Bomb Boutique

Sad to hear about the passing of Lou Koller. Sick Of It All was an important influence to me end of the 80s. Blood, Sweat And No Tears introduced me to the Hardcore universe that became a global movement in the early #90s. Here‘s a shot I took at #ZecheCarl in Essen in 92. I think I have posted it here

I am no big bootleg fan. Shitty to mediocre sound, often recordings out off the audience with too much talking. I am also no big Scorpions fan, but I really dig their 70s stuff. And here‘s the catch. An album showcasing their live broadcast not far from our hometown for @wdr which I listened to as a kid with my parents who were big fans. You might guess, the transfer is likely from a cassette recording and sounds like this. Plus funny, naive Klaus Meine banter in between some songs. It‘s no audiophile experience, but a nice walk on memory lane.

It‘s criminal that Rachel Brooke is still an Underground artist. I‘ve been follwoing her since the A Killer‘s Dream album and she became one of my favorite Country songwriters, releasing one killer album after another. This One‘s For You is no different, apart from bein quite Honky Tonk. It‘s funny and deep. It‘s dancy and rockin‘. And one of my favorite albums of 2026 so far. Perfectly in line with great releases by India Ramey, Charly Marie or Emily Nenny this year.

Going shiny with SIIE’s Acme today. The duo flawlessly merges raw EBM basslines with nostalgic Postpunk grit. Every track breathes a cinematic, gloomy French-pop atmosphere. The masks and Anne-Marie’s striking latex-fetish aesthetic are not a mere gimmick; they act as a second skin, reflecting the music's tight, glossy tension. Her hypnotic, icy vocals pierce through walls of analogue synthesizers. It is a brilliant, electronic avant-garde trip for true underground purists. A definitive must-listen that will dominate the dark club dancefloors.

Spirit Adrift recently released their final album. If it came riff driven Stoner to Doom monsters, Spirit Adrift often was first choice to do some rounds on my turntable. Here‘s Forge Your Future EP doing some aural damage

The 2010‘s and beyond brought a variety of Post Punk bands of the next generation. Ritual Howls is one of them, hailing from Detroit. Spicing their sometimes cineastic sound with typical Indie Rock to Industrial Rock notes. Turkish Leather was the first album I ever listened to and had it in my streaming library for a long time until I eventually purchased this fine repress. Pretty cool live band too. You‘ll find some past gig pics from their Berlin shows in my timeline.

Ladies and Gentlemen. Mr. Dale Watson. Unwanted? Nor sure. I wanted to see him play live every time I was in TX. And it was always enjoyable. Lone Star promotion included. Unwanted is already one of my favorite Dale Watson releases. Killer voice, movin honky tonk rhythms. On play all month and beyond.

Vinyl Wednesday with some Black Metal vibes. Krieg‘s Ruiner dropped like a rotten stench of an ancient mariner corpse. The album floats like driftwood in a pool of Black Metal, Crust and Despair. Perfect for hot weather.

India Ramey, my favorite Country Goth! I‘ve been following India Ramey since her Baptized by the Flame album and was lucky seeing her performing at Americana Music Week in Nashville last year. I love her style and stories. Often wrapped in a bangin Honky Tonk rhythm. Her new release Villain Era picks up where Baptized ended. And it‘s again a killer album which has been on rotation since its arrival.

David Allan Coe. When he passed recently, I realized just having one album from him. Just Divorced might not be his best from a legacy perspective, but a very personal one. And it certainly features the best artwork from all of his albums. Released in 1984 it could also score as a hair metal band artwork from that decade. Unfortunately Cocaine Carolina is not featured on this version but it holds a few favorites, particular on Side B.

Among all those great Trad Metal revivalists from the German language area, there‘s Morax from Sweden. They released this banger last year and with The Amulet, adding some Swedish Street Rock vibe. It‘s one of my favorite Metal releases from 2025. check out my favorite track Thousand Names which lies behind this post.

I always love to bring records from festivals. Forms of Hands 25 was a good opportunity and my old pal Mirco from Audiophob recommended to check out Darkrad, a one woman Ambient Noise project. 13 years of Melancholia compiles some dense and dark works, which want to forget your silly Dungeon Synth affinity. Even cinematic in some moments. This fine box comes with the CD, some fine art photos and a bonus 7‘‘. What a gem!

This one finally made it to vinyl. And with some additional tracks! Venetian Snares‘ Traditional Synthesizer Music defines how I understand conemporary Synth. No Retro Minimal Wave, Synthpop or horrible Dungen Synth. Fantastic futuristic and all played live on analogue equipment. An absolute gem in my collection.

My favorite Ghouls for some violent fun today. Transmission Zero has been rippin‘ my Marshalls for wuit some years and eventually made it into my vinyl collection with this splatter edition. Total bangin’ rager and must own for anyone with a respectable Death/Thrash collection.