Review by Kimmarie Erickson for MPM
Germany’s breakout Electrinicore sweethearts, Electric Callboy, released their new studio album, Tanzneid, on August 7, 2026, via Century Media Records. I was thinking about how to describe this band’s music to someone who knows nothing about music genres and subgenres. Imagine the first time you drank a Red Bull, then 4 shots of espresso, and rode a roller coaster; that is Electric Callboy. The album features high-energy tracks blending metalcore and electronic dance music. Tanzeid includes singles like “Hypercharged” and “The Way You Are” and collaborations with BABYMETAL and The Offspring, leveling them up to legendary collaboration status. My son introduced me to the chaotic musical entity that is Electric Callboy, back when they were still Eskimo Callboy. The band went through lineup changes and a nucleus shift, and this album is proof positive that this band is constantly leveling up.
Title track Tanzeid found its way into my ears accidentally one morning while I was running. I had to stop and immediately save it. The album had not even been released yet, and I knew by this song that the album was going to far surpass all my expectations. I am not a club girly, but this song made me want to go clubbing. It infected me with the irresistible, primal urge to move and the wild tension between heavy metal energy and electronic dancefloor madness. Ratatata, the second track, features Kawaii metal queens, BABYMETAL. Picture if Techno-Pop and Metalcore had a baby; that would be this track. Gritty, heavy, yet delightfully airy. Skipping to track four, Let the Good Times Roll, features American rock band The Offspring. These California-hailing musicians ruled the late 90’s with their skater-punk alternative rock fresh-to-the-scene sound is a perfect pairing for Electric Callboy. I imagine when these two bands got together to collab on this song, it was a lot like a secret frat party that I was definitely not cool enough to go to. Elevator Operator, the fifth track, is pure Electronica Metal.
This track shows all the telltale signs of a band that has figured out the art of career longevity and renewal. The lyrics are fun and flirty at moments, then snarl and rip your gray matter to pieces the next. My favorite track of this album is track six, Heartclub. To be honest, when this track started I wanted to skip it, seemed a little too screamy for me. I am old, and if I can’t understand lyrics, I tend to zone out. I was about to hit skip, and the clean vocals came through my headphones. I realized that this band is known for their perfect storm. Of clean vs unclean vocals, but this track is perfection in that realm. Nico Sallach, who joined the band in 2020, has clean vocals that rise above the tumultuous, helter-skelter feral vocals of Kevin Ratajczack. This track attacks the social media culture viciously and unapologetically. Track Seven, The Way You Are, is just pure gold. I saw the video the first time I heard this song and was entranced by the absolute boy band nostalgia until the unclean vocals assaulted me. I am a horrorcore fanatic, and this song fits snugly into my idea of that genre, and gosh, I adore it. Still Waiting, the eight-track, features Frank Zummo, drummer extraordinaire.
This band always has multifaceted arrangements, and that can cause an instrumental line to get lost in the shuffle- not on this track. The drum line is front and center, spotlighting Zummo’s percussive prowess. The Savior, track nine, is fist-pumping adrenaline insanity until the bridge; then it does a one-eighty and trickles down to a softer, gentler vibe. The intro of the last regular track of the album, Revery, threw me off with its sing-song intro. I had to stop and check to make sure I was still listening to Electric Callbot. I love the breakdown; I still get goosebumps from it when I listen to it. The brutality of the vocals with such depth and precision that stop cold and transition into the singsong prepubescent girls singing is nothing short of genius. The last three tracks are remixes: We Got the Moves (Sullivan King Remix), TANZNEID (Paolo Ferrara Remix), and Hypercharged (Paul Elstak Remix), which are all unique and welcomed in their own rights.
This is the part where I give a quick summary of the album and wrap up everything with a cute little bow. Problem is, Electric Callboy is not the kind of band that you can fit into a box, let alone put a cute little bow on. Electric Callboy was the first band of its kind I ever got interested in, and there is a reason. This band is the Original Gangstas of their genre, because in my opinion, they created it. This album is a music lover’s wet dream. It has everything. I know it can be scary to delve out of your comfort zone and listen to a different style of music, but Electric Callboy is a band every human should give a chance to, and the album Tanzeid is the one to start with. 110% Skullgurl Metalchick approved.
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