German disco-core champs Electric Callboy somehow manage to bottle all the energy of their live show on glorious seventh album
There are bands who try to bottle the energy of their live show in the studio. Then there's Electric Callboy, who seem to have kicked the bottle through a wall instead. Tanzneid is the album that finally captures the glorious chaos of an Electric Callboy gig, where every breakdown feels like a rave and subtlety is about as welcome as a confetti cannon going off directly in your face. It's loud and completely unapologetic.
The title-track wastes no time throwing listeners into the deep end. Synths pulse, riffs chug and dance beats collide with metalcore swagger to create something that's impossible to stand still through. RATATATA, featuring BABYMETAL, remains one of the band's biggest moments. What could have been a novelty collaboration instead becomes a perfect meeting of minds, with BABYMETAL's sugary melodies bouncing effortlessly against Electric Callboy's crushing riffs and tongue-in-cheek madness.
Then comes perhaps the biggest surprise. Their take on Sum 41’s Still Waiting transforms the pop-punk classic into a full-blown Eurovision spectacle. Complete with shimmering synths and enough glitter-ball energy to light up an arena. The closing duo of The Savior and Revery takes a different approach, leaning further into crushing riffs than neon synths, allowing the band to flex their heavier instincts without losing the enormous choruses that define them.
Tanzneid won't convert anyone who already finds Electric Callboy exhausting. For everyone else, it's the closest the Germans have come to bringing the euphoric, sweat-soaked mayhem of their live show into your home. Metalcore has always had breakdowns. Electric Callboy just make sure you can dance through every single one.
Verdict: 4/5
For fans of: BABYMETAL, Ice Nine Kills, Pendulum
Tanzeid is out now via Century Media
