Genre/Influences: Dark-Electro, EBM.

Format: Digital, CD.

Background/Info: This is album number seven for the Belgian solo-project “Normative Conformity”. It also is the second work released by Russian label Insane Records.

Content: If you’re already familiar with the sound of this artist you’ll be pleased to discover a new dark and haunted production. The songs are switching between EBM and Dark-Electro. Imagine the bass lines of Leather Strip together with the darkness of Vomito Negro and the icy leads of Suicide Commando and you’ll get an idea about this work.

+ + + : Reality’s Despair is progressively growing in writing and global sound production. I like this album for its wider range of influences which are moving in between EBM and Dark-Electro. I noticed great bass lines and overwhelming, cold, melodic leads. The sound perfectly matches with the spooky production of the vocals. I’ll mention “The Other Side” and “A Great Resist” as absolute attention grabbers.

– – – : I’m sometimes missing a bit innovation with this kind of productions, but at the other side Reality’s Despair is simply improving itself in its beloved Dark-Electro & EBM style.

Conclusion: Reality’s Despair remains one of the most underrated bands from the Belgian Dark-Electro scene.

Best songs: “The Other Side”, “A Great Resist”, “Strahlenflught”, “Gulf Breeze”.

Rate: 8.

Artist: www.facebook.com/realitysdespair

Label: www.insane-records.com /  www.facebook.com/InsaneRecordsEU Read the news on ‘Normative Conformity’.

Listen to “Normative Conformity”:

About Reality’s Despair

Reality’s Despair is a Belgian one-man EBM and dark electro project run by Tom. It was formed in 1997 and independently released several titles over the following three years, after which the project was put on hold for eighteen years.

Tom picked the project back up in 2018 and self-released three further albums and a single. Insane Records signed him in 2021 and issued the label debut Perfidious Depopulation on 17 April 2021, an eleven-track album with three reworked versions, on CD and download.

“Normative Conformity” followed on 31 May 2022 as the project’s seventh album and its second for Insane Records. The CD edition was limited to 100 copies, with a digital release on the usual platforms. The album holds eleven new dark electro tracks plus three alternate versions of “Gulf Breeze”, “Conformity” and “When Your Eyes Are Closed”.

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: EBM, Dark-Electro.

Format: Digital, CD.

Background/Info: Belgian solo-project Reality’s Despair was set up more than twenty years ago. After numerous self-released productions and a hiatus of numerous years, Reality’s Despair struck back and even signed a deal with the Russian label,  Insane Records to unleash the official debut album.

Content: “Perfidious Depopulation” features 11 songs plus 3 reworked (older) cuts. This work will appeal to EBM lovers and reveals a quite diversified spectrum of EBM influences. From pure old-school EBM reminding me of DAF, Orange Sector and co towards more sophisticated writing à la Calva Y Nada, the common thread between the songs is the 90s driven source of inspiration. An essential element in the sound is the melodic touch of the strings. The vocals were mainly produced in a ghost-like way.

+ + + : This work will ravish EBM nostalgic from the 90s. “The 509th” is clearly reminiscent of the sophistication of Calva Y Nada. It’s a brilliant song, which according to me reveals a true potential. But “1952 Flyby” is something totally different and into retro EBM à la Orange Sector and co. And here again Reality’s Despair reveals great writing skills. I also have to mention some of the reworked songs, but especially “Cytokine Storm – Club Edit” is worthy of examination.

– – – : A few tracks like “Distance Kills Existence” and “A Shadow In The Fog” have something more inhibited and that’s not exactly the best part of the album. I also get the feeling Reality’s Despair is still in search of its own sound and EBM format, the album being pretty versatile.

Conclusion: This work is an antidote to innovation, but it’s a cool retro-inspired EBM production.

Best songs: “The 509th”, “1952 Flyby”, “Cytokine Storm – Club Edit”, “Our Future Is Cold – Extended”, “Evil Intent”, “Oasphe Collapsing”. 

Rate: 8.

Artist: www.facebook.com/realitysdespair

Label: www.insane-records.com /  www.facebook.com/InsaneRecordsEU Read the news on ‘Perfidious Depopulation’.

About Reality’s Despair

Reality’s Despair is a one-man dark electro and EBM project from Antwerp, Belgium, formed in 1997. It self-released the album “Evil Intent” in 1998, the EP “Invasion” in 1999 and the album “They Come In Peace” in 2000, all on CDr, after which the project stopped for eighteen years.

It restarted in 2018 with a run of self-released digital tracks, among them “Catoptromancy” and “Like Boötes Void” in 2019 and “The 509th”, “The Cold Room” and “Cytokine Storm” in 2020. Several of those titles reappear in reworked form on the album reviewed above.

“Perfidious Depopulation” was released on 17 April 2021 and was the project’s first record for Insane Records. A follow-up album arrived the next year, covered on Side-Line as Belgian dark electro act Reality’s Despair back with an all new album: ‘Normative Conformity’.

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