Apoptygma Berzerk
7

THE REVIEW

Certainly among the most appreciated exponents of the EBM genre, the most innovative musical heir of the "roaring years," Apoptygma was born at the end of the '80s thanks to Stephan Groth and released their first album in 1993: "Soli Deo Gloria."
The music finds its roots in the electro-pop of Depeche Mode and the '70s electronics, pioneered and majorly interpreted by the Germans Kraftwerk, the ultimate inspirers of the industrial movement.
However, the dark-depressive element will find more space in the following years, thanks to a softening of the sound and an increasingly commercial purpose.

"7", from 1996, is the album that condenses almost all the stylistic variations of the band at the maximum quality level. The tension and emotional involvement are at their peak right from the first track, inspired by the dark melodies of the organ and Groth's sharp monotonic voice.
Listening to the second track "Mourn", the heart finds itself gripped in a steel vice that also carries sweetness and love, in the best dark style. A song to depress oneself and sink into an introspective reflection on human emotions.
The genre quickly changes, although not radically: "Non-stop Violence" represents the purest EBM music, with a pounding disco rhythm, pulsating bass, and light industrial sounds; although the dark soul with frequent melodic cues is never abandoned. In the next track, the pace slows down to a more measured rhythm, resulting in industrial with a dark atmosphere.
"Rebel" lets itself go into sound experiments beyond any mental health limits, while with "Deep Red" we return to a pulsating EBM contaminated by industrial lyrics.
The mind dives back into the black hole of depression thanks to the dark return of "Nearer", only to go completely mad driven by the haunting disco beat of "Half Asleep."
The album closes with "Love Never Dies pt. 2", partially revisiting the melody of the first track, accompanied by acoustic guitar and orchestral base, a small nod to The Cure's Dark Wave.

Mental and physical emotions, that's what this album provides: a whirlwind of sensations, even insane ones, that would shake any mind, not necessarily fragile, that perceives them.
A fundamental album for enthusiasts of the genre.