Label: Icons Creating Evil Art
Release date: February 14, 2025
Cover design: Conny and Annica Fornbäck
Musical influences: EBM, Industrial, Rhythmic Noise
The echoes of influences from several EBM and industrial electronic pioneers, like Throbbing Gristle, The Klinik and Cabaret Voltaire, resonate through this monumental work, where thirteen intricate compositions unfold across a vast sonic spectrum. Dissonant industrial techno and brutal EBM rhythms surge through a monolithic wall of sound, shrouded in an ominous darkness.
With surgical precision, the Stockholm-based artist distills the legacy of the ’80s industrial avant-garde, mutating its DNA through a contemporary lens — every frequency, every searing synth line carries the echoes of past masters but yet it propels forward with relentless innovation. This auditory odyssey traverses Sheffield’s steel mills and Brussels’ underground electronic scene but never lingers — here, the genre is ripped from its historical context and violently thrust into the present. With architectural exactitude, a soundscape is constructed where modular arpeggios crackle like high-voltage currents over barren rhythmic terrain, where dissonant background noise generates a constant electric tension, and where colossal textural effects erupt like seismic shockwaves through the foundation of the mix.
This is an unyielding sonic sculpture, meticulously honed through a series of compelling guest contributions. Together, they forge a cathedral of razor-sharp electronic compositions, where each track acts as a vital conduit within a vast, interwoven system — an intricate, ever-shifting network of darkness and precision.
Swedish electroclash queen Emmon commands “Blood on the Ceiling,” seamlessly merging its relentless technoid rhythms and pulsating basslines with an infectious electro-pop sensibility, transforming it into an undeniable dancefloor catalyst. Solo artist Aux Animaux brings her signature theremin to add spectral allure to "Northstar", weaving an eerie, cinematic atmosphere that lingers long after the final note. In turn, the dark ambient and industrial experimentalist LIVMØDR and Post Kontrôl — the latter being the solo project from Hidden Lines' founder and vocalist Tatiana Tatsuli — both contribute to abruptly decelerating the momentum, submerging the listener deeper into a labyrinthine industrial haze, where tension and restraint become as evocative as sheer force. á;Grumh vocalist J△3 sEUQCAJ’s cryptic vocal incantations on the stark and hypnotic “Humanity is Vile” may initially seem unexpected, yet within this fractured sonic landscape, they dissolve seamlessly into the overarching narrative, reinforcing the closure of the album’s uncompromising artistic vision.
Since he, under the moniker Majestoluxe, made his debut with "Septic Shock" back in 2019, the Swede Conny Fornbäck has already cemented his place as one of the scene’s most uncompromising innovators. But with this release, he has completely shattered his own boundaries.
This is not just music — it’s a high-voltage artifact of unrelenting vision and technical brilliance! And even though the year has barely begun, in my estimation, it would demand an exceptional and unparalleled accomplishment to dislodge "Wretched Conditions" from securing a place on my definitive list of favorites for 2025.
The album is available digitally and on vinyl, with the first edition pressing limited to 300 copies on 140g black virgin vinyl in a spined sleeve, complete with a black inner sleeve with holes. Orders from Bandcamp include an exclusive patch with the Majestoluxe logo embroidered in silver on black, as well as a CD of Majestoluxe’s "Stolid State" EP.
The first edition CD, pressed in Digipac format, is limited to 500 copies. Orders from Bandcamp include an exclusive patch with the Majestoluxe logo embroidered in silver on black, as well as a CD of Majestoluxe’s "Stolid State" EP. Support your scene and buy this album here.