![Choke Chain - Decomposition [EP]](/images/Albums/REVIEWS/chokechain_decomposition.jpg#joomlaImage://local-images/Albums/REVIEWS/chokechain_decomposition.jpg?width=1200&height=1200)
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Band: Choke Chain
Album title: Decomposition
Release date: 10 July 2026
Label: Negative Gain Productions
Genre: Industrial, Dark Electro, EBM
Tracklist:
01. Misunderstood
02. Decomposition
03. Morgue
04. Life Ends
05. Imprisoned
06. Decomposition (MVTANT Remix)
07. Imprisoned (Mortal Realm Remix)
Choke Chain's music has always been recognised for its signature undercurrent of claustrophobia, but Decomposition pushes the rhythmic, emotional noise to a breaking point. Undoubtedly Mark Trueman's most personally intense release, Decomposition delivers a series of tracks that feel less like songs than vessels on the verge of rupture. The EP is relentlessly bleak, fuelled by personal trauma, disillusionment, and a profound loss of faith in humanity. To Trueman's artistic credit, the darkness comes across as genuine and lived‑in rather than theatrical or self‑indulgent.
Musically, Decomposition occupies familiar industrial territory while sharpening the edges. Old‑school dark electro and EBM foundations remain intact, drawing on the mechanical pulse and abrasive textures of the early '90s without becoming an exercise in nostalgia. Trueman injects the tracks with aggression, resulting in grinding, rusty rhythms and distorted synths that seem to physically push up against one another. The production embraces rawness rather than polish, giving the EP a suffocating immediacy that perfectly complements its themes. "Misunderstood" establishes Decomposition's mood, driving forward with relentless percussion and a venomous vocal delivery that borders on cathartic exorcism, while the title track broadens the sonic palette without sacrificing momentum. "Life Ends" and "Imprisoned" balance grinding industrial textures with memorable rhythmic hooks, while "Morgue" brilliantly utilises samples and invokes a weighty, trance‑like experience. Trueman's vocals are deliciously dark — deeply furious and biting throughout.
With Decomposition, the distance between the artist and listener has been stripped away. The EP is not an easy listen, nor does it aspire to be. It channels existential despair into a harsh, hyper‑focused yet compelling industrial statement that feels deeply personal rather than performative. Choke Chain continue refining a sound rooted in classic EBM and industrial traditions while supplementing it with a tragic emotional urgency that belongs entirely to the present. Fans of dark electro, harsh industrial, and emotionally charged electronic music will find plenty to admire here.
Decomposition is an honest and emotionally charged release that wears its scars openly. Choke Chain succeed in translating anger, grief, and disillusionment into a dense wall of industrial sound that feels authentic rather than manufactured.
Review by Tiffany
Rating: 8/10
