Chaos Tamed – Nordverk (Digital Album – I/O Music)
Magnus Kalnins first gained recognition with his Future-Pop project Colony 5 before moving on to Chaos Tamed. The Swedish artist has now released his third album, featuring nine tracks.
“Nordverk” picks up where its predecessors left off, once again delivering a mature, intelligent composition whose strength lies more in its overall sound production than in its BPM. Atmosphere takes centre stage in a soundscape where Dark-Electro and EBM merge into a vintage-inspired sonic landscape, evoking the early work of Skinny Puppy, as well as Front Line Assembly and Neuroactive. I previously compared Chaos Tamed to Haujobb, and that comparison still holds some merit. However, Chaos Tamed is certainly no copy of these bands; it has its own distinct style and sonic DNA. This is the kind of album I associate more with the visual arts than with the dance floor, as its music lends itself to creating vivid mental images and enhancing a particular atmosphere.
“Nordverk” may not be my favorite Chaos Tamed album, but it is still well worth discovering and offers plenty of intriguing moments. (Rating:7½).
Listen to “Determination”:
About Chaos Tamed
Chaos Tamed is the solo project of Magnus Kalnins, a longtime member and songwriter of Swedish futurepop band Colony 5. The project began as a side venture during a hiatus from Colony 5 and has grown into an independent body of work, moving between EBM, IDM, dark electro and futurepop around ethereal, ghostly vocals over pulsing basslines and cinematic textures.
The debut Chaos Tamed album, “Shock Waves,” was released via I/O Music on November 9, 2023, and earned a nomination for Electronic Album of the Year at the GAFFA Awards in early 2024. The second album, “Elbrus”, followed on I/O Music on May 30, 2025, in digital and CD formats, and led to a 2025 Side-Line interview in which Kalnins described the project as more of a laboratory than a conventional band. The advance single “Destroyer” arrived in May 2026 ahead of “Nordverk,” the third Chaos Tamed album issued via I/O Music on July 24, 2026.
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I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.
