The Raygun Girls – Dirt Collector
KillZone Records
(4/5)
If you’re a fan of Hard rock with an underlying Gothic sound in the style of bands such as Evanescence and Lacuna Coil, you need to check out New York band The Raygun Girls and their newest release entitled Dirt Collector! This 12 track album contains influences that range from The Ramones to Nine Inch Nails that lead to the mixture of the singing expertise of female vocalist/lead singer Cila and male vocalist/guitarist Geoff (singing backup) with the rest of the great musical crew that is bassist/backup singer George and drummer Doc. Together, these four individuals have come together to create and excellent album. Although it is hard to choose any of the songs over the others, some I have come to enjoy include “Dirt Collector” (Track 1/Title Track), “Paranoia” (Track 4), “Burning” (Track 5), and “Accelerate” (Track 10). Each of these tracks are great in their own rights and also help to identify Dirt Collector as a great Hard rock/Goth rock album. Overall, I suggest this album to anyone who is a fan of the aforementioned bands as well as anyone who is looking to get deeper into this style of music.
Tiamat – Amanethes
Nuclear Blast Records
(4/5)
Tiamat is back from a five year hiatus and they have released an album that shows that they still mean business! Whether you want to call Tiamat Goth, Electronic, Folk, Experimental, or any other genre that can be found in their music, the one thing that can be agreed on by everyone is the darkness that isn’t hard to find in the music from beginning to end of Amanethes. Personally, I would categorize this band under Goth rock or Goth metal to properly cover every aspect put into the mix including clean guitars, keyboards, choir vocals, and even double bass drums. No matter what you call it, Amanethes turned out to be a great album! Led by the gruff vocals and guitar/keyboard work of Johan Edlund, Tiamat takes you on a musical journey through 14 tracks that all have their unique styles and aspects that make them all vital to Amanethes‘ magnitude. To mention a few favorite tracks of mine from the 14, I must say I like “The Temple of the Crescent Moon” (Track 1), “Until the Hellhounds Sleep Again” (Track 3), and “Lucienne” (Track 5). My most favorite is “Until the Hellhounds Sleep Again” for its slow and heavy guitar riff that backs up Johan Edlund’s deep and lulling voice. Together, the two elements create a very “dream-like state” effect and are accented by the keyboards in the background. Overall, the track is an excellent one. “Lucienne” has a very similar affect, making it my, close, second choice for favorite track. Overall, Amanethes is a great, very dark album that has sparked my interest in this style of music. If you are a fan of Goth rock and darker styles of music, definitely go and pick up a copy of this album!
