Today it’s exactly 38 years ago that The Sister of Mercy released their first studio album First and Last and Always. It was released on 11 March 1985 through Merciful Release and WEA, with Elektra Records handling the US release.

The album was recorded during the second half of 1984 and multiple recording sessions took place in various recording studios. It was mixed and produced by David M.Allen who also produced for the likes of The Cure, Depeche mode, Wire and The Human League.

Less then a month later, on 1 April, lead guitarist and band co-founder Gary Marx played his last concert with The Sisters of Mercy before deciding to leave the band. Later Eldritch would suggest the song ‘Walk Away’ was directed at Marx.

Although Wayne Hussey and Gary Marx wrote and sang some of the initial lyrics for some of the demo tracks, Eldritch eventually wrote all the final lyrics as they would appear on the finished album. Both Wayne and Marx re-used some of those lyrics later for their own projects The Mission and Ghost Dance.

Two (demo) songs that didn’t make the album, Serpents Kiss and Wake, would later be re-recorded and released by The Mission.

To represent Dr. Avalanche, The Sisters Of Mercy’s nickname for their drum machine, an Oberheim DMX drum machine was acquired for the recording of this album.

The album went silver (with 60,000 sold) in the UK on 30 October 1987 and gold (with 100,000 sold) on 8 May 1989. Its highest position in the UK album charts was no. 14. In Germany, the group's second largest market after the UK, the album went gold (with 250,000 sold) in 2011. Its highest position in the German album charts was no. 40.

Nevertheless, the production of the album left the band initially in enormous debt. According to Andrew Eldritch, the album recouped the production costs only by 1988.

First Last And Alway - Track listing

2006 CD re-issue Bonus Tracks

The Sisters Of Mercy - Personnel

• Andrew Eldritch – vocals, sleeve design, mixing
• Craig Adams – bass guitar
• Wayne Hussey – guitar, vocals
• Gary Marx – guitar
• Doktor Avalanche (drum machine) – drums

DISCOGS

“Stay” is the hazy, electro-ballad from electronic artist Carrellee’s latest album, Scale Of Dreams.

Nothing lasts forever. Yet moments are timeless and will always have existed. This is the song's central theme. The video, directed by Jason P. Schumacher features Volstead’s Emporium, an underground speakeasy in Minneapolis. The video plays off of the lyrics which address feeling trapped in a melodrama.

"It’s about my divorce and all. The whole album is. I was feeling like a character at the time, like I was stuck in a movie where the end was clear and my feelings were larger than life. I realize now I did have control and responsibility but in a lot of ways it feels like fate too.” - Carrellee

Carrellee's full-length album, Scale Of Dreams was released courtesy of Negative Gain Productions and is available on CD, vinyl LP and on all major digital outlets.

www.facebook.com/carrelleefree

Celebrating the full moon, witchy goth pop artist Metamorph gleams with their new single, "Witchlit". The track will appear on the forthcoming Metamorph LP due out this fall.

"Witchlit" is a song of broken hearts, of abuse, power, twin flames and the craving for love. When nothing makes sense in the light, we search in the darkest nights.

Let’s shine through our sorrows, through our shadows, through this dystopian chaos we live in. Together, witchlit, we can illuminate the darkest corners of the planet.

"Witchlit" was written and conceived by witchy singer & flutist Margot Day and produced by the Metamorph "Alchemist", Cleopatra Recording artist Erik Gustafson of Adoration Destroyed.

Available on all major streaming platforms including Bandcamp.

www.facebook.com/Metamorphmusic

Today it’s exactly 38 years ago that The Klinik (at that time called Absolute Controled Clinical Maniacs) performed at Xenon (10.03.1985, Aarschot, Belgium). Two tracks, Sick In Your Mind and Vietnam which were recorded during this live show, appeared later that same year on the first The Klinik album Sabotage.
After this release The Klinik soon made a name for themselves with their cold and harsh EBM sound and their live shows, where they performed with their heads wrapped in gauze, wearing long black leather coats.
Even today, Sabotage is still considered as one of the most influential electro-industrial-EBM albums and became a must have collector item.

Sabotage (Tracklist)

Since the early eighties Dirk Da Davo has been a driving force in the Belgian (and European) flourishing electronic scene with his first project The Neon Judgement.

From the late 1980s, he began to branch out, starting with the release of a solo EP “Where Even Angels Fall” and later revamping himself under the guise of 'Neon Electronics ', as well as even starting a record label as Dancedelic-D, which, apart from Neon Electronics and The Neon Judgement's work, also featured releases from artists such as Radical G or The Horrorist (let alone releases of collaborations with the likes of The Hacker and Jean-Marie Aerts (JMX) (formerly of TC Matic ).

Nowadays relocated to sunny Spain after such a long time in the spotlight, Dirk Da Davo, as himself and with no more project names attached, more recently launched a batch of new material, often incorporating elements in collaboration with others, such as the Mexican bass and slide guitarist Sanchez (under the DD SANCHEZ flag) and the co-production with Jean-Marie Aerts ( JMX) under DDDJMX.

This retrospective album gives an idea of the scope of the work, as well as the trajectory made sound-wise, from the early solo sessions of the 80s to current material...!

“Retrospective 1987-2023” will be available on a high quality 180g vinyl record with your preference of either a black record with a red centre blob, or a red vinyl with a black 'marbled' effect. The album also contains 1 previously unreleased new track!

Tracklist:

A1. KING OF FOOLS
A.2. OZZ (feat DDDJMX, with Jean-Marie Aerts (JMX))
A3. THE UNREAL
A4. WHERE EVEN ANGELS FALL
A5: SEXHEAD

B1. MEAT CATHEDRAL (feat IF IT MOVES)
B2. 157 (NEON ELECTRONICS)
B3. STRIVE
B4. CITIES IN DUST (feat. DD SANCHEZ)
B5. IN DREAMS (feat DDD Program)

Release date : 10th April 2023

www.facebook.com/dirk.dadavo