2 Bullet - "Ya Basta!" (fan video)

Japanese anarchist dark electro / industrial metal band 2 Bullet have just released a new track "Ya Basta", inspired by the recent violence in Mexico, particularly in Ciudad Juarez. This fan video for this track was made out of Mexican mockumentary "Niños Incómodos" ("Troublesome Youths"), featuring children in the roles of kidnappers, corrupt cops and drug traffickers:

Bits-and-Herz - "Julieta I" (from "Tranzmetal" LP)

Bits-and-Herz is an one-man electro-industrial project from Mexico, started in 2006 by Angel "WasV" Fajardo (who I know reads my blog). The main lyrical theme of Bits-and-Herz are negative emotions and social conditions (alcoholism, rape, drugs, depression, frustration and hatred). He has released 3 albums so far. Unfortunately, the quality of production is far from perfect, and I don't really like the vocals (according to WasV, he doesn't use any voice effects, because he wants to differ from all these commercial dark electro bands that all have distorted vocals; but I personally think that his vocals would fit the music much better if distorted), but some of his tracks sound very promising:

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Struck 9 - "Democracy" (2010)

STRUCK 9 "Democracy"

Year: 2010
Genre: Electronic/Industrial
Country: Colombia
Label: Black Leather Records

Track List:

1. Bodyrage
2. Revolutionary Progress
3. Default
4. Democracy
5. Delta Force
6. Antipatriota
7. Gunmaster
8. Combustion
9. Antipatriota (Tech Nomader remix)

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I have a lot of new music for you, and let me start from an album by a non-metal band. Struck 9 is an electro-industrial project from Medellin, Antioquia (Colombia), formed in 2008. The name "Struck 9" is a reference to September 11, 2001 events. The members of Struck-9 define their genre as "Industrial" and "EBM"... though the difference between "EBM" and "dark electro" isn't clear for me, and I hope it wouldn't be a big mistake to place this album under the "dark electro" tag.


Struck 9 were highly influenced by local punk bands, namely Fertil Miseria, Restos de Tragedia, I.R.A, Desadaptadoz, Encisos After The Rain. They're currently working on a tribute to these bands. As for their ideological influences, it looks like they were mostly influenced by Maoism, but they also respect the "other activists and revolutionaries against the political system". And of course, one of the most important sources of their inspiration is the armed conflict in Colombia, which is still ongoing since the 1960s.


"Democracy" is their first album, freely available to download and share. They also have performed live in Colombia, and they have been asked to play in Mexico, Spain, Brazil, Italy, Sweden and Germany. But all the needed paperwork and requirements are kind of difficult to get, because a lot of people still believe that all Colombians are narco-terrorists...

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2 Bullet - "You're Downloading Anarchism" (2007)

2 BULLET "You're Downloading Anarchism"

Year: 2007
Genre: Electro-Industrial / Industrial Rock
Country: Japan

Track List:

1. Humankind
2. Burn Their Flag
3. Gung-ho Guns
4. Worthless Future

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This EP is a free internet release by 2 Bullet, licensed under CC NC-BY-SA. "When you get these songs, you're downloading Anarchism!" (c) 2 Bullet. Of course it's an obvious pun on a well-known RIAA poster:

2 Bullet - "Democratic Violence" (2004)

2 BULLET "Democratic Violence"

Year: 2004
Genre: Electro-Industrial / Industrial Rock
Country: Japan

Track List:

1. Democracy
2. Pray For Me
3. Drain People's Blood
4. Survivor
5. Liquid Seed
6. Tell Me Something
7. Shockwave
8. Lost

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2 Bullet is a relatively well-known radical leftist electro-industrial act from Japan. According to their official site:

"2 Bullet is started early 2003 in Tokyo by anti-totalitarianist.
In 2003, left wing radicalist group of "some artist community" suddenly armed and started uprising.community became dysfunctional and confused. 
Then Dee Lee took command authority of radicalist commando and succeeded revolt.
This is the story of "start of 2 Bullet".
"2 Bullet" means "power balance", "point a gun each other", a metaphor of MAD (Mutual Assured Destruction).
Our motto is "In a revolution, one triumphs or dies".
We fight with tactical industrial sound"


Yes, not very good English, but my English probably isn't much better :/ As for their lyrics, they're written mostly in Japanese, with some parts in English.

Action Directe - "Vanguard" (2009)

ACTION DIRECTE "Vanguard"

Year: 2009
Genre: Electro-Industrial / Industrial Rock
Country: UK

Track List:

1. Storming Heaven
2. Frontline States of Mind
3. Break You!
4. Epiphany
5. Natty Droid
6. A Storm in Heaven
7. Red Dawn
8. We Can Rebuild Us

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"Vanguard" is the latest full-length release by Action Directe up to date, and to be honest, it's my least favourite from these 3 albums. Yes, there are good tracks too (first two, for example), but overall it's very average. More electronics, less rock... and way too monotonous and boring. Anyway, it's good to hear some industrial music that's left wing, and their upcoming release "Subversion & Contempt" is expected to be very good.

official site

Action Directe - "Under The Pavement, The Beach (The Best of Action Directe 2000-2006)" (2009)

ACTION DIRECTE "Under The Pavement, The Beach!"

Year: 2009
Genre: Electro-Industrial / Industrial Rock / Oi!
Country: UK

Track List:

1. The Internationale
2. Hymn of the Soviet Union
3. Relentless
4. Kicking Love
5. Bullet
6. Gattaca
7. Anthem of Youth
8. Left March
9. Home
10. Oktober
11. Compatriot Games
12. Zealots
13. Dissidenti
14. Playing with Monsters (part one)
15. Better Dead Than Red?
16. Spirit of '89
17. England
18. State Violence State Control
19. 60 Million Guns
20. Sufferation
21. Strike First Strike Hard

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"If you cannot convince a Fascist, acquaint his head with the pavement" - Leon Trotsky

All songs Music & Lyrics: Action Directe except: 

• The Internationale - Lyrics Traditional, Music Action Directe + Morris/Wainwright/Maloney/Roberts;
• Left March - Lyrics Mayakovsky, Music Action Directe

This is a compilation of various songs by Action Directe from early 2000s. Some of these tracks are really good ("Hymn of the Soviet Union", which has very little to do with the actual hymn of the USSR, or "Bullet"), some are bad. There isn't only industrial rock - some tracks sound much more like classical British oi!/streetpunk. Also a good choice of the name for the album... remember the May 1968 in Paris!

Action Directe - "Slavs To The Rhythm" (2009)

ACTION DIRECTE "Slavs To The Rhythm"

Year: 2009
Genre: Electro-Industrial / Industrial Rock
Country: UK

Track List:

1. Slavs To The Rhythm
2. Line In The Sand
3. Smoke & Mirrors
4. Total Kazakhstan
5. Exit Plan
6. Unholy Lands

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Action Directe is a leftist industrial rock act from Leeds, UK, which released a number of albums since 2000. Here's their EP "Slavs To The Rhythm", officially available for free download. The music on this EP is primarily industrial/electronic rock, with influences of punk and even hip-hop (on "Smoke and Mirrors"). I have to say I definitely enjoyed "Line In The Sand" and "Total Kazakhstan"... but why there's an imperial eagle on the album cover?