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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Aural Aggravation 