(APB)
Stephan Groth (aka Grothesk)
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| Apoptygma Berzerk (APB) Stephan Groth (aka Grothesk) |
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"Apoptygma Berzerk is the output of Stephan Groth (aka Grothesk), a remarkable blend of industrialism and more accessible forms of electronic body music. (...) Apoptygma's debut full-length CD was Soli Deo Gloria, which emerged in 1994 to tremendous critical response. Alternative Press hailed the band as embracing "one of the more refreshing aspects of the evolution of the genre....the rejoining of dark keyboard gothic with the hard edged electro dance sound." Later in 1994, Stephan released a number of techno singles under the name TB-MOONchild and H20, and it was this work in techno that resulted in Apoptygma's second CD, 1996's 7, being graced with the more upbeat techno grooves that can be heard on the singles Deep Red and Non-Stop Violence."
-- metropolis-records.com
 1993:
Soli Deo Gloria "This album opens with Like Blood From The Beloved (part 1)which is a melodic and very well done keyboard instrumental that kind of gives you an idea right from the start that this is going to be a very [high]quality album. The first song to start things off is Bitch. It instantly has electronic programming and synths that grab your attention. It is upbeat and has a dance edge to it. The vocals come in and sing great without distortion. There is a very clean sound to this music that almost has a synth-pop edge to it. Styles range from '80s synthpop to similar to early Leaether Strip material. There is a lot of variety to be found on this album, and that's what makes it stand out. This is a must for fans of electro industrial music."
-- www.wrapedinwire.com
¾ 1996:
7 "Includes several of Apoptygma's signature danceclub hits such as Love Never Dies which features samples from Carl Orff's O fortuna, the aggressive industrial beats of Deep Red, the melodic uptempo anthem against wars and violence: Non-Stop Violence, and the Depeche Mode-ish Mourn featuring guitar samples from Curt Cobain's cover of The Man Who Sold the World. Seven is a real treat to synthpop and Electronic Body Music lovers."
-- Said Sukkarieh, musicfolio.com, 11/00
½ 1998:
The Apopcalyptic Manifesto The first US release on Metropolis records including tracks from Soli Deo Gloria and 7, as well as two new tracks : APB Goes C-64 and Lidelsens Mening, an alternate mix of Arp and a mix of Burnin' Heretic. ¼ 1999:
APBL98A collection of live songs recorded on the APB Europa Tour 1998. ¼ 2000:
Welcome to Earth "Welcome to Earth skilfully fuses melodic synthpop, elements of trance music, and industrial beats delivering a blend of upbeat dancefloor tracks and a couple of romantic ballads sure to please a wide range of audience. Starsign, Eclipse, and Kathy's Song are certain to invade underground goth clubs, while APB's cover of Metallica's Fade to Black is nothing short of making mummies dance! As usual, eloquently sampled excerpts of familiar tunes catch our attention: Twin Peaks, U2, Blair Witch Project. Track 12, LNDP3, assumed to be Love Never Dies Part 3, features female vocals and adds a new dimension to this album... a song that compares to Alison Limerick and Deidre Rutkowski's work on This Mortal Coil's Blood. In a few words, Stephan has put together on this album some of the finest future-pop tunes of the past decade, making Apoptygma the Depeche Mode of the new millenium."
-- DJ Avalanche, Musicfolio, 11/00
2002 :
Harmonizer
Tracklisting: 01. More Serotonin...Please 02. Suffer in Silence 03. Unicorn 04. Rollergirl 05. Until the End of the World 06. Spinn Dizzy 07. Ok Amp - Let Me Out 08. Pikachu 09. Detroit Tickets 10.Photoshop Sucks 11. Something I Should Know "Oh, the humanity! If you thought that the first released single Until the End of the World was a cheap sellout, well wait till you listen to the rest of the album; this is without a doubt the worst Apoptygma effort to date. Long gone are the dark aggressive industrial beats of songs like Deep Red. Stephan confirmed his techno/trance tendencies introduced on some of WTE tracks, and produced an album with numerous tasteless songs that will sure alienate his EBM/industrial followers. However the stand-out tracks Unicorn and Spinn Dizzy are worth more than a spin, and so is Something I Should Know (which, by the way, is not a cover of Duran Duran), a catchy synthpop song with vocals a la Depeche Mode. Overall, Harmonizer has very little to offer and equates to nothing but a shameless cash-in. Avoid it!"
-- Said Sukkarieh, Musicfolio, 2/02
½ 2003 : The Singles Collection Tracklisting: CD1: 1. Kathy's Song (Ferry Corsten rmx) 2. Kathy's Song (Single Version) 3. Kathy's Song (VNV Nation remix) 4. Kathy's Song (Ferry Corsten 12'' remix) 5. Kathy's Song (C-64 version) 6.Eclipse 7.Eclipse (Dimension D remix) 8.Beatbox 9.Eclipse (Radio Edit) 10.Paranoia 11.Paranoia (Haunted club version) 12.Nothing else matters (extended version) CD2: 1.Non Stop Violence (CNN Version) 2.Near (Banilla Dream Version) 3.Burning Heretics (Live) 4.Deep Red 5.Electronic Warfare 6.Backdraft 7.Bitch 8.Ashes to Ashes (German Slam Version) 9.Borrowed Time (Levitated Demo Version) 10.The Approach of Death 11.Spiritual Reality 12.Burning Heretics (Gothic version) 13.Seven Signs 14.Our Souls Will Remain 15.Ashes To Ashes (original 12" version) 16.Wrack'em to pieces 17.Dust to Dust. 2005:
You And Me Against The World
Tracklisting: 01. Tuning In Again (Intro) 02. In This Together (Album Version) 03. Love To Blame 04. Tuning In To The Frequency Of Your Soul 05. Cambodia 06. Back On Track 07. Tuning In To The Frequency Of Your Soul 08. Mercy Kill 09. Lost In Translation 10. Maze 11. Into The Unknown 12. Shine On (Bonus Track) 13. Is Electronic Love To Blame (Bonus Track) "... it's a complete whitewash. A sellout. Apoptygma Berzerk as you've never imagined them, releasing a commercial rock album that's destined to be a hit among angsty teenagers. (...) The songs are in a completely different style than previous Apoptygma records. Granted, Apoptygma always moved a step forward between records, but this time, they lost their way. The songs seem like a cross between Coldplay and Fairlight Children (Stephan's electro project). Not only that, but they're all very short. In the 50 minutes of this CD, we have 13 tracks, two of which are only available in the limited edition. The two bonus tracks are a cover of Shine On by the House Of Love, and a remix of Love to Blame (a track on the regular album) called Is Electronic Love to Blame?. The album also includes another cover, Cambodia by Kim Wilde. So, excluding bonus tracks and cover, this album contains 35 minutes of new material. I believe that the short length of the tracks and the number of covers, is indicative of the profound lack of inspiration that gave birth to this record."
-- Stefanos Zachariadis, metal-invader.com, 9/05
2006: Sonic Diary Tracklisting: 01. Cambodia 02. Bend And Break 03. Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses 04. A Strange Day 05. Coma White 06. Fade To Black 07. Shine On 08. The Dammed Don't Cry 09. All Tomorrow's Parties - Version '93 10. Electricity 11. Ohm Sweet Ohm 12. Bizarre Love Triangle 13. All Tomorrow's Parties Bonus Ltd CD:01. Mourn - Mesh Remix 02. Back On Track - Northern Lite Remix 03. Until The End Of The World - Ladytron De-Shape Remix 04. Deep Red - Blackmail Version 05. Maze - Zombie Girl Remix 06. Love To Blame - Sono Remix 07. Pikachu - Darkdream Mix by Soni Code 08. Love To Blame - Pelton Thrashy Remix 09. Tuning In To The Frequency Of Your Soul - Cyberpunk Remix Release date: Dec 1st, 2006 2009:
Rocket Science Tracklisting:01 - Weight Of The World (Guest appearance by Benji Madden) 02 - Apollo (Live On Your TV) (Guest appearance by Benji Madden) 03 - Asleep Or Awake? 04 - Incompatible 05 - Green Queen 06 - US of C 07 - Shadow 08 - Butterfly Defect 09 - Shit End Of The Deal (State Of Your Heart) 10 - Rocket Calculator 11 - Right (Guest appearance by Emil Nikolaisen) 12 - Pitch Black / Heat Death 13 - Black Versus White (Guest appearance by Amanda Palmer) "It is odd for me to understand the reasoning behind Stephen Groth's need to be a more mainstream pop act aside from maybe monitary necessities. The guitar style and indie influences that were prevalent in the seminal "Soli Deo Gloria" and the highly acclaimed "7" albums don't even come close to the cheesy pop elements that have made up the last two albums. "Rocket Science" has the inflammatory "power pop" make up that is flatulating the air waves today and there are many bands doing it tremendously better like Shiny Toy Guns and Arcade Fire. Imitation does not do APB justice. In fact it saddens me that you take a phenomenal record like "Welcome To Earth" and place it next to "Rocket Science" and wonder where did the ideas fall apart? (...) The elements that made such beautifully crafted electronic music have been stigmatized by a need to make music for the masses. I fear that this struggle has stymied a movement for some acts to overhaul their sound for the worse. Some kids may like the new sound...but the true devotees are surely not akin to the shallow waters.
-- Christopher Vaughn, amazon customer review
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