The Post-Industrial scene of 2021 was full of Electro-Industrial releases of old and new projects just like in the last couple of years. Dark Electro fades into the background although there were interesting releases in this genre (at least one), however, young Dark Electro projects make rather mediocre albums that lose their melody and focus on aggression. The EBM scene has also slowed down a bit in development, but this tendency has been observed for more than a year. The boom of the mid-00 Anhalt EBM genre has passed and so far does not plan to be renewed. Rare projects publish new works, but they turn out to be rather insipid and quickly forgotten.Covered Styles: EBM, Dark Electro, Anhalt EBM, Old School EBM, Aggro-Industrial, Electro Industrial, Old School Dark Electro
10. Seven Trees - ‘Dead/End’ (Electro Industrial | Sweden, Progress Productions)
The previous album by the Swedish Electro-Industrial project SEVEN TREES was released on the iconic label Zoth Ommog. I think that many people can understand by this name that the project is ancient and is included in the golden catalogue of the Old School Industrial of the 90s with the appropriate sound. The new album of the Swedes came out 24 years after the release of the previous work, so many fans of the Electro-Industrial were looking forward to this creation and hoping to hear the “same” sound and feel the “same” atmosphere. The Swedes did not disappoint. Atmospheric Old School Electro-Industrial with a dry sound and sinister atmosphere. Good comeback and powerful work. https://www.facebook.com/embracingtheunknown
09. Skren - ‘Drell’ (EBM | Germany, Self-Released)
The debut single of the German electronic project SKREN was out in 2017, but then the activity was stopped. In 2020 the project again published two singles and after that in 2021 the debut work of the project from Düsseldorf saw the world. The album ‘Drell’ has a rather aggressive Post-Industrial sound consisting of EBM and elements of other genres of the scene. German-language lyrics with heavy vocals add even more aggression. A guitar is added to a purely electronic sound in some compositions, which takes the direction away from EBM into Aggro-Industrial. In general, it turned out to be a very strong debut work of young Germans. https://www.facebook.com/skrenband
08. Haex - ‘Aethyr Abyss Void’ (EBM | USA, Twin Torch Records)
The young American project HAEX released its first single in 2017 followed by two more singles in the same 2017 and in 2020. Whether the pandemic pushed the musicians to create an album or resurrected Electro-Industrial projects, but in 2021 HAEX released their debut work. Complex vivid beats, aggressive compositions with a tough rhythm, surround sound and recognizable vocals sound cool and high quality. The new work of the Americans deserves the attention of fans of electro-industrial music and EBM. Great debut at the end of the year. https://www.facebook.com/haexband
07. Viscera Drip - ‘Death Curse’ (Dark Electro | USA, Advoxya Records)
The VISCERA DRIP project was formed in 2009 in the USA by the only member Justin. Justin himself began to make music in 2000 with the release of single compositions in the genre of Dark Ambient. The debut work of VISCERA DRIP was released in 2012 on its own followed by a digital reissue by CRL Studios. In 2014 a new period began in the history of the project. The period under the name of Advoxya Records, where the American release all followed releases. The new work ‘Death Curse’ became the fifth in the discography and the fourth on Advoxya Records. The album starts with a dungeon synth intro and a rather simple common track, but then Justin turns on the whole drive of modern dance power of Post-Industrial. Good rhythmic Dark Electro which can be compared with the best works of X-FUSION. The sonorous multi-layered sound with evil distorted vocals was popular in the 10. Now there are not so many projects with similar sound. VISCERA DRIP brought those times back and made a very high-quality good album. The main material ends with remixes from friendly projects GOD MODULE, SIN DNA, AMDUSCIA and Erk from HOCICO and RABIA SORDA. https://www.facebook.com/VisceraDrip
06. Funker Vogt - ‘Element 115’ (EBM | Germany, Repo Records)
In 2017 the vocalist in the famous German project FUNKER VOGT was replaced. AGONOIZE member Chris L became the new voice. At that time many fans of the project and the Post-Industrial scene in general perceived this ambiguously. The ambiguity also appeared on the first album with Chris, which turned out to be more of a new version of AGONOIZE than a new FUNKER VOGT album. However, then Chris became a part a new project fully and FUNKER VOGT began to resemble the same FUNKER VOGT from the beginning of the 2000s, but with a more complex modern sound and rhythmic compositions. Now the second album with Chris turns out to be powerful, hitty, partly hard, partly lyrical. The album ‘Element 115’ can be called an ideal commercially right high-quality product that is a pleasure to listen to. The album is unlikely to become a masterpiece for all times, but in our time, it is certainly a hit. https://www.facebook.com/officialfunkervogt
05. TC75 - ‘Duration’ (Old School Dark Electro, EBM, Dark Ambient, Industrial | Germany, 9XO Media)
All fans of hard electronics are already accustomed to hearing from the German project TC75 a modern EBM with variations without particularly memorable compositions, but with high-quality sound. In 2021 the Germans had a live release in the end of the year and in October TC75 released a new full-length work ‘Duration’. The Leipzig-based guys surprised. In today’s EBM sound even six minutes duration is a rarity, so the compositions of 7-8 minutes aroused bewilderment, tracks of 11-12 minutes aroused questions and a 28-minute final opus of the album aroused interest even before pressing the “play” button. If anyone does not know TC75 is the project of Tino Claus known for his work in AMNISTIA. But before the album ‘Duration’ the sound of the two bands was not really different. ‘Duration’ changed that. The first composition lasts 18 minutes and is a gloomy Dark Ambient with a tranformation in the middle to a tough old school Dark Electro with voluminous atmospheric sound and whispering vocals. The next two tracks remind the standard TC75 sound with rhythmic EBM, but this time in a denser form. Then Tino goes into something reminding IDM with industrial aesthetics returning to EBM sound after. The penultimate composition on the album is made in the noise genre with rhythm. It can hardly be called Rhythmic Noise, but rather a classic industrial with rhythm. All this action ends with a long track in the genre of Dark Ambient with Noise. A very unusual and unexpected work of a German project with interesting material to some extent experimental at least for the musician themselves. https://www.facebook.com/tc75.music
04. Terminal - ‘Blacken the Skies’ (Electro Industrial, EBM | Republic of South Africa, Metropolis)
2021 has somehow miraculously become a year of amazing releases from the project of the Republic South Africa. The young project called TERMINAL was formed in 2020 and already in 2021, the debut album was out on the famous label Metropolis Records. In his music Thomas Marc Anthony combines tough EBM with Electro-Industrial. The mechanical sound with a detached vocal sometimes reminds more industrialized sound of ABSURD MINDS. The album also has rhythmic dance tracks that fit well into a post-industrial DJ set. Fresh interesting work of the South African project. https://www.facebook.com/terminal.industrial
03. Rebirth - ‘System:Error’ (EBM, Electro Industrial | Switzerland, EK Product)
In the mid-10s one of the participants in the Swiss project SLEEPWALK came up with the idea of creating a Post-Industrial side project. So, Bruno and Oliver created REBIRTH and in 2018 the duo’s debut work was out. The second album ‘System:Error’ followed in 2021 on the EK Product label. The new album is made in post-apocalyptic concept with atmospheric EBM and occasional transformation to electro-industrial. There are catchy hit compositions, under which you can break away on the dancefloor, there are airy industrial instrumentals and multi-layered mechanical toughness. A good varied album by the Swiss, which comes with a bonus CD with remixes. Probably, of all the remix releases and bonuses in 2021 this CD is the most balanced and diverse in terms of genres and sound. Among the remixers it is worth noting the EBM insanity from the Finns OLDSCHOOL UNION, the atmospheric electro version of COVENANT, the EBM thriller of the Mexicans STRUCK 9, the cool mechanical version in the classic Electro-Industrial from PYRROLINE, the Germans’ dance driller DEADLY INJECTION as well as their own vision of ATROPINE, ROTERSAND, FROZEN PLASMA, AD;KEY, KIFOTH and ONENINE. Very cool album worthy of a prominent place on the shelf of post-industrial music. https://www.facebook.com/Dr.Tinitus
02. Nattskiftet - ‘Stämplar in’ (Old School EBM | Sweden, Progress Productions)
In 2015 two brothers with a vocalist and keyboardist recorded a single, released it and disappeared from the radar. In 2021 Christer and Lars, known for the DISCO DIGITALE project, brought the material of their NATTSKIFTET project to its logical conclusion. On the debut album the Swedes presented an old school EBM with female and male vocals in Swedish. The sound of old school, of course, is always dry, but in this case the Swedes have made it as juicy as possible and female vocals distinguish NATTSKIFTET from the rest of EBM even more. The Swedish language gives Scandinavian charm. Excellent debut. https://www.facebook.com/nattskiftetmusik
01. Fïx8:Sëd8 - ‘The Inevitable Relapse’ (Electro Industrial | Germany, Dependent)
Martin formed FÏX8:SËD8 in 2003, influenced by VELVET ACID CHRIST and SKINNY PUPPY. In his music the influence of the first one is more clearly heard. The first two works were published in 2005 and in 2009 on his own. Later the German joined the label Dependent, where three more albums were released, the last of which entitled ‘The Inevitable Relapse’ was released in 2021. Classic Old School Electro-Industrial with a unique atmosphere and influence of Old School Dark Electro has always distinguished FÏX8:SËD8 from other musicians in this scene. On the new album the German has further improved his work with sound and created the perfect mixture of mechanical Electro-Industrial and atmospheric Dark Electro. Martin’s powerful dark work is one of the best in the genre in 2021 and probably the best in his discography. https://www.facebook.com/Fix8Sed8
Other honourable mentions: DISHARMONY, ICE AGES, IMPLANT, KURS VALÜT, MALA HERBA, ORANGE SECTOR, PANKOW, PYRROLINE, TENSION CONTROL, THE-PULSAR, VIPERMILK
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