APOPTYGMA BERZERK GLOOM SOUL ELECTRO POP Being gloomy isn't always easy. Not that Norway's Apoptygma Berzerk have let that stop their international rise. Formed in the late 80s and one of the original exponents of the EBM / synthpop, the group has found itself back in the spotlight as music has shifted back towards all things synth orientated. The name Apoptygma Berzerk either has a secret meaning or does not mean anything at all. It really depends on which interview you read. Frontman Stephan Groth claims that it was randomly picked out of a dictionary but he tends to change that story on a whim. Whatever the case, the band was formed by Groth and Jon Erik Martinsen in 1986. They recorded a few demos before Jon Erik left. While the group were originally known for their electro / industrial sounds, in a career spanning 20 years they've managed to run a gamut of sounds and influences. Back with a new album, 'You and Me Against The World', APOP have once again managed to reinvent themselves. As Groth explains: "Two years ago I was tired with the future-pop sound and everything trance related. I started going clubbing and got into trance in the early 90s so in 2004 I was just fed up with the whole vibe of it. When we started this crossover between euro/trance/house and EBM in the mid 90`s almost no one else were doing it, but the last years this combination has become so common. I just didn't see the point of me continuing making this kind of dance floor music anymore. 'Harmonizer' would have been the last APOP album if I was to make a follow up to it in that same style. So in order to keep APOP alive, I had to re-invent the whole sound. I went back to the roots, analysed what APOP is about, and found out that it has ALWAYS been about the melodies. So that was our focus on 'You and Me Against The world'." Amongst the changes involved in this new album, Groth found himself working with a band in the studio first for the first time. He claims to have enjoyed the process. "It was great ... We had a lot of fun, and it was nice for a change to let other people have some 'say'. I'm a control freak, so at times it was hard to let other people be in charge. Looking back now, there are MANY things I would have liked to be done differently, but over all I'm happy with the results." Apoptygma Berzerk play The Arena Friday December 15. back to top ^

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