Posts Tagged ‘aggrotech’

Frontal Boundary – Failure

Posted: 10 March 2026 in Albums, Reviews
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3rd February 2026

Christopher Nosnibor

Founded in 2002 by Brendan Ross, Frontal Boundary have been mining a seam of aggrotech, synth-pop, and raw emotional expression for almost a quarter of a century (mid 00’s hiatus notwithstanding, which meant that it wasn’t until 2012 that debut album Electronic Warfare emerged).

As the title of their latest offering indicates, this is an album brimming with nihilism, frustration, darkness. The expansive-sounding ‘Remember’ is one of those intro tracks which in a way create a false expectation of something a bit mellow, a robotix voice announcing ‘We are Frontal Boundary’ over a cinematic, semi-ambient drift and an easy, mid-tempo beat. And of course, this all changes with ‘Burn’, which slams in hard with a heavy stomp and snarling, distorted vocals, with words like ‘destruction’ and ‘corruption’ emerging and essentially telling you what you need to know.

While decidedly dancey in its synths which soar and stab across thumping basslines and relentless thudding beats, there’s something unflinchingly dark and nasty about Failure, not least of all the heavily-processed, dehumanised vocals, but equally, the sample selections are unsettling – even seemingly innocuous snippets take on sinister overtones in context, in the way that children’s voices sound menacing in horror movies.

Failure is very much cut from the same cloth as Controlled Bleeding and Mussolini Headkick and a bunch of late 80s / early 90s Wax Trax! stuff, and in places – as on ‘Hollow’ and ‘Hate’ Frontal Boundary really go all out on the aggressive rave stylings. The latter feels perhaps a shade light for the subject – musically that is: the vocals are strangled, scorched, demonic. Is black metal rave a thing? If not, Frontal Boundary may be pioneers of a new genre.

It’s high octane, Hi-NRG, and while the lead synths are poppy and dancey as anything, the overall vibe, with the contrasting vocals in particular, is gnarly, and harsh. It’s a juxtaposition which works well: although the musical style and vocal delivery are both genre tropes, the way in which Frontal Boundary draw them together feels fresh, innovative, powerful, and proof positive that there is no success like failure.

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The Fair Attempts – Null Guide

Posted: 8 March 2026 in Albums, Reviews
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27th February 2026

Christopher Nosnibor

After standalone single ‘Apart’, which featured Jaani Peuhi, at the end of February last year, Finnish dystopian industrialists The Fair Attempts, set to building anticipation for their next album with the release of ‘Anniversary of Our Destruction’ in December. And followed up with ‘Ghost Within’ in January.

‘Nothing’s Gonna be Alright’ sets the album’s level of optimism with a title that speaks for itself. It also sets the tempo and energy level, too, hitting hard in the form of a pounding, abrasive aggrotech stomp with snarling distorted vocals. But it’s far from devoid of melody, and boasts a chorus that’s an instant grab. ‘Freedom is Just a Word’ brings the roar and rage – not to mention the dynamics of Downward Spiral era Nine Inch Nails, with ‘Heresy’ making a particularly obvious touchstone.

‘Ghost Within’, then, marks a change of tone, dialling down the aggression for a poppier sound taking a step back from raging outward to turn the focus inward for a moment of reflection. And what we find is dark and paranoid, the affects of the grim world we live in on the psyche:

The ghost within

Under your skin

Feeding of your fear

Inside your mind

Like a parasite

It’s waiting

Of course, this is precisely how the mechanisms of control operate. Keep the people scared, keep the people compliant. We’re seeing this the world over now. People are scared of their own governments – and if they’re not, they’re either ignorant or deluded.

‘It’s All Fraud’ covers so many bases, but the phrase essentially summarises the foundations of capitalism and global power right now. Never before has the corruption ruled so completely. The song itself is a pure blast of industrial dance which hits hard.

Slowing things for another goth-tinged anthem with ‘Shadowplay’ (not a cover of the Joy Division song), the pace and power suddenly step up in the closing minute for a driving finish. These guys really know how to whip up a frenzy and get the blood and the adrenaline pumping with persistent, pulsating beats and throbbing bass grooves.

The title track again marks a shift in tone towards a more melancholic atmosphere, drawing together allusions to later Depeche Mode, only denser and more industrial, and it leads a closing triptych of dense, dark atmospheric songs. This softer conclusion in the wake of all the flames and all the rage is welcome, and by no means feels like an easing of tension – or an anticlimax – but instead feels like an opening up to reveal a fragility hitherto covered by the armour of anger. In closing, a calmness descends, and it’s tinged with sadness, a sense of submission, even – maybe.

Null Guide is a powerful album, and the source of that strength shifts over its course, demonstrating considerable sonic and emotional versatility, with a tangible sense of there being an arc of progression between beginning and end.

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Listen: ‘Viral Decay’ by Dawn of Ashes

Posted: 27 February 2026 in Recommended Streams and Videos, Singles and EPs
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The dark electronic/aggrotech act Dawn Of Ashes (DOA) have released a new single entitled ‘Viral Decay’ today. The second track to be issued from forthcoming new album Anatomy Of Suffering, it captures the ugliness, exhaustion and isolation of inner decay while fully embracing the classic DOA sound – harsh synths, aggressive rhythms and oppressive atmospheres – and paying homage to their genre’s old-school brutality.

“‘Viral Decay’ is a confrontation with inner darkness; not a glorification of death, but a sonic descent into mental corrosion,” explains DOA founder and frontman Kristof Bathory. “It explores the slow mental collapse caused by overwhelming despair and suicidal ideation. Through visceral imagery and repetition, it portrays a mind infected by hopelessness, emotional numbness and self-destruction, exposing the brutal reality of living inside a breaking mind.”

‘Viral Decay’ follows the recent ‘Penumbra (feat. Suicide Commando)’, a powerful collaboration with the veteran Belgian artist Johan Van Roy. Both songs are available on ‘Anatomy Of Suffering’, a new album by DOA out on 20th March. A darker, heavier, and more focused chapter in the group’s evolution, it brings together raw atmosphere with precision production and features some notable collaborations.

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Hasswult – Sauerstoff

Posted: 8 April 2025 in Albums, Reviews
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Negative Gain Productions – 21st April 2025

James Wells

Sometimes, an album really slaps you round the face with its sheer force and brutal intensity. Boom! Sauerstoff, the latest from Hasswut is one of those albums. No two ways about it: this one is a real face-melter.

Technoindustrial acts in the vein of KMFDM are ten a penny, and while Europe has long been a hotbed for this kind of thing, it’s in the US that it really seems to have take off in the last decade, and something that was once predominantly the domain of the Wax Trax! label in the late 90s and early 90s is now ubiquitous. And that’s cool, but it’s no longer ‘edgy’ like it was, because it’s simply become so commonplace, an endless conveyor belt of bands with distorted vocals snarling over pumped-up techno and some gritty sampled-sounding guitars.

Then Hasswult come along and absolutely piss on the majority of their peers by taking it to the next level. It’s more metal, for a start, and less processed. And it’s brutal. Sure, there are beats you can go nuts to, but the abrasion is intense, and hits so hard you’ll see stars.

It’s overtly European to my ears – if I didn’t know they were Spanish I’d think they were German, and not just on account of the lyrics being in German, which presents an unexpected, unusual, and interesting twist – and proper, full-on aggressive, a complete melding of aggrotech, technoindustrial, and industrial metal. Sure, the obligatory KMFDM nods are on display, and in the mix there’s a whole load of Rammstein, and Ministry circa Psalm 69. It’s hard, it’s heavy, and it’s seriously potent.

Click image to view video:

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Listen: ‘Hallowed Be Thy Pain’ by Clockwork Echo

Posted: 1 July 2024 in Recommended Streams and Videos, Singles and EPs
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Industrial band, CLOCKWORK ECHO has just unleashed their highly-anticipated new single, ‘Hallowed Be Thy Pain’.

Laden with raw emotion and haunting revelations, ‘Hallowed Be Thy Pain’ delves deep into the themes of deceit, faith, and the far-reaching consequences of a single lie. The song’s lyrics are poignant and introspective, unravelling a story that intertwines personal guilt with collective delusion.  The song offers a powerful critique of faith, deception, and the human condition. It challenges listeners to question the narratives they have been fed and to seek the truth behind the comforting lies.

In a world where belief often triumphs over evidence, ‘Hallowed Be Thy Pain’ critiques the exploration of faith and the ease with which people are swayed by spiritual narratives, often lacking concrete evidence. Phrases such as ‘shadows in their eyes’ evoke a sense of collective blindness, a willingness to be deceived in exchange for spiritual comfort.

‘Hallowed Be Thy Pain’ serves as a haunting reminder of the fragile line between truth and fiction. As we navigate through the shadows of our own lives, may we find the courage to confront the lies we tell ourselves and others, and seek a path illuminated by truth and understanding.

Listen to this blasting stomper here:

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Watch: ‘Anhedonia’ by Dawn Of Ashes

Posted: 29 May 2024 in Recommended Streams and Videos, Singles and EPs
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Dawn Of Ashes is a Los Angeles-based group whose very name brings to mind ‘the beginning of the end’. Formed in 2001, DOA have broken ground across multiple genres, from aggrotech/terror EBM to industrial/extreme metal, producing a unique hybrid of dark electro and metal styles. This fusion of terrifying soundscapes with brutal, relentless rhythms forms the foundation for the lyrical themes of founder and frontman Kristof Bathory, which explore concepts of horror, anti-monotheistic religion, misanthropy and the negative aspects from emotional abuse.

DOA have recently issued a new album entitled Reopening The Scars that was preceded by the single ‘Anhedonia’, a video for which has just been made available. Bathory describes the song as “a glimpse into the dark abyss of the subconscious. We are explorers into the often unspoken, dark and cruel reality of mental anguish, torment and depression,” adding that “there are various circles of Hell when it comes to emotional suffering. Depression is a place that can cripple the mind in so many different ways. Anhedonia is the state of depression where nothing matters anymore, and you become paralysed by your own self punishment.”

Reopening The Scars is DOA’s first album for Metropolis Records since returning to their former label home in late 2023. “It is a continuation from our previous album, Scars Of The Broken,” Bathory has previously stated. “It goes down a darker hole into a place where each lyrical topic touches on the struggles of self-destructive behaviour. Pain and suffering dictated the writing process and created the sounds of emotional hell.”

As for the music that DOA is now creating, Bathory concludes that “after all these years dabbling in dark electronic music as well as industrial and extreme metal, we have found a unique style that complements each genre as one. DOA is neither one or the other in a separate category. The music and lyrical content speaks for itself under a form of darkness that fits for all people who enjoy various types of aggressive music. Reopening The Scars defines that in a perfect form.”

Watch the video here:

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Listen: ‘One By One’ EP by Komor Kommando including Clockwork Echo remix

Posted: 28 December 2022 in Recommended Streams and Videos
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Modern industrial/EBM solo-project of studio guru Sebastian Komor (also known as ICON OF COIL, ZOMBIE GIRL, BRUDERSCHAFT…), KOMOR KOMMANDO finally strikes back with an all new 8-track EP release!

Although KOMOR KOMMANDO is deeply rooted in Industrial/EBM style, Sebastian Komor is not the kind of artist repeating himself again and again. He does not hesitate reinventing himself, experimenting and incorporating elements from other music genres as long as the cocktail mix remains sparkling and exploding! Sonically, this new EP sounds like an exciting solid blend of old and new, incorporating classic EBM vibes with modern EDM inspired production.

The title song “One By One” is bound to become a new instant club-hit and features guest female vocals by Azul from THE TRUE UNION revealing a perfect artistic match wetting our appetite for more. “I was doing mixing and production for her new release and after hearing her vocals I just had to ask her singing on one of my new tracks. I was simply blown away! Her vocals took the song to places I could not even imagine at the time…”, explains Komor. Strong basslines, powerful captivating vocals and hypnotizing beats. This song also appears here remixed by Brute Opposition and by Sebastian Komor himself who gave it a cool retro synth twist in its “xenomorph remix” version.

“Get Off The X” is another banging dancefloor track, with a darker and more malevolent edge maybe, a sort of sonic reflection of the bad, the good and the fxxcking ugly… This banging cut also received the remix treatment by C-LEKKTOR, ANTHONY (H) and CLOCKWORK ECHO each bringing this cut into an all new sound perspective.

“Brahmua” is the 3rd new song revealed on this EP. This instrumental piece has that special feel of tension-building, rising angst and mental distress. A sort of groovy sonic painting depicting how stressful life can sometimes be in its darker days.

Heavy, pulsing, dark and floor-packing: KOMOR KOMMANDO is back – play it at maximum volume!

Listen here:

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Panic Lift – Stitched EP

Posted: 22 June 2022 in Singles and EPs
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6th May 2022

Christopher Nosnibor

This latest four-tracker from Panic Lift continues the trajectory of themed EPs that it’s been pursuing for a while now.

With two new cuts and a remix of each, it’s reminiscent of the old-school 7” and 12” formats, and ‘Every Broken Piece’ accompanied by ‘Bitter Cold’ would make for a perfect 7”, with the additional tracks – remixes respectively from Mechanical Vein and Tragic Impulse – fleshing out a 12” and CD… Such reminiscences are relevant because Panic Lift’s harsh industrial dance sound is rooted in the 90s when multi-format releases were de rigueur. Much as they were clearly a way of milking fans and boosting chart positions, I do kind of miss those days, since the majority of releases don’t even come in a physical format.

For Stitched, James Francis, aka Panic Lift, revisits the kind of sound that defined his debut, Witness To Our Collapse, and talking of the physical, there’s a strong physicality to both ‘Every Broken Piece’ and ‘Bitter Cold’ – not just their thumping hard as nails grooves and pounding beats, but the overall density of the sound hits with a physical impact, while the forced, rasping vocals equally hit hard, the sound of anguish and rage and a host of mixed and conflicting emotions aflame.

‘Every Broken Piece’ was a feature of Panic Lift’s online performances during lockdown, and it’s from this place of inner turmoil that these songs emerge, with the accompanying notes pointing out that they ‘continue with the familiar themes of stress, coping, and concerns of self-image’, and the rippling synth lines, juxtaposed against snarling, abrasive vocals, are the perfect expression of internal conflict. There’s a lot going on here in the arrangements, with churning metal guitar grazing against cinematic synths, and the slower chorus on ‘Bitter Cold’ brings impact by contrast.

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Against I – You and I feat J:dead

Posted: 18 May 2022 in Singles and EPs
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Christopher Nosnibor

Purveyors of aggrotech and dark electro, Against I, take something of a swerve for this new release, a four-track EP led by single ‘You and I’, which features guest vocals (and lyrics) by rising star on the scene, J:dead, who comments that “‘You And I’ is a story about a relationship breaking down, because either person cannot love themselves first. Each person is trying to hold the other up from their own struggles but in turn, is forgetting about themselves and their own needs.”

The cover art is more horror than dark techno, and it’s not entirely representative of the EP’s sonic contents, but you should never judge an EP by its cover of course.

First things first: ‘You and I’ is a richly atmospheric tune, with a so much texture and detail. There are strong leanings towards later Depeche Mode, and I’m most reminded of ‘Little 15’, but there’s a lot going on here, not least of all a thick, chuggy guitar and an insistent bass that’s pure goth vintage. The baritone vocal – rich and crooning – very much invites positive comparisons to Dave Gahan and it broods and cruises the mid-pitch, mid-tempo sonic structures that climb and loom over damaged emotional states. As a single, it’s a sock in the chops.

As an EP, this does feel like a bit of a cobbled-together effort that may have worked better with either the lead track and either the instrumental ‘My Madness’ – a high-octane technoindustrial stomper (a strong contrast) – or the ‘Club’ remix of ‘You And I’ as a B-side. Said remix is pretty decent. I don’t actually know if goth club nights are still a thing, but then this isn’t excessively dancey, and hasn’t been remixed as a dancefloor-packing stormer, but instead accentuates the track’s solid mid-tempo groove.

But then there’s the ‘Mayhem’ remix of ‘OMG’ from the debut EP, courtesy of Guilt Trip, which is so much more overtly metal, and snarls and rages like a rabid beast – save for the mellow Kraftwerkian rip in the mid-section. And if ‘You and I’ was intended to showcase a different aside of ‘Against I’, the inclusion of an older track feels like a slightly awkward fit.

Minor niggles aside, it’s a solid effort led by a cracking single tune.

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Watch: ‘Scum’ by Against I

Posted: 18 February 2022 in Recommended Streams and Videos
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Fredrik Croona whose projects have included the likes of MENSCHDEFEKT, CROONA & CYNICAL EXISTENCE has announced a new project, AGAINST I and debut single, ‘Scum.’

“‘Scum’ is a dedication to all the lowlifes who treat other people like shit and care for nothing but themselves. People who are so full of themselves that they don’t see or care about anything else. This is the first song that opens the door into a carnival of the obscene, deranged & faulty people and to the darkness of human psyche.” – Fredrik Croona

Watch ‘Scum’ here:

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