Dark/Gothic

Artist: DAN TERMINUS Label: Blood Music

Miss Destiny are a band from Melbourne, Australia who play music that's reminiscent of a mythical time when guitar music's material of choice was transitioning from denim to leather. Posthippie, prepunk era rock 'n' roll meets the origins of New Wave of British Heavy Metal, with a glimmer of Sunset Strip feelgood excess. While this could sound like another careful curation of rawks past, and eggheads could argue about the relevancy of rock music in 2016, there's a life and spirit in this band beyond the typical genre curations that often render rock music one dimensional. Their self titled debut album will be released by R.I.P. Society Records / Agitated in October 2016 and was recorded across a couple of hot summer days in 2015. The allfemale lineup on the recording was Harriet Hudson (Circle Pit, Ratsak, Southern Comfort), Harriet Stewart (Sleepless Nights, School of Radiant Living), Annie Llewellyn (Grotto, The Angel & Baby Chain) and Emily Jans (Straightjacket Nation, Bloody Hammer). This record extends on the "muscle and bite" (Evan Minsker, Pitchfork) of their debut 7" on Hozac Records, with a startling leap in the departments of power, precision and overall toughness. No doubt this has to do with powerhouse Emily joining behind the kit, who recorded both this and the forthcoming Straightjacket Nation record while very pregnant! Find another example of this in punk/hardcore/rock 'n' roll history, I dare ya. Record Label: Agitated Style: Rock

CD in 6-panel digipak, 18-pages fold-out poster booklet. It is a subtle process, one that has been taking decades and that yet is not to be made undone. We become slaves without realizing it. Slaves to ourselves, biased towards exploiting ourselves in the name of self-fulfillment. We get sucked dry by treacherous achievements and allow ourselves to shatter our dreams to pieces. Man has become entangled in its own spider web, is becoming transparent in social media, consumes to fill the void, falls and does not even notice in his hubris. Welcome to this brave new world of our own design. Welcome to Capitalism TM. ROTERSAND have risen to the occasion in an era when mass media and the Internet have turned consumers from impassive mutes to all too active squallers. When everyone has a voice, no one has. Fortunately for all of us, ROTERSAND have not been put off by this. Quite the contrary: Theirs is a diametric antithesis to todays' empty club music which gave them the ability to rise with their anthemic tracks and important contents – ever critical, intelligent and closer to philosophy than to working off all those scene related clichés. They deliberately left this to the others. Their new album Capitalism TM is not only reaching a new level: It is also becoming more and more apparent that all the bygone years, all the terrifyingly honest, cynical smashers like Truth Is Fanatic or Content Killer were but the mere overture to what Germany's most intelligent Electro project is unleashing now. Capitalism TM is fury and solace combined: Melodies between desperate hope, cynical realism and a profound melancholy, choruses to kill for and an entire arsenal of potential club bangers mark a new all-time high. Music with ambition and depth – easier said than done. Still, the thing with uniting the heart and the mind makes a great PR slogan. What it really means to marry impulse and ratio is only becoming apparent through a stronghold like Capitalism TM. Here, music and lyrics truly walk hand in hand. The one is not to be separated from the other, only together their ambiguous cleverness unfolds. Being a great composer does not automatically entail being a great lyricist. ROTERSAND, however, mark the exception of the rule and deliver a new hybrid of Electro colossus, produced with crystal clear massiveness and armed with a guarantee to detonate – in the clubs as well as in our heads. Scarred by his endless hubris, also Icarus had to learn: The downfall was imminent. The system collapse will affect us all, and the sooner we rethink, the more harm can be prevented. Although it may sound hackneyed: Listen to ROTERSAND! It will help. And even if their salient messages may fall on deaf ears, there still is this furious Electro tempest that will this lead the pack. A perpetual battle is raging in our midst. A battle unleashed on the very day the first gear-wheel creakily sprang to life. Man versus machine. Heart versus head. Emotion versus reason. To this day, this battle is without a vanquisher. And how can it be, with a solitary sovereign being neither necessary nor possible? This epiphany hit ROTERSAND far back in their remarkable career. It's not about the conflict, about clinging to rigid formulas. It's about the cooperation, about the merging of man and machine, of heart and mind, of entertainment and content. Electronic music, yet made by humans. Artificial worlds, yet brimming with life. This is what always distinguished ROTERSAND. Since their earliest beginnings they walked the line between catchiness and demanding themes. And since their earliest beginnings, it was their goal to deliver massive club anthems that not only resonate with heavily armed beats and vibrating synth force, but also with their message. Record Label: Trisol Music Group Style: Rock

4CD ‘LIVE … auf rauen Pfaden – Special fan edition Opulent hardback book (approx 19.5 x 14.3 cm) containing four CDs that are bursting to the seams! CDs 1 and 2: ‘Rar und Pur (Rare and Pure) – Semi-acoustic and intimate CDs 3 and 4: ‘Best of Rock – Powerful and earthy Over 40 (!) different songs. 49 tracks, including stirring announcements from the ‘Master Many songs in previously unreleased arrangements! Nearly five hours playing time, with absolutely all songs from the anniversary double shows! Hand-numbered certificate, designed by Pit Hammann Limited to 7000 copies Lovingly designed artwork, 32 pages Exclusive lyrics from the anniversary versions Includes live photos, some of which are previously unpublished Exquisite art print on high quality art paper Front and rear endpapers, thick paper, printed in colour All printed parts boast luxurious semi-matt laminationIn ten selected German cities, in each case across two consecutive nights, audiences were induced into a frenzy of enthusiasm by an extraordinary concert experience. On one evening, the band performed a ‘best of rock show featuring the greatest hits of their career to date. And on the other respective evening, singer Asp and his musicians presented a unique type of concert in the form of an intimate semi-unplugged show featuring new arrangements, rarely-heard pieces and long-lost treasures, especially for this anniversary tour. This unique live experience is now released in the form of the 4CD set ‘ASP LIVE … auf rauen Pfaden. The first two discs immortalise the ‘RAR & PUR (‘Rare & Pure) semi-acoustic evening, whereas the remaining two CDs contain the complete sweat-inducing ‘BEST OF ROCK concert. There are very few overlaps in the setlists, which present over 40 (!) songs across a playing time of nearly five hours, resulting in a first-class concert experience. Upon first impressions, the two evenings concerts appear to provide a contrasting interplay, which finally dissolves into astounding beauty and elicits lots of new facets in the songs. So the semi-acoustic portion contains several ASP classics that you would have expected to find in the BEST OF ROCK programme, and vice versa. Once it has drawn to a close, you have the fulfilling feeling of having listened to an overall composition in which every single glance from master of ceremonies Asp Spreng was cast with much love and skill, for the pleasure of the listener. Some of the songs featured on this recording appear in what are probably their most beautiful arrangements yet: stirring and thrilling. So even supposedly well-trodden material comes across as being extremely fresh, and when youre listening to it, you often ask yourself what ‘the lads are going to come up with next. Many a fan, old and new, will be trying to suppress a tear when the audience give the song ‘Und wir tanzten all theyve got, for the ‘Master. Or when the singer dedicates a song to the audience. ASP have always been one of the bands in the gothic scene who dont take themselves too seriously. They demonstrate this on this album not only with the occasional self-deprecating comment, proffered with a knowing wink, but also with congenial musical surprises such as, for example, the rockabilly version of their TV advert critique ‘Finger weg! Finger!. And at the same time, much was achieved with the technical production side of things. As delicate and ornate as the semi-acoustic pieces come across, their production is at the same time so honest and earthy. The rock show comes across as being energetic and edgy, and once again ASP fly in the face of current trends. Instead of attempting to render the songs as retrospective attempts to faithfully copy the studio album versions, here you can clearly hear how the band want to present themselves in 2016: powerfully, authentically and as befitting the title, raw, and of course… live! ‘LIVE … auf rauen Pfaden (LIVE … On Rough Paths) is the title of this comprehensive retrospective, taken from the ‘Per aspera ad aspera anniversary tour in autumn 2014. Loosely translated, that means Through hardship to live (through hardship to life), and describes the rocky path of one and a half decades of the bands history. Much has changed since they formed in 1999 and released their debut, ‘Hast Du mich vermisst? (Der schwarze Schmetterling I) the following year. But the most important characteristics have stayed the same: the passion with which the artists create their music and present it during concerts; that honesty, openness and authenticity that always kept ASP away from the mainstream, plus the strong loyalty of their fans, are as extraordinary today as they were way back then. Experience these historic events once again. Dive into the incredible world of the gifted dark rockers from Frankfurt, where light becomes shadows and shadows become light; where magic and myth combine and you get the opportunity to forever become part of that fascinating, darkly romantic gothic novel. Record Label: Trisol Music Group Style: Goth Rock

Limited edition Opulent hardback book (approx 19.5 x 14.3 cm) containing two CDs CD 1: Full-length album, including both new ‘GeistErfahrer songs ‘Strom and ‘Abertausend Fragen CD 2: Bonus CD containing seven tracks: Two new recordings of the ASP classics ‘Tiefenrausch and ‘Ich bin ein wahrer Satan A cover version of the ASP everblack ‘Hässlich by SPIELBANN Four hand-picked remixes (including IN STRICT CONFIDENCE, SCHEUBER) Hand-numbered certificate Limited to 5000 copies Unique visual worlds of disturbing beauty. Across an unbelievable 112 pages! With over 50 pages of previously unpublished artworks These include the new graphic novel from comic rockstar Timo Wuerz, based on a script by Asp Includes the entire album lyrics by Asp Exquisite art print on high-quality art paper Front and rear endpapers on extra-thick black Bowston paper All printed parts boast luxurious semi-matt lamination Bound with durable thread stitching Record Label: Trisol Music Group Style: Goth Rock

It just wont let you go! ASP are versatile. Changeable. Without compromise. They dont always make it easy for their fans, because although ASP are one of the most entertaining and exciting bands that the German-language rock scene has to offer, they often cram their superficially seemingly entertaining songs with much more than is initially apparent. Not only is singer and mastermind Asp the person who brought us the ‘gothic novel rock genre, and who is the acknowledged ‘Master of it; at the same time he never fails to write, indeed describe, the often rapidly expanding stories on a personal and emotional level. Despite all the complexity, he nevertheless makes it easy for you to empathasise with such sombre figures as the ‘Schwarzer Schmetterling (Black Butterfly), to fall in love with a spooky decoy called ‘Astoria, just as the young Paul did, or, as the ‘Zaubererbruder (Sorcerer Brother), to protest against the sombre master miller. And in all these musical gothic novel masterpieces, there can always be found a subliminal tone that is critical of society and which induces you to contemplation. Social ethics are woven in as an element that comes alive and which can be sympathised with: not as a slogan, but as encouragement; as a comfort for everyday life and as nourishment for the soul. This connection was realised especially intensively on the GeistErfahrer EP that appeared in 2012. And now, this year, the time is ripe: the EP that came to grow on not just the band but also in fans hearts can now finally flourish and blossom into a long player. Autumn seems the ‘Ich bin ein wahrer … GeistErfahrer tour, and so what could be better than to seize the opportunity to finally make a fully fledged album out of this EP? For many reasons, the musicians didnt regard themselves as being finished with this topic. On the one hand, this is because, during the long period of producing the ‘Verfallen concept, two songs accumulated which made the scales fall from Asp Sprengs eyes. He immediately came to realise that they were a perfect fit with the GeistErfahrer songs. On the other hand, for some years they have had to live with a circumstance that was perceived as a flaw; namely that no real drums were recorded for this otherwise unbelievably punchy EP, as they had a short-term drummer problem. This has of course meanwhile been solved, and so the artists now seize the opportunity to re-record the complete EP and the additional songs with real drums. The EP has been completely replaced by the GeistErfahrer album, and while they were at it, a whole load of new bonus material has also been included. And as if that wasnt enough: Asp got his good friend Timo Wuerz on board, who created over 50 (!) pages of new artwork for the re-release, including a specially created graphic novel for one of the new songs, for which Asp wrote a script of unsettling beauty. Comic rockstar Würz has translated this in his typical, dynamic style. So now a greater GeistErfahrer experience. And its definitely worth it! Record Label: Trisol Music Group Style: Goth Rock

Record Label: Danse Macabre Style: Goth Rock

Germanys Ruhrpott meets Los Angeles - The soul-doctor Theo from Schwerte records his debut together with US-session-legends! ,Heart Of Soul" is an traditional abum, what became really rare nowadays. If there is something like the perfect traditional album, that catches the spirit of the sixties and seventies, still sounds fresh and contemporary, than it is this one! Produced by Tony Braunagel (played drums for Eric Burdon and Bette Midler), featuring Johnny Lee Schell (Bonnie Raitt) on guitar, Reggie McBride on bass (Aretha Franklin, James Brown, Stevie Wonder), pianist and organist Mike Finnigan (Jimi Hendrix, Joe Cocker, Beatles), guitarrist Dean Parks (Michael Jackson, Madonna), percussionist Lenny Castro (Paul McCartney, Toto), trumpeter Darrell Leonard (Rolling Stones, Delaney & Bonnie And Friends)... and so on THIS ONE IS A MILESTONE! - TRACKLISTING: 01. HEART OF SOUL 02. I WANT TO THANK YOU 03. SONGS OF MARVIN GAYE 04. GET IT ON 05. WHEN I FOUND YOU 06. JOSY 07. I FEEL YOU SOUL 08. GETTING HIGHER 09. YOU DO WANT IT ALL 10. I DON'T NEED NO DOCTOR 11. LIGHT A CANDLE 12. LOUISIANA 1927 13. HEART OF SOUL (EXTENDED VERSION) Record Label: Staages Music Style: Rock

Record Label: Deep Symmetry Style: Gothic

The Death Squad is back! Bringing new songs, new blood and a new attitude, northern germanys favorite Industrial Rock outfit JOHNNY DEATHSHADOW are ready to incinerate europes stages with their trademark mix of infectious grooves, hard riffs and razorsharp melodies. Following their legendary horror punk pop covers and their debut Death Rock EP BLOOD & BONES (Make Big Records / ENORM) the band has found their style somewhere between Rob Zombie, Pain and Combichrist creating a new type of modern Industrial Rock with a sharp metal edge. After five years in Germanys gothic scene, the band will present their whole new style for the first time on the second part of their 2015 „The Slow Departure Tour“. Several new songs from the upcoming debult Album BLEED WITH ME, on which the band has worked with Alex Henke (Dark Age) and Marcel Zürcher (Die Krupps) will see the light of europes stages for the first time. Also the band will be touring the UK for the first time in December. The Death Cult is alive – Bow down motherfuckers! Record Label: Believe Germany Style: Industrial Rock

"Blackend Years" is a collection of music that Theatres Des Vampires released during their landmark years with legendary metal label Blackend, all rolled into one limited edition 4CD set. The featured releases are "Bloody Lunatic Asylum" (2001), "Lubilaeum Anno Dracula 2001 EP" (2001), "The Vampire Cronicles" (1999) and "Suicide Vampire" (2002). Record Label: Dissonance Style: Black Metal

Artist: Out Out Label: Artoffact Records

Artist: Noise Unit Label: Artoffact Records

Artist: Gabriel and the Apocalypse Label: Pavement Music

Artist: ETANT DONNES Label: Munster Records

Record Label: Accession Style: Pop

Artist: Cry Of Dawn Label: Frontiers Music Srl

Record Label: Accession Style: Electro

Artist: Sneaks Label: Merge Records