Cabinet, the
Kind of slightly Bauhausy very early 80s bass heavy Goth. As was characteristic of the time there is a Psychedelic Furs style saxophone line. Similar feel to In Excelsis and their ilk. Sadly the “Language and Words,” 7” is 2 versions of the same track so only have limited evidence to go on but what I’ve heard is well worth a listen

Cadra Ash

Quality mid-90s sounding Goth with nice gloomy guitars and powerful female vocal. Touched of Moonchild and Garden of Delight with bits of Siouxsie Thrown in.

Cain Principle

A sort of second division 80s Wolfsheim but with a surprising hint of late 90s Springsteen. Hints of Ultravox and Under Wraps era Jethro Tull.

Caffeine Kill

Good bouncy guitar Goth that could date from the mid-90s onwards. “Still Bleeding,” was actually released in 2007 I believe although the text/background contrast isn’t brilliant. Hints of the Chameleons before they suddenly go all industrial. Eclectic?

Calan Dra

As the opening bars of “Where did you go?” kick in I am instantly reminded of the first Dubstar album although when the track kicks in properly it does go a bit more traditionally Goth of the female vocalled variety. Immediately people like The Shroud spring to mind. I’ve no idea where they came up with their unusual punctuation and it seems as superfluous as Spinal Taps umlaut but this is good stuff.

Call

S/M Fetish cult band apparently but sound like a scratchy industrial PWEI band to me albeit with Derriere type vocals

Calvaria

Quite metally and very Nuclear Blast. All kinds of awful according to Mrs Librarian which given her heritage is a bit rich. Not brilliant to be fair but they do seem to be from Mexico which means they are by default my favourite Mexican Goth band even though I think it is generally accepted they area straightforward metal band.

Calva Y Nada

Guttural German sounding teutonic industrial electro with hints of Ultravox

An almost Industrial Kraftwerk at times (albeit with a troll on vocal duties)

Calvi, Anna

Imagine a more ethereal female Scott Walker- sort of. A smattering of Siouxsie, a guitar line half inched hook and line from REM and the odd White Lies chorus all wrapped up in a perpetual Bond theme.

Camouflage

Very Ultravox like 80s synth pop. “Where has the childhood gone,” has nice school choir choruses reminiscent of an electro St Winifrides

Camp Electronique
I can’t remember when there was last as much anticipation about a new release in the Gothapedia household. As I think is evident elsewhere we are pretty big Advanced Art fans anyway so when we found out that Jana had a new project on the go we couldn’t wait to hear what was on offer. Whilst I have to confess every time I see the name I think Gong, Camembert Electrique anyone? They are firmly in the electro world and are exactly the sort of act Gothapedia is eternally searching for.

Their first track is available for download here http://www.last.fm/music/Camp+Electronique and I very much recommend you do. Musically I am very much thinking Alphaville and proper 80s electro pop. I certainly can’t wait for more to come. Thoroughly recommended so tell your friends!

Campisi, Zip
Trev clearly failed to work out what this was when he agreed to buy a couple of copies for Nightbreed. Released on Cleopatra, seven tracks simply named after their position in the hierarchy and seven being the only distinguishing feature on the cover or spine, released in 1995 and may or may not be inspired, influenced or fuck all to do with the film of the same name. Seems to be released on the “Hypnotic,” imprint that I have not seen any mention of before or since but seemed to exist for “electronic, ambient, purity,” not sure if they ever got there. Capable of scaring a ten year old boy who has listened to all sorts of weirdness over the years which I found surprising unfortunately when I asked why he simply said, “you’re going to put this on gothapedia aren’t you,” and wouldn’t answer. Seems alright in a synthy atmospheric kind of way. Never going to change the world mind.

Canaan

Dungeon atmospherics. “Brand Ne Babylon” is nicely packaged. Sounds a bit Clannad

Candles End

Quite guitar and almost Bauhaus. French circa 1996 I think. Definitely want to be Bauhaus.

Canister

I like these. Blame is a 9 track album that has a very mid-90s feel that would have sat quite comfortably on any of the Gothic Sounds of Nightbreed compilations. American and copyright 96 that places it in about the right period.

Despite being described elsewhere as Industrial I would say guitar Goth with access to synths

Canticum Funebris

Sort of Backworld meets the folkier end of Derriere Le Mirreur “Endless,” declares no synthesisers were used which put it on a par with “Powerslave” era Iron Maiden if not sonically.

Capital Hell

Have a track called Moonchild but which isn’t as far as I can tell the Neff one. Very good in a power pop rock kind of way with some nice wailing and bleepy synths as well as bit of a This Corrosion choirs, hints of Rosetta, ALF and indeed the Neff and even the Mish. (Capital) hell even hints of Bauhaus and Bowie..

I even want to say Claytown Troupe without really remembering what they sound like.

Captives, the

Kind of remind me of the Cult but in a Church kind of way with a little Gene Loves Jezebel in the guitars in particular.

Carfax Abbey

Imagine if Del Amitri were a Goth band... Their cover of “Cry Little Sister,” is perfectly good but then it is a great song which was Goth already in all but performer  

Carinou

Carinou describe themselves as post industrial, I think they are actually rather melodic dark pop with a hint of shoegaze

Carnival Art

Imagine Lou Reed met the Pixies, which I am sure he possibly did on a number of occasions with a bit of Zodiac Mindwarp thrown in for good measure. Label mates of Neffilim, Love and Rockets etc for a time.

Carpathian

Their track “Bloodlust,” reminds me of the elongated introduction to Bruce Springsteen’s “the River,” on his live 75-85 crossed with one of my favourite H F Thiefaine tracks which I cannot remember the title of it being in French and all.

Cash, Johnny

He’s the original Man in Black and he covers Nine Inch Nails and Depeche Mode. What’s more he could have clearly knocked seven shades out of Libertina which makes him worthy of respect in my book (and my granddad clearly rated him given the number of his albums I seem to have inherited.)

Caspar, Chants of Change
Fuck knows, possibly released on TESCO organisation that might be a clever satire on consumerism but I’m erring towards not which means it must mean something in German presumably. Not even entirely sure of the name as H. Caspar and Chants of Change appear in different places in the packaging the spine of the CD stating Caspar, C.O.C. might be part of an art project. Musically minimalist dark ambient perhaps. I provoke the machines make the sound apparently. I suspect the music forms part of very heavy going performance pieces- just a hunch.

Castlebeat

“Falling Forward,” from the Spirit Goth 2016 compilation has a real Cure feel in the Tri-State Killing Spree way. Very good.

Cassandra Complex

Electro industrial in a quite poppy 90s kind of way.

Vocally sound really familiar but I can’t quite place it and there’s a real underlying Sisters feel

Can get quite sampley in a traditional Play It Again Sam kind of way (to whom they are signed)

V.A.L.I.S. which I presume comes from a mid-millennium record has a nice Merry Thoughts doing Sisters feel with cool vocoders going on.

“Wetware,” is much poppier than I perhaps recall of CC but of course time can  also smooth off some rough edges- just look at that Neubaten lot

Catarsi

Dark neo-classical with World Serpeant vocals.

Catastrophe Ballet

Non-descript Nightbreed signed industrial/gothic outfit who do nothing to offend but neither do they inspire. Mostly Harmless.

Get the feeling they were just an inch away from being something interesting.

Perfectly listenable.

“The Garden of Decay (live)” is better than any of their stuff I have come across up until now .

Catwalk
Featuring Kim Deal on one track, where she also shares production duties, the Ballerina Country EP is of a mid to late 80s kind of rock/Goth/pop sound not dissimilar to Gene loves Jezebel, Flesh for Lulu, Ghost Dance etc. This probably made them seem a little dated by the release of the aforementioned EP in 1992. Veers towards sleezy American rock at times but then so did some of their influences

Cauda Pavonis

Quite synthy electro with the odd Sex Gang Children slant. The best thing to happen to highwaymen since Adam Ant.

Caul
Trev reckons the depth of dark erotic blackness. I think sound track music to some dark American drama. If the X Files had more vampires this would fit fine. Late 90s with quite arty packaging making it hard to pick out too much more info. By sound could have been World Serpent but can’t see any branding at all. This Halloween party could go on through to the end of November at this rate.

Cell Division
Very early 80s/Curey bass heavy intro. Very Siouxsie meets Moonchild vocals. Musically quite Moonchild meets Dresden Dolls
“Should I,” is Robert Miles piano and vocoders lead into female vocals singing quite a middle of the road tune. Possibly not quite the Gothic Fleetwood Mac

Cello

Portuguese strummy guitars and dreamy female vocals

Celluloide

Very much at the Pet Shop Boys end of electro industrial with a seasoning of electroclash

Celtica

This fairly average mid-90s sounding female fronted Goth band are not to be confused with the electro folkies my wife went to school with but perfectly listenable (although i prefer the other lot.)

Cement Women

Great name! Claim is “V” was recorded in 1982. That would make it quite ahead of its time experimental if the claim is true

Cenobita
run of the mill electro industrial

Century

On “Melancholia,” Century spend a lot of time sounding a bit like Depeche  Mode and  a bit  of time sounding a lot like Him.

C-Force

Industrial with horns and robot voices plus some wank piano jazz. Not sure it’s a good thing

Chainsuck

Je Taime for the electro generation? Very breath charged vocals over minimalist beats and squelchy synths

Chalice

Australian folk Goth with a very strong medieval feel. Albeit the kind of electric guitar driven medieval.

Chalk, Andrew

 Hails from Tollerton, York. Very minimalist. The odd bass note here and there is about all I can make out. I do wonder how much time people can justify putting into recordings like   this.

Chameleons

Manchester has been responsible for some of the greatest indies bands on the planet but when it comes to Goth it has always been outdone by their easterly neighbours. Rubbing against the grain rather brilliantly though are the Chameleons with their subtle alternative rock best represented (in my opinion anyway) on early years compilations “The Fan and the Bellows.” Their influence can be heard far and wide eclipsing their original impact.

Chandeen

Atmospheric 80s electro pop with a female vocal and a bit of a Sandstorm eastern sound

A slightly less ethereal Clannad capable of going all medieval/Dead can Dance. 

Bit of an AAE vocal over pretty minimalist backing that seems to hint at either Shakespears Sister or the Eurythmics

Changelings, the

Slightly Eastern sounding operatic almost trip hop. Prone to veering into Ozrics territory in places.

Chapman Family, the
Have a smoke machine.
A less tuneful up-tempo Editors but capable of dragging out the New Rock Brigade (Beeston North Division)
Are they a less charismatic Horrors dressed as Kasabian and the Ordinary Boys?
Manage quite a driving sound with an almost Nick Cave drawl at times and make half a stab at epic but equally can be crap and noisy like his first outfit. Seem to throw in a bit of sinister synth just as they appear to underwhelm and suddenly want to be the Horatii (only not as good). For ref they seem to position the synth at a jaunty angle on stage.
Proof that a slick website and myspace presence can make the mediocre look professional.
Definitely more Editors than Sisters.

Charli XCX
Not sure how she got tagged with the “G” word but I guess she fits in rather well with our voice of an angel as a commercially viable pop act that decided to go a bit dark, brooding, breathy and spooky.
My assessment is based entirely on the 7 minute mega mix of the “True Romance,” album that veers from proper soap star pop to pretty decent dark electro but the notion does make you wonder what someone might have made of a seven minute mega mix of Floodland which would presumably have to slide in at shorter than “Dominion,” or “This Corrosion,” She’s clearly one to watch alongside Ms Church.

Charon

Gothic Metal at the more metal end of the spectrum which sound a bit like one and quite a lot like Nickelback. Could be Type-o to be fair with a Scandinavian twang. I think they might be Finnish and they quote Malthus in  their sleeve notes which is pretty high brow

Chatshow

If the Chameleons had written this charming man they may have in fact been chatshow

Cherche-lune

Violin heavy neo-folk/classical that has a strong resemblance to Danish act Instinkt

I was late getting into COS and so my experience is limited to what I have managed to track down on t’internet without breaking the bank. Not as easy as you might think when some of the CDs change hands for silly money which is bizarre as the album containing the track Whiskey-a-go-go that turned me on to them in the first place and is still better than anything else I have heard is still the easiest to find.

I’m not sure where they hail from but the lead singer was capable of a mockney drawl years before Kate Nash.

Musically powerful Rock Goth not dissimilar to Rosetta Stone  meets a male fronted Ghost Dance.

Chinese Detectives
I seem to recall watching a TV series about a Chinese Detective when I was a kid can’t recall the title. “You think you’re a man,” is clearly a cover (of a song originally recorded by Divine according to Wikipedia) and has an authentic 80s feel albeit with a 90s electro-Goth refresh.
That leaves “Balance the sequence,” as their original offering on the CD single I have which is completely bland and uninspired. Almost new age garden CD mash up with computer game music. Appear to hail from Norway.

Chop Shop

A background rumble that could be the wind before an out of tune TV kicks in.  

Christ Analogue
Fairly on message bleepy electro with a bit of a Depeche Mode feel to the vocals. Across the whole album “In Radiant Decay,” they seem to show a fair degree of variety within a theme- the theme being mainstream industrial.

Christian Death

Pioneers of the American Goth Rock scene the Death as they are almost never known have certainly been prolific in their quarter of a century or so of existence. In fact rather like the UKs own Gene Loves Jezebel multiple claims to the name lead to periods where two band were touring under the CD moniker. Throw in a myriad of side projects such as Premature Ejaculation, Faith and the Muse and Shadow Project (the latter being remarkably lovely) and you’ve got enough issues and reissues to keep Cleopatra going without them having to resort to continually reissue the same dozen Rosetta Stone tracks continually in different orders.

Musically CD started off with a relatively traditional British sound on albums like debut “Only Theatre of Pain,” before becoming more concerned with shocking artwork and album titles, “Jesus points the bone at you,” “Pornographic Messiah,” “I once wanked off Hitler for Sweets,” than worrying about actually writing tunes. By the time of “Lover of Sin,” they seemed to have even given up on appearing on Christian Death albums.

Christian, Michael X with Demone, Gitane

The Attrition mix of “Satyr,” is quite horrible according to Mrs G, but i would say a sultry vampiric chanteuse.

Christine Plays Viola

One of the best names I’ve heard in ages. Sound kind of like the Church meet the Chameleons with a slightly poppier perhaps even Duran Duran inspired 80s vocal  

Chromatique

Quite 80s and synthy with a touch of prog. Marrilion in black anyone?  

Chuchotements
Bit of a multi-layered beast this one. Some quite Backworldy poems some almost Hildegard von Bingen style religious sounding angelic female vocals. French ethereal-medieval-Goth apparently. Very good. Capable of rocking a military snare when required it would seem. Probably my favourite French ethereal-medieval-Goth band.

Church, the

Australia’s finest soft rock Goths had their biggest break when one of their tracks was used on a fairly successful American teen movie I fail to recall. Mssrs Kilbey, Kopes, Wilson-Piper and Ploog knocked out a string of excellent albums in the 80s and perfectly acceptable ones in the 90s.

Wilson-Piper filled the seat vacated by Sister Tim Brichenno in All About Eve but continued to record with the Church as well.

Tracks such as “Unguarded Moment,” and “Russian Autumn Heart,” are absolute classics and these stand head and shoulders above pretty much all the 90s upstarts.

Church, Charlotte

I have to say I never thought national treasure Charlotte Church would find her way into these pages but with the rather fantastic “Glitter Bombed,” she’s served up a delicious slice of smouldering electro fuzz.

Like many I re-considered my view of the voice of an angel after her fantastic stint as guest presenter on “Have I Got News For You” some years ago but its on this track she comes into her own. Its been out a little while but its taken me this long to resign myself to the fact that I couldn’t buy a record in a shop and then as luck would have it I got a free download from Amazon and away we went. The track is cracking actually and is better than a lot of the toss that is on here.

Lovely- almost a bit EBTG with a very Erasure melody

Intro is the only track on pearls which is their own composition but its up their with that Nosferatu one which I suspect I describe so eloquently elsewhere. “Pearls,” is lovely but is clearly a covers album but without knowing many of the originals its hard to tell if they are adding or subtracting value. “Standing,” is still ace but seems to probably be a VNV Nation cover in which case I suspect it is quite derivative.
“Genesis,” is giving me worrying feelings though, I am thinking Abba at least and I know how well that survives on the net.

Citadel, the

A good healthy stab of Nuclear Blast style Gothic Metal on GMR music  

Claire Voyant

Trancey electro Dubstar morphing into a gentler Moonchild

Clandestine
I guess it is hard to get a real feel for a band from a cover and all I’ve currently heard of Clandestine is a cover of Bowie’s Starman but they’ve got a nice Streets of Philadelphia meets Leonard Cohen kind of vibe going on

Clark, Anne

Claytown Troupe

Around the time every major label tried to bag a Goth band Island went for this lot (I suspect they are still waiting to make a return). Mediocre Cult lite I presume they were selling their souls for MTV.

Cleen
Appear to have their own “Everything I do,” which isn’t the Brian Adams one. Kind of adequate pulsing electro

Cliff and Ivy

Quite Bowieesque with an 80s Goth vibe . I’m sure I could waste a couple of paragraphs speculating about this pairing. In reality all a bit World Serpent.

Music from Macbeth,” appears to pretty much be that a concept piece. Their main claim to fame appears to be being Alaska’s only Goth band. This CDR is interesting enough but I actually had to convert it into something I could play on a proper HiFi so I think it was pretty homegrown which isn’t a bad thing. Fair play to them to be fair. Music is quite minimalist at time and droney.

Clinch

Austrian I believe. Quite an atmospheric mix of electronics and almost classical sweeping sounds. The melody of “Blind,” is quite familiar but I am sure that is coincidence rather than plagiarism.

Liverpool had football, Leeds had Goth, Sheffield had Industrial. I’m pretty certain the DVA hailed from Sheffield and if they didn’t they might as well have. Early 80s Industrial more likely to crop up on a John Hughes soundtrack than on a horror film. Bands like DVA knew how to create atmosphere whilst keeping a beat and a tune. A darker Psychedelic Furs or Simple Minds

Closterkeller

Closterkeller were Siouxise inspired Polish Goth whose 90s output was so prolific it would make an Eldritch blush. Named most of their albums after colours that then allowed for the inspired “Pastel,” for their best of. Majority of their songs are sung in Polish but periodically they switch to English.

Coil
All I have to refer to is “Gold is the Metal,” but which by its own admission is a collection of tracks that Coil didn’t feel fitted within their traditional releases and features as far as I can tell some pretty early material.
It’s very dark experimental industrial of the 80s variety which I think I acquired from a bag of records that came my way via an abandoned flat and that also included “the Idiot,” by Iggy Pop which some proclaim a proto-Goth masterpiece.
All quite listenable but it feels more like controlled noise than music.

Cold Cave

Quality guitar driven post punk/Goth with a nod to the Editors alongside more traditional acts like the Chameleons and the Cure

Cold Colours

Kind of black metal meets Ministry but with a Type-O edge at times. Even some touches of G.O.D and Metallica

Cold Specks

Very listenable American Gothic of the pitchfork and picket fence variety. Owing more than a slight nod to Mazzy star. Distributed by Mute.

Collaborateur

Trip hop industrial with an almost Kate Bush meets Cyndi Lauper undercurrent. Bit of a Hole type American alt rock feel in a very electro way.

Collide

Electro with female vocals and a slightly eastern feel. Tinges of sisters sandstorm. Like opera singing ghosts in a dungeon. Beautiful female vocals, atmospheric bleeps and beat, “Dreams and Illusions,” describes it well

“Chasing the ghost,” is all atmospheric and sultry with a hint of “Under the Gun,” going on. Another band to have a stab at “White Rabbit,” and some element of a Faith and the Muse crossover going on.

Atmospheric, ethereal female vocals but over sinister ethereal albeit sinister trip hopish electro industrial apart from the bits when it goes country. Eminently listenable.

Collosloth

Every time “You Flag Stands for Nothing,” came on my car stereo i thought that’s another car stereo USB port fucked then as the heavy distortion was reminiscent of anything played through our old one but there would be breaks of rather sweet sounding music to give me hope all was not lost. Not quite dungeon enough for my tastes as background music and not quite enough happens for it to be foreground sadly.

Colluquio

a kind of industrial in the building site sense beat with xylophone (or maybe glockenspiel- whichever is the metal one) with a bit of the Sisters Sandstorm vibe

Colony 5

Absolute top notch euro-industrial that remind me of Wolfsheim and their ilk but which also reminds why I am the only one of my friends that actually enjoys the Eurovision Song Contest and their euro-electro-tastic acts. Thus far my favourite “gothapedia,” band of 2010. I would certainly recommend you check out anything you can by this lot.

Coloursound

Bit of a supergroup this one featuring Billy Duffy, Craig Adams and Mike Peters. Musically melodic light alt-rock featuring exactly the ingredients you’d expect from the members although it is the Mission influences that find it hardest to make themselves heard.

Comsat Angels
Never really realised this lot were Goth so probably missed out on multiple bargains over the years but anyway this lot signed to Jive, home of Tight Fit do a kind of Simple Minds take on the whole synth Goth thing. Perfectly listeanable as far as I can judge. Suspect they may have had an edgier earlier indie period than the land LP which is my yardstick. little bit of that slightly funky late Danse Society/into a circle kind of vibe too. also quite Ultravox.

Concrete Rage

Pumping high energy drums and raging arpeggiated synths with crunched chanted vocals over the top. Not really sure what else one might have imagined from a band called Concrete Rage though. Very mid/late 90s sound

Consequence

OK electronic Industrial  Almost trip-Goth at times.

Consono

“Send your dreams,” is fairly dreamy soundscapes I guess, quite inoffensive, would rather have that than some of the nightmares gothapedia bands invoke

Construggle Test

A European Electro Crass in pretty much every sense of the word. Even the typescript confirms they are influenced and there is a clear ethical line running through. Very late 80s sounding industrial and well worth a listen if only because they wear their conscience on their sleeves. A little bit Sisterhood at times.

Contaminated Intelligence

Sufficiently inoffensive electronica for me to get to the end of a track and not think of anything to say

Nice electro with growly vocals

Contrast

Good up tempo bleepy electro stuff. For some reason decide to include (in the albeit small) band photo Maiike who is only billed as part of the live crew but to be fair the main duo are two fairly average looking blokes and she looks quite a hotty and probably enough to persuade those sitting on the fence to go and see them live. Signed to a Dutch label that wouldn’t seem an unlikely country of origin and seem to be chums with Clan of Xymox which is a plus. Perfectly listenable and you could almost imagine them soundtracking a cyberpunk episode of Doctor Who.

Contrastate

Nice epic, a bit dungeon but more in a soundtrack kind of way. Seems to get described as prog but deifintely Dark Ambient in my book. No idea where the CD appeared from though (Throwing out the baby with the bathwater) but track one is so quiet for most of it that on my laptop the whir of the CD is louder than the music!

Controlled Fusion

Decent bleepy industrial with a nice bit of sample news style speech. German duo

Converter
“Death Time,” starts with a bit of shouting that sounds more like Jabba the Hut than any language I can recognise before going full on pumped up techno industrial. That’s a drum machine turned up to 11 (and they never turn it down)

Corporal Feast

Typical bleepy electro with shouting growly vocals. At least capable of the odd tempo change to add a bit of variety. Also has a feel of cheap old computer music (I’m picturing Castlevania.)

Corpus
Little bit trip hop a little bit madchester with their beats with some Deep Forest beats. I presume not to be confused with the Delicti’s below

Corpus Delicti

Scary vocals that conjure up the image of a sever headmistress over up tempo guitar work. Musically feels a bit like Manuskript.

Cortext Defect
“Heart of Dust,” starts with the same three notes I always play on my synth when I am devoid of inspiration and then the vocals kick in which remind of people like Wolfsheim but with a very 80s feel, perhaps a bit Ultravox

Corvus Corax

Imagine a Turkish Jean Michel Jarre only signed to World Serpeant and playing bagpipes rather than synthesisers.

No bear with... Preposterous though this sounds it is kind of what Corvus Corax are, or at least can be. They seem to have been going for years with a fairly sizeable ouput so my limited exposure could be unrepresentative of their wider ouvre.

First brought to my attention in concert video form on the “Asleep by Dawn,” DVD, their live show albeit one staged with the intention of capturing for prosperity was massive with orchestras and costumes and everything you would expect of the pre-mentioned Frenchman. On record, or at least on the two I subsequently acquired they are world musictastic eastern rhythms and ethnic instruments that could come from a Peter Gabriel soundtrack album.

Actually from Germany, East Germany when they started but certainly have a very eastern sound.

Costello, John

“Lock load aim fire” begins in a very Castlevania computer game style before turning into a crunchy vocalled Colony 5/Wolfsheim type disco Goth vibe

Count Bachula

You wait years for a Christmas Goth CD and... Traditional Christmas songs played on harpsichord and organ. Packaging was so cheesey i was almost scared off but the music holds up remarkably well if you particularly want sinister takes on Christmas classics

Court of the Star Chamber

formed Nottingham 2002

These Goth Rock legends started life as a five piece and the inclusion of Intra-Venus's Appollos lead to some dismissing them as simply an IV hobby project but it was when they were stripped to the duo of the Kaiser and Nicodemus after the completion of their first album, Headless Trees that COTSC hit their creative peak.
After a further stunning album (Roses in the River) and equally strong mini-album Gothic Tales which saw Lady Cassandra return briefly on backing vocals the traditional COTSC sound took a more industrial direction on tracks such as Jesus Saves.

The band mothballed their planned third album proper due to a broken computer and a very messy attic studio

Covenant
Stalker (albeit a club version) starts off quite trancey in an Ibitha style before going a little more hard electro-industrial. Very dapper looking young men.

Cradle/Grave

Atmospheric, a bit electronic, quite bleepy. Can be quite melodic and almost Robert Miles like at times and at others quite minimalist and soundtracky. Another one that can go all Peter Gabriel’s Passion when required but equally Jean Michelle Jarre at his more industrial. When there are vocals they tend to spoil it. Some sampling that sounds like it might be Sean, everyone’s favourite Bond, Connery and Alec, Obi-wan, Guinness works pretty well.
Cradle of Filth

I can't say i ever considered "the filth" a goth band although the boundaries between goth and black/doom metal can be pretty blurry but they are worth a mention if only for the wonderful scenes starring Richmond in the IT crowd.

Cramps, the

I have to confess that I hadn't consciously heard the Cramps until very recently although obviously I was familiar with them as a concept and I suspect that I have heard one or two of their tracks over the years.

The band seem to epitomise Gothabilly although that is a term I that only seems to have recently entered the lexicon. Anyway its exactly what this lot have been doing for years.

They absolutely look the part and there is little to distinguish their original tracks from their rock n roll covers with a if it aint broke approach. I don't think the world is a worse place because of the Cramps but I'm not sure I'd particularly notice if they ceased to exhist.

Crane
Not new and not plural amazingly vocally remarkably similar to the Long March. Have the late 80s early 90s kind of feel about them with a touch of the Cult and Damned in the vocals.

Quite poppy a bit churchy and that REM tinge that Flesh 4 Lulu had going for a bit. Appear to be a 4 piece from Newcastle upon Tyne circa 1990.

 Crane, Louise Patricia

I think I have said elsewhere on these pages that the Babylonian Tiles were like a Gothic Jethro Tull but I have to say our Louise is the Gothic Jethro Tull with Ian Anderson on flute and everything. Where he isn’t sprinkling his woodwind magic, debut album, Deep Blue, is late era All About Eve. Even the name of Louise’s record label, Peculiar Doll, is totally ace.

Cranes

Whilst most Goth bands with an issue with nepotism are a pair of brothers, Cranes are instead a brother sister affair.

Knocking out a fairly ethereal almost Cocteau’s sound, Cranes are placed at the progressive early 90s edge of the scene.

Crazyhead

Lumped in with the Stourbridge centred grebo scene Crazyhead seemed to always manage to keep one foot in the Goth camp a feat that rewarded them with a place on the glorious Mission come back tour along with AAE in the late 90s.

Rockier than some of their Grebo contemporary’s the Head, “Have love, will travel,” kept their place on the alt-rock disco turntable for many years.

Creamers
I can’t believe this lot aren’t Goths given their creepy dripping letter logo’s and the way they look but musically its pretty average relatively pacey hardcore type punk. “Love, Honour and Obey,” is released through Sympath For The Record Industry which is an American label I’ve seen mentioned on many occasion but know little about. Wouldn’t be out of place on your average pub Goth all dayer circa 1986.

Creaming Jesus

“Guilt by Association,” contains some of the best Goth tunes of the late 80s/early 90s most notably “lilies” and “I lost my faith,”

The Jesus were contemporary’s of ENDG, Rosetta Stone and the Screaming Marionettes and after the Stone were probably the most successful in the quartet

Infamous for their cover of “Temple of Love,” apparently taken from a rehearsal the hard to find classic! Eventually cropped up on Jungle compilation Gothic Party Time.

Their crusty style was mixed with a (for the most part) high tempo punk inspired aural assault leaving vocalist Andy struggling to keep up.

Creatures, the
The Creatures were the experimental tribal side project of Siouxsie and Budgie which they would turn to periodically whenever they wanted freedom from the Banshees and eventually embracing full time for a period before realising nothing pays the mortgage like releasing albums under your most famous alias regardless of your line up (just ask Dave Gedge.)
In all incantations the Creatures gave S+B opportunities to be more creative than when feeding the inevitable corporate Banshee beast and tend to be simply an alternative direction rather than the self indulgence one might fear.

Crematory

First time I listened to this lot I thought I’ve been had in the way you can describe anything as anything on amazon and some mug will buy it (it’s Selectadisc’s Goth section all over again) and then I gave it a second chance and though perhaps I’ve been a bit harsh. They’re actually rather good gothic metal with nice big atmospheric build ups, the only thing that spoils it a little is the tendency to fall back on that old cliché growly vocals. Probably from Germany and in the early noughties were still selling branded shorts, the last pair I had were Utah Saints ones which I think dates that particular fashion statement. Quite an American feel for a European band. Must go I am off to see if the shorts are still available on the internet.

Crime and the City Solution

Folk/County tinged darkness from one time Birthday Party attendee Mick Harvey. Rather like Johnny Cash singing for the Party but with lightly less scariness

Comeback album “American Twilight,” is American Gothic at its very best. Think Johnny Cash playing DM or NIN. If they’d heard this the producers of True Blood would have inevitably hired this lot as the house band. Whereas I thought there early work didn’t quite hit the spot this is the darkest alt-country you’ll ever hear (if you hope to get out alive) plus bloody amazingly it got reviewed in yesterdays chip wrapper today publication Metro. At times makes me think of Drums
Arguably these should be as big as the Arcade Fire and when they hit their groove they could be them.

Crimes of Passion

Imagine if the Church did dark folk. There is something decidedly similar about the guitar sound but in Backworld style song structures and I thought that before I realised they appeared to be Australian so no unconscious bias

Crimson Muddle

A folky Siouxsie Inccubus. That is a good thing!

Crisk

Shouty electro released on Alfa Matrix albeit very bouncy and cheerful shouting

croc/shop

imagine Apotygma Beserk with Yoda on vocals. there’s three of them although it is unclear how many are Jedi’s. Seem to have a bit of a bent towards Depeche Mode aesthetics and their sampling has a real Orbs Adventures in the Ultraworld feel. Sadly they don’t over exploit Frank Oz’s vocal talents and it soon reverts to standard electro industrial of a (sub) post FLA style. That’s not to say they come across as perfectly competent. capable of suddenly launching into cheesy 80s synth based new age a la the old Robin Hood theme tune. Certainly prepared to try different things on “order Joy,” but the underlying influence is probably DM meets Sheep on Drugs. Growing on me all the time. Don’t understand the name though.

Croninmantal

Fairly traditional electro industrial

Cruciform

Industrial lite with touches of the ubiquitous Castlevania soundtrack. Not averse to a bit of almost Gregorian dark atmospherics. Nice epic piano and Germanic sounding brooding Male vocals over the top.

Crude Slope

Minimalist shouty industrial

Cruxshadows, the
initially thinking Marc Almond but not convinced I’ve hit the nail perfectly on the head. Rather good though and goes a bit classical. Singer has really familiar sounding singing voice that I can’t quite place. Possibly Scottish and almost whiney in a non-grating kind of way

Crvel

You know what these Mexican Goth bands are like.. noisy and quite mid-90s sounding
Cryo

When “Want it,” started I thought at first it was going to burst into something along the lines of “Spaceman,” by Babylon Zoo but instead it is something much more sinister

Cryogenica

“re-animation” was released in 2010. It sound like it could have been a good 15 years earlier with a classic mid-90s sound with quality female vocals. Released on Resurrection back when they were still a place of pilgrimage. Hints of Inkubus but I suppose that is far from surprising

Cubanate

Cubanate are typical rubbish noisy industrial. Their nearly claim to fame was that they were going to support the Sisters at their abandoned NEC show promoted by some over confident arsehole called Storm, Cloud, Wanker or somesuch.

Needless to say I have two unused tickets that left me with a £40 hole on my pocket.

A very poor mans Sheep on Drugs without the humour.

Very heavy bleepy

Cuddly Toys

More electro than Goth. If the record I have didn’t look so genuine I would suspect these were made up for the Hunting Venus tv special or a Mighty Boosh episode.

Very Ultravox although b-side of “Someone’s Crying,” EP is a bit more proto Goth.

Lovely anchor cheek motif.

Cult, the

The Cult are, well the Cult. “She Sells Sanctuary” is the ultimate Goth rock anthem. They supported Guns n Roses at Milton Keynes bowl. They are the only Goth song you will hear at a crap wedding and you can’t not love them. Formerly the Death Cult, previously the Southern Death Cult they are running out of opportunities to truncate.

Cure, the

There is a single sound derived in the late 70s and early 80s that pretty much makes the first offerings of U2, New Model Army and the Cure indistinguishable yet despite near identical beginnings the three blossomed in very different ways.

Although perhaps not a bona fide goth band proper the Cure are probably the most universally acclaimed and commercially successful band ever to be tagged with the G word.

Starting out as a dark punk band blasting out hits such as “Boys Don’t Cry,” as the 80s progressed they developed their sound becoming bigger, better and more stadium friendly.

Musically they peaked with Disintegration containing their near perfect Pictures of You although commercially the uk number one album Wish, surpassed it and top 10 single “Friday I’m in Love,” not only opened the door to a far wider fan base but also dismissed a long running joke in zeitgeisty sketch show the Mary Whitehouse Experience. 

The last ten years have been spent on a splitting up, releasing an album, splitting up cycle although Bob and the boys are finally due to receive a godlike achievement award or something form the NME imminently.

Curl
Minimalist electro but the drums keep sounding like they are going to kick in any moment

Current 93

Truly disturbing apocalyptic folk band and David Tibet who would play with whoever happened to be floating around out the time enabling a hugely prolific output.

In the great Goth family tree the band are inbred with Death in June, Strawberry Switchblade and Nurse with Wound.

Curve

Another ethereal act that along with AAEs move towards shoe gazing should have created the sound of the mid 90s if the scene hadn’t completely collapsed and squirreled itself underground with the unchallenging unimaginative guitar rock sound.

Toni Halliday could have been the new Siouxsie Sioux if things had panned out differently.

Cybele
I think this lot have had consideration before but not sufficiently to give them credit. You can imagine them playing at the Bronze in Buffy, they have that sort of atmospheric feel. Clearly Scandinavian and seem to have Archie’s style cartoon avatar’s albeit cooler and gothier. Do those Smashing Pumpkins/Feeder style big choruses. Some of the stripped back bits remind me of some of the more acoustic AAE.
Cyber-tec

I found this eponymous CD confusing t first and was struggling to identify whether it was actually a compilation. There were after all references to other Cyber-tec artists but equally all tracks were penned by the same name. I think Cyber-Tec for the purposes of the CD are a single entity, a spin off of Front 242 lead by Jean-Luc De Meyer but the name comes from a record label that this isn’t released on! Musically they are rather nice soft industrial with an almost poppy Wolfsheim kind of sound.

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