Tributes to and thoughts about Douglas McCarthy continue to pour out in the wake of the legendary Nitzer Ebb frontman’s passing. In particular, if you haven’t already done so we’d suggest taking a look at friend of the site Ned Ragget‘s thoughts as well as a very informative Quietus pieces looking at the role McCarthy’s upbringing in Essex played in Ebb’s early days. If you’re like us, you’ve been listening to a lot of Ebb and the other music Douglas had a hand in over the past few days; we hope it’s provided you the same comfort and energy it’s always given us.
Black Magnet rolling their way into the semis.
Seeming, “Grindshow”
We are unabashed fans of Alex Reed’s Seeming; since we first heard “The Burial” the post-everything (thematically and musically) project has been close to our hearts, and a salve in uncertain times. So a new Seeming single obviously comes with a lot of expectations for us, so when we say “Grindshow” is unexpected, please understand we mean that in the best possible way: that chopped sample, that funky guitar lick, Alex half-singing, half-speaking in bizarre rhythmic cadence, that wild brass-infused climax, we couldn’t have expected any of it, and we love it.
Rotersand, “Private Firmament (I Fell For You)”
Hey, there’s a new Rotersand LP coming this Summer, and we’re very interested by what we’re hearing in debut taste “Private Firmament (I Fell For You)”. The German trio have always had a pleasing way of threading the needle between European electro, synthpop and EBM, and on this single they even bring in some big beat and techno sounds to the table, making it club-worthy and musically interesting. Definitely more focused on rhythm than melody (check that funky clip-clop percussion on the outro), it’ll be real interesting to hear what the rest of the record has to offer come August.
Hypnoskull, “Underqualified Enemies”
As was detailed on this site in an analysis of Hypnoskull’s 2019 Maschinenfest performance, there can be a surprising amount of conceptual depth beneath the surface of the veteran Belgian producer’s brand of powernoise. New EP Ich Nicht is no exception, digging not just into the current horrific state of things but the hurdles and inertia those trying to fight against it are often hampered by, as well as the general shoddiness of the supervillains currently fucking our collective shit up in the case of this track. Icy and simultaneously disciplined and utterly chaotic in its rhythms, it’s just what you’d hope for out of Hypnoskull.
INVA//ID, “Messiah”
Los Angeles’ INVA//ID has been making some good moves in 2025: the release of the dark-electro project led by Christopher Rivera’s LP The Agony Index has been supported by a steady stream of singles, remixes and b-sides, brings us to “Messiah”. Included on the digital single for “Sinner”, it’s a collab between Rivera and industrial metal flamekeepers Black Magnet’s James Hammontree that splits the difference between their sounds and delivers a roiling, crushing heater of a track that recalls Ministry’s “You Know What You Are?” and Pitchshifter circa Industrial. Do a whole album of this and we wouldn’t be mad at all.
Black Magnet, “Better Than Love”
Hey, speaking of Black Magnet the Oklahoma-based outfit has their third salvo of grinding industrial metal on deck. While the cover design of Megamantra and first teaser “Endless” underline the debt the band owes to Godflesh, this new track is something altogether different. Bringing some seriously cocky strut and swagger to industrial metal chugging, it gets the sort of personality Black Magnet have been able to conjure at will right out front in stark contrast to so many of the turgid industrial metal acts still roaming the wastes who can’t shred half as hard as this to boot.
Zack Zack Zack, “Duvar”
The first new original material we’ve had in a couple of years from Viennese duo Zack Zack Zack has one foot in the steady rockin’ mix of EBM-touched darkwave they’ve been trading in since the beginning, but this number eschews the cool, sultry grooves we normally associate with ZZZ for a much more frenetic and claustrophobic palette which perhaps brings the little hint of Neue Deutsche Welle in their style to the fore with clattering abandon.
