Run Level Zero
A Strange New Pain
self-released
Possessed by both the spirit of Vancouver-school electro-industrial and at times a downright Romantic sensibility, Sweden’s Run Level Zero have been charting a course which finds them standing astride industrial’s roots and a more florid, production-focused approach to European electro since their debut LP Symbol Of Submission was released nearly a quarter of a century ago. While the aforementioned binary in RLZ’s work found an even equanimity in 2019’s Swaerm, new record A Strange New Pain finds the different aesthetics of founder Hans Åkerman shooting out across the breadth of a spacious but at times aggressive record.
From the outset of Strange New Pain, Run Level Zero tie crunchy, layered industrial and EBM programming to more melodic styles with “The Message”. The loping stomp of the beat in tandem with emergent harmonies yields the sort of engrossing (if never showy or excessive) effect which made their Arctic Noise one of the most underrated LPs of its era and style. But much of the record opts to separate those component elements and push theme to their thematic extremes. On the heavier side, the manic pogo of “Cross Over The Line” would feel right at home at Familientreffen, while the dreamy swim of “You Are My Temple” and the bucolic synthpop of “The City And The Sword” (connoting the softer side of Claus Larsen’s work) couldn’t be further removed from such aggression.
Sometimes that split remains even in the course of one single song: “We Are Strong” has a squared off EBM rumble on its verses which is spitting distance away from the likes of Spetsnaz, but blooms into the sort of bright chorus that futurepop acts used to try to zero in on (the distinction between the two styles also lends some extra ambiguity to the aspirational lyrics linking an individual relationship to society-wide manifestos). Whether across a pair of songs or within one, though, RLZ continue to thread the needle in terms of hooks, production, and Åkerman’s vocal approach. This sort of balancing act has always been part of their playbook, it just feels as though the band is getting a bit more restless or ambitious in terms of casting back and forth between their various poles this time out.
It’s tough to say from the outside what role some recent line-up changes might play in these slight adjustments to RLZ’s approach; longtime member Ville Hising is out of the fold for this record, and recent addition Oskar Lygner (previously of synthpop act Backlash) looks to be taking a more pronounced role. Regardless of reason, these changes to the band feel like minor course adjustments rather than seismic shifts, and the care and depth they’ve always brought to their work remains unchanged.
