An horror addicted artist, his songs and world, see videos, are totally devoted to horror icons. And that's good for me. The first track invades space with New Wave synth envelopes and a New Wave voice, the track giving the title of the work, X's and the Eyes is more "brutal" and in my opinion effective. The electronic pattern and sounds played are not the newest but for sure they achieve the best result. Reading among lines Anders takes a relevant parts in USA horror community and he sings for them focusing icons and symbols of "Vampires community". There will be Blood, numb5 track, continues the path of New Wave but the seventh increase pressure and sound aggression, my favorite track of the album. Fade to Black is another track that speed up the Wave path with loops and electronic noisy percussion. The last chapter is a ballade about war, occupation and the meaning of the terms: enemy.

There’s new blood on the Goth scene- his name is Anders Manga, and that’s good news for anemic music-vamps. I think this is a name you’re going to hear a lot in the future, so you better get used to it. So just who IS this Anders Manga, anyway? Well, if you’re addicted to Gothic music, go to Goth festivals and conventions and read the Goth publications, you just may already know. Hailing from Charlotte, North Carolina, Anders Magna is getting out of the coffin and doing what has to be done to take a bite out of the world of musical darkness. Already garnering a "Best Band Award" nominee by Gothic Beauty magazine, Manga has 3 previous albums under his belt, and he’s only been actively around since 2005! So how does the brand spankin’ new "Blood Lush" stack up? Well, I’ll tell you... .

Beginning with the title track, "Blood Lush" is a platform boot goth club stomper that has all the elements in place to make it a classic. Simple, effective, yet interesting enough to hold your attention. Great opening track that screams for a remix. Not only a memorable chorus, but a nice little bridge too. The music has been labeled "Gothtronica"- synths and drum machines are the primary musical backdrop for Anders’ baritone vocals. (Think Sister’s – Andy Eldritch crossed with The Mission’s- Wayne Hussey - minus the pretension, a dash of Peter Murphy and a drop of American Southern-Gothic.) Manga’s production seems to have improved a good deal over the early material delivering a lot more punch. The synths are raw and hot when they need to be ("Taste of Euphoria", "At Dawn They Sleep") and the arrangements, simple though they are, push Anders’ vocals out to the forefront. I checked out a couple of his videos on his website, and if that’s any indication, this guy has a truckload of presence, and that’s important in this genre. There’s a lot of Numanesque analogue sounds on "Blood Lush", which is great, but the one area that lacks is in the percussion. Sometimes it just sounds too much standard workstation drum-machine programming, and that’s a bit of a liability. On one slow song – "Sleeping (In the Fire)", I felt that Manga’s voice was reaching on the verses, but a strong chorus made up for it. A far cry from the strongest track here, but I appreciate the effort. A better slow track is "Science Fiction" with a cool 80’s style arrangement.

Lyrically, Anders Manga ought to please the dressed in black crowd- nothing too deep, but suitable for a night at The Castle, The Church, Slimelight, Dark Area, Salvation, Purgatory, Decadence, The Haunt, Sanctuary, Requiem, or whatever your local goth club happens to be called. Not every song on this CD is a winner (there’s a bit of filler here and there), but there’s enough strong material to make it worth a purchase. I think with a bit more time and attention to the percussive aspects and more songs like some of the stronger ones that have killer hit potential, Manga’s next release could be unstoppable. In the meantime, I’d recommend a purchase because when it comes to Gothtronica, good new CDs are few and far between.

Winter time – Compilation time #1: Well, not really released in this winter, but until today still an undiscovered edition of the international extremely successful and renowned Interbreeding compilation series. Also for this edition label chief Brandon L. Clark could pick up and invite some promising newbies besides some already known forces of the internationally Electro/Industrial scene. Again released as a double-CD set, both CD’s are filled with up to 78 minutes to the maximum possible storage and you’ll get some new and refreshing appearances not to be missed. Like on most previous released editions the mass and the huge playing time maybe nails the listener at first and it needs some time and more rotations until the best pieces can be filtered. It is important to know that the first placed appearances on the so-called best slots are maybe not the best tunes; it was and is always target of this comp series to spread the favorites in every corner of the track list.
I would like to mention from the first CD entitled "Bloodthirst" the Chilean Electro/Metal-Crossover act VIGILANTE, which offer here a remix work done by the German act FUNKER VOGT. As usual – almost a trademark – remix works of FUNKER VOGT are very pleasant, at times more accessible than their own compositions. Their work on "The Other Side" is no exception, also nice to listen to a vocalist who sounds aggressive without the overdone use of distortion and overdrive effects. With BLC’s own THE PAIN MACHINERY the music gets rougher and more pounding, while the extremely dark sounding and rather old-school inspired one man act NECROTEK aka James Geist offers a "first cut" of the track "Wish You Dead" – one of the most remarkable pieces here. The French act NEON CAGE EXPERIMENT offers a pleasant Dark Electro instrumental work, which you should give a try under a good pair of headphones – maybe the best and most complex synth play here. Still into the Dark Electro vein comes the appearance of MIND CONFUSION, an act from which I haven’t heard of about more than three years now. Germany’s ACYLUM combines very effective some spooky Synth play drops with a hammering old-SC/DIOXYDE-inspired rhythm pattern work and an out-of-the-grave vocal performance of Kai Arnold aka WYNARDTAGE. Futuristic Electro as its best is offered again by the French act E.S.R., for the first time including a guitar performance, while the German SCHATTENSCHLAG give a high-speed tune in vein of HOCICO.
The second CD called "Brutality" starts with another Chilean act, the newcomer duo of PROYECTO CRISIS. The still recognized success formula to produce hard and speedy EBM with Spanish lyrics in vein of the favorites HOCICO or AMDUSCIA is an always discovered phenomenon of bands hailing from South America and this duo is no exception. But while HOCICO seem to take a longer break to collect some new inspiration, the rather filthy but refreshing tunes of some talented newcomers are welcome. Also back on track after a longer time in hiatus is the US act FUNCTION 13, here presented with an instrumental piece which got well done remixed by the German act MC1R. Some PUPPYan and rather old-school minded works can also be discovered by both heavily underrated acts LITTLE SAP DUNGEON with an edited version of "Empty Rooms Breathe Heavily" and the Slovakian act GAPING CHASM with a special remix of their track "Only Shadows Will Survive". The French act TAMTRUM, signed to Alfa Matrix, give us then their energetic and speedy recommendation to "Abort The Pope". Also hailing from France comes the duo of SKOYZ, which provides a remix by SCHATTENSCHLAG on one of their best tunes "Distorted Dreams". Also a recommendation to check out the great Russian project THE-PULSAR with a new and unreleased version of their track "Leaving Underground" featuring almost clear and undistorted well sounding male vocals.
As usual, to pick out and to mention this appearances belongs on subjective preferences – of course this doesn’t mean that the other not-mentioned tracks are worse. Different folks – different strokes. Another well compiled DCD set out of the BLC knowledge base which you better get NOW – before it is completely sold-out!

Tracklisting:

bloodthirst

1. Y-Luk-O: Resistance (deflektor mix by Brainclaw)
2. Stark: Rfamekong
3. SMP: Hacker Like Me
4. Process of Elimination: The Sleepers of Telos
5. Vigilante: The Other Side (Funker Vogt Remix)
6. Gydja: element001: Host
7. The Pain Machinery: Scar Tissue
8. Necrotek: Wish You Dead (First Cut)
9. Servo.Hatred: Rage (Interbreeding Mix)
10. Neon Cage Experiment: Sequenced Lives (Edit)
11. Mind Confusion: The Final Chapter (Remix)
12. Acylum: Trip of Hate (BLC Exclusive)
13. T.H. Industry -- Die Wut (Massiv in Mensch Remix)
14. Omen Machine: MindMelt
15. ESR: Blood on the Walls
16. Schattenschlag: Breathing Evil (Interbreeding VIII Remix)
17. Brainclaw: This Human Condition (Souls in Transit Remix)

brutality

1. Proyecto Crisis: El Juego de la Muerte
2. Implant: Fading Away
3. function13: Prostitute (g-u-n remix by mc1r)
4. Tyske Ludder: Betrayal (Wertstahl US Remix)
5. Ilion Conflict: Genocide
6. Gaping Chasm: Only Shadow will Survive
7. LSD: Empty Rooms Breathe Heavily (Edit)
8. Tamtrum: Abort the Pope
9. Tau Factor: Cold Core (Mixdown)
10. Stigmata: No Way Out (Evil Dead Mix)
11. Wynardtage: My Hell (BLC Exclusive)
12. Wertstahl: Der Mechanische Soldat
13. Invisible Asps: Scarlet Design (Ravishing Mix)
14. Skoyz: Distorted Dreams (Condition Zero Mix by Schattenschlag)
15. The Pulsar: Leaving Underground
16. Anders Manga: Burn
17. The Crystalline Effect: When the World Ends (Implant Remix)