Kontrast release new album ‘Imperium’ on 17 July 2026
Kontrast release “Imperium” on 17 July 2026 via Danse Macabre Records, out on CD and as the two-part vinyl set “Tyrannis” and “Proteus”.
Kontrast release their new album “Imperium” on 17 July 2026 through Danse Macabre Records. The German electro and EBM band’s sixth studio album arrives as a 20-track CD carrying the complete work, or as two separate vinyl records, “Tyrannis” and “Proteus”, each holding half the tracklist.
“Tyrannis”, the first half of “Imperium”, has been out digitally and on vinyl since June 2025. Side-Line reviewed the release, rating it 7½ out of 10 and describing a sound “rooted in EBM and Electro-Wave” with “menacing basslines” and vocal production “often enriched by female vocals.”
Danse Macabre Records credits the singles “Tanzmaschinen” and “D3R DIKTATOR”, both featured on “Imperium”, with topping the Deutsche Alternative Charts, with “D3R DIKTATOR” also reaching number one on the German Electronic Web Charts around the same period.
Kontrast’s ‘Imperium’ splits ‘Tyrannis’ and ‘Proteus’ across two vinyl records
“Proteus”, the second half of “Imperium”, completes the two-part work for the 17 July 2026 release. On CD, the 20 tracks from “Tyrannis” and “Proteus” appear together for the first time; on vinyl, the two halves remain separate records, sold as a set through Danse Macabre Records.
About Kontrast
Kontrast formed in Germany in 1992, when Dirk Heinrich, Roberto Lindner and Tobias Messias founded the project under the name ISECS; Falko Heinbokel joined in 1995. An early demo of “Einheitsschritt” (“Drei Schritte vor und drei zurück”) appeared in 1994 and grew into an independent-scene anthem by 1996. The band adopted the name Kontrast in 1999, debuting under it that May in support of Clan of Xymox.
Kontrast’s first album, “Programm”, followed in 2002 on the UpSolution label; Danse Macabre Records reissued it as a 20th-anniversary “Programm: Deluxe Edition” in 2022, which reached number two on the Deutsche Alternative Charts and was reviewed by Side-Line. A second album, “Industrie<>Romantik”, appeared in 2004. Kontrast signed to Danse Macabre Records for 2008’s “Vision und Tradition”, which reached the top 10 of the Deutsche Alternative Charts and number one on the German Electronic Web Charts; its single “Durchbruch” also topped the German Electronic Web Charts.
Katrin Möller, performing as Nebelgeist, appeared as a guest vocalist on Kontrast releases before joining full-time. The band’s fourth album, “Balance” (2014), reached number three on the Deutsche Alternative Charts; its single “John Maynard”, a musical setting of Theodor Fontane’s ballad of the same name, reached the top five. A fifth album, “Unaufhaltsam”, followed in 2019 at number four on the Deutsche Alternative Charts. The current line-up is Roberto Lindner (vocals, lyrics), Dirk Heinrich (synthesizers, composition), Falko (synthesizers, mixing) and Nebelgeist (vocals).
Kontrast opened the “Imperium” project in June 2025 with “Tyrannis”, the album’s first half, which reached number one on the Deutsche Alternative Charts. “Imperium”, combining “Tyrannis” with the new “Proteus” half, arrives complete on 17 July 2026 through Danse Macabre Records.
Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!
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