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EPISODE NOTES & HIGHLIGHTS:
We begin by raising the trident early, setting the tone with a song from Ukrainian folk act DakhaBrakha's debut album, Yahudky, in honor of their upcoming US tour (which will begin at Oz Arts in Nashville on September 12th). You don't see a lot of acts from war-torn Ukraine on US soil, so it's a reason to celebrate, for me. Coming in right behind that, and perhaps carrying a bit of the same spirit, is new music from longtime Ukraine supporter ROME. The lead single "Eagle Wings" is taken from his ever-topical new EP World in Flames. Transitioning from that intro into the first talk break, we descend into some Ukrainian dark ambient/neo-classical music from the 2024 release Elegy of Faded Glass Eyes by relative newcomer некрохолод (Necroholod).
The first full set begins with the infectious third single (and great video!) from Nox Novacula's new album, Feed the Fire, which I have now been able to absorb enough to say it will certainly land in my "Best of" list for this year. And you can still catch them on tour across the northern half of the US right now. From there, we check out the latest from Soft Kill, a band that is always trying something new these days, yet remaining consistent in their own way. Escape Forever sees the band adopting a bit of street-punk and opting for brighter skies, but "Come Hang from the Rooftops" carries their post-punk roots into this new venture.
We then dip into a second taste of the new album from The March Violets, which has the band sounding quite strong, before stepping back 40 years to mark the anniversary of The Cult's debut album, Dreamtime. Urban Heat brings us back to the present with one of their (many) new singles, before we allow The Chameleons to show us all how it's done with my favorite b-side from their 1986 LP, Strange Times -- in honor of their current US tour, which will bring them to their first-ever Nashville show on October 22nd at Eastside Bowl! Yeah, I'm a bit proud to be presenting that one, but I digress...
Set two continues with mostly new music, starting with the invigorating lead single from Soror Dolorosa's forthcoming album, Mond. Also on the verge of a peppy new album, but more in an '80s synthpop way, is California's Sacred Skin, who come in next with one of the advance singles from their Born in Fire LP. We then pause for a sad note, to mark the death of Paul Gilmartin, original drummer for The Danse Society, with the title track from their 1983 album, Heaven is Waiting. Rest in peace, Paul.
Set two continues with mostly new music, starting with the invigorating lead single from Soror Dolorosa's forthcoming album, Mond. Also on the verge of a peppy new album, but more in an '80s synthpop way, is California's Sacred Skin, who come in next with one of the advance singles from their Born in Fire LP. We then pause for a sad note, to mark the death of Paul Gilmartin, original drummer for The Danse Society, with the title track from their 1983 album, Heaven is Waiting. Rest in peace, Paul.
 |
| Paul Gilmartin (far left) of the Danse Society. |
Clan of Xymox pulls us back to the present with the closing track from their latest album Exodus, before sliding into a new single from the ever-original Haujobb, taken from their forthcoming album, The Machine in the Ghost. And, finally, we allow Portishead the final word in this set, to honor the 30th anniversary of their debut album, Dummy -- an album that set the band apart from literally everybody else in the musical landscape of 1994. Plus, an additional rarity accompanies the subsequent talk break: The band's soundtrack music for their short film of the same year, To Kill a Dead Man.
Set three throws the spotlight on DRAGON CON 2024! Hard as it is to believe, it's almost that time of the year again, Spooky Nerds! For the uninitiated, Dragon Con is a massive convention held in Atlanta, Georgia each year on Labor Day weekend (August 29th - September 2nd this year), focusing on every aspect of fandom you can imagine -- sci-fi, fantasy, horror, comics, film, gaming, music, cosplay, art, etc. Full disclosure, I am the Assistant Director of The Horror Track at Dragon Con, (follow us on Facebook / Facebook Group / Instagram) where I handle and moderate the Goth related programming each year. Our home base is at The Westin, in Peachtree 1-2 on the 8th floor.
What to look forward to in Goth at Dragon Con this year? Well, first, our annual Goth Dance event, The Open Casket Party has been moved to a much larger space at a new time. You can find us on Sunday night, September 1st, from 10pm-2am in the Westin's Peachtree Ballroom! See the map here. I'll be DJing that one, along with DJ Spider, and the boundless tag-team energy of Goth Dad (aka Dusty from Vision Video) & Twin Powers! Meanwhile, in panel-land, our annual Goth Panel (aka "Release the Bats," where we discuss the scene and its music with band members and DJs) is scheduled for Saturday afternoon at 4pm in the Hyatt's Int'l South (new larger space!). But that's not all, we will also have a retrospective panel on The Cure on Friday night at 7pm in the Horror Track room. Times are always subject to change, so make sure to use the official Dragon Con App to shape your plans.
Back to the episode at hand here, we focus mostly on the bands who will be performing live at this year's Dragon Con, beginning with the latest single from Vision Video. From there, we hear from DC-fixture Aurelio Voltaire's recent Halloween EP, followed by Audiomachine with the theme from the cult-hit TV show "Evil," in honor of lead actor Mike Colter's appearance at the con this year. We then dig for a deep cut from DC institution The Cruxshadows, landing on a 25th anniversary gem from their 1999 album, The Mystery of the Whisper. Pivoting a bit, we welcome the return of DC's master of strings, Paul Mercer, whom listeners may remember from his erstwhile band The Changelings, before closing this spotlight set with music from first-time DC performers HEALTH. In addition to many of these band members appearing at our Goth Panel, longtime performers like The Cruxshadows and Aurelio Voltaire typically have their own hour-long discussion panels as well. I will update this post when the schedule is released, but always check the app for official details, and I hope to see you at Dragon Con!
For those not going to Dragon Con, set four turns the spotlight on another event you might wish to attend: The third annual Dark Castle Fest in Louisville, KY! While a lot of current genre-based events focus on the more electro-leaning side of the dark music spectrum, Dark Castle Fest tends towards the roots and the romantic, specializing in gothic rock, darkwave, experimental, and southern gothic styles. This set covers some personal highlights, showcasing eight of the acts you'll see (counting the dungeon-synth/dark ambient stylings of Sombre Arcane in the preceding talk break), but you can check out the full line-up here.
We begin the Dark Castle Fest set with more new music from Saturday night headliner Astari Nite, followed by a recent remix of legacy act, and surprise late addition to the fest, Attrition. We then hear a new remix of Mexican post-punk/goth act Blood Dance, which is followed by a brand new collaboration between festival founder Motuvius Rex and Louisville legends The Kentucky Vampires, on a cover of an obscure new wave song by the artist Black. You then get a taste of New England goth act Ghost Painted Sky, followed by a full piece from The Kentucky Vampires, before the spotlight rests on rising Knoxville darkwave/post-punk band Attic Eyes, who were just added to the Nashville Chameleons show, by the way, following an excellent live debut at Fascination Street. Speaking of FS, I will be bringing my DJ style to Dark Castle Fest again this year, where I will be sharing the Friday slots with DJ Creepy Crawly, whose work you may also like, if you're listening to this show. Check him out here.
Finally, we come to set five this month, where we return to the tradition of closing the show in the dark metal regions. Beginning with a taste of Chilean death/doom, we hear a song from the new Mourners Lament album, A Grey Farewell, before marking the 25th anniversary of one of goth-metal's finest hours, Tristania's genre-perfecting 1999 album, Beyond the Veil. As long as you don't judge the album by its cover (in fact, just ignore that artwork, please), it's a great way to test whether you enjoy the combination of gothic rock elements and dark metal. From there, we return to Ukraine for another cut from the much more low-fi black metal approach of SVRM's initial 2024 release, Є тільки смерть, є тільки тьма (There is only death, there is only darkness). That leads us into a debut from Australia's Krvna, taken from their early 2024 release The Rhythmus of Death Eternal, before closing the set with a deeper cut from LVME's Of Sinful Nature.
Finally, we come to set five this month, where we return to the tradition of closing the show in the dark metal regions. Beginning with a taste of Chilean death/doom, we hear a song from the new Mourners Lament album, A Grey Farewell, before marking the 25th anniversary of one of goth-metal's finest hours, Tristania's genre-perfecting 1999 album, Beyond the Veil. As long as you don't judge the album by its cover (in fact, just ignore that artwork, please), it's a great way to test whether you enjoy the combination of gothic rock elements and dark metal. From there, we return to Ukraine for another cut from the much more low-fi black metal approach of SVRM's initial 2024 release, Є тільки смерть, є тільки тьма (There is only death, there is only darkness). That leads us into a debut from Australia's Krvna, taken from their early 2024 release The Rhythmus of Death Eternal, before closing the set with a deeper cut from LVME's Of Sinful Nature.
In closing the show, we shift gears to the more somber tones of The Keening, the Utah-based solo project of Rebecca Vernon of SubRosa, which was co-produced by Billy Anderson, who also played bass for the live incarnation of the band when they opened Pallbearer's recent US tour -- which is what led me to finally embrace their late-2023 release Little Bird on this episode.
All of that PLUS: New soundtrack work from Longlegs by Zilgi; Anniversray salutes to cult horror films; Selections from the vault; and more!
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PLAYLIST BEGINS HERE
Format: Band Name - Song Title [Album Title, Year]
(each band name is also a website link)
(sets and talk breaks separated by dashes)
(sets and talk breaks separated by dashes)
"Out ov the Coffin" w/ Ichabod
July-August 2024 Episode
Show recorded August 13th, 2024
Opening Theme:
Elliot Goldenthal - Libera Me ["Interview with the Vampire" (soundtrack) 1994]
Elliot Goldenthal - Libera Me ["Interview with the Vampire" (soundtrack) 1994]
DakhaBrakha - Dibrova [Yahudky, 2007]
ROME
- Eagle Wings [World in Flames, 2024]
-
некрохолод (Necroholod) – White Marble Angels [Elegy of Faded Glass Eyes, 2024]
-
Nox Novacula - Flood [Feed the Fire, 2024]
Soft Kill -
Come Hang from the Rooftops [Escape
Forever, 2024]
The March Violets - Bite the Hand [Crocodile Promises,
2024]
The Cult - Rider in the Snow [Dreamtime,
1984]
Urban Heat -
Seven Safe Places [single, 2024]
The Chameleons - Paradiso [Strange Times, 1986]
-
Zilgi – Hell on Earth / Storytime / Blades Out [“LongLegs” (soundtrack) 2024]
-
Soror Dolorosa - Tear It Up
[single, 2024]
Sacred Skin -
Too Hard to Find [Born in Fire, 2024]
The Danse Society - Heaven is
Waiting [Heaven is Waiting, 1983]
Clan of Xymox - Once Upon a Time [Exodus, 2024]
Haujobb
- In
the Headlights [The Machine in the Ghost, 2024]
Portishead -
Wandering Star [Dummy, 1994]
-
Portishead - Theme from “To Kill a Dead Man” [“Sour Times” (single), 1994]
-
Vision Video - Balaclava Kiss [single, 2024]
Aurelio Voltaire -
The Skeleton Dance [The Last Halloween Party, 2023]
Audiomachine
-
The Count [Decadence, 2021]
(“Evil” TV theme)
The Cruxshadows -
Heaven’s Gaze [The Mystery of the Whisper, 1999]
Paul Mercer - North Road [The
Whispering in the Wood, 2019]
HEALTH
- Dead
Flowers (w/ Poppy) [Disco4: Part II,
2022]
-
Sombre Arcane - Dread Certainty
of Our Chosen Path [Realmsong, 2021]
-
Astari Nite - Double Feature Matinee [Resolution of
Happiness, 2024]
Attrition - The Alibi
(Bellhead remix) [The Alibi EP, 2021]
Blood Dance - Murcielago (remix by DJ Rickbats)
[single, 2024]
Motuvius Rex
– Everything’s Coming Up Roses (w/ The Kentucky Vampires) [Flowers for Dolores, 2024]
Ghost Painted Sky
- Fallen Beauty [Ephemeral Wake EP,
2021]
The Kentucky Vampires - Phantom Mystery [Crimson Curse,
2020]
Attic Eyes - Meridian [Attic Eyes, 2023]
-
Martin Cooper & David A. Hughes - End Title [“C.H.U.D.” (soundtrack) 1984]
-
Mourners Lament - Ocaso [A Grey Farewell, 2024]
Tristania - Beyond the Veil [Beyond the Veil, 1999]
SVRM
- Є тільки смерть, є тільки тьма [Є
тільки смерть, є тільки тьма (There is only death, there is
only darkness), 2024]
Krvna - Endless
Monument [The Rhythmus of Death
Eternal, 2024]
LVME
- The Venomous Fire
[Of Sinful Nature, 2024]
-
James Kenelm Clarke - (Untitled themes)
[“Vampyres” (soundtrack) 1974]
-
TheKeening
- Eden [Little Bird, 2023]
________________
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