Copyright Michael R. Barrick


Nope, it’s not a Devo tribute, but a collection of recent tracks from stalwart goth rock bands (all from England save for one from Northern Ireland). Most of these acts are composed of members of other noted trad goth acts, new and old, working in the classic melodic vein which we love so very much here at ID:UD. We’ve aimed for a slightly more uptempo, less gloomy feel with this mix than you might expect from a goth rock themed tape (more summer, less winter if you feel us), and we’re pretty happy with how it’s turned out. As always, if you like any of these tunes, drop some coin the bands’ way (all tracks are linked to band pages where all manner of goodies can be purchased). Special thanks to friend of the site Michael R. Barrick of Gothic BC for our cover photo of Lady Amaranth with Vancouver’s infamous can of beans. Word to alt.gothic, let’s roll!

Grooving In Green, “Premonition”
“They’re named after a March Violets song but sound much more like Children On Stun (who were, y’know, also named after a March Violets song)! Ye gods, what sorcery is this?” Your ears do not deceive you, dear listener, that is indeed Pete and Simon from Children On Stun. Anyway, after a solid pair of EPs, 2010’s debut LP Post Traumatic Stress (from which this version of “Premonition” is culled) cashed in on the promise of this all-star line-up (which also includes General Megatron Bison, formerly of Solemn Novena) wonderfully. Word is they’re in the studio as we type, working on a follow-up LP!

Raven Adore, “Killing Me”
From the ashes of Solemn Novena we’ve seen the first EP from Mark McCourt’s Snakedance (Only 100 copies? At least give those of us on the other side of the pond a digital release!), and his fellow exiles Louise Crane and Stuart Harland are set to release an EP of their own under the new Raven Adore banner. Painted with some lighter colours than SN, this demo bodes well for the forthcoming Let’s Watch Flowers Bloom EP.

Berlin Black, “The Only Ones”
The new project from former Screaming Banshee Aircrew guitarist Chris Tuke has recently landed support slots with the likes of The Chameleons and Pop Will Eat Itself. Both debut EP Burn It Down and new single The Only Ones deftly flip back and forth between glammy, full-bore anthemic rock (recalling Wreckage and The Damned) and more somber, post-punkish tracks. Some great fist-pumping, wrist-tilting stuff on this one.

Rhombus, “Addiction FFS”
We’ve already discussed Rhombus’ last LP Open The Sky, and while a follow-up is in the works, we haven’t stopped listening to this great blast of summery beauty. As discussed in that review, the back n’ forth between Edward and Mya’s vocals and the down-to-earth humanity of their subject matter has them standing head and shoulders above many of their peers.

The Eden House, “Neversea”
The conceit of The Eden House is a goth rock fan’s dream: founding Fields of the Nephilim member Tony Pettitt teams up with one of the blokes from Adoration, and proceeds to assemble a crack team of session musicians and vocalists, including (deep breath) other members of the Neffs, Julianne Regan of All About Eve, Monica Richards of Faith and the Muse, Candida McCormack of Inkubbus Sukubbus, people from New Model Army, The Last Dance, and on, and on, and on. The project’s debut, 2009’s Smoke & Mirrors was very well received, and they’ve just dropped a new EP, Timeflows including lead single “Neversea”.

Rome Burns, “Then Janus”
We tried our damnedest to figure out how close Brixton was to Cambridge in case geographical proximity had something to do with the similarity between Rome Burns vocalist Simon Satori’s pipes and those of Andi Sexgang, but English geography is utterly befuddling to Canadian sensibilities (Are Brixton and Brighton the same place? What the hell are the home counties? Why do half of the mailing addresses have no numbers?), and we’ve watched My Fair Lady enough to know that the equally labyrinthine particulars of English accents can be fudged. Anyway, here’s something by the “Politest Band in Goth” (according to Wikipedia – as Canadians we’d like to stack them up against some of our countryfolk in a “who insists on picking up the bar tab most vociferously” contest) from their highly recommended The Static Murmer LP (though we’re keen to hear new stuff!).

Pretentious, Moi?, “Chase Is On”
The long-awaited debut record from Tim Chandler’s project (it seems derogatory at this point to call PM? a Manuskript side project given how well and widely they’ve been received, and terming it a solo project seems equally disingenuous given the other talent which has been brought into the fold) measured up to and exceeded the hype it generated during its gestation period. We’ve been playing it pretty much non-stop in headphones and the club since it dropped, shifting between “favourite” tracks as the mood strikes. Right now it’s the grandiose architecture of “Chase Is On”. We’d love to learn of a sophomore release in the pipeline, but if there’s one thing this disc has taught us it’s the virtue of patience.