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If you like your metalcore doused in Eurovision-style techno, then Electric Callboy are the band for you. However, if you have just read this sentence and thought “what the fuck is this guy talking about?” then please just stick with me and read on.
Combining the heavy with the cheesy, you get a sound that really shouldn’t work, but it’s one that absolutely works and then some. Electric Callboy’s 2022 album Tekkno propelled the German group into stardom – with hits such as We Got the Moves, Spaceman and Pump It making them the only band that you can both mosh to and rave to. And now, on their 7th album Tanzneid, the boys are back to do it all again, but with a few more tricks up their sleeves…
If you’ve been following the band recently, you’ll know that their drummer is now Frank Zummo, previously of Sum 41 fame. In fact, the first show he played with the band was at Slam Dunk South 2025, a festival that I just so happened to be at! And he completely killed it, fitting in instantly with the rest of the band. So, in what I can only assume is a homage to his former self, the band include a cover of the classic Sum 41 track Still Waiting on this record! As Sum have always been regarded as a metal-adjacent pop punk band, the cover does a great job of amplifying the genre’s influence, particularly on its iconic guitar riff in the verses. And just when you think they may have skipped a classic Callboy breakdown, they launch into one of the most infectious-sounding drops on the entire album.
Speaking of pop punk, it would be remiss of me not to talk about Let the Good Times Roll, featuring none other than The Offspring! Dexter and Noodles join the group in making another pop punk-infused metalcore song that works on both levels. And the best part? It’s gotta be the “uno, dos, tres, cuatro, cinco, cinco, seis” vocal line before the breakdown – a nice little homage to The Offspring’s legendary track Pretty Fly (For a White Guy) from 1999! And now – did somebody say “90s boy band vibes?” Because Callboy have got you covered on The Way You Are… sorta. It starts off like your typical Backstreet Boys song, full of cheesy fingersnaps and a light, acoustic guitar over some gorgeous vocals from Nico. But then it turns brutal and gets insanely heavy, blast beats and all, led by Kevin’s monstrous lungs – you would think it was a completely different song because of the way it just 180’d! Then finally, as if to top it all off with a massive cherry, it goes back into an East 17-esque R&B outro that sees the track off – a very cheeky little tune.
And if the 10 tracks weren’t enough to get your heart beating and your blood pumping, the band have also included 4 remixes after album outro Revery, so you can keep the party going! Whether it’s dubstep or euro house, they’ve got you covered by giving your Tekkno train a little more fuel for the journey ahead.
Tanzneid has done something truly remarkable – it’s taken the sound that fans know and love from Tekkno, and somehow made it even better. The best thing is it doesn’t sound dated or ‘old’ in the slightest – generally, bands who combine 2 polar opposites in musical genres lose their spark after their second release because they can’t adapt and reinvent their sound, but Callboy have successfully beaten this stigma, and they sound incredible whilst they do it. So next time you have a toss-up between wanting to go to a metal gig or to a rave, go to an Electric Callboy show instead, where you will get the best of both worlds.
Tanzneid is available now via Century Media Records
Review – Joe Richardson
Photo credit: Christian Ripkens
TANZNEID WORLD TOUR:
21.01.2027 IE-Dublin, 3Arena (NEW SHOW)
23.01.2027 UK-Manchester, Co-op Live Manchester (NEW SHOW)
24.01.2027 UK-Nottingham, Motorpoint Arena Nottingham (NEW SHOW)
26.01.2027 UK-Bournemouth, Bournemouth International Centre (NEW SHOW)
27.01.2027 UK-Cardiff, Utilitia Arena Cardiff (NEW SHOW)
29.01.2027 FR-Toulouse, Zénith Toulouse Métropole
30.01.2027 FR-Bordeaux, Arkéa Arena
31.01.2027 FR-Nantes, Zénith Nantes Métropole
15.02.2027 FR-Paris, Accor Arena
16.02.2027 BE-Brussels, Forest National (NEW SHOW)
18.02.2027 DE-Hanover, ZAG Arena
20.02.2027 DE-Mannheim, SAP Arena
22.02.2027 IT-Milan, Unipol Forum
24.02.2027 CZ-Prague, O2 arena (NEW SHOW)
27.02.2027 DE-Dortmund, WESTFALENHALLE DORTMUND
28.02.2027 DE-Nuremberg, PSD Bank Nürnberg Arena
02.03.2027 DE-Leipzig, QUARTERBACK Immobilien ARENA
