The final part of Gothminister’s ‘Pandemonium’ song cycle/musical saga, the ‘Tonight’ EP plays brilliantly, whether you’re already a fan of the one man Norwegian goth machine, or approaching his music for the first time. These four tracks provide a truly effective showcase for a blend of 80s goth and 90s darkwave sounds, peppered with occasional black metal vocals and even a couple of industrial grooves.

Every one of those musical moods can be found within the brilliant title cut, an insanely catchy gothic groover that values sharp melodies over gloom laden atmospheres. Opening with an abrasive guitar riff, the track’s harder edge embraces a twenty first century goth sound which, peppered with angry vocals and a really sharp edge, assaults the listener with a perfect blend of electronica, industrial metal and maudlin moods. Since it comes with such force, it’s a real attention grabber, but it’s worth hanging in there for those who aren’t keen on gruff vocals, as the chorus redresses the balance with a truckload of retro melodic charms. Stripping down the heaviest edges and applying a clean vocal, a fantastic hook explores an early 90s goth sound which, set against a groove that sounds like a remix of White Zombie’s ‘Thunder Kiss ’65’, really sells Gothminister’s crossover style. By sharing a familiar tone, but also by being unafraid to share a really positive sounding melody, it’s the kind of number that sticks after the second or third play. It originally appeared on ‘Pandemonium II: The Battle of The Underworlds’ several months before leading the charge here, but the recycling is very welcome – there’s little doubt that it’s one of Gothminister’s finest tunes.

Moving into ‘We Are The Heroes’, a massive intro sharing multi-layered vocals hints at the Scandinavian metallic cheese of Sabaton but, thankfully, everything drifts rather quickly into something more intense, and far more gothic. Armed with another growled vocal, Gothminister brings a little black metal to the fore, but never loses sight of those all important old school goth roots. For the heavier moments, his deepest voice sits atop an almost hardcore crunch, but much like ‘Tonight’ this is offset by a streak of dark pop. In this case, a faster rhythm is peppered by bright sounding keys, extra vocals and a very 80s feel. A second round of this lighter melody might prove just enough to win over a slightly broader audience with its addition of a second female vocal, but unlike the lead number here, the concessions to synth-based sounds are outweighed by the heavier moments, and when the opening riffs return to fill the middle of the track and the coda, they supply something really intense. For lovers of industrial goth metal, of course, this push and pull between styles will thrill, but it’s safe to say this is aimed more at those looking for a heavier variant of Deathstars or Code Orange than hoping to find nostalgia within an Orgy or Powerman 5000 influenced sound.

The previously unreleased ‘Creepy Shadows’ changes the mood by sharing a heavy dance beat and a pulsing synth, creating a hardcore dance throwback. This is then used as the core of the number, and works brilliantly against bursts of heavy guitar and a crooning vocal. When everything explodes into a heavy industrial-goth riff, Gothminister sounds he’s working like a heavier variant of ‘Anyone For Doomsday’ era Powerman 5000, but as with other great Gothminister tunes, he’s not about to leave it there. The latter part of the tune finds space for a synth heavy middle eight, but rather more unexpectedly, there’s also a burst of insane pneumatics that owe a debt to melodic death metal. Like ‘Tonight’, this is a genuine melting pot of retro alternative sounds and will take a little longer to work its magic. When it does, fans are given something that really works – and perhaps more importantly, something that sounds immense when played very loudly. Rounding out the release, you’ll find an alternate version of ‘We Come Alive’ (subtitled ‘In The End Version’) which doesn’t differ greatly from the album cut, but sounds a little brighter, which definitely helps to a spotlight on the pop-ish edges of the main hook.

This EP combines the previously unavailable with the already familiar, but the material hangs together very well as a whole. In some ways, ‘Tonight’ sounds better here than on the parent album ‘Pandemonium II’, whilst the previously unavailable ‘Creepy Shadows’ gives fans every reason to explore this collection of supplementary recordings. Much like Marilyn Manson’s ‘Lunchbox’ EP – released about a hundred years ago – this is far more than a compliment to a previous work. It comes with its own strengths, and for fans and the uninitiated, guarantees a couple of tracks that are bordering on genre classics.

November 2024