And the best 25 albums of 2021 are…

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Over the past 12 months Inferno Sound Diaries‘ Stéphane Froidcoeur selected nearly 750 productions of which 600 also got a review on Side-Line. Some productions have been refused because the style of music didn’t fit, while a lot of reviews are still to be published in 2022.

Stéphane: “I’m really grateful to all labels, bands and promoters considering my work and efforts and I hope they’ll keep on providing me new promos next year. My greatest gratitude and thank goes once again to Rich Bova (NEIKKA RPM) who for years and years now is reading, correcting and improving the reviews. I don’t have enough words to express my gratitude and without Rich I simply would have to stop this job. No need to say I’ve been once again disappointed by a few so-called ‘artists’ and label owners. The attitude and lack of respect shown by those people -luckily a very few number, is just disgusting… but I’m afraid it reflects the world we’re living in… Behind a genius artist is not always hiding a great person…”

2021 has been also a very special year for Stéphane as he celebrated his 30th anniversary of journalism with an impressive series of interviews featuring very different people from this scene. Stéphane : “Big thanks to Séba Dolimont, Suicide Commando, Juno Reactor, Raison D’Être, Jürgen Vanvlasselaer, Rich Bova, Armageddon Dildos and Bernard Van Isacker who kindly accepted to contribute to this celebration.”

Here are the interviews conducted:

Like every year Stéphane has made a selection from the best albums of the year. This Top 25 covers different styles like EBM, Dark-Electro, IDM, Synth-Pop, Ethereal, Dark-Ambient, Industrial, Cinematographic, Gothic, Post-Punk, Dark-Techno and a few related genres and is taken from the promotional material we got while compilations, ‘best of’-productions, EP’s and singles were not considered for this ‘best of’.

But now, here are the 25 best albums!

Rome – “Parlez-Vous Hate?” – Trisol
Circumpolar – “Awaiting The Dawn” – Alfa Matrix
Clicks – “Goth” – Dependent Records
Of The Wand And The Moon – “Your Love Can’t Hold This Wrath Of Sorrow” – Heidrunar Mykrunar
Crystal Geometry – “Distressing Visions” – Sonic Groove
Mechanimal – “Θόρυβος” – Inner Ear Records
Raison D’être – “Demonum“ – Cyclic Law
Zwaremachine – “Conquest 3000” – Phage Tapes
Eclipsed – “Holyiens” – Electro Frequent
Nattskiftet – “Stamplar In” – Progress Productions
Nnhmn – “Deception Island 2” – Zoharum
This Morn’omina – “The Roots Of Saraswati” – Dependent Records
Skrika – “Fifth Nature” – Cryo Chamber
Llumen – “Polygon Heart” – Alfa Matrix
Not My God – “Simulacra” – Metropolis
Seasurfer – “Metropolis” – Reptile Music
Ps Stamps Back – “Au Bout De La Nuit” – Ant-Zen
The Illusion Of Silence – “Gardens In The Dark” – Shadowplay
She Spread Sorrow – “Huntress” – Cold Spring Records
Blutengel – “Fountain Of Destiny” – Out Of Line
Agonoize – “Revelation Six Six Sick” – Reporecords
The Force Dimension – “Mortal Cable” – Sonic Groove Experiments
Cubic – “The Cubic Alphabet” – Alfa Matrix
Pyrroline – “Struggling” – Electro Aggression Records
Beckahesten – “Tydor” – Cyclic Law

Eldrina Mich

As Eldrina Mich I work as a go-between and a devil's advocate when it comes to Side-Line. If our own staff needs to be interviewed then ask the questions no one else dares to ask.

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