About The Site

What is this place?

This is a Joomla-operated website primarily aimed at reviews and expressing opinions on industrial, gothic, darkwave and other related genres of music.  It's also intended as a repository for DJ setlists undertaken by the writers, and also reference material relating to the genre.  We reserve the right to cover any other topics that may interest us, but the primary focus will be writing about the music.

Who is behind all this?

Jonny EOL.  Former editor of EOL-Audio, occasional DJ, industrial'n'goth music guru and now a newly appointed Information Architect of the 'organise and channel the info' variety (as opposed to the glorified web designer some make the profession out to be).

What's your e-mail address?

To prevent spamming, we haven't published it directly.  Get in touch via the Contact Form, and we can start e-mail correspondence once you've sent the first message.

What Was EOL-Audio and where did it go?

EOL-Audio was the website that operated from October 1998 through to the end of 2006.  A full history of the site has been included on this site.

What's with the name?

The name originates from Jonny's 2 years spent living in Cockfosters, North London.  Living at the end of the Piccadilly Line, every night he would be greeted by the voice 'THIS TRAIN TERMINATES HERE - ALL CHANGE, PLEASE'.

It was a strictly personal thing, until April 1st 2008, when he decided that it would be a good April Fools prank to form a fictional band entitled 'Terminates Here', allegedly a rough hybrid of Nitzer Ebb and Sham 69.  Only got a few people to fall for it, but it was generally agreed that the name was too good not to use.  So now it's been claimed for this place.

Are You Still Doing Band Profiles

Many contributions to Wikipedia were derived from EOL-Audio material, either brought across just after the site closed or just copied without asking. The info is out there and there's nothing to gain anything from asserting rights. That DOESN'T mean you can copy reviews from here without credit. Unlike profiles, there's more personal stake in the reviews and so whilst we have no objection to other sites re-using writing from this site, they MUST credit appropriately and link back here.

Of course, some bands covered are far too obscure for Wikipedia, so there are plans to include some here, if we can find people willing to write them, and do it properly.  That part of the project has yet to take off though.

Are You Looking For Other Writers?

Yes - one man can't cover everything, even if that one man does cover quite a wide spread of the genre.  We'd be interested in taking on other writers, though please note that the majority of the reviews are off the back of personal purchases, and ergo anyone joining in would need to accept that they would be doing it out of their own goodwill, reviewing their purchases in an honest and informed manner.

We're particular after people who can cover the sub-genres I don't.  These being:

• Deathrock and Horror-Punk.  Trad-goth in the core sense is already featured, but the deathrockers seem to have taken themselves off in a sub-sub-genre of their own, and I'd really like some input from someone who understands what they're up to!
• The 'Extreme Dance' styles - Breakcore, Digital Hardcore (oft-demanded on EOL-Audio, pity I didn't like or understand it!) and all the other 'core styles.
• Really old-school industrial.  The EBM/industrial dance side of things is covered, but stuff in the Throbbing Gristle and Whitehouse area needs more attention.  Most people in this highly elitist subgenre seem to publically masturbate over the few remaining bands practising the style - I'd really like someone who can cover it impartially! We do touch upon some neofolk, martial and Cold Meat Industry stuff, but a specialist in the style would still be welcome.
• 'National scene' music that gets little attention out of it's home country.  Most of the stuff I cover is from Northern Europe and North America, because it's the style I have the most access to.  We'd love to stretch further afield, but it'd need someone with better contacts in the country concerned to really carry it off.   The scenes in Australia, New Zealand, Central and South America, Russia and other nations could all be covered, but it'd take a local expert to do any more than touch on the surface of what they do.
• J-Rock - a very specific example of the above.  Many Japanese bands seem to have found an affiliation with the scene, though it's not clear how.  If someone out there can explain it, and can explain it in the context of reviews, we'd be really grateful.

Please understand that we only want writers who 'know their stuff' and can justify their commentary.  Someone who gives only good reviews to every band in a particular subgenre and only bad reviews to everything else hasn't really got to grips with the idea of this site.

We'd also really like a designer to help me come up with a better theme.  I'm not a graphic designer and have always struggled to make my sites look in any way contemporary.  But I've had many offers of help which have amounted to nothing more than a few images that aren't any use to me out of context.  Again, it'd be done for free (web designers charge a lot for what they do and I don't have corporate funding to support their rates), but maybe goodwill isn't dead?

Will You Link To My Site?

We'd be happy to indulge in some link exchange, but only with sites covering similar (but not necessarily identical) topics to my own.  I haven't found many live 'goth'nrelated music review' sites of late, but maybe there's some out there that just haven't been Search Engine Optimised.

About The Reviews

Are You Still Doing Live Reviews

Jonny has no plans to, though other writers could re-introduce them. Indeed, it was the issues surrounding live reviews that pushed EOL-Audio under. One cannot enjoy a gig wholeheardedly when one is half-thinking of the eventual review, especially when under pressure to take photos. Also, there are so many 'variables' at a live gig that a 'man in the crowd' isn't aware of. So often, a band would contact EOL-Audio to complain about the monitors, promoters, soundsystem, lager, groupies (or lack of), etc, that the pressure was on to modify what the original writing. It never happened, but such pressures are never welcome.

About The Genre Definitions

You Can't Pigeonhole Bands?  Genre Definitions Are A Load Of Rubbish!

[Sighs].  I get this all the time.  Worse, I get it primarily from 'alpha goths' who love to get on their high horses are usually able to win arguments through popularity and charisma rather than rational and informed discussion.  So I'm going to make my case and move on.

They're not pigeonholes.  They're descriptors, a kind of musical shorthand.  A method of describing a collection of musical elements that are often found together.  Genre definitions work because they allow people to describe what bands sound like without having to give the BPM, rhythmic/melodic style, instrumentation, scale and otherwise delve into music theory.  If you're going

It's true that some of the definitions ain't that well established.  And where that's the case, I'VE SAID IT IN THE TEXT!!!  The definitions are useful, but they're ultimately limited.  I want you to click through and hopefully discover  something you've never heard of.  I'm happy to discuss the cotent with anyone who can piece together a rational argument on the issue, but I don't want to know if you object to the whole concept.

Did You Get Permission To Use Those Samples?

No - it's a case of relying on Fair Use to justify their presence.  No sample is more than 45 secs long and they've been quality-degraded to 96kbs (significantly lower that iTunes/eMusic quality).  They're equivalent to the samples you can get when 'previewing' music when buying it online.  They're here for illustrative puposes ONLY.  I am NOT attempting to steal anyone elses music. Given the number of samples needed, it simply wouldn't be practical for a one-man project which generates no money to get clearance for them all.

If you MUST insist that I take your sample down, I will.  But before you do, you should really focus on getting the complete song taken off of YouTube.  And then stop the filesharing sites from giving a complete copy away for free.  And then you need to consider that I'm giving the band some free publicity - any sample here is, after all, here because I regard it as a 'definitive' example of a style. 

Again, if it's a case of 'take the sample down or we set the lawyers on you', I'll take it down.  But you'll only prove in my mind that the people who call the shots in the music industry are a bunch of humourless money-grabbers.  Some people really need to get a life.

This Genre Is All Wrong!

Then comment about it, and say WHY!  It might be my site, but I'm not so proud that I'll never change anything.

Can you include 'xxxxxxx' as a genre?

If I'm convinced that it's got enough 'critical mass' to justify it's own section AND I'm convinced that it fits into the whole goth/industrial/dark/schwarze szene, I'll add it (but could use your help in the process).  Genres already close-but-not-quite-making it in are here.

The player doesn't work/I Can't See It!

The player requires Flash.  I didn't want to use Flash but their isn't a usable alternative for Joomla yet that doesn't.  I'm aware that the player has issues with Internet Explorer 6, but you shouldn't be using this browser any more anyway.  If you're stuck with it 'cause you're at work, well, you shouldn't be reading this at work anyway.  Go and do something more useful, and leave this 'till you get home.