Assemblage 23 – Null (Digital/CD/Vinyl – Metropolis Records)
Tom Shear will forever be associated with the rise of Future-Pop, even if the term itself has faded significantly over the years. With his long-running project Assemblage 23, Shear has always carved out his own space in the Electronic landscape. He also tends to take his time between releases, and “Null” arrives a full five years after its predecessor, “Mourn”.
Musically, Assemblage 23 continues to occupy a distinctive position somewhere between Electro-Pop and EBM—a zone he shares with artists like Rotersand, who similarly possess a strong, unmistakable sonic identity. The tracks on “Null” are meticulously constructed, building toward choruses that erupt with emotional and melodic force. The album manages to feel both airborne and aggressive, a combination that gives it remarkable dynamic tension.
Some songs come across as raw, slightly unpolished, yet they’re simultaneously refined with subtle production nuances and finely crafted effects. And, of course, there’s Tom Shear’s charismatic voice, which continues to carry a rare emotional weight within this genre.
“Null” is a record with soul—but also with grit and power. It reaffirms Assemblage 23’s status as one of the leading and most enduringly relevant acts in its genre. (Rating:8½).
Listen to “Overthrow”:
Read the news on ‘Null’.
About Assemblage 23
Assemblage 23 is a US electronic project founded in 1988 by Tom Shear in Exton, Pennsylvania. The project mixes futurepop, electro-industrial, synth-pop, and EBM. Early releases appeared through Gashed! Records before a long-term partnership with Metropolis Records in North America and Accession Records in Europe.
Shear built the project as a one-person studio act, circulating demos through the 1990s that were later collected on “Early, Rare, and Unreleased 1988-1998”. The debut album “Contempt” arrived in 1999 on the Canadian label Gashed!. “Failure” (2001) began the long relationship with Metropolis and Accession, followed by “Defiance” (2002), “Storm” (2004), and “Meta” (2007). “Mourn” appeared on September 11, 2020, and a 20th-anniversary edition of “Failure” followed in 2021 with a new mix by Shear.
Shear also records as Nerve Filter and Surveillance, and since 2017 as Helix with vocalist Mari Kattman. “Null” arrived on Metropolis Records on November 7, 2025, preceded by the single “Tolerate”, five years after “Mourn”.
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