Considering many people’s initial exposure to German act Electric Callboy was down to the unforgettably bonkers video to 2020’s breakthrough hit ‘Hypa Hypa’, it might come as a surprise to some that the electronicore/metalcore act from Castrop-Rauxel has been around for twelve years and that latest album TEKKNO (Century Media) is actually their sixth full length studio release.

Although improving with each record, it wasn’t until vocalist Nico Sallach joined the band early in 2020 that things really began to take off. A swift name change followed and saw the band dispensing with their former Eskimo Callboy moniker, settling on something a little less problematic.

Anyone expecting to hear ‘Hypa Hypa’ or follow-up single ‘Hate/Love’ will have to look to six track EP MMXX instead as the band resist the urge to include or revise previous material for this new release. What the sextet have done, however, is release the first four tracks as singles (complete with suitably absurd promo videos), creating an early sense of familiarity towards a healthy portion of the album.

Opening with addictive, adrenaline fuelled gym anthem ‘Pump It’, the album blasts into ‘We Got The Moves’ next, a summertime banger complete with with hand claps and pumped up dance beats before the pop punk meets dance and metalcore of ‘Fuckboi’ (featuring US post-hardcore/metalcore act Conquer Divide). Rave and metal collide on ‘Spaceman’ (featuring German rapper Nils Wehowsky aka Finch), the song boasting even more memorable hooks and beefy breakdowns, not to mention an impressively moustachioed spaceship in the accompanying video.

First “new” track ‘Mindreader’ sounds like metalcore with a shade of Rammstein while ‘Arrow Of Love’ combines chunky riffs and techno. ‘Parasite’ sounds like The Prodigy through a wall of distortion, ‘Tekkno Train’ owes no small debt to Bloodhound Gang‘s ‘The Bad Touch’ and the Eurocheese just keeps on rolling with the sub-two minute ‘Hurrikan’, half boy band pop song, half brutal deathcore zombie attack.

Leaving one of the biggest surprises until last, the record closes with the simple and straightforward ‘Neon’. No floor-cracking, beam-splintering breakdowns, just ’80s infused pop melodies backed by heavy guitar and big beats.

Although not far away from their previous work, the addition of Sallach definitely appears to have given the band a new lease of life as TEKKNO not only bristles with confidence, style and creativity but also increases the size of the silly wigs and costumes department. 

Viva la Elton John indeed!

Buy the album here: https://electriccallboy.lnk.to/ElectricCallboy

8 / 10

GARY ALCOCK