By: Chris Stead

Starting as the brainchild of Jon Siren and Natasha Cox at LA’s Musician’s Institute, Mankind is Obsolete is clearly a synergistic project that reaches beyond any formal training than any Yngwie Malmsteen seminar could provide. All of their formal training was simply a stepping stone for their true vision which is a beautifully executed, emotionally charged aural experience.

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By: Chris Stead

There is a new sound emerging in the music world and it sounds like a little piece of vintage goth/punk heaven. This sound is being produced by a group called The Horrors. A little bit punk, a little bit electro, dressed in black and made up to look like the children of the 60’s british invasion and the 80’s new wave, The Horrors are making noise like something that hasn’t passed through the scene since the early eighties.

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By: Chris Stead

Formed in Florida and sleeping with dreams of world domination, Man and Machines is a group ready to take you on a ride. They have blended mechanical sounds with a male/female vocal duality that is perfection. Born in 2000, the Man and Machines concept was developed out of Ricki Guns’ desire to make electronic music, and eventually Angi, his sister, got involved in the project.

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By: Chris Stead

After forming and dissolving The Claw, Maxxx and N0emi decided that they needed to refocus and tackle a new musical challenge. With a new vision in mind and a fresh start, Helalyn Flowers rolled out their first release, “Disconnection.” This set the foundation for the sound that you can hear in their newest release “E-Race Generation.” Their music sounds like a fusion of modern electro-pop and mid-ninties electro-rock. Now on top of the powerful synthesizers and heavy guitars, imagine a seductive female voice. This is what you get when you listen to Helalyn Flowers. Maxxx was good enough to give us some of his time so we will let him tell you the story of Helalyn Flowers and all of the details that come with.

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By: Chris Stead

Mordacious is a relatively new artist out of the Los Angeles Area. He started making music when he was in his teens, and although he was involved with Death Metal then, his musical tastes have moved into the realm of the electronic. His music is still aggressive, but now, instead of scary metal that makes people want to mosh and bang their heads, he is aiming to make them dance. Take a brief tour through his mind and see for yourself.

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By: Chris Stead

With their first release, Starlit has presented a new and interesting sound upon the world. Although clearly rooted in rock, their sound is a unique and encouraging blend of rock and industrial. Not only that, but included for your pleasure is the sultry tones of Simara Rose.

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By: Chris Stead

With the duo of Percy Trayanov, the clasically trained pianist, and Severina X Sol, the vocal diva extrordinaire, and now Dre Robinson, their new percussionist, CYLAB is creating new and exciting music for the next generation of the Goth community. Influenced by the electronic movement, but looking back to the days of trip hop with soulful delivery, CYLAB presents music that will touch the deepest parts of your darkened soul.

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By: Chris Stead

Cindergarden, a musical act out of LA, may be new on the scene, but Jaymie Valentine, the creator and artistic developer, has influences that span ages even beyond her years. Cindergarden represents years of inspiration and work that Valentine has poured in. Reminiscent of music that came out of decades past, Cindergarden is still a forward-looking artistic statement that is sure to endure as their popular reach grows beyond the bounds of Southern California.

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By: Chris Stead

Bella Morte, formed by Andy Deane and Gopal Metro, was formed on a shoestring budget in Virginia and has grown to international proportions. From their humble beginnings, Gopal and Andy were close friends with disparate backgrounds, but a kinship in musical vision. They used winnings from a band competition to finance their first album. Their second offering was produced first independently, but later re-released on Cleopatra Records. As time moved along the band grew to include members Tony Lechmanski, Micah Consylman and Jordan Marchini creating a full band presence both live and in the studio.

The latest release from Bella Morte, “Bleed the Grey Sky Black”, is the culmination of the work that they have done so far, but as Andy and Gopal tell us, the trip is far from over. If their new album represents what we can expect from Bella Morte then we can look forward to years of great music created by a very talented group.

Gothic Angst Webzine (GAW): How has the tour been going with Hanzel und Gretyl?

Gopal: Totally awesome, though fraught with peril *grins*. With all the crazy breakdowns, and losing shows and what not, it’s been a hell of a time, heheh.

Andy: The tour was amazing! The crowds were great, and we couldn’t have picked a better band to head out on the road with. Our bus broke down a couple of times, once leaving us stranded in the Nevada desert for 36 hours, and that made us miss some shows. But the good news is that we’re going back out with HuG early in ‘07 to make up the missed gigs. I’m looking forward to the next leg of this tour!

GAW: After you finish the Oktotenfest tour, are you planning on headlining your own tour to support “Bleed the Grey Sky Black?”

Gopal: Probably not in direct support of this album, though we will definitely continue touring. If all goes well we will be back out with HuG in February, 2007 to make up for some of the shows we lost on this last outing.

Andy: That’s up in the air right now. After we do the tour I just mentioned we may head back out on our own in the spring or summer, but we’ll see what happens.

GAW: How did you come to work with Hanzel und Gretyl to do the Oktotenfest Tour?

Gopal: As I understand it, Metropolis Records suggested us to them and they got in touch. Things worked out wonderfully from there.

Andy: Loopy mentioned that while they were out on tour with Ministry a lot of people were coming to the shows wearing Bella Morte shirts, so I think our fans had a big hand in making this happen as well.

GAW: Are you planning on making another pass through Southern California either on this tour or an upcoming one for your new album?

Gopal: As above, hell yeah! If possible we will definitely be there!

Andy: I hope so! We had so much fun in LA in October that we’re certainly going to do our damnedest to get across the country for another show. We still need to get back to San Diego sometime soon as well.

GAW: I remember first hearing you guys on the Vampire The Masquerade compilation with Fall No More. Your sound has changed a lot from then. Do you feel that you have reached where you want to be sonically or is this another step along the way?

Gopal: As a band, and as people, I don’t think it is possible to stop developing, even if we wanted to. Life and experience have a way of changing you. So, to answer properly, I expect this is just another step. I have enjoyed each period of the bands carrier, some more than others, but where we are now… It’s pretty damned fun.

Andy: I think that this band is always evolving, though I do believe that our music has finally caught up to our live shows. Our next CD will very likely be similar to “Bleed…” in tone, though it may be a little harder.

GAW: Describe the sound of the new album. With the single “Another Way” you seemed to be leaning toward a rock sound where as some of your other tracks tend to be more synth driven. Does “Bleed the Grey Sky Black” reflect the more rock sound?

Gopal: I would say so. Though there is definitely a dancey-synth element in quite a few of the tracks, the rock element is far more present. It is the first time that every element of the band has had a live presence, and I definitely appreciate the energy that Micah and Jordan have created in this recording. Not to mention the fact that this is the first recording that Andy and I stepped back and let Tony just rock out *grins*. There are more guitars on this album than any previous Morte release (including the DREP and SFTD) by far and hands down.

Andy: Yeah. “Bleed…” shows a heavier, darker Bella Morte than anyone’s ever seen. As I said, we were aiming to capture the energy of our live shows on this album, and I think we did a good job of it. We’ll never lose our synthetic element, but Micah made the synths more sinister on this album, and Tony turned his guitars up a few notches. “Bleed…” allowed my metal roots to show through a lot.

GAW: What inspired the title of the new album?

Gopal: I’ll pass that one on to Andy

Andy: I noticed the color grey recurring in my lyrics, so I wanted to make it the theme of the album. I wanted a title that wasn’t completely straight forward, something each fan could interpret in their own way. For me, it’s about things going from bad to worse, and still living through it.

GAW: Is there a theme to the songs of Bleed the Grey Sky Black?

Gopal: In my opinion, the same as on all of our albums: tragedy, loss, suffering, sorrow, and the desire and ability to survive through it all. Not just survive, but thrive in the hurt and the chaos.

Andy: The lyrics cover a lot of area on this album. Loss has always been a prominent subject on our albums, and it is well represented here. There’s also a dose of hope in our songs. And of course, and band that calls itself “beautiful death” has to bring some tragedy to the table!

GAW: What can your fans expect to see from you over the next year? More
tours? New material?

Gopal: Assuredly both. Andy and Micah have already begun work on the next album, and more tours are in the works, hopefully including another full US, and maybe some dates in Europe.

Andy: We’re already working on the next album, and I’m very excited about the material! Of course, can’t get ahead of myself, because we still have a lot of touring to do to promote “Bleed…”!

GAW: Thanks for taking the time to answer our questions. Good luck with your
new album!

Gopal: Thank you and good luck in everything as well!

Andy: Thanks back at you! Hell yeah!

Find out more about Bella Morte:

Bella Morte on MySpace
Official Bella Morte Web Site

Listen to Bella Morte:

Dust
Grey Skies Black
On the Edge

By: Chris Stead

No, this is not an illicit porno ring, this is art. It’s deep. It takes some thought and a little time to get. At first listen, their new CD, “In Goat We Thrust” is a little hard to get into, but after a time you start to gain an understanding of what is being said. Through a series of e-mails with Miriku, AKA Miriku no dj, one of the founding members he gave me some insight into what the band is really about.

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By: Chris Stead

The Narcosis Design is a group out of Orange County, or the OC. In a relatively short time this group has had an interesting journey. I would write an introduction to The Narcosis Design, which would detail their beginnings, how far they have come and what they are all about, however I think that Andy, in his own words, tells the story better than I could.

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By: Chris Stead

Stormdrain, a group out of San Francisco, are no newcomers to the industrial music scene. Having started work in the mid-90’s, Scott Reyns was out to make original, genuine art without compromising because of pressure or the vision of others. Through perseverance Stormdrain has found a solid lineup and released their CD The Immovable Objection. They are currently playing out and about in San Francisco.

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By: Chris Stead

Collide started with Statik and kaRIN meeting in an Industrial club in the mid nineties and has developed into an undeniable force in the Goth scene. With their trademark sound and five albums under their proverbial belt, Collide has become a trendsetting group that many now quote as being influential on their sound and performance. Statik and kaRIN have collaborated with members of Nine Inch Nails, Tool and Skinny Puppy and have contributed music to soundtracks for movies. As well, both Statik and kaRIN have worked with groups on other productions making them noteworthy across many fronts. kaRIN was kind enough to sit down with Gothic Angst Webzine and answer some questions amidst their busy schedule.

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By: Chris Stead

With the release of their sophomore effort, Blind Faith and Envy has a new label, big goals and a path set to reach them. Their first release, The Charming Factor, was on Nilaihah Records, their second record, however, hails the birth of their own label, Silver Echo Records. Murder of a Girl is a clear growth from their last record while still staying true to their roots as a synthpop group. Charlene April gives us a little insight into where Blind Faith and Envy is now and where they are headed in the future.

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By: Chris Stead

With a thump of the synthetic bass drum, they are off! Don’t let the light, playful feel of their music or the fact that they’re from the O.C. fool you, RoMak and the Space Pirates is a group of serious performers. Their show is lively, fun and is hard to tear away from. Looking around at the show it was clear that the crowd was truly enjoying what they were getting. People dancing, swaying and bobbing along with the music, meanwhile RoMak’s antics on stage kept the crowd rapt. Before the show, RoMak told Gothic Angst Webzine that “Tonight may be the night that I fall and really eat shit…” when talking about their stage antics and his barstool acrobatics.

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