Though I’ve covered everything from fetish balls to fashion, there’s been one key element of Colorado’s alternative community that I’ve overlooked—the music that permeates every corner of the lifestyle.

That changes today.

During the last month or so, I’ve checked out dozens upon dozens of bands/artists from Colorado with album releases spanning the last decade whose art is centered around everything darkwave.

I’m glad to report that the music scene is (un)alive and flourishing.

From the world of heavy industrial to the bat-infested corners of deathrock, below is a list of five albums that I believe would satisfy the tastes of even the most discerning creature of the night.

 

Velvet Acid Christ; “Ora Oblivionis” (2019)—

Given their over three-decade-long reign in the world of industrial music, it’s no surprise to hear the phrase “legendary status” used as a descriptor when it comes to Colorado’s Velvet Acid Christ—and their latest album ‘Ora Oblivionis’ only helps to solidify this. With this release being promised as their “most varied,” I held high expectations; thankfully, all those expectations were exceeded. The base to most of their songs is a dirty industrial sound that’s akin to a melding of Skinny Puppy and Mortiis (especially with “Conviction” and “Pill Box”). This concoction is usually topped with various electronica elements and varying musical motifs. These motifs range from Spanish guitar (“Conjuro”) to gorgeous trad-goth piano found in my favorite cut, “The Colors Of My Sadness.” With that said, if you have ANY kind of a soul (one bathed in darkness or otherwise), then “Adventures In Babysitting The Antichrist” will force your body to move. Actually, the more you listen to ‘Ora Oblivionis,’ the more you’ll find your body moving uncontrollably; because, no matter what lane of darkwave you prefer, you’ll find something to enjoy from this offering.

 

The Siren Project; “Denouement” (2016)—

‘Denouement’ by The Siren Project is the epitome of what I would call beauty. A trip-hop/electronica base is found on almost every track, along with a majority of the songs carrying a Middle Eastern flair as well. This base is the perfect canvas for the large swath of goth-influenced melodies to present themselves. Though the best example of this mixture can be found in the song “Justify” (with a sound reminiscent of Switchblade Symphony), this combination is also used to great effect in “Wheel” (one that carries a late-90s Tori Amos vibe). The vocal styling of Malgorzata Wacht is filled with range. She can easily traverse the emotional spectrum—one moment her voice is emitting true sorrow, and then in the next it’s enticing like sultry velvet. However, it’s in the album-ender “She Said” that I believe her most powerful work on the album can be found. The pureness of feeling in her voice during the spoken word section is soul-grabbing. This is a record that begs to be played while driving in the woods on a rainy afternoon where there is no sun to be found peeking through the overcast shade.

 

Church Fire; “Puppy God” (2022)—

From start to finish, the album ‘Puppy God’ by Church Fire will grab you by the neck and never let go. In a number of the songs, the vocals and certain distorted industrial elements remind me of the harder-edged material of Lords Of Acid mixed with a heavier Snake River Conspiracy spirit. Conversely, there are also many moments where the melodies have an infectiously upbeat bounciness to them, while the vocals are delivered with scream-filled opposition—including electro-death vocals that come out on “Cough On The Rich.” However, it’s the most “mainstream” sounding song on the album that became my favorite: “Almost Over.” The vocals are irrefutably entrancing. Beginning in a soothing manner, they lift you to an emotional high during the mid-point of the track when the atmospheric, dreamy soundscapes raise the piece in such a way that you feel like the sea is carrying you. Other album highlights include the singles “Small Seed” and “Fear My Bad Time”; both are cuts I believe best represent what you can expect from the album as a whole. A release with many twists and turns and definitely not one for those who are into music that’s run-of-the-mill.

 

Radio Scarlet; “Too Goth For Punk, Too Punk For Goth” (2017)—

After listening to ‘Too Goth For Punk, Too Punk For Goth’ by Radio Scarlet, I realized they forgot the last part of the title: “And Too Bad-Ass For Both.” This album is the epitome of everything great deathrock should be. The music is as if Alien Sex Fiend and Christian Death had a kid who was reared on the angst of 80s punk, all presented with incredibly lo-fi production—a perfect storm for a deathrock band. Though “All The Dirty Faces,” “Dancing For Shadows,” “Romance and Stigmata,” and the pure-punk explosion of “Sir Rots A Lot” are all highlights, the song “Sat On A Wall” is on a different level. The creepy atmosphere pulled off by the guitars and their effects would make Daniel Ash proud. If you are someone who likes to stay up all night with a cheesy horror movie playing on a muted TV, all while black lights illuminate the room as the sounds of saturated, distorted guitar tones straight from the grave fill the air, then this is your soundtrack. I mean, I know I can’t be alone.

 

Revolution State; “Omed” (2019)—

In a nutshell, ‘Omed’ by Revolution State would be the perfect music for any scene in a film involving a cyber-goth club. OK, this sentiment is somewhat oversimplified. Though songs like “Pi” and “Random Perceptions Of Violence” are perfect examples of this electro-fused form of melodic darkwave, not every track carries these genre-defining characteristics. For example, the songs with the darkest titles—i.e. “Mourning Song,” “Death,” and “Dusk”—each have an overarching melody that inspires hope in the listener. There is one element to this album that does inspire a strong love/hate relationship with the release: the “Hades Switch” trilogy. Though I really like each of the songs, I really dislike the fact that they were broken up separately on the album. In “Part I” the main melody is established; a melody which is carried throughout all three pieces. Really, the only thing that changes in this trifecta is the background beats and tempo. With that said, these differences are enough to show that the trilogy should have been put together as a seamless piece. Though to be honest, this is just a very minor setback to an otherwise brilliant listening experience.