Welcome to the dark and melodic world of Gothic Metal, Neue Deutsche Härte and Industrial Metal ruled by three outstanding musicians who will certainly fuel your inner passion for industrialized sounds.

Combining the best elements of Gothic Metal, Neue Deutsche Härte and Industrial Metal, creating their own identity and remaining true to a tougher musical line, German-American Industrial Metal entity Eli van Pike is releasing its debut album Welcome to My Dark Side, comprised of ten unique compositions with its lyrics being in both German and English, often representing a mirror of the abysses of the human psyche. Not only is this new project highly recommended for admirers of the music played by renowned acts such as Rammstein, Eisbrecher, Oomph! and Lindemann, but it’s also a very interesting option for newcomers who are always seeking for darker sounds with a strong melodic vein.

Formed in 2016 by German musician Thorsten Eligehausen (Schandpfahl, Cradle Of Haze) together with German multi-instrumentalist Marc Vanderberg (Devil May Care) and American singer Ken Pike (Firesphere), therefore the name Eli van Pike, composed of parts of the names of the band members, the project debuted in 2016 with the singles Even Heros Fall and Tears of War, getting in the focus of the Gothic and Industrial Metal scene. In 2017, after releasing an EP titled Herzschlag, it’s time for Thorsten and his crew to reach new heights with their debut full-length album, and I’m sure you’ll find yourself singing, dancing or simply banging your head to most of the songs of the album due to its high level of electricity and feeling.

And the eccentric Eli van Pike begin their industrialized attack on a high note with the Teutonic hymn Made in Germany, with the keys by Thorsten together with the brutal riffs by Marc forging a fierce and pleasant Industrial Metal sounding, also presenting a great balance between the clean vocals by Ken and the deeper growls by Thorsten. Herzschlag, or “heartbeat” in German, a powerful Neue Deutsche Härte hymn with the heaviness from guitars and drums being boosted by the song’s old school keyboards, transpires a Rammstein-inspired vibe, in special through the obscure vocals by Thorsten, but it’s in the next song that their metallic vein gets to a whole new level of insanity. Faster and crazier (but still very melodic), the thrilling 1-2-frei is pure Neue Deutsche Härte, with the addictive guitar lines by Marc being the icing on the cake of such industrialized hymn.

Although it’s hard to “accept” a ballad in an Industrial Metal album, World on Fire kind of works well: it might not the best ballad in the world, but its solid instrumental and decent lyrics make it a lot more enjoyable. Back to a much harder and more obscure sonority, Tears of War is exciting from start to finish, with the German words vocalized by Thorsten darkening the music even more while Marc keeps kicking ass with his riffs and Ken once again brings epicness to the overall result with his passionate vocals. Slowing down a bit, the band offers us One Last Rose, a fusion of Industrial Metal with 80’s Gothic Rock and Metal, hence presenting all the elements of a dark hit, with highlights to the song’s melodic vocals in sync with its piercing synths, followed by Peter, 41,  another industrialized composition that will rock the hell out of you. Moreover, Thorsten sounds simply amazing with his cryptic, deep voice, while Marc continues to add electricity and groove to the music with his strings.

The title-track Welcome to My Dark Side is a fantastic display of modern and fresh Neue Deutsche Härte, offering the listener heavy sounds mixed with gentle vocals and sharp keyboards, also showcasing a Dark Metal aura in the background the likes of Moonspell. After such amazing display of dark music, Eli van Pike’s blackened, mechanized attack goes on with a frantic creation entitled Amen, bringing forward three minutes of Stygian vocals by Thorsten supported by the slashing riffs by Marc. In other words, this is another one of their songs that will certainly put people to dance at an underground metal party. However, instead of closing the album with such magnificent tune, the trio ventures through the realms of acoustic ballads in Valentine’s Day, and let me be honest with you, in my humble opinion acoustic guitars should never be used in any Industrial Metal album under any circumstances. It’s not that the song is bad, but it’s completely disconnected from the rest of the album, sounding like filler in the end. Maybe with some electronic elements in the background this western-ish ballad could have been more enjoyable, or at least more in line with the concept behind Eli van Pike.

Anyway, despite this slight lapse of electricity, overall Welcome to My Dark Side is a damn good album taking into account the fact that the band has been together for just a short period of time. In case you want to know more about the project, go check their Facebook page and listen to their music on YouTube or Spotify, and buy Welcome to My Dark Side on BandCamp, at the darkSIGN-Records’ webstore, on iTunes, on Amazon or on Qobuz. And always remember, you’re welcome to join the dark side of Industrial Metal created by Eli van Pike any time, a project so compelling it will definitely fuel your inner passion for industrialized sounds.

Best moments of the album: 1-2-frei, Tears of War, Welcome to my Dark Side and Amen.

Worst moments of the album: World on Fire and Valentine’s Day.

Released in 2017 darkSIGN-Records

Track listing 
1. Made in Germany 4:10
2. Herzschlag 3:45
3. 1-2-frei 2:54
4. World on Fire 4:02
5. Tears of War 4:57
6. One Last Rose 3:40
7. Peter, 41 3:34
8. Welcome to My Dark Side 3:17
9. Amen 2:59
10. Valentine’s Day 2:28

Band members
Thorsten Eligehausen – vocals, keyboards
Marc Vanderberg – guitars, drum & bass programming
Ken Pike – vocals