Leipzig, Germany is the home for Intent:Outtake, a dark electro project consisting of Bastian Polak and Andreas Engleitner. Active since 2011, the duo have released three studio albums, each of which is full of social commentary about greed and excess. With Bastian’s baritone droning and shouting through the melodies, and Andreas’ work with the production and soundscapes, the two have played festivals such as Gotik Wave Treffen in 2014, even before their first album Wake Up Call was formally released.
On their third and most recent LP, Days of Doom, the sound of impending despair never sounded so good. The slower, more methodical tracks creep in, where the faster, more urgent songs pulse along with great synth work and thumping bass. If this is the soundtrack for the end times, then blast this at full volume, by all means.
“Das letzte Geleit” opens the record with a mid-tempo, synth-driven track. It walks, not runs, but that’s far from a bad thing to kick off the album. The synths maintain the lead in “Endtime Prophets,” as the pace quickens and the vocals grow harsher. Its infectious groove and the dizzying synth work stick with you. “Paved” brings forth more pulsing bass, while showing off Bastian’s vocal range in its entirety. The tempo comes down a notch on “Das elfte Gebot,” but the crawling, deliberate pace works to great effect for this stomper of a number.
“Friss oder Stirb” is one of the stronger tracks on the disc, with some superb synth work and apocalyptic feel. Another slower song, “Out of Decay,” shows that speed may not be key, but rather the control over said speed. “Auf Ewigkeit” might be the catchiest song of the album, with the synth riffs dancing over the rest of the production. The percussion is swaying, and for a title translating to “for eternity,” I could listen to it for about that long and probably not get sick of it. Probably. The ebb and flow of the tempos comes back with “Der Mann im Spiegel,” as this dance-hall-ready track stomps away with vocal melodies abound.
“Singularity” is another strong offering, while “Du” slows things down for a deep, expressive cut. The pace comes up for air just one more time on the closer “Every End Has a Start,” making for a swift, brutal end to this disc. There’s not a weak track to be had across the eleven on Days of Doom, and the soundtrack to the end times maybe shouldn’t make me want to dance, but here we are.
Days of Doom is available now on the artist’s Bandcamp page and Amazon.
