Even with their borderline syndrome left behind: The scars remain. Body and soul are marked by the horrible battles fought, by fears endured, by lust uncontrolled, by psychosis unveiled. Each song a cut, each chorus a testimony... the history of ZEROMANCER has not been without consequences. High time to find something for the pain - prescribed for the band as well as the rest of the world with the brand new "best of" of the same name.
Born 1999 in the monstrous heat of Los Angeles, ZEROMANCER instantly was so much more than the mere follow-up to SEIGMEN. Honest, direct, authentic, equally plagued by soul ache and ravishing ecstasy, the Norwegians set out from America's west coast and conquered the whole world in a feverish rush. With band members equally tempting as the hedonistic Electro Rock they play, with pure sex and suicidal shadows, ZEROMANCER fought, danced, loved and hated their way through six albums so far, stating "Bye-Bye Borderline" earlier this year.
And now - the relapse: "Something For The Pain" seems to be a remedy - only to rip open old wounds, to drag all those demons into the light of day that were long thought dead and gone. 20 songs make up this elaborate double CD, a chronological ride through 14 years of music. Disc one is all about the first three albums, features all these Electro Rock anthems that made the world fall to ZEROMANCER's feet in the early years of the 21st century. The dirty honesty of "Clone Your Lover", the immortal chorus of "Dr Online" or the morbid "Hollywood" invite you to a painful and lustful time travel culminating into the here and now on the second disc. After six years of silence, ZEROMANCER suddenly returned with "Sinners International". A lot of problems had built up, all these desires and psychoses discharged in the unforgettable "My Little Tragedy" or the stomping violence of "It Sounds Like Love (But It Looks Like Sex)". Since then, the Norwegians are back in the game, only to unleash the dark "The Death of Romance" one year later. "The Hate Alphabet" reigns supreme and offers a chilly Industrial flavor next to driving beats - an aura taken up by "Auf Wiedersehen Boy" from the last effort. Last, but not least: With its towering drama, the exclusive new track points into a future glowing equally promising as the legendary past. Imagine yourself on the edge. Lined up for the escalators taking you down below. Welcomed to the underground by a packed dancefloor pumping out the new hard electronic sound of , ZEROMANCER. The frenzied crowd flashed up by a merciless strobe light. Monumental and beautiful. Seductively catchy as always and now fronted by striking vocoded vocals proclaiming the obvious; "Welcome to the underground".
Love and death always go hand in hand in ZEROMANCER. Pleasure and pain, looking at the stars and staring into the deepest abyss. "Something For The Pain" comes as an exclamation mark behind this thesis: 14 years of Electro Rock history, 14 years of laughing and crying nurture a double album not only cementing the group's legendary status but in fact developing it. What comes next, you ask? One thing is for sure: It will hurt. And that is all we can wish for.
