Los Angeles duo Zeistencroix self-released their album “Psychotronic” on August 14, 2026. The eight tracks run 29 minutes and 34 seconds and mix industrial rock guitars with electronic textures and alternative metal rhythms. Ulrich Wild, whose credits include Pantera, Deftones, Static-X, White Zombie and Powerman 5000, mixed and mastered seven of the songs and recorded the vocals at his own studio. The opener “Get It On” was mixed in Germany by Christoph Wieczorek of Annisokay, who has also worked with Eisbrecher.

The record was tracked across studios in Los Angeles and Miami, with “Get It On” recorded at Stygian Sound by Alex Crescioni. The running order is “Get It On”, “Subliminal Intentions”, “Blame The One Behind”, “Deceiving”, “Decadence”, “Animals In Denial”, “So Long” and “My Love”. The release is digital and streaming; no physical edition has been announced and the album is not on Bandcamp.

What Zeistencroix built ‘Psychotronic’ around

Vocalist and guitarist Orlando “OD” Draven places the record in the present rather than in science fiction. He stated: “This is not an album about a dystopian future, it is about the moments that precede one.” On the themes he added: “Its themes are rooted in the present, exploring the social, political, and psychological shifts that can become the early symptoms of authoritarianism. It examines how fear, crisis, and division can normalize the gradual expansion of control over speech, thought, and personal autonomy, often before society recognizes the consequences.”

Draven closes on the point the title carries: “Ultimately it’s a reminder that the future is not predetermined, and that recognizing the warning signs is the first step in preventing them from becoming permanent.”

Drummer Santi Rivillas described the material as a step on from the band’s previous work, saying the songs are “heavier in some ways and more atmospheric in others”.

About Zeistencroix

Zeistencroix are a Los Angeles duo built around Orlando “OD” Draven on vocals, guitars and songwriting and Santi Rivillas on drums. Draven was born in Caracas and Rivillas comes from Miami. The pair describe their sound as post-industrial rock, drawing on industrial rock, alternative metal, electronic music and noir imagery.

The project’s first release was the five-track EP “Gemini” on November 2, 2017, self-released and produced by Tim Palmer and Bill Metoyer, engineered by Alex Crescioni and mastered by Paul Abbott. The full-length “Gen Z” followed on October 1, 2019 through the Italian label Sliptrick Records, an eleven-song CD produced by Crescioni and Draven and preceded by the single “Sick” in July 2019.

A live album recorded at Radio Artifact, “Zeistencroix Live 2021 06 27”, appeared in January 2022, and the five-track EP “Cruxi-Fiction” arrived on August 26, 2022 through Pavement Entertainment, produced by Tim Palmer, Alex Crescioni and Draven. The band toured the US West Coast behind it and later played a run as direct support to Crazy Town, alongside Los Angeles club dates including the Whisky a Go Go.

“Psychotronic” is the first Zeistencroix record to carry no label at all, and the first to be built around outside mixers rather than a single in-house production team. It is also the project’s first appearance in 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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