Miseria Ultima, the Finnish dark electro duo signed to Alfa Matrix, are working on a new album, the follow-up to their excellent 2024 record “Arctic Esotericism“. The Miseria Ultima new album is in progress, with the duo advancing to the mixing stage and returning to the studio at the end of June 2026.

Miseria Ultima bring a dark electro sound that mixes aggrotech and EBM, built on harsh beats and distorted vocals. Aleksi Martikainen handles vocals and Kimmo Huhtala the synths.

The duo previewed the new material with “Northern Skin”, a track on the Alfa Matrix compilation Sounds From The Matrix 026, released on June 19, 2026, which collects previews of songs from releases due later in the year.

Miseria Ultima’s new album and studio work

Martikainen says the duo are “slowly advancing to mixing phase” and would “head back to studio at the end of this month” for further work on the songs.

And he adds: “The new album we are working on carries themes and anthems of the North, continuing the path we began before with a blend of mellow, striking synths and cold melodies. At the same time, we have brought something new into the mix, both vocally and musically. It feels like a natural progression for us, taking our music a step further and deeper into our own sound. The album is also a journey back to our roots, not musically, but philosophically. We are so excited to share it with you in the future!”

The band has prepared new promo photos shot in Tornio in spring 2026 and has said it plans a music video and a lyric video tied to the coming release. No title or release date has been announced. The band has also announced upcoming live shows in Finland, Germany and the Czech Republic.

The new album follows “Arctic Esotericism”, which Side-Line covered on its announcement and in an interview in 2024.

About Miseria Ultima

Miseria Ultima formed in 2016 in the Finnish Lapland region, built around Aleksi Martikainen on vocals and Kimmo Huhtala on synths. The duo mix dark electro, aggrotech and EBM. After the 2017 demo “Unfocus”, they released the debut album “Phosphor” in 2017 through Advoxya Records, followed by the second album “Graygarden” in 2019.

The duo signed to the Belgian label Alfa Matrix in 2022, issuing the EP “Witch Heart Apparition” and the third album “In Colors of Void”. Their fourth album, “Arctic Esotericism”, arrived on September 6, 2024 on CD digipak and digital. In 2026 the project returned with the preview track “Northern Skin” on “Sounds From The Matrix 026” and confirmed it was at work on a new album, the follow-up to “Arctic Esotericism”.

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. 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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The Belgian electro label Alfa Matrix releases the twelfth volume in its “Matrix+ Downloaded” series to coincide with the label’s 24th anniversary. The digital-only set collects 69 tracks across the label’s current spectrum – EBM, dark elektro/industrial, synth pop – and newer Spleen+ additions spanning post-punk, goth rock and coldwave. The compilation is offered as a free/pay-what-you-want download via the label’s Bandcamp page and also includes a PDF booklet.

On the cover you will recognize Erica Dunham from Unter Null.

Artists included on this free download compilation include: Studio-X (feat. Kyoko Baertsoen), Rector Scanner, Aesthetische, Cut.Rate.Box, Kant Kino, Frontal Boundary, C-Lekktor, Acylum, Diffuzion, Implant, Neikka RPM, First Aid 4 Souls (feat. Aux Animaux), Noemi Aurora, Suicidal Romance, Llumen, Hanging Freud, Lederman/De Meyer, The Ultimate Dreamers, Aiboforcen, Digital Factor, Armageddon Dildos, Helalyn Flowers, Krystal System, The True Union, Freakangel, Totem Obscura, Lovelorn Dolls (feat. Dero Goi), The Breath of Life, The Names, ImJudas, Synapsyche, Miseria Ultima, Unter Null, Alien Vampires (feat. Dani Divine), Venal Flesh, Helle9, To Avoid, Pouppée Fabrikk, Stahlgeist, Nigra Nebula, Aengeldust, Circuito Cerrado, Matthew Creed, Cubic, Metroland, The Psychic Force, Komor Kommando, First Aid Tech, Die Robo Sapiens, ELM, Plastic Noise Experience, AD:Key, Elektroklänge, 808 Dot Pop, Avarice in Audio, Elektrostaub (feat. Echo Image), Cryogenic Echelon, Entrzelle, Neuroactive, Technoir, Mondträume, Star Industry, Stray, Psy’Aviah (feat. Sorrow Stories), Zombie Girl, Darkness on Demand, Circumpolar, Dunkelwerk, and Lights A.M.

A&R manager, Sebastien Dolimont says: “In 2025, Alfa Matrix proudly celebrates 24 years of existence. Nearly a quarter of a century fighting for dark alternative music, discovering new talents, and keeping the underground alive. This anniversary is not just about us and our artists – it’s about you, our fans. Because without your constant support, there would be no label, no releases, no future for the scene we all love.”

And he add: “In a world where indie labels are disappearing, streaming revenues collapse, and risks of signing new talents are higher than ever, we are proud to still stand strong — but we can only do it with you by our side. By downloading this compilation, you are not just enjoying music — you are actively supporting 69 artists and helping keep our scene alive, fresh, and forward-looking. From all of us at Alfa Matrix and Spleen+, and on behalf of all our artists: thank you for 24 years of loyalty, passion, and support. Together, we’ll keep writing the future of the dark underground.”

About Alfa Matrix

Alfa Matrix is a Brussels-based independent label founded in 2001. The catalogue focuses on electronic subgenres including industrial, EBM, dark elektro, and synth pop, later expanding into post-punk/coldwave via the Spleen+ division. The label’s team includes label & artists manager Seba Dolimont, promo manager Bernard Van Isacker, and head of design Benoît Blanchart.

From the early 2000s, Alfa Matrix used series-based releases to build international reach. Notable strands include “Sounds From The Matrix” (label samplers), “Re:Connected” (digital label overview), and the club-oriented “Endzeit Bunkertracks” multi-CD anthologies (first “Act” released 21 March 2005, featuring 60 tracks with 50 exclusives).

In 2023, Alfa Matrix inaugurated Spleen+, a division centred on post-punk and adjacent styles, and followed with multi-artist projects and catalogue building, including the “Resurgence” 7-CD box that assembled 133 contemporary bands from the post-punk family.

The label has since the very start focused on a direct contact with its fans and customers via their online webstore and Bandcamp.

Eldrina Mich

As Eldrina Mich I work as a go-between and a devil’s advocate when it comes to Side-Line. If our own staff needs to be interviewed then ask the questions no one else dares to ask.

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The newest and seventh album by the German duo AD:Key, comprised of Andrea and René Nowotny, stands out as a particularly special release. Titled “06.09”, it references the couple’s wedding date, celebrating their bond through music. This album stays true to the energetic, intelligent, and old-school EBM style that has become AD:Key’s signature, delivering a powerful sound. Both members contribute vocals throughout, and they also invited long-time friend Uwe Kanka (Armageddon Dildos) to collaborate on one track. Interestingly, the album’s strongest tracks are positioned toward its conclusion. Compared to previous works, “06.09” has a slightly ‘softer’ or more Body-Pop sound, though it remains a refined and well-balanced production, merging strength and sophistication. An additional album complements the release with numerous remixes and alternative versions. Label mates Miseria Ultima and Digital Factor, as well as Martin Bodewell of Orange Sector, contribute compelling remixes, alongside AD:Key’s own reworks and another one from their side project, Rector Scanner. (Rating:8).

AD:keY commented on the album in an AD:keY interview published on Side-Line.

Listen to “By Your Side”:

About AD:keY

AD:keY is a Berlin-based German EBM duo formed by Andrea Nowotny and René Nowotny, a husband-and-wife team. The project grew out of René’s earlier act Rector Scanner, founded in 1997 as his very first music project, before he redirected his energy toward the more EBM-oriented AD:keY together with Andrea.

Formed around 2006-2007, the duo released classic, club-driven EBM early on. The debut album “Thema Nummer Eins” arrived on December 5, 2008, followed in 2015 by “Anthropozän”. After signing to Alfa Matrix in 2017, AD:keY released the digital EP “Shameless” and a steady run of releases on the label, including “Reanimator”, “10th Anniversary” and “Resonanz”, plus EPs and singles such as “Never Enough”, “Herz Lass Los”, “Alles Was Ich Will”, “Nackt” and “Deine Augen”, and a Depeche Mode tribute cover of “Master and Servant”.

“06.09”, the duo’s seventh album and a reference to the couple’s wedding date, was released in 2024 as a digital and CD album with an additional remix companion. It is the release reviewed here.

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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“Arctic Esotericism” is the fourth album by the Finnish duo Miseria Ultima. Aleksi Martikainen (vocals) and Kimmo Huhtala (music) offer a Scandinavian perspective on the journey between birth and death. These themes are translated into hard-hitting, danceable Dark-Electro tracks, driven by low, minimalist bass lines and icy melodies. Martikainen’s harsh, intense vocals sit atop the music. The opening tracks stand out for their power and uplifting energy. However, the overall production lacks variation, with the leads remaining quite similar throughout the entire work. A bit more diversity would have been a welcome addition. That said, there’s no shortage of dance tracks on this latest release. (Rating:7).

Listen to “In Murder”:

Read the news on ‘Arctic Esotericism’.

About Miseria Ultima

Miseria Ultima is a Finnish industrial electro band formed in 2016 by Aleksi Martikainen (vocals) and Kimmo Huhtala (synths). Their music blends elements of EBM, aggrotech, and dark electro, creating a unique sound characterized by cold, melancholic atmospheres and intense, aggressive beats.

The band has released several well-received albums, starting with their debut “Phosphor” in 2017. This was followed by “Graygarden” in early 2020, which continued to build their reputation in the dark electro scene. In 2022, they signed with the Alfa Matrix label and released their third album, “In Colors of Void”​​.

Miseria Ultima draws inspiration from the harsh, cold environment of northern Finland, translating the stark beauty and desolation of their surroundings into their music. Their lyrics often explore themes of mortality, grief, and introspection, influenced by their experiences and philosophical reflections​. With “Arctic Esotericism”, released on digital and CD through Alfa Matrix, the duo adds a fourth album to that chronology.

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.

www.side-line.com

We talked to Aleksi Martikainen, frontman of the Finnish dark elektro duo MISERIA ULTIMA who recently returned in full force with their 4th studio album, “Arctic Esotericism” (out now on Bandcamp and on CD via the Alfa Matrix webstore).  An aggrotech tour de force through which they also  expands their sonic palette with deeper, sorrowful atmospheres and fiery cold melodies.

SL. Your new album “Arctic Esotericism” seems to take listeners on an existential journey through the cold ethos of the North. Can you tell us more about the philosophical and emotional themes you wanted to convey with this album?

MU. We think the philosophy of the album has a tie to our roots in the northern Finland. Especially the landscapes, long winter times and suddenly changing sceneries and long dark seasonal times. In a way the ethos represents death and birth. The north is a metaphor for many of these natural events. There are emotions from highs to lows represented here.

SL. From the harsh aggrotech of “Displayed For Punishment” to the melancholic atmospheres of “The Cruel Beauty Of Reverence,” the album showcases a diverse sonic palette. How did you approach expanding your sound on this release while staying true to your signature style?

MU. It was a natural continuation for us. We think it felt right to keep to what we are, but also offer something new, we don’t want to make the same album twice, but this does not mean that we abandon what we are. 

SL. The track titles, like “Spiritual Nailbomb” and “Storms of Atonement,” suggest a strong narrative element. How do you develop the themes in your music—do they evolve naturally during the writing process, or do you start with a specific concept in mind?

MU. For us the lyrical themes come naturally. It is tied to something creative within. Usually these are some philosophical concepts (like lost control) which awake the spark, but of course like said before, nature is also a great inspiration for us. For example the “Storms of Atonement” is about losing your will and abandoning your reach for the “knowledge”, “wisdom” or “black/ inner flame”. 

SL. Vocally, this album appears to offer more diversity compared to your previous works, from aggressive harsh tones to more disillusioned and noir styles. What inspired this shift, and how do you see your vocal expression evolving in future projects?

MU. Yes! We are always processing our music and like said before, sometimes diversity comes naturally. We have a plan to continue this evolving path, but we also will keep of course our own sound and style within these changes. There will be more change of style for the vocals, but only if it suits the “song” — no reason to push something that does not suit the theme or song. We are although very happy with our progression in music.

SL. You’ve mentioned influences from bands like Suicide Commando and Skinny Puppy, yet MISERIA ULTIMA has its own distinct sound. How do you balance paying homage to the genre’s pioneers while carving out your own musical identity? 

MU.  We think our roots in doom-metal music back in the years still affect our sound quite heavily. We will keep our own Dark electro / electronic music as part of our music, which opens a way for us to keep loyalty to our genre. But, aside from that we always try to open doors for something new, which comes naturally and keep the doors open to our past style in music. We think this is the key to our musical identity.

SL. As you gear up for the release of “Arctic Esotericism,” can fans expect any special live performances or a tour? What can we anticipate from your upcoming shows in terms of atmosphere and setlists?

MU. There are upcoming shows announced (tour supporting our friends of King Satan) and some unannounced ones. We never take these kind of opportunities for granted and are always happy to play. For new shows, you can still expect the energy combined with coldness (and of course bad Finnish jokes), but in addition new songs will be pushed even more to setlist.

SL. Looking ahead, do you have plans for future collaborations or releases—such as an EP or remixes? Are there any particular artists or producers you’d love to work with to continue evolving the MISERIA ULTIMA sound?

MU.  Yes, we have some smaller plans for the upcoming EP, but let’s see how that works out. Alfa Matrix has done more than perfect job. We truly appreciate them and usually working with them includes some more releases too! We are always open for new suggestions of a collaboration, so if you have interested, don’t hesitate to take contact. (laugh)

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. 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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Last September, Alfa Matrix released the 7th studio album from AD:KEY, “0609” (available via Bandcamp): a release full of energy, strong old-school EBM basslines, catchy synth melodies, and addictive choruses, all highlighted by their unique male/female vocal interplay. NITZER EBB’s power meets KRAFTWERK’s melody for a smashing album evoking AND ONE or FRONT 242!

S. First of all, congratulations on the release of “0609” and your wedding anniversary! September 6th must hold a lot of personal significance for you both. Can you share how you spent your anniversary this year and what this date means to you in both your personal and professional lives? 

R. Thank you for your kind wishes. September 6th has a very big meaning for us indeed. We wanted to show the whole world that we wanted to spend the rest of our lives together. This year we spent our 16th wedding anniversary at the NCN Festival. The night before I performed at the NCN with Orange Sector. Andrea and I met at a festival 17 years ago, married 16 years ago and gave our first AD:keY concert in Kassel on that very day. So a wedding concert!

S. “0609” is described as your most personal album to date, reflecting your deep bond as a couple and bandmates. How did your relationship influence the creative process behind this release? Were there any moments that felt especially emotional or cathartic during the making of the album?

R. We are married, but at the same time we are best friends. We can tell each other anything and don’t shy away from criticizing each other. Because we have set up our studio at home, we can work on music at any time. Alone or together, whatever suits us. Of course there are emotional moments. Especially when a track gives us goosebumps at the same time. I think especially with the songs “Your Eyes” and “Two Souls” we felt a sense of deep connection…

S. The male/female vocal interplay is a core element of your sound. How do you approach balancing your voices and perspectives in the music? Are there specific tracks on “0609” where you feel this dynamic really shines?

R. That’s a tough question! My favorite on the album is “Your Eyes.” The song is based on Andrea’s voice. My voice can only be heard in the background during the chorus. Where a female voice is needed or rather a male voice, we also use it. Andrea finds the outro of the album, the song “0609”, particularly successful. Here both voices appear in a balanced ratio…

S. This album celebrates not only your relationship but also your dedication to the EBM genre. How do you see your sound evolving on “0609,” and what were your main influences or inspirations while working on this album?

R. I think we have undergone a lot of development in the last few years. Our songs seem (at least we think so) more grown-up, more mature than on the first albums. They are more classic, melodic old school EBM songs with a somewhat rough instrumentalization. We only use hardware synthesizers, many of which are analog devices. This makes the sound warm and rich – and somehow everything sounds a little like electronics from the end of the 80s. I think this is a new quality feature of “0609”. We like that sound because we grew up with it. These are our sources of inspiration. Our song “The Evil God,” for example, makes me think a little of Bigod 20 with its sounds and samples, for example the tracks “Kreusch” and “The Big Bang.” I’m a big Bigod 20 fan. Or the sequencer runs on the songs “Heartbeat” and “By Your Side” could perhaps have come from Nitzer Ebb. Andrea has been a Nitzer Ebb fan since she was a child. Some of the sounds on “0609” sound a bit like Armageddon Dildos, which I was a keyboard player for on stage for years. Uwe Kanka, the mastermind of Armageddon Dildos, finally insisted on contributing the vocals for our song “Feel the Beat” in the chorus. We have been friends with Uwe for years; after all, Uwe is originally from Kassel, just like Andrea. They even attended the same school, except that Uwe learned there a bunch of years before Andrea (laugh).  I would perhaps mention Terence Fixmer and Miss Kittin as further influences – and of course Front 242 and Kraftwerk.

S. The album comes with a bonus CD featuring remixes by artists like ORANGE SECTOR, ZWEITE JUGEND, and even your side project RECTOR SCANNER. How did you decide which artists to collaborate with for these remixes, and how does it feel to have your music reinterpreted by others?

R. First of all, thank you again to all the remixers. Almost all of us know each others personally and are mostly friends with each other. Whenever we hear a remix for the first time, we are amazed at how different such new recordings are from the original and what new ideas the remixers have contributed. Since we know what our friends’ music sounds like with their own projects, we could already guess in advance which direction the mixes could go. With the Bodewell (Orange Sector) remix we knew it was going to be a club number that was going to be a blast. The TC 75 mix would be more ambient – and “Zweite Jugend” will sound like “Zweite Jugend”. “Aktion:Fiasko” definitely had to be there because the project is new, crisp and fresh. Franzi (the front woman) lives a few doors down from us. But we didn’t know that we would be presented with such a bright mix of “The Evil God” that will certainly attract attention in the club. The Miseria Ultima remix was also a big surprise because we had only known this band for a short time.

S. Considering the intimate nature of “0609” and your long-standing relationship as both partners and bandmates, how do you manage to maintain that balance between personal life and the creative energy needed for your music? 

R. For us, making music is part of our private lives. It mainly takes place on the weekends, after dinner on Friday or Saturday evening. If the creative energy isn’t there, we do something different: we meet up with friends, go to concerts, or go to readings in my favorite bookstore “Otherland” in Berlin Kreuzberg where we gather strength and find new ideas.

S. As you celebrate this milestone with “0609,” what does the future hold for AD:KEY? Are there any upcoming projects, collaborations, or special plans that fans can look forward to?

R. Of course we pause for a moment when a project like a new album that we have been working on for almost 4 years is finished. It’s like closing a book you’ve read. And then you look around for something new, you look around and start the next project. We will definitely play some concerts, for example in March 2025 at the E-Only Festival in Leipzig. We have some remixes in the pipeline for other bands. There are already a few song ideas for our Rector Scanner project. In the future there will be a new Rector Scanner album. At the moment we are planning another AD:keY single from the current album, which should be released in the next months.  Another AD:keY song is also finished, which was originally supposed to be on the album “0609”, but ultimately didn’t fit thematically. This song was sung by Martin Bodewell (Orange Sector). We also want to release this song somewhere!  Andrea has also been active as a guest singer with VillaBorghese (side project of Ex Trial / Trilogy) in recent months and will certainly be heard there more often. In addition, Andrea is planning a project that she would like to launch together with exclusively female musicians, including Franzi from Aktion:Fiasko and Lily from MDS 51. Female Electronic Music – “FEM”.

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. 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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The Estonian electro-industrial act Freakangel are back with their latest release, “Death Bloom (Extended Version)“, following “Suicidal (Break the Cycle)” and their exclusive compilation “Serenity To The Stars, Beauty To The Broken“.

Next to the title track and “Suicidal (Break The Cycle)”, the EP – available as a free download from Bandcamp – also features remixes from Miseria Ultima and DJ Sugar Rody. You can download this new 3-track EP right below.

Here’s the video for the title track.

And here’s the one for “Suicidal (Break The Cycle)”

About Freakangel

Freakangel is an electro-industrial band formed in 2009 in Tallinn, Estonia by its frontman Dmitry Darling and signed to Alfa Matrix. Freakangel brings a fusion of harsh electronic beats, metal guitar riffs, and industrial soundscapes, often exploring dystopian and psychological themes.

Their debut album, “The Faults of Humanity”, was released in 2010, showcasing their aggressive yet melodic style. The band’s second album, “Let It All End” followed 2 years later.

Freakangel has continued to evolve musically, with subsequent releases such as “How the Ghost Became” (2017), where they embraced more rock and metal elements while maintaining their electronic core.

The band has toured extensively across Europe, playing major festivals such as Wave-Gotik-Treffen and Amphi Festival.

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. 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!

side-line.com

Miseria Ultima, the Finnish dark electro revelation, has just released its fourth studio album, “Arctic Esotericism”. This album continues their exploration of the cold ethos and philosophy of the North, diving into themes of existence from birth to death.

The album is available now on Bandcamp and on CD via the Alfa Matrix webstore.

The album opens with the powerful track “Displayed For Punishment”, setting a harsh aggrotech tone. This is followed by “In Murder” and “Virtue And Desolation”, featuring fast-paced, icy melodies. “Thorns And Tragedy” stands out with its grief-laden atmosphere, offering the band’s signature Skinny Puppy like style. Other tracks such as “Spiritual Nailbomb” carry desperate undertones, while “Storms of Atonement” is a mid-tempo, depressive piece.

“Arctic Esotericism” will for sure appeal to fans of bands like Amduscia, Suicide Commando, C-Lekktor, Alien Vampires, and especially early Skinny Puppy. You can already check out a few tracks below.

About Miseria Ultima

Miseria Ultima is a Finnish industrial electro band formed in 2016 by Aleksi Martikainen (vocals) and Kimmo Huhtala (synths). Their music blends elements of EBM, aggrotech, and dark electro, creating a unique sound characterized by cold, melancholic atmospheres and intense, aggressive beats.

The band has released several well-received albums, starting with their debut “Phosphor” in 2017. This was followed by “Graygarden” in early 2020, which continued to build their reputation in the dark electro scene. In 2022, they signed with the Alfa Matrix label and released their third album, “In Colors of Void”​​.

Miseria Ultima draws inspiration from the harsh, cold environment of northern Finland, translating the stark beauty and desolation of their surroundings into their music. Their lyrics often explore themes of mortality, grief, and introspection, influenced by their experiences and philosophical reflections​. Read the review of ‘Arctic Esotericism’.

Eldrina Mich

As Eldrina Mich I work as a go-between and a devil’s advocate when it comes to Side-Line. If our own staff needs to be interviewed then ask the questions no one else dares to ask.

www.side-line.com

C-Lekktor, a leading name in the dark elektro scene alongside Hocico, Rabia Sorda, and Amduscia, celebrates its 20 years anniversary. Markko B. has now released a special “2.0” double-CD deluxe digipak on Alfa Matrix. This release includes fan-favorite club hits and revamped versions of 12 classic tracks.

This 2CD version is available now via the Alfa Matrix website, the download version via Bandcamp. The album is also available in a special combi pack along the new releases from AD:keY and Miseria Ultima.

On this new album Markko B. has breathed new life into frequently requested songs performed at concerts. Updated tracks such as “An Empty Soul”, “Infected”, “Paralisis”, “See My Hate”, “El Comienzo De La Muerte”, and “Our Dark Side” are reimagined and rearranged, while classics like “World Of Fantasy”, “Juicio Final”, “Hellektro Convulsion Therapy”, “Solo En La Oscuridad”, and “Silence Remains” have received powerful makeovers.

The release also features harsh elektro tracks in their original form from recent albums, including fresh tracks like “God Killer” and “Are You Ready For The Bass?” alongside dancefloor cuts “Out Of My Way”, “Cyborgs”, and the track “Animals”.

Additionally, the double-CD set includes the exclusive unreleased track “I Don’t”, originally written during “The Silence Procession” era, and a cover of Depeche Mode’s “Always You”.

You can listen to all of the tracks below.

Fans of dark hellektro music, especially those who enjoy Suicide Commando, Hocico, Alien Vampires, or Noisuf-X, will find this double-CD essential.

About C-Lekktor

C-Lekktor, spearheaded by Marco Antonio Barrientos (Markko B.), has been an important force in the dark elektro scene for over two decades. Emerging from the vibrant Mexican electro scene of the 1990s, C-Lekktor made its first appearance with the demo CD “Re-a-Gression”.

Known for its aggressive and energetic sound, characterized by harsh vocals, pounding beats, and dark, atmospheric melodies, the project gained widespread recognition with performances across Mexico and internationally.

In 2005, the project released the maxi-CD “Words of Evil” and participated in the “Electro Map-Latam Compilation”. The following years saw C-Lekktor performing extensively, including concerts in Peru and Chile, and performances on major events like the “Necropolis Fest”.

Eldrina Mich

As Eldrina Mich I work as a go-between and a devil’s advocate when it comes to Side-Line. If our own staff needs to be interviewed then ask the questions no one else dares to ask.

www.side-line.com

Today the German EBM pop duo AD:keY releases a new double-CD album, “0609”, on Alfa Matrix. The duo, recently married Andrea and Rene Nowotny, matched the album’s title with the release date of the album: “0609” aka September 6th.

You can order the album now on Bandcamp as download and on 2CD via the Alfa Matrix webstore.

This is AD:keY’s seventh album. In “0609”, the duo reflects their deep bond as a married couple and as bandmates. Expect strong old-school EBM basslines, catchy synth melodies, and addictive choruses.

As a special treat, the album includes an 11-track bonus CD featuring alternative versions and remixes by friends such as Martin Bodewell (Orange Sector), To Avoid, Digital Factor, Miseria Ultima, Zweite Jugend, TC 75, Aktion:Fiasko, and their side-project Rector Scanner. Additionally, enjoy a special guest vocal contribution from Uwe Kanka, frontman of the cult act and label mates Armageddon Dildos.

About AD:keY

AD:keY, the German EBM pop duo, consists of Andrea and Rene Nowotny, who formed the band in 2006 as a side project.

Their first album, “Thema Nummer Eins”, was released on November 21, 2008, under the Electric Tremor Dessau label. This album featured tracks like “Alkohol” and “Hass Mich”, which helped establish their presence in the EBM scene. Following this, they released “A Deutschmaschine” on April 30, 2010, which included hits like “Deutschmaschine” and “Hölle”. Their third album, “Sharp Cuts”, came out on November 2, 2012, and included tracks such as “Haut” and “Prolet”.

In 2014, AD:keY released “Reanimator” on May 9, featuring songs like “Mein Weg” and “Maschinen”. Two years later, on June 10, 2016, they released “D’Accord”, with tracks like “D’Accord” and “Der Letzte Tanz”. Their sixth album, “Herz und Verstand”, was released on April 20, 2018, and included songs like “Herz und Verstand” and “In Mein Herz”. Most recently, on September 18, 2020, they released “Resonanz”, featuring tracks such as “Maschinenliebe” and “Revolte”.

The band is signed to the Belgian label Alfa Matrix.

Eldrina Mich

As Eldrina Mich I work as a go-between and a devil’s advocate when it comes to Side-Line. If our own staff needs to be interviewed then ask the questions no one else dares to ask.

www.side-line.com

Out now via Bandcamp as a free download is DJ Shane Aungst’s “Electronic Bodies – Nightside Sessions” mega-mix. The Seattle (United States) based DJ produced this 2-part megamix including 23 tracks (and 2 intros) from “Electronic Bodies” during long evening sessions in October 2023. Note that the intros were created by Viscera Drip.

As you will know the original “Electronic Bodies” compilation (available here on Bandcamp) focused on EBM and its offspring. The proceedings of this mega-mix will equally go to charity.

Shane’s mixes mainly deal in the EBM/Aggrotech/Industrial genres, and come with heavy layers of sampling and edits. He has been doing studio work, working on sampling, mixes, edits, remixes, as well as putting together some original material. We will soon also publish an interview with Shane on his current and future work. Check his Instagram page for more info.

The tracklist is as follows:

Part 1

1. Night side sessions – Intro 00:00
2. Diffuzion – Ain’t Gonna Fuck With My Brain 00:49
3. Rabbits Wear Boots – Cyborg 04:54
4. Him+He – Dr Jones (Ocult Mix) 09:42
5. ELM – Vessel Of Violence (Weaponized Cardio Mix) 14:06
6. Ars – Thanatophobia 17:18
7. UCNX – Burning Slowly Down 21:54
8. Llumen – You Can Have It All (Matrix Edit) 25:41
9. The Psychic Force – Lockdown Lovers 29:50
10. Kant Kino – Frontline (Edit) 34:22
11. Raudadler – Sexual Deviants 37:15
12. First Aid 4 Souls – Anger 41:58
13. Miseria Ultima – Yet Shivering Profound 46:30

Part 2

1. Viscera Drip – Night side sessions Intro 00:00
2. Human Vault – Flesh And Bone (Void You Are Edit By Nadragea – Side-Line Cut) 00:52
3. Digital Factor – What 05:18
4. Aiboforcen – Cycle Of Life (Short Edit) 08:35
5. Aesthetische – Boiling Over (Celsius Version) 12:30
6. Diverje – Numb (EBM Remix By Psychosomatik) 16:50
7. Venus In Disgrace – Generation Commodore 20:25
8. Kreign – Don’t Force The Hand 23:13
9. Fuckware – Combat 27:22
10. Stahlgeist – Infected Colony (Alternate Version) 31:10
11. Sinthetik Messiah – Know Your Enemy 35:39
12. Töt – Mon Nom Est Personne 39:14

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. 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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Alfa Matrix, the renowned Belgian label, commemorates its 22nd anniversary with yet another mastodont compilation on Bandcamp. The latest installment in the acclaimed “Matrix Downloaded” series, titled “Matrix+ Downloaded 011”, is now available as a free download on their Bandcamp page. Packed with 60 tracks, including new signings and a preview of the upcoming Spleen+ label releases, this compilation showcases Alfa Matrix’s diverse music repertoire.

“Matrix+ Downloaded 011” soared to the top of the industrial Bandcamp charts within hours of its release, claiming the coveted number 1 position.

The collection holds 60 tracks in total including several new signings. These are the bands present on this brand new free download compilation: Hanging Freud, The Ultimate Dreamers, The Breath Of Life, Psy’Aviah Feat. Sorrow Stories, ImJudas, Star Industry, Halo In Reverse, Lovelorn Dolls, The True Union, Freakangel, Avarice In Audio, Siva Six, Alien Vampires, Synapsyche, Helalyn Flowers, Neuroactive, Elektrostaub Feat. Stefan Netschio, Technoir, Entrzelle, Llumen, Noemi Aurora, Aiboforcen Feat. Jan D., Reichsfeind, Mondträume Feat. N-Frequency, The Psychic Force, Digital Factor, Implant, Darkness On Demand, Aesthetische, Komor Kommando Vs. The True Union, Matthew Creed, C-Lekktor, First Aid Tech, Pouppee Fabrikk, ELM, Die Robo Sapiens, Plastic Noise Experience, Armageddon Dildos, Stahlgeist, AD:keY, Kant Kino, Suicidal Romance, Miseria Ultima, First Aid 4 Souls, Neikka RPM, Circumpolar, Venal Flesh, Helle9, Diffuzion, Acylum, Circuito Cerrado, Aengeldust, Studio-X, 808 Dot Pop, Cubic, Metroland, Rector Scanner, Elektroklänge, Cosmic Armchair, Lights A.M.

You can download “Matrix+ Downloaded 011” for free via Bandcamp.

Eldrina Mich

As Eldrina Mich I work as a go-between and a devil’s advocate when it comes to Side-Line. If our own staff needs to be interviewed then ask the questions no one else dares to ask.

www.side-line.com

The Acylum duo strikes back with the “Kalashnikov” EP on Bandcamp which – obviously – refers to the terrible weapon Michail Timofejewitsch Kalashnikov brought the world, namely the AK-47.

Pedro Engels from Acylum explains: “This weapon has been making hundreds of thousands of victims and with the renewed outbreak of war in Europe since 2022 more victims keep falling day after day… With this EP we question whether it’s time to celebrate the creator or blame human’s never-ending stupidity. When shall we ever learn from our mistakes?”

With this move Acylum continues to introduce political topics in their work. Acylum recently also remixed the single “Ukraina” by Iwan Lovynsky & KingSMarine which Side-Line magazine released past December. All proceeds from that single go to Ukrainian aid.

The 7-track EP “Kalashnikov” holds remixes from :Wumpscut:, Wajidan, 13Th Angel, Elektrostaub and Miseria Ultima. You can check it and download it below. A straight in your face EP.

Side-Line also covered Wumpscut’s ‘Schlossgheist’.

Eldrina Mich

As Eldrina Mich I work as a go-between and a devil’s advocate when it comes to Side-Line. If our own staff needs to be interviewed then ask the questions no one else dares to ask.

www.side-line.com

After their recently released new EP “Witch Heart Apparition”, the Finnish dark elektro duo Miseria Ultima (Aleksi Martikainen on vocals and Kimmo Huhtala on synths) now strikes back with their 3rd studio album on their new label Alfa Matrix.

The band’s trademark sound is clearly present again, so you can expect cold melancholic atmospheres and strong melodies with harsh aggressive vocals and dark elektro assaults. “In Colors of Void” features 11 songs dealing with mortality and tragic death and how we are facing grief and such sudden loss.

Our reviewer was more that raving about the new album when he wrote this: “Miseria Ultima confirms their strong potential revealed at previous works and will be a true revelation for Dark-Electro heads.”

Time we hailed Finland to meet up with Aleksi Martikainen (vocals) for a talk.

SL: Tell us more about the concept of your new album? 

M: In our album “In Colors of Void” the main concept is about the feelings we go through when facing different kind of tragedies. Even the pains and tragedies have their own colors and shades. The whole concept is about these shades and facing every song reflects it differently. 

SL: How would you describe your music on the new album to somebody who does not know you yet or only knows previous material?

M: We think dark and cold, with warm and aggressive synths are the main keys. What you can wait from our music are the cold machines, bursting angry and cold melodies, combined to lyrics, which take a more philosophical approach towards different kind of things. Especially on all our three albums, we think that in our latest album we have gone forward, towards even more melodic and aggressive style, but keeping the EBM and dark electro things almost the same.

SL: Is there any link to find between your icy music style and your country of origin, Finland? 

M: Yes, of course. We think that it is our main concept as a band. We both were born and have been living in the north of Finland, where the winters tend to get cold and dark. You can see the sunlight only for a while in winter, but of course there are some months that the days carry no light. It has a kind of an artistic link, when you walk around in the winter night or day, in snowstorm or in a calm day, taking the atmospheres in and think about nature how cruel and beautiful it is at the same time. This sometimes inspires our music very much. Silence and nature. We think that for both of us, we understand the north and arctic coldness and of course the summers there, things like these are very inspirational. You see death and life, tragedy and joy in every season. The whole process for us is like sparking a fire into self-consciousness.

SL: Atmospheres also characterise much your songs. Do you have any cinematic approach before writing a new song? Tell us more how are you both working in studio together? 

M. We both see music as pictures and atmospheres. We are kind of an “visual people”. Usually, when Kimmo sends Aleksi a song, Aleksi has a moment to reflect a proper lyrics and arrangements to it, which he has been written. We usually both do our things and then we head to the studio and make some production together, giving ideas, processing the whole thing. And then we advance to record phase, what we have “idealized”. 

SL: I have the impression you have quite diverse influences? 

M: Haha, yes! We both were in a doom-metal band in a past also did some together under a different project. We think that reflects and influences us a lot, especially doom-metal bands like Funeral and Skepticism have been very inspiring for us. But of course there are many more, we listen to different kinds of music, from metal to rap to classical to atmospheric soundtrack music and from industrial to aggrotech. We think all the music we listen to are affecting our style, taking influences from everything which sounds awesome. 

SL: What’s next for Miseria Ultima?

M: There will be shows for us in 2023 and we actually are making new songs as we speak. But the priority are the shows and then we get back on track of making new songs and melodies. Sometimes, the inspiration comes ablaze, sometimes, it takes some time. 

Eldrina Mich

As Eldrina Mich I work as a go-between and a devil’s advocate when it comes to Side-Line. If our own staff needs to be interviewed then ask the questions no one else dares to ask.

www.side-line.com

Genre/Influences: Dark-Electro, EBM.

Format: Digital, CD.

Background/Info: After having released two successful albums on Advoxya Records, Miseria Ultima got an upgrade and signed to Alfa Matrix. The Finnish duo driven by Aleksi Martikainen (vocals) and Kimmo Huhtala (music) first released the EP “Witch Heart Apparition” and now strikes back with songs inspired by mortality, tragic death and how to face these facts.

Content: Miseria Ultima moves on mixing Dark-Electronics and EBM. The dark sphere is carried by melodic choruses and danceable kicks with harsh vocals on top. I also notice a more minimal but danceable cut. This album is now and then reminding me of Centhron.

+ + + : Miseria Ultima don’t reinvent anything but are quite efficient in writing alluring songs. The tracklist gets more interesting during the second part of the work featuring outstanding cuts like “The Underground Cult Of Decadence”, “The Aurora Eyes” and a great bonus cut “Of Whip And Vanquishment”.“The Aurora Eyes” especially stands out a bit from the rest of the tracklist; this is an intelligent, minimal-driven, song with a subtle, cold, melody line. This band definitely deserves to get a wider recognition which they might obtain by being signed to Alfa Matrix.

– – – : Quite surprisingly the previously released EP title song “Witch Heart Apparition” didn’t really catch my attention. The production of the vocals remains pretty similar the entire album long and is maybe an aspect to reconsider on further works.

Conclusion: Miseria Ultima confirms their strong potential revealed at previous works and will be a true revelation for Dark-Electro heads.

Best songs: “The Underground Cult Of Decadence”, “The Aurora Eyes”, “Of Whip And Vanquishment”, “The Arrow Dream”, “Stillborn Promethean”.

Rate: 8.

Artist: www.miseriaultima.com / www.facebook.com/miseriaultima

Label: www.alfa-matrix.com / www.facebook.com/Alfa.Matrix Read the news on ‘In Colors Of Void’.

About Miseria Ultima

Miseria Ultima is a Finnish dark electro duo formed by Aleksi Martikainen (vocals) and Kimmo Huhtala (music). The pair released two albums via Advoxya Records before signing to Alfa Matrix, where they issued the EP “Witch Heart Apparition” ahead of “In Colors Of Void” (2023), reviewed here. Miseria Ultima returned in 2024 with a fourth studio album, “Arctic Esotericism”, also released via Alfa Matrix.

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.

www.side-line.com

Genre/Influences: Dark-Electro, EBM.

Format: Digital, 2CD.

Background/Info: After three self-released and four official albums C-Lekktor breaks the silence after a hiatus of five years. Mexican Dark-Electro head Marco Barientos aka ‘Markko B’ signed to Alfa Matrix. He’s already familiar with the Belgian label having released music from his side project Circuito Cerrado. The last album of this side-project “Furious Basslines” might have inspired him for the slogan of this new C-Lekktor work ‘Are You Ready For The Bass?’

Content: The album stands for pure C-Lekktor Electro-terror and yet I noticed a little evolution in sound. The mix between Dark-Electro and EBM has never been so perfect. The songs are driven by hopping rhythms and sequences while carrying leads are pushing the songs to a higher dimension. Markko B is singing like a possessed creature.

The bonus disc features remixes by Xperiment, Centhron, ESA, Nevel, Llumen, The Psychic Force, Skynthattack, Venal Flesh, Neikka RPM, Chamaeleon, Nano Infect, FabrikC, Third Realm, Aesthetische, Miseria Ultima and Circuito Cerrado.

+ + + : C-Lekktor stands for power and terror; a violent Dark-Electro experience which became the trademark of this artist. C-Lekktor definitely belongs with projects like Hocico and Amduscia to the best Mexican bands in the genre. Markko B knows how to compose pure dance-terror. I like the way he created a perfect symbiosis between Dark-Electro and EBM resulting in great songs like “God Killer”, “Me”, “Death Dealer” and “Are You Ready For The Bass?”. Among the remixes featuring great names I especially like the job done by Neikka RPM industrializing “Obsession” in a true masterpiece with female backing vocals by Dominique. Other essential remixes are these by The Psychic Force and Chamaeleon.

– – – : The first part of the album sounds okay but the best cuts are definitely featured on the second part. I however have already heard better stuff from C-Lekktor.

Conclusion: ‘Are you ready for the bass?’ No doubt about it C-Lekktor will take dancefloors by force!

Best songs: “Me”, “Are You Ready For The Bass?”, “God Killer”, “Dearth Dealer” + “Obsession – Neikka RPM Remix”, “House Of Pain – The Psychic Force Remix”. 

Rate: 8.

Artist: www.facebook.com/Clekktor

Label: www.alfa-matrix.com / www.facebook.com/Alfa.Matrix

Listen to “New World Disorder”:

About C-Lekktor

C-Lekktor is a Mexican dark-electro project led by Marco Barientos, known as Markko B, who also records as Circuito Cerrado. After three self-released and four official albums, the project signed to Alfa Matrix and returned with “New World Disorder” following a five-year hiatus, released October 28, 2022 as a 2CD and digital bonus-tracks edition with remixes by Xperiment, Centhron, ESA, Nevel, Llumen, The Psychic Force, Skynthattack, Venal Flesh, Neikka RPM, Chamaeleon, Nano Infect, FabrikC, Third Realm, Aesthetische, Miseria Ultima and Circuito Cerrado.

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.

www.side-line.com

After their recently released new EP “Witch Heart Apparition”, the Finnish dark elektro duo Miseria Ultima (Aleksi Martikainen on vocals and Kimmo Huhtala on synths) now strikes back with their 3rd studio album on their new label Alfa Matrix.

The band’s trademark sound is clearly present again, so you can expect cold melancholic atmospheres and strong melodies with harsh aggressive vocals and dark elektro assaults. “In Colors of Void” will feature 11 songs dealing with mortality and tragic death and how we are facing grief and such sudden loss.

“It is all about chaos theory, choices, and causality – and also about psychic vampirism…”, says Aleksi Martikainen. “In songs like ‘Shutter’ and ‘Devoid Of Coloration’, I write about the sudden decay of mind after manipulation and also about the total death of self-consciousness…”

You can check the full album below. The release is also out on CD, next to the download version on Bandcamp.

Also check out the below videos including the official video clip for “Witch Heart Apparition” and one for “Caressing The Pale” in a Siva Six remix. Read the review of ‘In Colors Of Void’.

Eldrina Mich

As Eldrina Mich I work as a go-between and a devil’s advocate when it comes to Side-Line. If our own staff needs to be interviewed then ask the questions no one else dares to ask.

www.side-line.com

C-Lekktor expands, the duo consisting of Markko and Jamie, welcome a 3rd member to their line-up: Dj/Producer Dimitri Berzerk aka d·b. The news was announced on Facebook last night as you can see below.

C-Lekktor has a new album out since last week, the 2CD “New World Disorder” which is also available as download via Bandcamp and all other services. With “New World Disorder”, the band breaks 5 years of extended silence. The release offers a fusion of classic dark hellektro with upbeat industrial EBM.

Note that this 2CD is a limited edition first pressing including a 16-track bonus disc featuring remixes by ESA, Centhron, Xperiment, The Psychic Force, Fabrikc, Aesthetische, Neikka RPM, Venal Flesh, Nano Infect, Circuito Cerrado, Llumen, Nevel, Synthattack, Chamaeleon, Miseria Ultima and Third Realm.

Below is the Facebook announcement.

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. 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!

side-line.com

One of the leading bands from the Mexican dark elektro scene, C-Lekktor, has landed a record deal with the Belgian electro label Alfa Matrix. After having been focused on some side-project activities (for instance the excellent Circuito Cerrado) and other collaborations over the last years, Markko B. has concentrated his attention back on C-Lekktor.

Alfa Matrix announced today that they will release the new C-Lekktor album “New World Disorder” later in October. With this new release C-Lekktor breaks 5 years of extended silence (and pandemic struggle).

The first pressing of this “New World Disorder” album comes out as double-CD digipak limited edition with extended artwork and a 16-track bonus disc featuring remixes by Esa, Centhron, Xperiment, The Psychic Force, Fabrikc, Aesthetische, Neikka Rpm, Venal Flesh, Nano Infect, Circuito Cerrado, Llumen, Nevel, Synthattack, Chamaeleon, Miseria Ultima and Third Realm.

You can already check two tracks on Bandcamp (they are yours for immediate download if you pre-order the download release). The 2CD limited edition can be pre-ordered now from the Alfa Matrix webshop.

The project debuted in 2004 with the self-released album “Re-A-Gression”. It was followed by “Cloned And Mutated” in 2007, again self-released. The same year the project offered “Refusing The Paradise” after which they got picked up by COP International. On that label they released 3 albums, “The Silence Procession” (2008), “X-Tension In Progress” (2012) and “Final Alternativo” (2014). The band’s last album was the 2017 release “Out Of My Way” re-released in an anniversary edition in 2019.

Eldrina Mich

As Eldrina Mich I work as a go-between and a devil’s advocate when it comes to Side-Line. If our own staff needs to be interviewed then ask the questions no one else dares to ask.

www.side-line.com

Two weeks ago we announced that the Finnish dark electro duo had signed a record deal with the Belgian label Alfa Matrix. Out now is the band’s label debut, namely the 10-track EP “Witch Heart Apparition”. The EP is a teaser for the release of their forthcoming 3rd studio album “In Colors of Void”.

On the new EP Aleksi Martikainen (vocals) and Kimmo Huhtala (synths) offer 2 brand new songs presenting their trademark sound merging cold melancholic atmospheres and poignant sorrowful melodies with harsh aggressive distorted vocals and powerful dark elektro assaults. In addition to the release of a video clip of the title song, which you can view below, their track “Caressing The Pale” was reworked by 8 diverse electro/industrial bands each offering a totally different reinterpretation of the song. In the rework seats we find Acylum, Siva Six, Ad:Key, Neikka RPM, Venal Flesh, Avarice In Audio, Ocean Black and Teknovore.

Here is the full EP available for download on Bandcamp with other platforms to follow soon. We have been following this band for quite some time, good to see they are back with a very strong EP!

Here is the official video for the title track “Witch Heart Apparition”.

Eldrina Mich

As Eldrina Mich I work as a go-between and a devil’s advocate when it comes to Side-Line. If our own staff needs to be interviewed then ask the questions no one else dares to ask.

www.side-line.com

We stay in Finland today as the Finnish duo Miseria Ultima has signed a record deal with the Belgian label Alfa Matrix. The duo will be releasing its forthcoming 3rd studio album on the label, with more info on new material being released this Friday so the label confirmed.

Miseria Ultima was formed in 2016 by Aleksi Martikainen (vocals) and Kimmo Huhtala (synths). Musically the band combines EBM and dark electro with a spices from other electronic music genres. After forming they recorded a demo called ”Unfocus” and released it as digital version in the beginning of 2017. The band’s first official album was “Phosphor” which was released in 2017 on Advoxya followed by the “Graygarden” full length which landed in 2019.

The band will play the Castle Party Festival in Poland which takes place from the 7th to the 10th of July. They are also playing a show at the Metallihelvetin Kesäbileet 2022 which will be held on the 15th and 16th of July 2022 in Utopia, Turku (FI).

You can check out the band right here on Facebook.

Here are the two previous albums from the band.

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. 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!

side-line.com

Genre/Influences: Industrial, Metal, EBM.

Format: Digital, CD.

Background/Info: Spanish formation Hasswut has already been active for a couple of years now. Earlier stuff was released on Mutant-E Records while they later on joined hands with Art Gates Records. “Mund Zu” is their newest work featuring five songs plus one remix.

Content: “Mund Zu!” seems like a mini-album. The sound remains driven by Neue Deutsche Härte. Bands like Rammstein and Oomph! will quickly come to mind but there’s a more explicit electronic touch emerging at the surface. One of the songs even sounds like the offspring between Tyske Ludder and Rammstein; EBM meets metal. The last song is a remix by Miseria Ultima.

+ + + : Hasswut is a formation I haven’t heard in years but they clearly reveal an impressive evolution in sound and songwriting. This is a powerful production carried by solid guitar playing and mixed with pumping kicks and Electro arrangements and bass lines. “Zünder” is an absolute masterpiece for the EBM-Metal fusion. The opening cut “F.F.F.” and the title song both are other noticeable cuts.

– – – : There’s nothing original in the band’s sound but as I often said I prefer a less original- and kicking work instead of an original recording without highlights.

Conclusion: Hasswut remains a somewhat unknown formation which I can highly recommend to lovers of Neue Deutsche Härte.

Best songs: “Zünder”, “F.F.F.”, “Mund Zu!”.

Rate: 7½.

Artist: www.facebook.com/hasswut

Label:  https://artgatesrecords.com / www.facebook.com/ArtGatesRecords

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.

www.side-line.com

The Finnish based dark-electro duo Miseria Ultima (Aleksi Martikainen on vocals and Kimmo Huhtala on synths) will hit the studio to record their third album at the end of October of 2020.

“We have more than enough material ready to begin the recording process of our third album — the new album will offer something new, but also something very old”, says the band.

Dark EBM from Finland

Miseria Ultima was formed in Finland, by Aleksi Martikainen and Kimmo Huhtala in 2016. The music of Miseria Ultima combines EBM and dark electro with some other electronic music ingredients.

After forming Miseria Ultima they recorded the demo “Unfocus” and released it as a digital version in the beginning of 2017. Soon after they were signed by Advoxya Recordsand unleashed the debut album “Phosphor” revealing a mature production driven by dark-electronic influences and melodic leads.

You can check out some of the band’s work below.

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. 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!

side-line.com

Genre/Influences: EBM, dark-electro.

Format: Digital, CD.

Background/Info: The Finnish duo Aleksi Martikainen –  Kimmo Huhtala strikes back with their second full length album. Set up in 2016, they were picked-up by Advoxya Records, which released the band’s debut album “Phosphor” in 2017. It was a solid- and ultra promising debut for Miseria Ultima so I was wondering about their newest sonic creation.   

Content: I think I might say that this album moves on there where “Phosphor” left off. It’s the perfect osmosis between EBM and dark-electro, both styles being clearly indicated by the band as their main sources of inspiration. The songs are driven by pumping kicks, the songs being all very danceable. But there also is a kind of dark, catchy aspect in the melody lines getting the production even more accessible. I don’t want to compare Miseria Ultima with another formation, but I can imagine their sound will appeal to fans of God Module. 

+ + + : The different elements from the production are pretty complementary. There’s a constant twist between hard-pumping beats and rather catchy, but dark melody lines. The production is powerful and masterfully driven by a great vocals’ production. “Allegiance” appears to me as the biggest potential hit from the album. The chorus of the song has an elevating effect, which can’t leave you unmoved. Miseria Ultima doesn’t reinvent the EBM/dark-electro style, but they’re a talented, contemporary ambassador.

– – – : I’m less surprised by this release than when I listened to the “Phosphor”-album, but that is the major difficulty for bands after having released a successful debut work is to follow up with another hit. Well, that’s exactly what Miseria Ultima did!

Conclusion: I’m still convinced this band has the potential to become a real influential- and perhaps a leading band in the dark-electronic music scene!

Best songs: “Allegiance”, “Bayonet Of Her Arms”, “Let Down”, “Remote Warning”, “Temple Behind The Shades”.

Rate: (8½).

Artist: www.miseriaultima.com / www.facebook.com/miseriaultima  

Label: www.advoxya–records.com / www.facebook.com/pages/Advoxya–Records/265765706059 Read the news on ‘Graygarden’.

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.

www.side-line.com

Miseria Ultimas upcoming album has a release date. The album is called “Graygarden” and it will be released on January 15, 2020. The physical album will be released by Advoxya Records and the digital version of the 10-track album will be released by the Finnish based label Inverse Records. The material from the album was recorded between 2017 and 2019.

The album “Graygarden is about the denial of mortality says the band: “A haven, where a person is a kept imprisoned, an illusion of that, everything is eternal. Fighting against nature and inevitable loss.”

Members of Miseria Ultimas includes Aleksi Martikainen​ (vocals, lyrics) and Kimmo Huhtala​ (synths). You can find out more about the band right here.

Brand new single “Allegiance”

Before the album is being released, a first download single called “Allegiance” will be released by Inverse Records. You can watch the video below.

For those having Spotify, you can play it below.

Upcoming tour

The band has also a few shows lined up: Read the review of ‘Graygarden’.

• 11.01.2020 YO-talo, Tampere, Finland. With King Satan & Nachtmahr
• 25.01.2020 Ilokivi, Jyväskylä, Finland. With King Satan & Status Abnormis
• 28.03.2020 Hannover, Saksa. With Nachtmahr

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. 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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(Pictures by Ari Rantanen.) The Finnish based dark-electro duo Miseria Ultima (Aleksi Martikainen on vocals and Kimmo Huhtala on synths) are back. They have just released their brand new single “Allegiance” this morning.

About their comeback the band says: “The time was more than perfect. The hurries have now ceased – at least in our personal lives. During the break we also had time to finish our second album, making some finishing touches. We are more than excited for this return; we are grateful that people still want to see us live and have waited patiently.”

The digital release of the new single will be handled by Inverse Records, which will also be handling the digital release of the yet to be announced second full length album. The physical version of the album will be released by Advoxya Records.

Here’s the band’s debut album “Phosphor” (2017 – Advoxya Records) to check out, it got the high score of 8½ when it was reviewed on Side-Line.

Miseria Ultima was formed in Finland, by Aleksi Martikainen and Kimmo Huhtala in 2016. The music of Miseria Ultima combines EBM and dark electro with some other electronic music ingredients. After forming Miseria Ultima they recorded the demo “Unfocus” and released it as a digital version in the beginning of 2017. Soon after they were signed by Advoxya Records. You can read an interview with Miseria Ultima right here as published in March 2018 on Side-Line.

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. 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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Hailing from Finland Miseria Ultima was set up 2016 by Aleksi Martikainen and Kimmo Huhtala. One year later their unleashed the debut album “Phosphor” on Advoxya Records revealing a mature production driven by dark-electronic influences and melodic leads. It’s hard to say if Miseria Ultima will become the next ‘big thing’ in dark-electro land, but they’re definitely one of the hottest new-coming bands from the growing Advoxya roster. I asked a few questions to Aleksi Martikainen.

(Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries)

Q: Miseria Ultima is a brand-new name active at the wider fields of dark-electronic music. Can you briefly introduce yourself (music background etc) and saying a word about your perception about dark-electronics and EBM generally speaking?

Miseria Ultima: Hello, we are a Miseria Ultima from Finland. For us, dark-electronic music and EBM both are a channel of inner- and different expression. It is a rarely touched ground in music, but as far we have understood, the people who are dedicated to it, embrace it fully. We have listened both genres for a long time, but just a while ago we began fully work with it. Our musical background lays in different kinds of metal projects, but also in other electronic music projects.

Q: I’m fascinated by the rather dark signification of the band name and at the same time intrigued by the title of your album “Phosphor” –the chemical element, but which can be also translated as ‘daystar’. Tell us a bit more about it all and what’s the importance of the lyrical content in Miseria Ultima?

Miseria Ultima: We believe that the years we were listening and working in a doom-metal area has affected our lyrics – and of course the choice of the band name. The lyrics are very important for us; usually we try creating an atmosphere with lyrics by including the meanings through metaphors. The lyrics has an introspect layer, but we also try to create a deeper exploration of specific themes. For example, “Phosphor” is a metaphor for an individual under pressure through a constantly changing society –adapting to it, to reborn through this light of torment.

Q: I noticed Miseria Ultima has been set up in 2016 while one year later you released your debut album. Things went really fast so how do you look back at the writing of the album and what have been the main difficulties you encountered in the global production process?

Miseria Ultima: Yes, it all happened very fast and we think it was affected by the past. We were involved with one dark-electro project in the past on, which we worked for a while, but it withered and finally died for several number of reasons.

The difficulties in the production of the album was to get it ‘sound right’. We usually have a very high level of criticism about our music and sound so it always takes more time to process and going through than we expect.

Q: Sound-wise I noticed a rather ‘classical’ dark-electronic approach although most of your leads have something atypical for this kind of music and are close to trance & dance productions! Tell us a bit more about this essential element of the album?

Miseria Ultima: We have always been fan of melodies. We love to create catching tunes, but the most important thing to us, is that the music flows through naturally. We truly enjoy uplifting tunes featuring themes about darker lyrics like the dissonance of joy and woe.

Q: The song “Vertigo”, which is the final track of the album is something pretty different and definitely more into ‘trance’ music. Does this song show us another side of the band and maybe a next sonic path you want to move on with? How do you see Miseria Ultima evolving?

Miseria Ultima: “Vertigo” is one of the older tracks featured on the album. It was written a while ago now and it truly stands for another side of our music, lyrically and musically. Although the theme of the song is about suicide  –as grim as it sounds. We have been discussing how to evolve with our music in the future, but it will all come naturally. We have been recording one new song so far and there’s a more gothic-tune running through it while the vocals and melody-line are a bit different as well. But in the end there is nothing different though.

Q: Today most of the labels complain about CD-sales while more and more new bands saw the daylight. Are you aware how difficult it is today to get a little bit recognition as new-coming formation and how do you as artist manage this aspect?

Miseria Ultima: Hard times, but we usually rather like to think, that if you work for yourself and be diligent, you will get something in return. Creating contacts, being respectful and polite –not asking too much, –these are the iron keys to golden locks in our opinion to get the success.

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.

www.side-line.com

Genre/Influences: Dark-electro.

Background/Info: Miseria Ultima is a new name knocking at the door of the dark-electro universe. The Finnish duo Aleksi Martikainen – Kimmo Huhtala set up their band in 2016 and released their debut album at the end of 2017.

Content: If you’re familiar with the music taste of Advoxya Records you for sure will agree that this new-coming duo totally fits to the dark-electro and EBM roster of the label. The influences are quite familiar, but the songs have been meticulously worked out. Most of the cuts are ultra danceable while you also will notice a few softer cuts adding a break in between the harder tracks.

+ + + : “Phosphor” is an album that took me by surprise. Miseria Ultima doesn’t strive for innovation, but have accomplished a sophisticated work. The songs have been recovered with great synth-lines, which are a bit reminding to the 90s approach of EBM and dark-electro music. Some of the songs have been polished with a poppy touch resulting in some atypical choruses featuring leads that are pretty dance-music like. Music and vocals are in perfect harmony. I also have to mention the final cut (cf. “Vertigo”), which more sounds as an experiment with fresh dark-body music with some extra trance elements on top. I like the filtered sound treatments running through this song. This track could be a basis for further new songs.

– – – : The few softer cuts bring some diversity although they’re not the best exposure of this album.

Conclusion: I already heard interesting new coming bands featured on Advoxya, but Miseria Ultima definitely belongs to the selected list of ‘hottest’ newcomers. This band reveals a somewhat atypical dark-electro format resulting in several great songs.

Best songs: “Vertigo”, “Morningstar”, “Shift To Crimson”, “Scarlet”, “Submerged”.

Rate: (8½).

Artist: www.miseriaultima.com / www.facebook.com/miseriaultima

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.

www.side-line.com

Good news for those who want to see the Finnish based dark electro / aggrotech band Miseria Ultima live at work. The band has just confirmed that they have started rehearsing for shows in Spring 2018 and so far 4 shows have been officially announced (with at least 1 tbc).

The confirmed gigs include shows in Spain, Estonia and Finland – including some with acts like Larva and Noisuf-X. The first liveshow of 2018 for Miseria Ultima will be in the Tallinn Music Week 2018, Estonia on April 6.

The band is in the meantime working on new material.

Miseria Ultima was formed in Finland in 2016 by Aleksi Martikainen and Kimmo Huhtala. You can describe the band’s music as a combination of EBM and dark electro mixed with other electronic music genres. After forming Miseria Ultima, the band made a first demo, ”Unfocus”, which they released digitally in the beginning of 2017. As a result the band got signed on Advoxya Records and released their debut album “Phosphor” in October 2017.

You can check out the band’s official website or join them on Facebook. Downloads can be obtained via the band’s Bandcamp page.

We also just added them on our playlist on Spotify as opening act:

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. 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!

side-line.com