Norma Loy - Psychic Altercation (1984) 12'' Maxi-Single

Norma Loy was a french multi-activities project, which included music, photography, video, dance and literature. Norma Loy played a post-punk / coldwave style, they were active from 1981 to 1992,  and left us an handful of precious and impressive records.

Country : France
Genre : Coldwave / Post-Punk
Official Site : Norma Loy
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Scivias - Et Nos Servasti Eternali Sanguine Fuso (1996)

Scivias is an obscure hungarian dark ambient / neofolk project formed in 1992. since then they've contributed with scattered tracks in several compilations : Mysteria Mithrae (1996), Der Folklore Liedschatz (2000), Sol Lucet Omnibus - A Tribute To Sol Invictus (2002), Looking For Europe - The Neofolk Compedium (2005). Besides that, they've one full-lenght released in 2001: ''...And You Will Fear Death Not''.

Country : Hungary
Genre : Dark Ambient / Neofolk
Official Site : Scivias
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Untoten - Vampire Book (2000)

Untoten (which means The Undead in german) is an electronic / gothic / darkwave band from Berlin. Their music is based in vampire tales and horror stories. ''The Vampire Book'' turned to be an excelent album and a permanent work in my playlists for years.

Country : Germany
Genre : Darkwave / Vampirism / Dark Ambient
Official Site : Untoten
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Arcana - Cantar De Procella (1997)

Arcana is a swedish neo-classical, formed in 1994 and they released a set of masterpieces all over the years. Their sound creates gloomy atmospheres upon dark medieval and renaissance recollections. Thus Arcana is one of my favorite bands of all. Aeterna Doloris is only a small sample of a greater band, mandatory to every real music lover.

Country : Sweden
Genre : Neoclassical / Dark Ambient
Official Site : Arcana
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Sopor Æternus & the Ensemble of Shadows - Les Fleurs du Mal (2007)

Sopor Aeternus is a extravagant one-person project of Anna-Varney Cantodea from Frankfurt, covering several styles, from neo-classical, dark folk, victorian and medieval branches. One of the most nuclear features is a certain androgynous image, which makes this project even more unique.

Country : Germany
Genre : Neo-Classical Darkwave
Official Site : Sopor Aeternus
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A Covenant Of Thorns - Hallowed & Hollow (1999)

A Covenant of Thorns is a one-man project by Scott-David Allen, formed in Seattle in 1992. As the first tracks began to appear in places like mp3.com,  and stressing their higher quality, soon Allen was given a contract to record an album with those scattered songs. At that point i right away felt in love with those songs.  Today i honor A Covenant of Thorns here in the blog, in order to give people a chance to know them as well.

Country : USA

Genre : Synthpop / Darkwave

Official Site : A Covenant Of Thorns

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Informätik - Direct Memory Access V2.0 (1997)

Informätik is an electro/industrial duo from Boston, who achieved considerable success with their self-released debut ''Direct Memory Access'' in 1995.  Two years later when they signed to Metropolis Records, the album was reissued with bonus tracks plus one video. ''Human Nature'' is one of those tracks, not available in the 1st press.

Country : USA
Genre : Electro / Industrial
Official Site : Informätik
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Crispy Ambulance - From The Cradle To The Grave (1980)

Crispy Ambulance was a post-punk band from Manchester, active between 1977/1982, and they released a few very good records, make them a regular guests on my playlists. Perhaps one of the most interesting things about Crispy Ambulance (one of the worst names a band could choose, i admit that) is that their singer Adam Hempsall was the one who replaced Ian Curtis at the Derby Hall set, when Curtis collapsed due an epileptic fit.

Country : England
Genre : Post-Punk
Official site : Crispy Ambulance
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Minimal Compact - One By One (1982)

Minimal Compact was an excelent israeli post-punk band (but mainly based in Amsterdam) active between 1981/1988. Although they played a minor role in the independent scene, some of their music keeps recorded in my mind til nowdays, and sounds remarkably beautiful to my ears as then.

Country : Israel (early) / Netherlands (later)
Genre : Post-punk / Alternative Rock
Official Site : n/a
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Suspiria - Drama (1997)

Suspiria was a brilliant Goth / Darkwave duo from Nottingham, active between 1993/1998, and meant a breakthrough and a logical step ahead in the gothic UK scene then. Their music soon grew in popularity, and turned to be regular in dancefloors and other goth events related. Unfortunately to all of us fans, internal tensions led Suspiria to split prematurely. But their Sisters Of Mercy drived-influence legacy remained to these days.

Country : England
Genre : Darkwave / Electronic / Gothic Rock
Official Site : n/a
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Sol Invictus - Against The Modern World (1988)

Sol Invictus is a neo dark folk project founded in 1987 by Tony Wakeford, and one of my favourite of all. My heart falls apart upon those dark and decaying environments; most of the times Tony's almost eshausted voice, seems to carry an hopeless view of tomorrow. The cycle is at an end, and we delighted and amazed by  the landscapes will fall with it.

Country : England

Genre : Folk Noir (as Tony rather likes to call it)

Official Site : n/a

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Death In June - Burial (1984)

Death In June was formed in 1981, from the ashes of the punk rock band Crisis. As a trio at beginning, and as solo projecto of Douglas Pearce from 1985 on, due the departs of Tony Wakeford (Sol Invictus) and Patrick Leagas (Sixth Comm). First playing under a post punk/industrial curtain, and later changing into a beautiful neo-folk mood, Death In June turned to be one of my major references, with a permanent place in my playlists all over the years.

Country : England

Genre : Post Punk/Industrial (early) ; Neo-Folk (later)

Official Site : Death In June

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Agonoize - Assimilation : Chapter One (2004)

Agonoize is a aggro-tech / industrial trio from Berlin, Germany, and for years one of my favorite. This ''Assimilation : Capter One'' is a remarkable album and this video is an explosive track.

Country : Germany
Genre : Industrial / Electro
Official Site : Agonoize
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Psyclon Nine - Divine Infekt (2003)

Psyclon Nine was an industrial / aggro-tech band from S. Francisco Bay Area, and they're active between 2000 and 2009, releasing a number of great club hits, such as the one below : ''Clinic''. They disbanded (hiatus?) allegedly due the oppiate addiction of one of their members.

Country : USA
Genre : Industrial / Aggro-Tech
Official Site : n/a
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Rosa Crux - Lux In Tenebris Lucet (2008)

amazing french ensemble band formed in 1984. Their music is an impressive journey through the ritual, the mystical, a world of darkness, shadows and dust. Overwhelming and overpowering.

Country : France
Genre : Ensemble / Darkwave
Oficial Site : Rosa Crux
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Blutengel - Tränenherz (2011)

Blutengel is one of the most well known bands in the darkwave / electro /goth scene, and with a established fan base for years. In 2011 they've returned with a new album ''Tränenherz''.

Country : Germany
Genre : Darkwave / Futurepop / Electro / Goth
Official Site : Blutengel
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Eden Synthetic Corps - Matte (2006)

i was completely caught by surprise by ESC music (aka for Eden Synthetic Corps). Mea culpa for not listen much of what is going on in my own country. ESC play a superb and demolishing industrial dark/electro and they're from Leiria, Portugal. ''Matte'' was their debut work, and they already released two more albums since then : ''Enhancer'' (2008), and ''Eight Thousand Square Feet'' (2010).

Country : Portugal
Genre : Industrial / Aggro-Tech / Dark-Electro
Official Site : n/a
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Die Braut - World Of Lies (2010)

Die Braut is one of my recently discoveries and quickly found myself soaked and bewitched in their dark ambient beats. this is a really very good work. ''World of Lies'' are their 2nd album, after the excellent ''Unsehbar'' in 2008. Die Braut are a dark-electro / industrial band from Valparaíso, Chile.

Country : Chile
Genre : Industrial / Dark-Electro
Official Site : n/a
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Narsilion - Elenna Nórë (2011)

Superb folk / ethereal band from Terrassa, Barcelona. ''Elenna Nórë'' is their 4th long-play. And Narsilion is currently one of my permanent playlist bands ok. Never tired to listen to their music.

Country : Spain
Genre : Ethereal / Fantasy / Folk / Medieval
Official Site : Narsilion
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In The Nursery - Blind Sound (2011)

In The Nursery are a neo-classical / martial electronica band from Sheffield, England, and they were formed by two twin brothers in 1981. The new album ''Blind Sound'' was released this year. Another beautiful and great work for the Humberstone brothers.

Country : England
Genre : Neo-Classic / Martial / Electronica
Official Site : In The Nursery
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Distorted Memory - Swallowing The Sun (2011)

I know Distorted Memory since their very earliest days, when they used to put some demolishing tracks in mp3.com, in order to promote their first tracks, around 2000/01. Since then they released only 2 albums (but what a great ones!). 2011 saw the light of their heavy aggro-tech and second full-lenght ''Swallowing The Sun''. 

Country : Canada
Genre : Electro / Industrial / Aggro-Tech
Official Site : Distorted Memory
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Diary Of Dreams - Ego:X (2011)

The brand new album from one of my favourite bands, Diary Of Dreams, finally arrives. Two years have passed since the great ''If'' took away our breath with the memorable ''The Wedding''. The first sample taken from the new album is the track ''Undividable''.

Country : Germany
Genre : Darkwave / Goth / Electro
Official Site : Diary Of Dreams                 
Other Links : Wikipedia   MySpace   Facebook   Discogs