Emily Kinski’s Dead Journey into the Underworld in Their Video for “Acheron”

Digging into the roots of the German/Swiss combo Emily Kinski’s Dead, it’s impossible not to notice their deep appreciation for the gritty and defiant post-punk and new-wave scenes that shook the music world in the 1980s. But these guys are no mere revivalists. Rather, they skillfully marry these vintage vibes with up-to-the-minute electronic beats, creating a genre-defying, avant-garde sound that feels utterly modern.

Deep within the pulsating rhythms of Emily Kinski’s Dead, A Time To Love And A Time To Die, an indubitable nod to Erick Maria Remarque’s written masterpiece is subtly crafted. But, this is no hollow echo; no cheap tribute of ink and parchment. Instead, the record’s verse dances a macabre ballet around the fleeting existence of an imagined persona, the enigmatic Emily Kinski.

The lyrical content that hums from the band’s tongues, though painted with the brush of minimalism, resonates with a potency that penetrates the soul. It echoes the desperate yearning of mankind to flee from the harsh grip of an unkind, even tormenting reality. Through the haunting harmonies and poignant poetry of their music, Emily Kinski’s Dead dares to illuminate the bare bones of existence, the raw, naked truth of being a living entity in today’s stark world.

Their most recent track, the ominous “Acheron,” marked the birth of their collective musical journey, and appropriately, the entirety of the band materializes in the eerily intriguing visuals for the single. “Acheron,” a track steeped in ancient lore, draws its name from one of the five rivers that flow through the underworld in Greek mythology. In Dante’s Inferno, it’s depicted as the very boundary of hell itself.

Orchestrated by Christian Purwien of Purwien TV, we witness the band members surface from aquatic depths, their identities shrouded in enigma. They’re seen sprinting through dense woodlands and hauntingly deserted liminal spaces, the narrative punctuated by sweeping drone captures. The questions loom large and unanswered. What is their ultimate aim? What unseen force propels them forward? And who’s on the other end of that phone booth call? This compelling tableau leaves viewers on the edge, hungry for answers…but it seems they are the guardians of the underworld.

“Acheron was the first song, which we wrote for Emily Kinski’s Dead, it was the first one we recorded in the studio, and it’s the first one where we as a band are seen in the video,” drummer Rene Ebner says. “So this song defined our style in the very beginning and we are happy to present it now to the audience.”

Watch the video for “Acheron” below:

Oliver Spring, René Ebner, and Thomas Kowa, each a seasoned maestro with an illustrious history of joint endeavors, have amalgamated their talents to manifest Emily Kinski’s Dead. This formidable trifecta, once constituents of Nine Seconds, have a shared history of music production dating back to the 90s, with their bands No Comment and Sleepwalk, and several CDs to their name.

Sporting a sound that strikes a potent balance between eerie and emotionally purging, the band provides an immersive sonic journey. Their freshman album, deftly produced, blended, and perfected by Slade Templeton (of Crying Vessel) at Influx Studios in Bern, stands as a monument to their artistic prowess and inventiveness.

A Time To Love and A Time To Die is available on CD, vinyl, and digital via Swiss Dark Nights.

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