Since 2012, London’s Sidewalks and Skeletons has been dishing out albums of eerie, downtempo synth tunes that evoke the occult, midnight strolls, and the essence of independent horror flicks. While typically characterized as “witch house,” mastermind Jake Lee explores compositions that are low and somber, high and frantic, and all polarities of ambient and crushing […]
Author: zander
Scorpius Dance Theatre Presents: The Vampire Ball
After years of putting on the renowned Vampire Tale, Phoenix’s own “Nutcracker of Halloween,” Scorpius Dance Theatre, in partnership with Davisson Entertainment, is taking over the beautiful Grand Ballroom (formerly Club Palazzo) for a bloodsucking blowout extravaganza, just in time for All Hallows Eve. The Vampire Ball is drama, decadence, and gravitas, brought by the performers […]
New Age of Kink: Fetish Ball 2016 – Arizona Fetish Society
Nihilist techno deviant Tristain/Iseult, industrial rock outfit Amnestic, and dirty synth duo The Audio Virus are setting the tone for the Fetish side of the show, right before industrial rock juggernauts 3Teeth make their Arizona debut. On the kink side, the bone-crushing heavyweights Bass Cadets, the manic beats of Sluggo, the quirky dubstep of Nerd Rage, and DJ Sharktopus of electro rock group Rabbit Junk will be keeping the tension at all-time pleasurable highs.
Interview with Amnestic
Amnestic’s harsh, kinetic brand of American cold wave has been a rising force in the Phoenix goth/industrial scene for the last two years. Since their debut album Real Bad Day on Glitch Mode Recordings in 2014, Brooke and Sarah have been making lots of noise
PhxGoth Reviews: Lycia – A Line That Connects
Lycia’s newest post-2010 release confirms that they are here to stay. While many titans of 90s darkwave have either disbanded or fallen by the wayside, Mike VanPortfleet and Tara Vanflower’s momentum over the past five years has shown ambition and the excavation of new sonic territory. They are a favorite of the PhxGoth staff (read […]
Interview: Satanism, Goths, and the Crossover Appeal.
No subculture has embraced the concept of Satanism like the Gothic has. Abound with dramatic reds and blacks with graphic depictions of goat heads, pentagrams, hooded figures, and anti-authoritarian sentiments, Satanism perhaps more appropriately aligns with Goth than any other religion, aesthetic-wise. The actual practice of Satanism speaks to a person’s deeply rooted beliefs in […]
Do Vampires Really Exist? Interview With Michelle Belanger
No community embraces the vampire like the Goth subculture does. Your average club or show is overrun with people who look like they stepped off the set of The Lost Boys and From Dusk Till Dawn, all pasty faces, black leather pants, and the occasional cape fake fangs.
Review: A Place to Bury Strangers Live
The stage presence of A Place to Bury Strangers is the embodiment of their music’s atmosphere. All three members have impeccable command of the sonic pyrotechnics they create, peering over the edge of total self-destruction but never entirely letting go of control. If they had let all hell break loose, Pub Rock Live would no longer be standing.
Our First Vlog Entry: March Contest, Prizes, Shout-Outs
2015 is shaping up to be a busy year for the PhxGoth staff. A lot of wheels have been set in motion to elevate the site to the status of an essential online resource for the alternative underground. February signifies the kickoff of our Vlog, an idea that has been on the back burner for […]
Assemblage 23 Interview
Assemblage 23 has been one of the most prominent forces in the electro-industrial scene for over a decade and a half, surviving trends and inspiring succeeding acts to follow suit. Mastermind Tom Shear has carved a special niche for himself in our neck of the woods, employing a vast and dense interpretation of synthpop across […]
Album Review: Alter Der Ruine – I Will Remember It All Differently
The paradigm shift in the Alter Der Ruine template could not have come at a better time. With bands like Purity Ring and Grimes stirring up the alternative scene with ethereal eeriness, and Mr.Kitty and Trust resurrecting gloomy synthesizer tropes from years past, I Will Remember It All Differently’s arrival is another sign of the […]
The Spiritual Bat: Interview
One Friday night, The Spiritual Bat spread their wings in a dark corner of Phoenix’s Rips Bar and busted out a number of tunes taken straight from the crypt. The duo of Dario Passamonti and Rosetta Garrí, with bass player Ashkelon Sain of Trance to the Sun fame, flooded the tiny stage with grimy darkness […]