mercy and Fields of The Nephilim with EBM for a sound that is truly unique and memorable. I really enjoyed their set and this was my favourite performance of the night. 4/5
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The final act of the night was another Swedish band – Ordo Rosarius Equilibrio. Their sound is not an easy one to classify; it’s a mixture of dark ambient, neofolk and industrial. They are a returning act to Lumous having played their before back in 2002. Their music has this eerie, soundtrack feel to it and the pace is mostly slow. The problem I had with them is that they were playing dark ambient in the early hours of the morning, by which time my energy was running out. I was too exhausted to stick around until the end of their set. 3/5
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Saturday
The night started with a performance by the Latvian industrial band Autogen. Their style is a mixture of industrial noize and rhythmic/powernoize with an experimental flare akin to the likes of The Klinik. Some tracks were more danceable than others. They also had an interesting range of stage props ranging from fake blood, a fire extinguisher and a contraption that looked like a defibrillator. Their set was definitely entertaining as a result, but I wasn’t super keen on the music itself. 2/5
Image and video hosting by TinyPic
Image and video hosting by TinyPic

Next up was the Finnish rock band Two Witches. Their lead singer Jyrki Witch is one of the organizers of the festival. I like their old songs but I’m not too familiar with their new work. Luckily they played a mixture of old and new material including “Zombie Walk” (from the latest album) along with some old classics such as “Vampire Empire” and “Burn The Witch”. They are one of the best and the most energetic goth rock bands that I’ve seen in a while. 4/5
Image and video hosting by TinyPic
Image and video hosting by TinyPic

The night ended with a performance from the main band I came to see, the Danish harsh EBM duo Leaether Strip. I’ve seen them live last year and it was great to see them again. These guys really give it their all, playing all their hit tracks including “Evil Speaks”, “Strap Me Down” and “Don’t Tame Your Soul”. It didn’t take long before I joined in, dancing along with the rest of the audience. 5/5
Image and video hosting by TinyPic
Image and video hosting by TinyPic

So there you have it. Another summer, another Lumous Festival. It’s always great to see that the goth and industrial scene in Finland is alive and well. I just wish that they would organize more events like this in the future.

Iza Raittila

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Poisonblack – Lyijy

Posted in Uncategorized with tags , , , , , on 2nd November 2013 by Pieni

Poisonblack
“Lyijy”
Rock
Relased on 13th September 2013
Via Warner Music Finland

photo 385442_zps753a5f52.jpg

Released on a Friday 13th, “Lyijy” has nothing of bad luck on it. Following the direction which the previous albums had already took, Poisonblack’s sixth work lives up to its title: “lyijy” is Finnish for the metallic element “lead”, and despite not being exactly a heavy metal album, its sound is a lot heavier and aggressive, far from the goth rock which they began with back in 2000. And still it has that je-ne-sais-quoi that identifies it as Poisonblack (although the unmistakable voice of Ville Laihiala is enough for that matter).

The raw looseness in the guitars of “Home Is Where The Sty Is” is one of the highest exponents of that heaviness, with particular emphasis on the solos. “The Flavour Of The Month” follows suit, with an enforced bass line. And “Death By The Blues” gets the bronze medal, as only the title is bluesy – classic and classy heavy rock riffs.

But since we’re talking about blues, let’s jump to the last track, “Elämän Kevät”. The cry of the guitars and the lament of a piano in the background turn tangible a certain melancholy. Also “Maybe Life Is Not For Everyone” is woven with introspective emotions, but its texture, despite delicate, is definitely of a rocky nature. And the acoustic guitars and the low tone in “Them Walls” has a Western whiff, a cowboy modern ballad.

The heavy rock from “Down The Ashes Rain” slides easily down the ear, the double voices in the chorus leaving pleasant marks in our memory. “The Absentee” is all that plus a few melodic riffs smoothing the edges, yet without compromising the guitars’ sharpness. And “Blackholehead” stands out for the rhythm cheerful fluctuations and for the key-verse borrowed from Monty Python, “my brain hurts”.

“The Halfway Bar” and “Pull The Trigger” are what I call “halfway songs” – too crispy for ballads, but also too melodic for good ol’ rock’n’roll. They’re not there, however, just to fill the gaps – their sound is too good for that – but to remind us that not everything is black and white, the simplicity of the grey areas is also part of a high quality album.

4 / 5

By Renata “Pieni” Lino

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