Viscera v. Zero Compilation

"Viscera v. zero" compilation (Luminal)

Cool Goth/Darkwave compilation w/ exclusive & previously unreleased songs from scene favorites & newer names from the Luminal label. Artismight´s "Princess" starts off the disc w/ a loud sonic explosion of guitars & hypnotic female vocals. It's almost indie rock sounding w/ the obvious bleakness resounding all around. Pandaimonium recording artists, the French Morthem Vlade Art give us another choice cut of supreme electronic pop-rock called "Splendor in the Grass", while Seven Trees continue in a similar style on "Loss of Breath" where mellow guitars, mid tempo dance beats all follow along w/ the singers subdued vocals before the heavy breakdown but it still keep's a certain dark pop atmosphere brewing all around. The magnificent & legendary, In the Nursery give us the popular Joy Division song "Love will Tear us Apart (again)", a song that's been covered like a billion times already, but ItN lend their unique neo classical interpretation to this classic & it sounds truly stunning. "Now can I Feel?" from Remanence is a nice classical, mellow interlude of organic sounds & lush piano that brings to mind Black Tape for A Blue Girl or the ambient experiments of Controlled Bleeding among others. A very cool track for sure! The German No Comment give us an operatic, electronic ballad pulsing w/ emotion & dark dance splendor called "The Wedding Guest" where female & male vocals interlude around the dance oriented programming that sets the mood for fellow countrymen, the popular Sabotage w/ "Beat Up", a rather soft & jazzy, trip hopish song that almost reminds me of Siouxsie or The Creatures. "Child of Blue Days" from Ophelia Burning sounds like an unsettling dream pop piece w/ Ophelia's sexy & seductive vocals while the dark music backing her up works precisely. Gothic rock veterans & superb band all around, Ikon, give us the demo version of "Heresy". A wonderful new song from a band that release great record after great record & I can't wait for their new album! Arc Gotic´s "The Madman's Tale" is another great song w/ neo classical motif's crossing into proto Batcave era Goth w/ deep, haunting male vocal's, gritting violins, & dark pop edginess as does Leisur Hive's "Flow Montage" but this time being a surreal noise piece that booms like a frenzy priest lost in his thoughts & organ playing, yet there's random programming, various sounds, noises, & static vocalization confessing before the smoke of sound. Another really cool track! Cold Meat Industry's Desiderii Marginis give us "Latency", another thought provoking sound piece but more soothing & laid back as opposed to Leisur Hive's submission. There are very natural sounds flowing throughout w/ doom like beats that stamp in & out serenely giving us a sense of piece & quiet in a grim setting. U.K. natives & all around dark scene mainstay's, Attrition contribute "Lip Sync (D.O.S. remix)" which still keeps in style w/ their bleak, hypnotic experiments where the organic meets the mechanical & 8 KHZ-Mono´s "Frequency" is a stomping, dance infested electro song unlike what follows from Lust Murder Box w/ melancholic, pouty angst laden pop ponderings on "Nothing" where electronics are present but in a more subtle & pretty style w/ the usual sexy female fronted vocals. Ending the disc comes from Dave Scott & his experimental soundscape "Pompeii" that recall's epical & ancient times w/ harmonious programming, gentle tides of angelic choruses, & it sprawls itself out in all its abyss sized wonderment. This is definitely a worthy compilation showcasing some familiar & new talent but best of all; the music varies but keeps the haunting, poetic elements intact, & it doesn't run the familiar import price either." [-Marcos-]