2025 Retro – BONG-RA

In the first instalment of our 2025 retrospective series, we turn our attention to Jason Köhnen (THE LOVECRAFT SEXTET, THE KILIMANJARO DARKJAZZ ENSEMBLE) and "Black Noise", the latest full-length work from his primary project BONG-RA. A record of abrasive force and meticulous construction, "Black Noise" fuses crushing low-end pressure, distorted electronics and Extreme Metal urgency into a relentlessly physical listening experience.

Long recognised for blurring boundaries between breakcore, Industrial and Extreme Metal, "Black Noise" sharpens Köhnen’s vision further: the album stripping away excess in favour of tension, weight, and repetition. Rather than relying on fragmentation, "Black Noise" thrives on oppressive continuity: grinding bass frequencies, corrosive textures, and looping rhythmic cells that evoke urban decay, technological overload, and a sense of imminent collapse. The production allows each element to collide – resulting in a soundscape that feels brutally immediate, yet carefully controlled, and unmistakably BONG-RA.

"Black Noise" has garnered high praise for its distinctive sound:

"A musical rebel who has never allowed himself to be pushed into some restrictive pigeonhole, Köhnen has been shattering expectations for many years. "Black Noise" is by no means his most radical statement, but by dismantling and reconstructing industrial metal into his own crazed sonic vehicle, this grand master of mischief may yet conquer the metal world, with breakbeats ablaze and enough bass to make Satan disintegrate." (Blabbermouth)

""Black Noise" effectively communicates dysphoria and anxiety, and its hybrid electronica-metal is satisfyingly menacing…" (Angry Metal Guy)

""Black Noise" is the latest in a long line of inspiring and intense music from BONG-RA, true masters of their craft and long may they continue bringing the noise in their own inimitable style." (Echoes & Dust)

Mastermind Köhnen reflects upon "Black Noise" and great things to come in 2026 and shares his favorite albums of 2025:

""Black Noise" has been an amazing launch to the BONG-RA 2.0 period and a great starting point to develop and evolve the new sound. This template has already brought new ideas to develop and merge some of my doomjazz ideas into the project for the next album. Expanding as a solo project to a 3 piece with guitarists Attila and Botond has added an immense power to the sound and on stage. The new album is ready and will move forward into the next sonic territory to be explored."

01. AUTHOR & PUNISHER "Nocturnal Birding"
02. BLUT AUS NORD "Ethereal Horizons"
03. TIGRAN HAMASYAN "The Bird Of A Thousand Voices"
04. PORTAL "Outre"
05. WARTHOG "Warthog"
06. VALLENFYRE "Splinters"
07. SCORN "Vae Solis"
08. OLD "Formula"

Listen to "Black Noise" on Bandcamp and via our YouTube channel and purchase it via our EU, US and Bandcamp shops!

Please note: although all DMP releases are available to stream across all platforms, nothing rivals the experience of owning the physical edition – something no digital service can ever take away from you. These tangible creations sustain the Art and the artists behind it.

Moreover, later in 2025, BONG-RA further expanded the "Black Noise" universe with the release of "To Mega Panopticon", a compact yet pointed companion record conceived in close connection with the album's live cycle. The release assembles reworked versions of selected "Black Noise" tracks alongside striking cover interpretations of cult Extreme Metal songs and a newly reimagined version of a classic BONG-RA composition. Designed specifically in preparation for the tour with AUTHOR & PUNISHER in late 2025, the compilation highlights the project's adaptability and its ongoing dialogue between studio experimentation and physical, stage-driven impact.

Listen and purchase "To Mega Panopticon" via our Bandcamp page:

As such, BONG-RA remained a formidable live presence, bringing the dense, punishing sound of "Black Noise" to audiences across an intensive touring schedule throughout 2025. This momentum is set to continue into 2026, following the completion of a brand-new album. While further details must remain under wraps for now, more will be revealed soon. Selected live footage from the 2025 tour alongside AUTHOR & PUNISHER is already available via YouTube (see here), offering a visceral glimpse into the project’s current incarnation on stage.