Posts Tagged ‘EBM’

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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Watch: ‘Corpus’ by Stabbed by Prongs

Posted: 8 March 2026 in Recommended Streams and Videos, Singles and EPs
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Dark electro project, STABBED BY PRONGS has just unleashed their new full-length LP, Static Skin.

Drawing from EBM, electro, and 90s industrial influences, protagonist Craig Drabik has crafted six original soundscapes blending dance and destruction. Longtime collaborators Ry White, Andy Breton, Kimberly Kornmeier (Bow Ever Down), and Lail Brown return, along with newcomer Gabrielle Emerson. 

Human relationships are a primary lyrical theme that permeates the album.  The opening track, ‘Corpus’ hints at imposter syndrome under its moody S&M vibe, while ‘Another Realm’ embodies the longing and isolation of a long-distance relationship. ‘Violent Delights’, the album’s first single, is a harrowing look into an intimate relationship with a malignant narcissist. ‘Fall Into Darkness’ wraps up the album, longing to escape into the kind of love that consumes your sense of self.

STABBED BY PRONGS founder, Craig Drabik states, “Static Skin seems to have two personalities split between the male and female vocalists. I think there’s a nice contrast between the thumpy, heavy aggression of tracks like ‘Corpus’ and ‘Big Fake World’ and the laid-back electro-trip-hop of ‘Pyromancer’ for example. It provides more surface area to attract different kinds of listeners.”

As a taster, they’ve released a video for the opening track, ‘Corpus’, which you can check here:

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Watch: ‘Possessed’ by Portion Control

Posted: 7 December 2025 in Recommended Streams and Videos, Singles and EPs
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Portion Control are a highly influential British electronic group who formed in London in 1979. Their early, innovative use of drum machines and samplers on classic albums such as I Staggered Mentally (1982) and Step Forward (1984) inspired a subsequent generation of acts that included Skinny Puppy, Nitzer Ebb, Front Line Assembly and Nine Inch Nails.

True forefathers of scenes such as electro-punk, Industrial and EBM, they continue to excite and inspire, regularly releasing new material promoted with bursts of hi-octane live energy, vocalist Dean Piavani prowling the stage as audiences are assailed by a deluge of electronic sounds aligned to a barrage of visuals.

Following decades of staunch independence, Portion Control have just signed to Artoffact Records with the intention of providing a much deserved broader platform from which to promote their work. Alongside new material, the label will curate and reissue the group’s back catalogue, allowing their work to be fully appreciated at last.

Marking the announcement of this exciting new partnership is the release today (5th December) of a fully remastered and expanded version of SEED EP3, first issued in 2021 as a set of short and long-form pieces. Expertly overseen by Paul Lavigne at Kontrast Mastering, SEED EP3.1 boasts an additional three new tracks that include ‘Possessed’ video. Now containing 16 electronic songs and instrumentals, with a total duration of almost 64 minutes, SEED EP3.1 acts as both a starting point to discover Portion Control as well as providing an enthralling revisit for existing fans.

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Listen: ‘Tensor’ by Omen Code

Posted: 20 November 2025 in Recommended Streams and Videos, Singles and EPs
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OMEN CODE reveal the pulsating and vibrant new SF-track ‘Tensor’ as the sinister final advance single taken from their forthcoming album Alpha State. The debut full-length has been announced to be released on December 5, 2025.

OMEN CODE comment on ‘Tensor’: “This was the second Omen Code track that I have recorded as a vocalist”, frontman Agi Taralas reveals. “Everything about it came very natural to me and exactly in the way that the vocals turned out in the end. As far as I am concerned, this track includes a few Nitzer Ebb tribute moments, which is hardly a surprise as they have largely shaped my personal preferences in electronic music.”

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With their debut album Alpha State, OMEN CODE deliver the sound of the future – and the future is grim and dark! Their future is also firmly built upon the remains of the past. Certainly constructed to fill the dance floor, the international duo channels the bleak, cold precision of mid-tempo FRONT LINE ASSEMBLY and the cinematic story-telling soundscapes of John Carpenter electronics into a thrilling sound that is both resurrecting a classic 80s vibe and also fresh at the same time.

OMEN CODE are the new rising star on the EBM firmament. Deep, dark, and gritty industrial sounds are channelled into captivating mid-tempo tracks that create the atmospheric feeling of a dystopian future ruled by technology and marked by social decline.

This grimdark science fiction approach is not meant to indicate that OMEN CODE embrace any political agenda or message. Rather the international duo took inspiration from the writings of Philip K. Dick and Alfred Bester as well as cinematic masterpieces by British director Ridley Scott such as Alien and Blade Runner among others. 
OMEN CODE were originally intended as a one-time project by Kevin Gould. The engineer, programmer, and lyricist was a member of the English Industrial EBM trio JOHNSON ENGINEERING CO. together with Sean Bailey and Ian Hicks, which released the album Unleash in 1988. He went on to found the electro-industrial act ELECTRO ASSASSIN with Ian Taylor. Following the release of Jamming the Voice of the Universe (1992), Taylor was replaced by Richard McKinlay with whom the next albums Bioculture (1993) and The Divine Invasion (1995) were recorded.

When vocalist and lyricist Agi Taralas was hand-picked from a stack of applications for the frontman position, the chemistry between the two artists proved so productive and strong that Gould and Taralas decided together to turn OMEN CODE into a permanent project that would also aim to perform live. The vocalist had already left his mark on the scene in a joint project with German electronic musician Stefan Böhm under the moniker OUR BANSHEE that released an album entitled 4200 in 2017.

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Watch: ‘Like A Freak’ by Paradox Obscur

Posted: 31 October 2025 in Recommended Streams and Videos, Singles and EPs
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Filmmaker Pavel Vishnevsky returns to collaborate again with Paradox Obscur, bringing a dynamic new visual interpretation to ‘Like A Freak’, an electrifying track from IKONA, the recently released new album by the Greek synth duo.

In a vivid performance, Nicola Di Pierro defies cliché and convention, embodying the song’s spirit of freedom and self-expression – because everyone, regardless of age, has the right to dance. The result is a cinematic celebration of exuberance and individuality, amplifying the pulse of Paradox Obscur’s kinetic sound.

‘Like A Freak’ opens side 2 of IKONA with a wild jolt, pulsing with the edge of the Hexagon house music label’s rebellious spirit. Powered by the Behringer Crave synthesiser, it spits out raw analog grit – the bass growls, the synths snarl – creating a feral, ecstatic soundscape that is as visceral as it is infectious.

Lyrically, ‘Like A Freak’ explores the duality of ego; the composed persona we present to the world versus the wild, unfiltered self that thrives in secret. It is a song for those sweaty, sunrise hours when inhibition fades, judgement dissolves, and you move only for yourself as you ask: Does it make you click? / Now it’s time to go deep. / Way deep. Like a freak. / Taste my analog kick!

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Listen: ‘Ultra Fear’ by Omen Code

Posted: 15 October 2025 in Recommended Streams and Videos, Singles and EPs
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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’.”

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Watch: ‘Pound of Flesh’ by ESA

Posted: 11 October 2025 in Recommended Streams and Videos, Singles and EPs
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British industrial/EBM artist ESA is proud to release a new music video for the song ‘Pound Of Flesh’, taken from the artist’s recent album Sounds for Your Happiness out from July 5th via Negative Gain Productions label.

‘Pound of Flesh’ is the most ambitious cinematic journey from ESA to date. Shot on location in Bangkok (Thailand) during July 2025 with additional scenes filmed in Manchester UK, the video sees the participation of Tan Toafa Maneepasopchock (Gotham/Oceans 10) and Panita Hutacharern along with three other native Thai actors. ‘Pound of Flesh’ is in part a powerful and compelling narrative experience, alongside a love letter to Thailand. A country that has meant a lot to Blacker over the years.

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The story follows a troubled soul, tormented by inner demons, trapped within their own mental prison, happening upon a vehicle to allow astral projection from one body to another in a vain attempt to escape their own pain and anguish. From body to body, it soon becomes apparent that dwelling within a new host body is not the solution it might first appear to be. As time passes within the host, breakdowns begin to emerge and the demons that are tethered to the troubled now take up chase, culminating in a powerful and incredibly cinematic exorcism experience.

‘Pound of Flesh’ is a music film in 3 parts, both adventurous in script and energetic in its execution. The acting of Tan and Panita levels up further the Universe that Blacker is trying to achieve with the ESA multimedia experience.

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Watch: ‘Lunate’ by Religion of Heartbreak

Posted: 14 September 2025 in Recommended Streams and Videos, Singles and EPs
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Darkwave band, RELIGION OF HEARTBREAK delivers Lunate, a four-track EP blending detached romanticism with pounding EBM rhythms.

Mikal Shapiro and Dedric Moore perfect their dark disco formula across tracks like "Love Tourniquet" and "100 Degrees," creating ideal soundtracks for fog-drenched nightclubs. Desire becomes ritual and heartbreak transforms into dancefloor salvation.

The EP moves from intense desire to late night reflections replicating a night on the town filled with highs and lows and back. It is an honest look at the thrill of our night club experiences that end in reflection of what could have been.

As a taster, they’ve released a visualizer for the title track. Check it here:

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Listen: ‘Anemia’ by Mari Kattman

Posted: 9 April 2025 in Recommended Streams and Videos, Singles and EPs
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Metropolis Records is thrilled to welcome Mari Kattman to its family of artists. Known for her work as part of the electronic duo Helix as well as in her own right, ‘Anemia’ is the first single to be lifted from her third solo album, Year Of The Katt, which is scheduled for release by the label in late June.

A pounding kick drum and bassline introduce a softly seductive vocal and an ever-intensifying lead synth line on a song that draws a compelling parallel between vampiric exploitation and the weakness often suffered by those living with anemia.

“This song stemmed from my own current iron deficient state, which is an extremely frustrating condition that can take a year or more to correct,” explains Kattman. "I thought that the context needed to make it onto the album, and it was actually the last track I wrote for it while I was completing the mixing of all the other songs. I’m glad it made it on there!”

One of the most captivating artists on today’s electronic music scene, Mari Kattman has been writing, recording, producing and performing live since 2012. She has collaborated with the likes of Assemblage 23, Mesh, Ivardensphere, Jean-Marc Lederman, Psy’Aviah, Aesthetiche, Neuroticfish, BlackCarBurning, Cassetter, This Morn Omina, Solitary Experiments, Mephisto Walz, Aiboforcen, Interface, Comaduster and more.

Kattman’s impressive resumé of vocal contributions for these acts bely her own talents as a songwriter and producer. Singles such as ‘Fever Shakes’, ‘URGOD.AI’ and ‘Swallow’ have already demonstrated her prowess in crafting hook-laden, irresistibly catchy electronic songs tailor-made for the dance floor, where elements of Trap, Hip Hop, Electro, Ambient, EBM and Industrial music interplay with her powerfully distinctive voice.

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Listen: ‘Let it Rip’ by genCAB

Posted: 25 August 2024 in Recommended Streams and Videos, Singles and EPs
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Having founded the industrial-electro act genCAB in 2006, David Dutton put the group on hold following the release of their debut album II transMuter two years later. A forward thinking record in the genre, it had blended elements of EBM and synth-pop into song arrangements perfectly suited for aggressive rock.

genCAB eventually returned in 2022 with a long-awaited follow-up entitled ‘Thoughts Beyond Words’, as well as the genre-bending ‘Everything You See Is Mine’ EP. These were promoted on a US tour with Aesthetic Perfection, for whom both Dutton and genCAB drummer Tim Van Horn had spent the intervening years playing live.
2023 saw genCAB sign to Metropolis Records, with the album ‘Signature Flaws’ appearing in the autumn. A meditation on one’s own demise, it introduced elements of shoegaze and post-hardcore to an already dense melting pot of disparate sounds.

‘Let It Rip’ is a new EP that precedes the cryptically entitled album III I II (THIRD EYE GEMINI), due out in late September 2024. Half of the full-length record is a modern day update of the best material contained on their 2008 debut, with the remainder consisting of brand new songs inspired by the re-recordings.

An improvement in the genCAB sound was already apparent via a recent rework of the 2008 track ‘Perish The Thought’ released as a single in 2023, but everything else is also now amped up to 11. Although retaining a raw and fresh feel that is faithful to the original renditions, the songs have been completely restructured and are sung with more confidence and conviction than ever by Dutton.

Listen to the EP in full here:

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