Sleepwalk – Dystopia (Digital/CD Album – Electro Aggression Records)
It took no less than nine years for the new opus from Swiss band Sleepwalk to arrive. Founder Bruno Rush, assisted by Andreas Lehmann, has prepared 15 new tracks for “Dystopia”. An additional disc featuring no fewer than 17 remixes is also available.
To say the wait was long is an understatement, but it was certainly worth it. The result, “Dystopia”, is truly impressive. Sleepwalk’s compositions straddle the line between EBM and Dark-Electro. The songwriting is highly sophisticated, backed by an impressive sonic arsenal. The atmosphere is dark and the rhythms are danceable, while the tracks manage to be complex yet accessible. On the standout tracks—and there are quite a few—you can hear influences from the early Canadian EBM school; I am thinking specifically of the genius of Skinny Puppy. The opening tracks, in particular, absolutely blew me away and, in my opinion, rank among the best material Sleepwalk has ever produced. Given that the band has been active since 1992 and has a substantial back catalogue, the long wait has truly paid off. Sleepwalk hasn’t reinvented itself; rather, they seem to have taken a step back to reflect on their future direction. Lehmann’s haunting vocals fit the album’s atmosphere and genre perfectly. Towards the end, a few more magnificent tracks emerge, evoking the sound of Front Line Assembly.
And then, of course, there is the bonus disc of remixes. I’ve never been a huge fan of this sort of thing, but a fine lineup of artists has been assembled here—including labelmates such as Pyroline, Trilogy, T.A.N.K., Serpents, and Synaptic Defect, as well as EBM scene veterans such as Plastic Noise Experience, Brain Leisure, Individual Totem, R010R, Pantser Fabriek, To Avoid, and others. I have to say, there are some brilliant remixes to be heard—and not just of the new tracks, either. Plastic Noise Experience does a fantastic job on “Afterlife.” I should also mention Individual Totem, Synaptic Defect, and Nine Seconds.
“Dystopia” is an album with a strong nostalgic streak, yet one that has been successfully translated into a powerful, contemporary sound. Tormented EBM featuring some strong, danceable tracks. Sleepwalk is back, and the world is going to know it. (Rating:8½).
Side-Line announced the release in April 2026 in Sleepwalk return with ‘Dystopia’ 2CD on Electro Aggression Records, which listed the 2CD and digital editions and the full remix roster of the bonus disc “Interpretations”.
Listen to “Devil In Disguise”:
About Sleepwalk
Sleepwalk are a dark electro and EBM act from Bern, Switzerland. The project was founded in 1992 by Oliver Spring and Bruno Ruch, Andreas Lehmann, and Charly of tEaR!doWn.
The group started releasing material in the early 1990s, including “Immortal Disease” from 1994, the first album “Door To Insomnia…” in 1995 on Khazad-Dûm, “Black Diagnose” in 1999, “Torture Chamber” in 2002, “Retrospect 94-96 (The Early Years)” in 2003, and “Rapid Eye Movement” on Scanner in March 2004.
By the mid-2000s the lineup had shifted. Oliver Spring left the band in 2005. The band later released the EP “Revenge Of The Lost” in 2011 and the concept album “Nibiru” in 2012, both on Scanner.
Sleepwalk joined Electro Aggression Records to release “Tempus Vincit Omnia” on January 3, 2018. The band said they wanted to move back toward more classic dark electro with EBM influence after “Nibiru”. The Bandcamp-only digital set “Remakes”, issued on April 11, 2026, revisited older Sleepwalk tracks ahead of “Dystopia”, the 2CD set reviewed here.
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