We'd basically decided NOT to play any more festivals for the remainder of 2019, with the exception of W-Fest in Belgium 18th. August, but when the offer came in from DarkMAD Festival in Pinto/Madrid (Spain), and we saw the amazing line-up, we just couldn't say no! Sharing stage with old friends like Covenant, A Split Second, Ancient Methods and The Cassandra Complex, as well as other cool old-school electro/goth artists like Fields Of The Nephilim, Robotiko Rejekto, Microchip League, Kirlian Camera, Signal Aout 42, Flash Zero and Love Is Colder Than Death, and of course Turkish post-punk/death-rock/goth act She Past Away, is something we are very much looking forward to, and this will be a 2 day party the attendees will never forget! :D
There's a homepage with ticket info etc here: www.darkmad.es and their Facebook event page is here: https://www.facebook.com/events/779718675700108/
Just to be clear, we will NOT be performing on ANY of the usual German festivals this summer, so if you're German and want to get your APOP fix this summer, catch us on our club gigs in Hannover 15th. August (Support: Vile Electrodes), Dresden 16th. August (Support: The Invincible Spirit) or Köln 17th. August (Support: Vile Electrodes) or drive over to Belgium for the W-Festival on the 18th. August! The show in Oslo on the 24th. August sold out in only 28 hours, so the tickets for Parkteatret are long gone unfortunately!
See you all in August! :D
On Sunday the 28th. April, Stephan Groth and Per Aksel Lundgreen will visit Retro Vinyl in Sarpsborg and do a 2 hour artist talk about the early years of Apoptygma Berzerk, the making of the "Soli Deo Gloria" album, and of course, the making of the "SDGXXV" album that is the result of a 25th. Anniversary taken to the extreme! The event starts at 4PM and entry is 100 NOK. More info about the event here: "Artist Talk, Q&A and Signing Session in Sarpsborg".
The "Soli Deo Gloria (25th. Anniversary Edition)" is mastered from the original source tapes for vinyl for the very first time, and the CD version includes 7 bonus tracks. You can check that out here: "Soli Deo Gloria (25th. Anniversary Edition)" and the "SDGXXV" album is a full re-recording, re-worked and re-imagined version of the original album, but with 18 guest artists from all over the spectrum of electronic bands! You can check that out here: "SDGXXV".
The "SDGXXV" album was also just released on Spotify, iTunes, Deezer, 7 Digital, Tidal and all other digital platforms and streaming services, so find it there on the platform of your choice!
There's been a lot of attention around the release of "SDGXXV", and several interviews have been done, and more will come!
The latest two are this one here by Jan Ronald Stange from the old-school Belgian publication, Side-Line Magazine, where an in-depth look at the Norwegian electronic scene is part of the mix, and here both Per Aksel Lundgreen and Stephan Groth gets interviewed about the early years of APOP, and about the recording of "Soli Deo Gloria", and of course how the "SDGXXV" album came to be! Contributors on the album are also interviewed! Read it here: Side-Line Interview With APOP
In Sweden, one of our favorite writers, Johan Arenbo wrote a great piece for Zero Magazine, another publication that's been around since physical magazines were printed! He's also digging into the early beginnings, the evolvment of APOP, the choosing of collaborating artists and the end result, "SDGXXV". Johan Arenbo also talked to some of the contributors, and the answers are very interesting.
This interview is only available in Swedish, but if you really want to check it out, find a translate service online and get the main essence there! Read it here: Zero Magazine Interview With APOP
Catrin Nordwig from Volt Magazin sat down with Stephan Groth before the Apoptygma Berzerk show at E-Tropolis Festival 2019, and this interview revealed some very exciting news and information that you can read more about here in the GERMAN VOLT MAGAZIN INTERVIEW!
There's also an English version of the interview available here: ENGLISH VOLT MAGAZIN INTERVIEW!
It's the 15th. March, and finally we can present to you the full 18 tracks on the "SDGXXV" album! The CD is now out, and we've also made all 18 tracks from that available on our Bandcamp page! Those of you that are waiting for the 2xLP/Streaming/Download will have to wait until the 18th. April, but in the meantime, give it a spin via the link below! :)
We are beyond proud, it's been a labor of love both for us, and also for the artists involved in the project, and the level of creativity and sheer professional quality that's gone into it is beyond what we can describe!
You will just have to listen, and decide for yourself!
So, without any further delays, here it is, available on our Pitch Black Drive Bandcamp page: https://pitchblackdrive.bandcamp.com/album/sdgxxv
When you are here, check out what Snoozecontrol wrote about it in their review here: Snoozecontrol APOP - "SDGXXV" Review
Cryptic Rock in the US recently sat down for a tête-à-tête with APOP-frontman Stephan Groth. They discussed the 25th. Anniversary of "Soli Deo Gloria" and the reworked "SDGXXV" album that accompany it. They also touched on Stephan's favorite releases from 2018, his view on Sci-Fi and Horror-movies, and got some revealing news about the future of a band that is impossible to pin down! There's some real heartfelt answers in there, some quite surprising insights, and also some real treasures and easter eggs for those of you that are observant! A very nice read!
Check out the interview here: Stephan Groth interviewed by Cryptic Rock
If you live in the US or Canada, the best place to order the "Soli Deo Gloria (25th. Anniversary Edition)" CD/LP, the coming "SDGXXV" 2xLP/CD/Cassette (Out 24th April in the US/Canada) and other APOP-related items, is our official US webstore The Electric Fox. Check out their selection of APOP-items here: APOP Stuff At The Electric Fox
Another great option is our Canadian/US label, Artoffact Records that you find here: APOP Stuff At Artoffact Records
"It's Apoptygma Berzerk, Jim - but not as we know it."
APOP reinvents itself - again - with an exciting new sound; different from, but complimentary to, the electro rock future pop stylings of previous releases.
On Exit Popularity Contest (a fix-up of the 12" EPs Stop Feeding The Beast, Videodrome and Xenogenesis), APOP founder Stephan Groth distils the essence of carefully selected pioneers to construct a classic yet refreshingly contemporary sound. Varied and vital, it brings instrumental music back into the spotlight, and after the wildly enthusiastic audience reaction to the sold-out performance in Norway last year, it appears he has tapped into a rich seam of electronic pleasure for a new generation as well as older aficionados.
Always a musical chameleon, Groth pays homage to his roots through emulating the analogue soundscapes of innovators like Kraftwerk, Tangerine Dream, Jean-Michel Jarre, Vangelis and Klaus Schulze, and the driving motorik Krautrock rhythms of Neu!, Cluster and La Duesseldorf, all filtered through his own unique Scandinavian sensibility. In doing so he has created a vibrant, colourful 21st century palette on which to blend these classic influences from the Golden Age of electronic music.
Exit Popularity Contest demonstrates an admirable musical purity and sincerity, channeling the best of the past to forge a path into the future.
