OMEN CODE unveil the new track ‘Ultra Fear’ as the next single lifted from their forthcoming debut album Alpha State, which has been scheduled for release on December 5, 2025.
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OMEN CODE comment: “I had orginally planned to use ‘Ultra Fear’ for my previous music project”, mastermind Kevin Gould reveals. “The pace is quite low key again, but the sequence layers fill it out nicely. The lyrics have an abstract but also quasi religious feel. Back then, I had put some angry, shouted vocals over the track. Then Agi came along and did his ‘new vocalist’ thing. He basically rescued the track. We wanted the chorus to have a distant and alien tone so used a lot of treatments and vocoder. There is nothing like a machine telling you that ‘God is near’.”
Just back from roads of Europe and full concert halls, Industrial metal legends Die Krupps drop the new video single ‘Will nicht – MUSS!’. This track is taken from the EP Will nicht – MUSS! / On Collision Course that was sold as a hand-numbered collectors’ CD during the already ended and highly successful 45th anniversary tour of this genre defining band.
Due to high demand for the EP, Die Krupps will offer only 45 copies of ‘Will nicht – MUSS!’ as an exclusive 45th Anniversary Gatefold Vinyl edition that is filled with a petrol-green liquid. A limited transparent green gatefold vinyl will also be made available. Both versions will be released on December 12, 2025 and can be pre-ordered at this shop link: https://spkr.store/collections/die-krupps
The Will nicht – MUSS! / On Collision Course EP contains guest contributions and remixes from prominent musicians of renowned acts such as MINISTRY with whom DIE KRUPPS have successfully toured in the US earlier this year. The two single tracks of the EP also offer a first glimpse at the upcoming new album.
DIE KRUPPS comment: “The original idea for ‘Will Nicht – MUSS!’ is based on the classic German movie M (1931), which was directed by Fritz Lang following his huge success with Metropolis, Jürgen Engler explains. “The movie’s subtitle ‘A City Is Hunting for a Killer’, sums up the basic plot. The child-murdering antagonist keeps whistling the main theme from Edvard Grieg’s ‘In the Hall of the Mountain King’ throughout the movie. This inspired us to take Grieg’s melody and add our classic harsh Die Krupps sound to it. The composition came together just as quickly as our 2013 hit ‘Robo Sapien’, which is always a good sign for us. We sincerely hope that you will receive the track just as positively!"
I’ve always favoured words over numbers – meaning, maths was never my strong point, and my qualifications strongly favour the arts. But it doesn’t take a maths genius to deduce that there are some serious numerical gymnastics taking place when conjuring the equation for this release. That Octagram extends the love of the number 8 which is clear from the band’s name to a concept, whereby the album features 8 songs with a playing-time of 8 minutes is logical, but when they try to spin it that ‘when the 8 just turns by a little in the context of the German electro industrial project’s sixth album, it becomes the symbol for infinity’, I’m lost. How does infinity fit in, and how does it all sit with being their sixth album, something which really screws up the whole thematic.
The tracks aren’t all exactly eight minutes in duration, but in the eight-minute span, ranging from 8:11 to 8:58, so it doesn’t feel as if the limitations / constraints of the project are so rigid as to inhibit the creative freedom necessary to explore and interrogate the themes flexibly.
We’ve already aired single cuts ‘New Eden’ and ‘Oathbreaker’ here at Aural Aggravation, and it’s fair to say they’re representative of this expansive, ambitious effort. It’s electronic industrial, with expansive, ambient trance elements woven in, as well as sampled snippets of dialogue. It’s perhaps worth noting that the vocal samples consist mainly of recitations quoting the last words of persons that were about to receive the death sentence. It’s all there on the sweeping, cinematic, dark electronic dance opener, ‘The Unborn’. In terms of texture and production, it’s absolutely meticulous, but a bit predictable and of a form. Three minutes or so in, the tone and tempo changes, the atmosphere darkens and the beats get harder, and the gritty, distorted vocals finally arrive and while it’s still quintessential technoindustrial / dark electro, the switch makes the song work in terms of structure and dynamics. And this seems to the strength to which FÏX8:SËD8 play to on Octagram, blending the trancey ambient dance elements with the driving hard-edged aspects of the genre.
Skinny Puppy are an obvious touchstone, to which they themselves draw attention, they seem to have assimilated the entirety of the Wax Trax! catalogue, while pulling from all aspects of cybergoth, and even Tubular Bells to forge a hypnotic hybrid of techno, electronica, dance, and industrial, taking a number of cues from Ministry’s Twitch. It’s true that I often return to the same sources: Wax Trax!, KMFDM, Skinny Puppy, 80s Ministry… but I feel I should stress that this isn’t entirely a reflection of my limited sphere of reference, but the two inches of ivory on which so much of the electronic industrial scene carves its tales of angst. The use of samples does feel rather cliché, the way the beats build behind fuzzy synths which ebb and slow, the minor-key one-finger synth riffs… And that’s fine: you know what you’re going to get. But at least with Octagram, FÏX8:SËD8 push that envelope a bit.
If ‘New Eden’ represents the more accessible side of all this, ‘Blisters’ goes in hard. ‘Tyrants’, too, brings a heavy Industrial throb with a dominant percussion, led by a powerful bin-lid smash of a snare sound. With the distorted vocals low in the mix, it’s tense, it’s intense, it’s claustrophobic. Taking its title from one of my favourite phrases from Milton, ‘Darkness Visible’ brings an interlude of cinematic serenity, at least initially, before locking into another dark pulsing groove. The darkness has rarely been more visible.
‘An Unquiet Mind’ makes for a slow-simmering, brooding finale, cinematic, atmospheric, expansive, as synth layers and beats build, rising from a montage of samples to stretch out an almost post-apocalyptic landscape. It feels like the end… and it is.
The best electronic industrial has an intensely inward focus, and makes you feel tense, restricted, somehow, and as much as it draws on obvious influences, with its taut, claustrophobic feel and dense production, Octagram sits – shuffling, twitching, crackling with anxiety – with the best electronic industrial.
Industrial metal legends DIE KRUPPS have announced an exclusive tour EP. This hand-numbered collectors’ item, which is entitled Will nicht – MUSS! / On Collision Course, will be sold by the multiple genre-defining band on their upcoming 45th anniversary tour, which will kick off at the DVG Club in the famous Belgian medieval battle-town of Kortrijk tonight, on August 27.
The Will nicht – MUSS! / On Collision Course EP contains guest contributions and remixes from prominent musicians of renowned acts such as MINISTRY with whom DIE KRUPPS have just successfully toured in the US. As a first taste of the EP as well as of the upcoming new album, the Germans have released the advance single ‘On Collision Course’.
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DIE KRUPPS comment: “You may be forgiven to think that ‘On Collision Course’ and ‘Will nicht – Muss!’, which translates into ‘don’t want to – have to’, could have been the working titles for our upcoming European tour”, Ralf Dörper quips. “In truth, the 45 years of influential sounds from Düsseldorf has been our guiding theme. In celebration of this anniversary, we have created this exclusive EP as a treat for all the dedicated fans coming to our concerts. It will give you an impression about what sound is currently happening in our steelworks as the above mentioned singles of the double-title will also provide a first and second taste of our upcoming album. The EP also includes some sonic glimpses of the experiences and friendships made on our recent US-tour with Ministry. Watch out for those remixes!”
COVENANT announce the release of the new Andreas EP. The EP is dedicated to the memory of Swedish band’s former member Andreas Catjar-Danielsson (March 3, 1973 – July 29, 2024) who sadly passed away from cancer on this day one year ago. All proceeds of Andreas EP will go to charity in benefit of his wife and children.
Dependent Records will waive all proceeds from the vinyl EP in contribution to this important charity.
In further news, COVENANT present the track ‘Winter Kills’, a cover of legendary British synth-pop duo YAZOO, as an advance single taken from the Andreas EP. You can hear it here:
Swedish electronic environmentalists TWICE A MAN unveil a video clip with dark untertones for the catchy track ‘Second Field’ as the next advance single taken from their forthcoming new full-length The Coloured Breeze Is a New Dimension. The highly anticipated album has been scheduled for release on June 13, 2025.
TWICE A MAN comment: “The cogwheels of modern times are controlled by evil leaders without empathy”, Karl Gasleben states matter of fact on behalf of the band collective. “They grind us down and destruct our mental health. It is time to take back our dignity, nourish our inner dreams and connect them towards a more hopeful future. Are you ready to fight for what you believe in?”
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While the skies of the world are darkening, something powerful and resilient is pushing from below through the pungent springtime topsoil close to the City of Göteborg in Sweden. This sprout that is charged with organic and electric energy bears the name The Coloured Breeze Is a New Dimension. TWICE A MAN planted its seed with the song ‘Dahlia’, a ‘new’ track that was written to complement the compilation album Songs of Future Memories.
For three years, the Swedish dark electronic trio fertilised and nurtured the germ bud until it had taken firm root in their musical heritage and began to send offshoots to find new sonic spots beyond any previously built garden walls. The Coloured Breeze Is a New Dimension is an organic entity that creates something new by re-combining its musical DNA in various ways. As a result, its tracks blossom in many hues of electronic colours.
Swedish electronic environmentalists TWICE A MAN present the track ‘Birds Eye View’ as the first advance single taken from their forthcoming new full-length The Coloured Breeze Is a New Dimension. The highly anticipated album has been scheduled for release on June 13, 2025.
TWICE A MAN comment: “Overview can light sparks in the place where your roots are waiting”, guitarist and vocalist Dan Söderqvist writes on behalf of the band. “If you follow the time you can destroy the eradicating wheels of commerce. Don’t drown yourself in pretended sleep! There is a common knot that must be untied. Our thoughts are the light and nature sings our lullabies.”
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While the skies of the world are darkening, something powerful and resilient is pushing from below through the pungent springtime topsoil close to the City of Göteborg in Sweden. This sprout that is charged with organic and electric energy bears the name The Coloured Breeze Is a New Dimension. TWICE A MAN planted its seed with the song ‘Dahlia’, a ‘new’ track that was written to complement the compilation album Songs of Future Memories.
For three years, the Swedish dark electronic trio fertilised and nurtured the germ bud until it had taken firm root in their musical heritage and began to send offshoots to find new sonic spots beyond any previously built garden walls. The Coloured Breeze Is a New Dimension is an organic entity that creates something new by re-combining its musical DNA in various ways. As a result, its tracks blossom in many hues of electronic colours.
German Synth pop trio BEBORN BETON unveil the video single ‘Ticket to the Moon’, which is a cover track from the ELECTRIC LIGHT ORCHESTRA album Time and taken from the forthcoming new EP To the Stars. The EP has been slated for release on November 22, 2024.
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BEBORN BETON comment: “The song ‘Ticket to the Moon’ was originally released by the British rock band Electric Light Orchestra on their 1981 album Time, which is one of our favourite records from that era”, vocalist Stefan Netschio writes on behalf of the trio. “We have been thinking about recording a track from that album for quite some time. Given the context of the EP, we felt that the appropriate moment had finally arrived. Alain De Grox aka Synth Heaven once again supported us in the creation of the video. He uitilised amazing excerpts from the CGI Animated Short ‘Ad Astra’ with kind permission of these ArtFX School students: Lauric Bonnemort, Clementin Massin, Pierre Vallerich, and Florian Coquaz. We would like to express our sincere gratitude to everyone who made this project happen.”
Now in their twenty-seventh year, Girls Under Glass return after an extended break – of some seventeen years – with a new album that wasn’t wholly planned. As the bio notes, explain, when they started composing some new tracks for an EP to round off a planned boxset of their complete works, ‘The fire reignited and songs kept coming… [they] understood that their batteries had recharged to bursting point after a 17-year break and the projected EP turned into a full-length.
The trouble with being forerunners and progenitors is that time catches up. What was innovative at one time becomes assimilated, absorbed: ‘influential’ becomes commonplace, however much you keep moving. And while Backdraft shows that Girls Under Glass have progressed, it also shows how external elements have, too – even within the spheres of post-punk and goth, which on the face of things, haven’t evolved all that much. Emerging bands are still emulating The Cure and The Sisters of mercy circa 1985, and oftentimes if feels as if these are genres locked in time – but then, the same is also true of punk, and contemporary grunge acts.
At least Girls Under Glass can lay justified claim to being there at the time and laying the foundation stones for the sound that endures over thirty years on, and they’re fully accepting that this new outing draws on the sound and sensations of their previously active years in the 80s and 90s. ‘Night Kiss’ brings all the synth-goth vibes where early New Order and third-wave goth acts like Suspiria meet, but there’s much to chew on across the ten songs on Backdraft. ‘Tainted’ – which features Mortiis on guest vocals – has a more industrial feel – but that’s industrial in the way that Rosetta Stone drew on Nine Inch Nails for Tyranny of Inaction than Ministry. It’s got grit and magnetic bubbling synths and some hard grooves, but the aggression is fairly restrained.
Single cut ‘We Feel Alright’ has a vintage vibe and sits in the bracket of ‘uplifting goth’ – it may not bee recognised as a thing, but it sure is, and propelled by a pumping disco beat, it’s one of those songs that brims with an energy that makes you want to raise your arms and your face to the sky as you’re carried away on the driving rhythm and expansive synths and guitars.
The six-minute ‘No Hope No Fear’ blissfully ventures into Disintegration-era Cure stylings, with a bold, cinematic approach, while ‘Everything Will Die’ is a quintessential slab of Numanesque electrogoth It’s uptempo, even poppy, but it’s dark, and if the Hi-NRG pumping of ‘Endless Nights’ is a shade cliché, but they redeem the dip with the sparse six-minute ‘Heart on Fire’ with its sepulchral synths, before erupting into an epic climax that’s like a shoegaze / synthwave take of Fields of the Nephilim.
Ultimately, Backdraft is a solid album: its roots are deeply retro, and it’s not one hundred percent hit, but it’s a solid addition to the catalogue of a band whose longevity speaks for itself.
Girls Under Glass unveil the black and white video ‘We Feel Alright’, which is also the first single taken from the forthcoming album Backdraft. After a long hiatus the Hamburgian gothic rockers return with fiery new tracks that take the best elements from the band’s past and shapes them into an album that leads the way to the future. The release date of Backdraft has been slated to June 2, 2023.
‘We Feel Alright’ is also available as a digital single with two Girls Under Glass remixes entitled ‘Who the F*** Is Killing Joke?’ and ‘Into the Shining Light’ through the regular platforms.
The electric noire clip ‘We Feel Alright’ is now available to watch here:
Girls Under Glass comment: “The original version of ‘We Feel Alright’ was already introduced for years ago live on stage, but ever since we have continued to work on the song until it was just perfect for us”, synth player Axel Ermes explains. “This track comes with the vibe of our classics, yet it is also moving forward. It was fun to work on the two alternative mixes, which will be available as bonus tracks.”
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