“Night City Terror” by Fatalvector

a0093791817_10The debut album from Fatalvector could not have come out at a better time; the days are getting shorter, the nights are getting longer, and the temperature is going down. This album has therefore become just the right mood music for these cold dark nights, especially when it rains, as it instills within you an equal mix of creepy vibes and blood pumping beats. Plus, as someone who has followed Fatalvector since they only had one track on SoundCloud, it’s fantastic to see them get to this point.


“Not Dead Yet” by Wolfman Muscleford

a0676532284_10While not the actual intention, “Not Dead Yet” feels like the long lost soundtrack to a forgotten action game of an earlier generation regardless. There are songs on here which will make you paranoid to turn a corner, unsure of the horrors that might lurk behind them, and then there are songs on the other hand which will get you so fired up that you just throw caution to the wind and turn that corner by going in all guns blazing.

Simply put: this album is a non-stop thrill ride. Buy your ticket.

“Midnight Tentacles” by Big Lich

a2586619619_10Big Lich has always been quite the necromantic beast to try and categorize (which isn’t a bad rap as they do their own thing and they do that thing pretty damn good) but if I were to actually try and describe their sound I’d be hard pressed not to call it akin to old-school RPG boss battle music. Combining a special blend of chiptunes, darksynth, and power metal, Big Lich is like a hidden musical treasure just waiting to be discovered by a curious dungeon delver in the mines of musical madness.

“The Crystal Mountain” by Nightlights

a1916052898_10Nightlights first full-length album isn’t a new concept, as creating a real soundtrack for an imaginary film has long been a thing in synthwave, yet their take on it feels like a breath of fresh air as their more upbeat sound is welcomed in a subgenre which tends to be much darker. Their music, as well as their art, work together in perfect harmony to help bring this proposed animated feature to life and overall feels like rediscovering a childhood favorite which will bring a smile to your face.

“II” by Flash Cassette

a2341061153_10“II” is an appropriate title for Flash Cassette’s sophomore effort and follow-up to their self-titled debut as, much like a finely crafted sequel to an impressive movie, this release not only builds off the sound that they established on their first release but proceeds to masterfully supersede it in the process with tighter production, catchier hooks, funkier beats, and impressive vocal work.

This album begs to be listened from start to finish as each track smoothly transitions into the next.

“Burning Summer” by Wyndsrfr

In honor of #NationalPoetryDay, I wrote a poem for this review:

The calendar declares summer over,
and that might be true,
but the feeling of summer continues
inside both me and you.

Sirens sing their songs,
and bards tell their tales,
while Wyndsrfr recounts that lost summer
and all which it entails.

Like the waves of the ocean,
coalescing with the sand,
so do dream-like synths
and sultry vocals go hand-in-hand.

“Burning Summer” is lightning in a bottle,
a whole season captured in a song,
like memories that can be replayed
as you inevitably sing along.

“Songs To Haunt A House To” by Vampire Step-Dad

a3203409904_10This album contains ideal mood music for the Halloween season and is also quite the nostalgic throwback to similar ambient releases of the past which were meant to be played outside your window for any trick-or-treater passing by to maybe think twice about knocking on your door. On top of that, it’s the perfect showcase of Vampire Step-Dad’s incredibly talented ability to easily “change the channel” on his music and deliver something entirely different, and unexpected, but welcomed all the same.

“CHUBS” by The Warhorse

a1923577878_10The Warhorse is one of the few truly unique synth-infused acts out there so it’s hard to classify exactly what they are in turn. Unfortunately, as a consequence to that, they’re often left out of the conversation when it comes to talking about the synthwave scene and its numerous subgenres. However, The Warhorse is unapologetic in this regard and simply sneers at such conventions by just doing its own thing and that thing is to release such a genre-defying album like CHUBS which simply kills.

“The Underground” by See Thomas Howl

a2772832039_10One of the absolute pleasures in following an artist ever since their debut is being able to watch and listen as they grow, perfecting their art along the way, thus hearing the subtle differences of improvement between releases. It might be cliche to say that the latest and greatest offering of any artist is their best yet but this album is proof of that as See Thomas Howl delivers the goods and then some; he’s truly come into his own.

Plus you can’t go wrong with GlitterWølf featured on vocals!