Category: News

Back in Business: Darkwave Remixed & Reinvented!

15.07.2024

Some of you might have thought I had vanished – maybe even stopped making music altogether. But nothing could be further from the truth! While I haven’t been as active here as before, I had a damn good reason for it. Over the past few months, I’ve been completely immersed in remixing and remastering all my previous albums, diving deep into an intense online mixing course, and battling through the inevitable trial-and-error process that comes with learning sound engineering on your own. Trust me, it was a long and exhausting ride!

But now, it’s done. And the result? In one word: BRUTAL. After months of experimenting with new guitar and bass tones, tweaking drum samples, and refining my mixing techniques, Hexapla, Missa Innominata, and Thanatology now sound massively different from their original versions. Of course, I won’t be the one to tell you whether it was worth the wait – that’s for you to decide.

One big change you might notice: Hexapla – The Remasters (my 2022 remix/remaster) is no longer available. Why? Because I’ve completely reworked the original Hexapla from the ground up, making the older remaster obsolete. But aside from that, all my previous releases are still there – now with significantly enhanced sound quality.

So, do me a favor: head over to my Bandcamp page, crank up the volume, and experience the new, upgraded Darkwave sound for yourself!

Thank you for being part of this incredible musical journey!

Current Collaborations: Exploring New Sonic Horizons!

02.06.2024

Lately, I’ve had the honor of contributing to some truly amazing musical projects, spanning a variety of genres and styles.

Terrorbit – Retro Horror Synthwave Meets Guitar Fury

I had the pleasure of adding my guitars to two tracks on Terrorbit’s latest album – a dark, retro/synthwave masterpiece inspired by the eerie aesthetics of ‘80s horror movies. If you love cinematic synths with an edge, this one’s for you! You can check out the album on Bandcamp, YouTube, or Spotify. My contributions can be heard on Track 2: Ghost and Track 6: Emptiness.

Da J – “Come Alive” (Dubstep/EDM/Bass Music)

Yes, you read that right—I ventured into the electronic music scene! I had the incredible opportunity to collaborate on “Come Alive”, a high-energy single by Da J, a top-tier producer in the dubstep/EDM/bass music world. If you’re wondering what a progressive/thrash metal guitarist is doing in this genre, just hit play and you’ll get it! You can stream “Come Alive” on Spotify and Apple Music.

Combstead – “Line In The Sand” (Heavy Metal Instrumental)

It was also a privilege to work on “Line In The Sand”, an epic instrumental track featured as Track 8 on Combstead’skiller album Road We Travel On. This record is packed with incredible guitar work, and I’m beyond honored to have been part of it. You can stream the full album on Mark’s SoundCloud!

Huge thanks to Terrorbit, Da J, and Combstead for letting me be part of their artistic vision. Each of these collaborations has been an exciting challenge, and I can’t wait for you all to hear them! Let me know what you think!

Long Time No See – But Big Things Are Happening!

16.03.2024

You might have noticed that I haven’t been posting much lately – no floods of Instagram stories, no constant updates. Sure, I dropped a few here and there, but for the most part, I disappeared from the public eye. I’ll admit, it felt a bit isolating… but trust me, I had a damn good reason for it.

Far from being inactive, I’ve actually been rebuilding Darkwave from the ground up.

A Whole New Sound
For months, I’ve been obsessively fine-tuning my sound, and I can finally say that Darkwave now has the sonic identity it truly deserves: thick, punchy drums, dark and brutal guitars, and a bass tone that’s heavier than ever. I’m still deep in the process of remixing my previous albums, but the goal is clear – getting them pressed onto physical CDs in the near future. I can’t wait for you to hear the results!

Lyrics & Vocals – A New Chapter Begins
Darkwave has always been instrumental, but I’ve reached the point where I need to explore vocals to fully realize its potential. I’m currently working on translating my original Hungarian lyrics into English and searching for the right vocalist(s) to bring them to life. While I can’t reveal the final texts just yet, I can promise you this: the lyrics will be dark, introspective, and deeply philosophical.

New Music in the Works
Beyond all that, my hard drive is already loaded with 40-50 new riffs, waiting to be shaped into full-fledged songs for my next release. It’s only a matter of time before they evolve into something massive.

So, no – I haven’t been inactive at all. Quite the opposite! Big news is coming, so stay tuned to my website and socials. And as always, thank you for being part of this journey! Your support means everything!

Another amazing review!

17.01.2024

metal-digest.com, “The Normless Music Magazine” wrote an amazing review on Thanatology! 

„Zsolt Némthy’s one-man instrumental Metal project Darkwave bring an EP of chunky riffage, mellifluous keyboard stabs and pads and tonalities from here, there, and everywhere. This Hungarian multi-instrumentalist takes the concept of soundscaping further than almost any of his peers, and uses the furious guitar lead in lieu of vocals. You may argue that’s nothing new or extraordinary, but what there is sounds amazing (he self-produces too) and is quite beautifully written and played. Yes, there is a Proggy indulgent side, and a couple of tracks feel a little overlong. You’ll forgive that quite easily as overall this is a strong and entertaining EP.„

Check out the original post here: https://metal-digest.com/2024/01/17/darkwave-thanatology-ep/

A huge milestone!

03.01.2024

In a poll that received over 1,000 votes, readers of the excellent Metal Has No Borders webzine voted on their favorite metal releases of 2023. The voting started on the 18th of November and ended on Christmas Eve. It is my distinct pleasure to share the amazing news: Thanatology received Bronze Tier in the poll for Readers’ Metal Album of the Year!

Right now I’m speechless. It is not very often that a self-released album of an independent musician receives such an enormous recognition – and now I feel extremely honored and grateful! Let, therefore, my first thoughts fly to all those who believed in me and voted for Thanatology. Thank you for your enormous support: not just for voting on my latest release, but also for encouraging and helping me all along the way! Music is basically a special and intimate form of interpersonal communication – therefore it would be meaningless to create a sonic framework to transmit feelings and thoughts without the circle of those who listen to it. Thank you for keeping company and travelling with me on this amazing journey!

Also, thank Metal Has No Borders for the opportunity, and their appreciative words on my album: “”If King Crimson had formed in modern times with an instrumental agenda for prog-thrash, the result would be the right brain freakout titled Thanatology. Zsolt Némethy commands the one-man project, Darkwave, into the arena of symphonic, experimental, atmospheric, and neo-classical shred” (click here for the original entry on metalhasnoborders.com)!

Thank you from the bottom of my heart!

The long annual summary post

27.12.2023

I know that nobody reads long posts anymore, but I can’t become a person who I’m not: I am simply unable to put a text together out of five concise sentences. So, please bear with me – my usual long annual summary post will follow.

2023 has been a wild ride to me. I managed to release Thanatology, my third full-lenght album (regardless that Spotify notoriously keeps calling it an EP…). Believe me, I poured all my heart and soul – and also a huge amount of time, practice and effort – into it. I know that I’m some kind of a perfectionist – and perfectionism is often considered to be a two-edged sword. Besides composing, recording and programming all the tracks, I spent countless hours with learning how to mix and master a decent metal album. Not gonna lie, the result turned out much better than I expected – Thanatology sounds clearer and more natural compared to the first two releases. Still, there is always a place for further imporvements (says the perfectionist…) – so I decided to remix all my releases before re-issuing them on physical CDs in the near future. This is the most important activity that keeps me busy these days. So please keep an eye on this website and/or my socials if you’re interested in getting physical Darkwave goodies (CDs and – hopefully – some merch, too).

Thanatology received extremely good feedback: it was favorably reviewed not only by people who listened to it, but also by metal webzines – metalhasnoborders.com even listed it among the best albums of August, 2023! (Just a side note: to tell the truth, this was absolutely unexpected to me! My focus has always been on creating something meaningful and to connect with people who resonate with my musical experimentation. Therefore, the possibility of being mentioned together with important players of the modern metal scene never occured to me. To see Darkwave on the same page with Crypta, Angra or Brujeria is really an amazing honor!). Right now, Thanatology is on the third place in a poll at metalhasnoborders.com for the best metal release of 2023 (the final results will be announced in early January) – who could have imagined such an enormous success a couple of months ago? I certainly didn’t, that’s for sure.

To cut a long story short, it seems that Darkwave finally stepped through the shadow line, if you know what I mean. I could continue writing about the main events of 2023 for hours, but the release and favorable reception of my beloved Thanatology fills my thoughts with pride, joy and thankfulness. I – of course – have plans that will provide me enough work for at least a decade, but I already summarized them elsewhere. Therefore, let me finish this lenghty annual summary post with a word of gratitude. Darkwave is surrounded by the love and support of a circle of good friends and supporters, and I am extremely grateful for each and every one of you for being here and encouraging me! A musician without listeners would be nothing more than a bizarre manifestation of a dead end.

Thank you for being with me in 2023! I just have one simple request: please never forget about me! 2024 will be another fascinating year for Darkwave, and I can’t wait to see, what the future holds for us!

Sound evolution

03.12.2023

I’m just checking in to show you what I’m working on right now.

Earlier I promised substantially remixed versions of all three Darkwave albums – and I made quite good progress with the process. Let me show you the intro part of Aquila in three versions: the original recording from Hexapla, the remixed/remastered version from Hexapla-The Remasters, and the initial version of a brand new mix that already sounds substantially different from both earlier versions. It’s still far from the final result, but now that I’m mixing the drums, the whole song seems to sound somewhat more natural and thick to me (it’s still far from the final result: mixing the guitars, bass, etc. will be done in the near future).

Let me know in the comments, what you think!

I need your help!

22.11.2023

Please help me with a vote!

Metal Has No Borders shared their favorite metal releases of 2023. If you like what I do, please help me with voting on my latest album (Darkwave: Thanatology) as Best Metal Release of 2023, by following the link below, clicking on my album in the alphabetical list, then scrolling down and pressing “Vote”! The poll will close on the 24th of December.

I’m so proud that the editors included me in this prestigious company of amazing artists from all around the world – please help me to take one step further on this fascinating journey! Thank you for your support from the bottom of my heart!

Vote: Best Metal Release of 2023?

Breaking the silence

21.10.2023

It seems that nowadays I’m constantly in some kind of a reflective mood: I retrospect on everything I did in the past, while trying to figure out, how to go on. The first two and a half years of my musical journey have been centered around building up things: I put three albums together, worked on polishing my recording, mixing and mastering skills, and at the same time, I significantly improved my gear. Well, mission accomplished: my first three releases are out – you can listen to (or even download) them, if you like.

However, I feel like something is still missing. I realized that I’m sitting here in an isolated bubble while composing, recording and playing songs. Creating music alone is a blessing and a curse at the same time – and while I prefer to keep it this way, I desperately want to connect with you guys who listen to my stuff. If we accept that “music happens to be an art form that transcends language” (by Herbie Hancock – and who would disagree with that…?), then its most important capacity is to help people getting closer to each other by transmitting feelings and thoughts from one to another.

So, I think it’s time to relocate the emphasis from the current “composing-recording-mixing-promoting-repeat” cycle to something more personal. Last week I did a small survey on my Instagram, and it seems that you guys are interested in seeing me live. So… I’m working on going live on Twitch, YouTube, or any suitable streaming platforms. I still need some time to put it all together (I recently had a couple of dental surgeries, and my jaw is still not 100% suitable for longer conversations, and I also have to learn, how to use those platforms…), but my intentions are clear.

Stay tuned friends, because live sessions are coming in the near future!