Since the launch of the Guilty EP (MEN001), Darkmen clearly put themselves on the map of the current EBM scene . The Guilty EP (MEN001) in collaboration with some big names in the EBM scene revealed the vitality of this Belgian EBM squad. On their debut album entitled Guilty By Association (MEN002) Darkmen will be your guide taking you few steps further into their brutal electronics. Leaving you gasping for breath the Darkmen emulates dark tight bass sequences and powerful angry vocals at high tempo. To achieve all this, Darkmen knocked on none other than Ionic Vision front man Sven Lauwers’ door, gently asking if he could unleash his knowledge and experience to produce this high quality EBM album. This, without any doubt, results in the fact that Guilty by association (MEN002) will certainly set new standards for 21st century EBM . Let none other than you be the judge of that. This marvel takes off with the full version of Stop the machine (edit available on Guilty (MEN001)). From this point Darkmen only leads you deeper into their whirl of aggression and electronic terror. Cold as steel, No future (also in it’s full version) and Keep walking are ultimate examples of high tech EBM, clearly reflecting a translucent “less is more” strategy. By doing so, Darkmen subconsciously distinguish their EBM from the ordinary. Next to the still traditional but compulsory Nitzer Ebb/Ionic Vision line of tight EBM, Darkmen reveals a bit of their Depeche Mode influences, not only via their marvellous re-work of Photographic, but also in songs like Accept the pain and Bier und Mädel you clearly sense that flavour. Guilty by association (MEN002) closes with an homage to their Belgian examples and label mates Ionic Vision by re-recording their ‘97 underground club hit Synthetic Sex. Making EBM automatically ends up getting associated with those few early examples around (Nitzer Ebb, DAF, Pouppee Fabrikk). Not many bands doing EBM can escape getting tagged, no matter how hard they try. Darkmen do plea guilty and don’t try to escape this association, but with such a solid debut album any hardcore EBM head can only pray for some more future Guilty by association.

Track Listing

• Stop the Machine
• Take a Stand
• Cold as Steel
• No Future
• Time to Build
• Bier und Madel
• Accept the Pain
• Photographic
• Keep Walking
• Monkey Say, Monkey Do
• Synthetic Sex

Additional Details

Label: Machineries of Joy

Genre: Electronic/DJ/Scratch

Release Date: 07/14/09

UPC: 703513103427