Genre/Influences: Industrial-EBM, crossover.

Background/Info: Cynical Existence is back on track  and has unleashed their fourth full length album to date. The band now consists of the captain on board Fredrik Croona, assisted by George Klontzas (PreEmptive Strike 01) while Erik Gustafsson is now taking care of the guitar. “Dying Light” also is the first album of the band released on Advoxya Records while all previous albums were released on Alfa Matrix.

Content: Cynical Existence never has been a band to deal with sweet music. This new opus again reveals a truly fusion between harsh and violent guitar playing and cold, but melodic electronics. With some imagination you can imagine the dark future-pop style Fredrik Croona at one side mixed with violent guitar. It creates a kind of good-old crossover music carried by the furious vocals of the frontman.

The final part features remixes by Freaky Mind, Iron Clad and Cutoff Sky.

+ + + : Cynical Existence has found its own style and sound DNA, which is mixing different influences with each other. It no longer is the typical furious dark-electronic music, but a band that has evolved over the years towards a more industrial-minded sound where guitar and electronics have the same importance. I especially like the songs carried by melodic leads and “End Of The Line” is a great cut in the genre.

– – – : “Dying Light” is a cool work, but in the end a little bit predictable. The remixes don’t really sound like a bonus to the album.

Conclusion: “Dying Light” is a source of dark energy and a reactor of sonic violence.

Best songs: “End Of The Line”, “I”, “Fuck Your Crew”, “Edge Of Sanity”.

Rate: (7).

Band: www.facebook.com/cynicalexistenceband

Label: www.advoxya–records.com / www.facebook.com/pages/Advoxya–Records/265765706059

Inferno Sound Diaries

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.

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The 17th track on our free download compilation “Face The Beat: Session 4” (featuring 92 tracks) is by the Swedish combo Cynical Existence. On the – very melodic – track “Wasteful Scum” you get a mix of the typical Cynical Existence electronics with fierce guitars.

The Cynical Existence project was founded in 2011 by the Swedish musician Fredrik Croona but ended up as a trio (George Klontzas, Fredrik Croona and guitarist Erik Gustafsson) with its roots firmly planted in aggrotech. The track we offer you here was originally released back in January 2016 as a New Year’s present. Today it sees a much wider release via the Side-Line compilation.

Listen to “Wasteful Scum” below and download it right here.

Check our “Face The Beat: Session 4” page on Bandcamp to discover the other 91 bands. All donations will go to charity.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

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.

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