Gothic/industrial band BATAVIA has unveiled their first full-length album, Mythos. In the tradition of their previous entries, Mythos is a highly conceptual release. Each song is an exploration of legend and folklore, from both home and abroad.

Mythos explores tales both known and obscure, new and old; from The Bell Witch and Red Headed Hitchhiker to the infamous Buzzer radio signal of Moscow.

For fans of: NICK CAVE & THE BAD SEEDS, SIOUXIE & THE BANSHEES & SKINNY PUPPY

Recording of Mythos began shortly after their previous EP, Quite Mean Spirited, with musical ambitions set higher than anything they had released previously. The result is a collage of influences, ranging from post-punk, goth rock, noise rock, industrial and EBM, with no song standing firmly in one singular genre. While each song was written to reflect the mood of the subject matter, Mythos is a release that was written as a singular listening journey into the stories that have captured our imagination for generations.

Joining BATAVIA on this release is label mate B

eta Virus, who provided vocals on "UVB-76". JD Tucker lent his mixing talents to "Azafrán," with James Scott of Populist Recording and Eric Oehler of Submersible Studios providing mastering for the release. The band has also included three retro-flavored remixes of the songs "Mercy’s Burning Heart," "Her Vacant Chair," and "Anthemoessa."

www.facebook.com/officialbatavia

On this day, 35 years ago, the Belgian EBM icons FRONT 242 were invited to record a BBC live radio session for the legendary John Peel sessions (13 July 1986). The complete session was broadcast on BBC Radio 1 on 23 July 1986. Listen below to some of the amazing alternative versions of FRONT 242's classics, taken from their No Comment LP (1984), Politics of Pressure EP (1985) and their very first release, the 7" Principles/ Body To Body (1981).

Tracklist:

No Shuffle
Funkadafic
Don't Crash
Body to body

Line-up:

R23 (Drums, Vocals)
Patrick Coornys (Keyboards)
Jean Luc De Meyer (Vocals)
Daniel B. (Keyboards, Special Effects)

Today 2 year ago, we received the sad news of the death of Rüdiger Frank ((° 17. Juni 1967, Ludwigsburg; † 12. Juli 2019, Markgröningen, Germany), singer of German gothic rock band The Tors Of Dartmoor. Rüdiger Frank left Printed At Bismarck's Death in 1989 with keyboard player Heiko Muter (who died in 2001) to form a new gothic rock band: The Tors Of Dartmoor, named after an English rock formation in a mystical landscape.

I got to know The Tors Of Dartmoor in 1991, shortly after the release of their grand debut "The Obvious Darkness". I remember very well taking this CD in the store, intrigued as I was by the band's name as wel as the cover-artwork with a photo of a ruin. The seller told me that this was the latest gothic sensation from Germany. Sold! I absolutely loved this album with classics such as "Waterking" and "Meet Moshe Dayan" (a song they wrote still with Printed At Bismarck's Death). Since then The Tors Of Dartmoor has been number 3 in the list of my favorite gothic rock bands, after The Sisters Of Mercy and Fields Of The Nephilim and just before Love Like Blood.

I was delighted when The Tors Of Dartmoor came to play in my hometown of Antwerp in 1992 at the Phantom Festival in the Limelight (the poster also included The Lance Of Allotment, Dive and Die Krupps). I will never forget the performance of The Tors Of Dartmoor and I still remember perfectly how it began. A tall guitarist and bass player came on stage and started to play the first song. When, after a few minutes, everyone started to wonder where the singer was, a small jerk suddenly came out of the backstage door, a kind of troll king who controlled the entire performance. What a voice and what a presence! Rüdiger Frank suffered from dwarf growth and never grew taller than 1.34 meters. But as small as he was in stature, as big was his act and his stage presence!

And this not only with his gothic rock bands, because in Germany Rüdiger Frank was also a well-known and celebrated actor. He played numerous roles there, including that of God in the piece "Mefistofele" and of Riff Raff in the musical "Rocky Horror Show". In later years he was known for his double role in the world's first steampunk opera "Klein Zaches, genannt Zinnober" and until very recently as Herod in the rock opera "Jesus Christ Superstar".

After the unparalleled debut "The Obvious Darkness" (1991) the albums "House Of Sounds" (1993, tip: "Welcome To The House"), "Third Second" (1996, tip: "Gypsy") and“ Chapter VI ”(2004) which still had a bunch of strong songs but which, as an album, unfortunately could not match the level of their debut.

Recently Rüdiger Frank was also active in the Romeo Is Bleeding formation, which made music inspired by Tom Waits. Unfortunately he could not finish a long-planned solo album. Rüdiger Frank had had health problems for a long time and was only 52 years old. I will cherish my copy of "The Obvious Darkness", signed by the four band members at the Phantom Festival in 1992, forever. [Henk Vereecken / Dark Entries]

Memorial-Site on Facebook

DISCOGS

"Computer Love" (or "Computerliebe" in German) was released in July 1981 as a single of the studio album Computer World, which was released that same year. The song, released on a double A-sided single along with "The Model", went on to become number one in the UK Singles Chart and reached the 13th position in the U.S.Hot Dance Club Play Billboard.

Besides the shorter original 7” single version, the original 12” version of "Computer Love" is a different version than the one originally found on the 1981 Computer World album.

The song was re-arranged and re-recorded for the band's 1991 studio album The Mix.

The melody of "Computer Love" was used in 2005 by Coldplay for their single "Talk". Apparently, Coldplay singer Chris Martin asked Kraftwerk for approval prior to its release.

Computer Love (Lyrics)

Another lonely night, lonely night
Stare at the TV screen, the TV screen
I don't know what to do, what to do
I need a rendezvous, rendezvous
I call this number, call this number
For a data date, data date
I don't know what to do, what to do
I need a rendezvous, rendezvous

Computer love
Computer love
Computer love
Computer love

Songwriters: Karl Bartos / Ralf Hütter / Emil Schult

Computer Love (1981 - 12")

A. Computer Love 7:20
B. The Model 3:37

Computer Love (1981 - 7")

A. Computer Love 3:45
B. The Model 3:37

DISCOGS

There is a Zen teaching that if you meet God on the road, you must kill him. Kill God Ascend is the fifth full-length album from Australian electro-industrial band SHIV-R.

What the killing of God means to each listener will be a unique and personal revelation. In a world full of gatekeepers and figureheads whose only interest in you is to tell you what to do, illusions will need to be shed and those who profess to have all the answers will need to be confronted.

While not offering any answers, SHIV-R's newest release comes with a statement courtesy of the album's 6th track, "Empire." "I'm on my own path. Get the fuck out of my way."

For fans of: HOCICO, IAMX & MARILYN MANSON

www.facebook.com/shiverindustrial