Industrial
Long Beach, California, USA
Cybershadow is a one-man industrial/synth-pop outfit comprised of Jess McIntyre of Long Beach, California. His music is mostly aggressive electro-dance, influenced by industrial bands such as Frontline Assembly, Project Pitchfork, Apoptygma Berzerk, and Leaether Strip.
McIntyre first gained wide attention when the Cybershadow track “Social Conditioning” was included on the Full Frontal Lobotomy compilation, released on Flaming Fish Music in early 1997. The track featured freaky, heavily distorted vocals sung over a pulsating industrial rock vibe and drew favorable reviews. Cybershadow was one of the first artists to sign to the upstart label later that year.
A maxisingle comprised of remixes of Social Conditioning by other Christian and secular industrial and synth-pop artists, including House of Wires / Pivot Clowj, Audio Paradox, Delayed Shock Reaction, Children Within and Leaether Strip, plus two bonus tracks, was released in late 1997 as a teaser to Cybershadow's full-length debut, The Birth of Future.
McIntyre further displayed his style of industrial/synth-pop on The Birth of Future. Three brief, dark ambient instrumentals reminiscent of Mark Snow's soundtrack music for The X-Files divide the release into three sections, or “trimesters” to create a loose concept album that takes a brutally honest look at the darker side of life. The electro-industrial “Third World” uses imagery from the Balkan Wars of the 90's to draw attention to the plagues of war, genocide, and oppression, and could easily apply to the threat posed by Al Qaeda and other Islamist terrorists today. “Don't Fear Your Future” is a melodic, midtempo “ballad” encouraging a person suffering from depression or despair to trust in God, while “Shattered Trust” and “Elicia” are poignant commentaries on domestic violence and a broken relationship, respectively. “Civilian Tank Department” is a somewhat more uptempo, dance-able number about a virtual reality war game, while “Universal Love” is a dark electro opus that puts a sci fi twist on the “Romeo and Juliet” theme of two doomed lovers (in this case, a human woman and alien man).
McIntyre subsequently released tracks for several compilations, but has not recorded any new material as Cybershadow for several years.
A side project under the name The Reclusive Cypher explores instrumental ambient music in the realm of Dead Can Dance, SPK, and Delerium.
1995 | Conception | |
1997 | Social Conditioning | Flaming Fish Music |
1998 | The Birth of Future | Flaming Fish Music |
2000 | Time.For.Change | Cypherprodukts |
1995 Independent
Limited numbered edition of 170 copies. All songs written: 1990-1995
1997 Flaming Fish Music (ffmcd004)
1998 Flaming Fish Music (ffmcd005)
Jess Macintyre - Music programming and creation
Jon Sonnenberg - Additional bass drum on tracks 3, 7 to 9, and 11
2000 Cypherprodukts (CP005)
::CatClaus:: The Network Holiday Album 96 (Control-Alt-Delete, 1996)
21) Their Christmas Angel
The Celsius Effect (Seppuku Records, 1998)
08) Social Conditioning (Only Social In The Dark (Wave) Mix) (8:49)
Ballistic Test 7 (Flaming Fish Music, 1999)
09) The Formula (EtheriMental Remix)
Positively Charged Electrons (Shock Wave Music, 1999)
07) Don't Fear Your Future (ReBirth Remix)