Synthwave Sunday: Scandroid, “Onyx”

The Darkness is coming. No, not a return of the Justin Hawkins-led glam metal revival band… but the beautifully sinister tones of a new album from Scandroid, the outfit’s third full-length effort.

Scandroid, if you’re not familiar, is the neon-hued alter-ego of producer Klayton, the creative force behind the long-running electronic unit Celldweller, who uses the moniker to dial up those hot ’80s retro synth flavors alongside his his new wave-infused robotic vocals. The Darkness, which will feature six original tracks and a handful of remixes from some of the most talented and innovative artists in the synthwave scene, is part one of a two-tiered album release entitled The Darkness and The Light. The Light will follow in 2019 culminating in the complete full-length release later in the year.

“Onyx,” the album’s first single, finds Scandroid doing what Scandroid does best: deep, lush beats with nuanced synth layering, Klayton’s unmistakeable voice and catchy melody after catchy melody. Klayton is a student of the game and throws in some John Carpenter references here for bonus points, but really the track is strong enough on its own merit. As usual, it’s a certifiable banger.

The Darkness comes out on December 4th via FiXT’s new synthwave imprint FiXT Neon; pre-order here.