HIGHSOCIETY – DATAMOSH: A Genre-Defying Cybernetic Onslaught That Redefines Heavy Music

Review By Glen Parkes

In a musical landscape that often plays it safe, HIGHSOCIETY’s DATAMOSH is a glorious act of rebellion. Released on 28th March 2025 via FiXT, the album is a genre-defying juggernaut, slamming together alternative metal, hard rock, industrial, and EDM with feral intensity. It’s a cybernetic fusion of primal rage and futuristic chaos, where brutal riffs, pulverizing beats, and glitchy electronic soundscapes collide with thrilling unpredictability.

At its core, DATAMOSH is more than just an album—it’s a sonic philosophy, embracing the corrupted beauty of digital decay. The term “datamoshing” refers to glitching and distorting digital media, and HIGHSOCIETY takes this concept and applies it to sound itself. Throughout the album, he bends and distorts genres beyond recognition, creating a frenzied hybrid that feels dangerous, fresh, and unforgettable.

A Relentless Descent into Sonic Chaos

The album wastes no time easing you in, instead plunging you headfirst into its frenzied soundscape with “Going Under”, featuring Micah Martin. The track opens with haunting, ethereal vocals, before eruption-level guitars and bone-rattling bass drops slam into place. It’s a seamless collision of post-hardcore grit and EDM ferocity, with Martin’s vocals shifting between melodic vulnerability and feral screams. The glitchy production flourishes give the track a jagged, unpredictable edge, setting the tone for the controlled chaos that follows.

Next up is “All for Nothing”, a collaboration with ENMY that hits like a freight train. The industrial-tinged guitars and pounding rhythms form a crushing wall of sound, while the anthemic chorus injects a soaring melodic hook. It’s a perfect blend of alt-metal aggression and electronic polish, tailor-made for maximum festival carnage.

One of the album’s standout moments comes with “Echoes”, featuring BVLVNCE. The track leans into darker, moodier territory, blending guttural screams with soaring clean vocals over glitchy, atmospheric synths and crushing guitar riffs. The stuttering, disorienting electronic breaks give the track a fractured, unstable feel, creating a beautiful dissonance that feels both hypnotic and menacing.

The title track, “BREAK”, is a relentless barrage of sound, with pummeling drum machines, razor-sharp guitars, and dystopian synths. It’s a grinding, industrial banger that could easily soundtrack a cyberpunk battle scene. The mechanical precision of the rhythms gives the track a cold, robotic edge, while the distorted vocals inject a raw human fury, making it a feral standout.

“Burn”, featuring Craig Mabbitt of Escape The Fate, takes a more melodic turn without sacrificing intensity. The haunting verses build with eerie, melancholic tension before bursting into a colossal, stadium-sized chorus. Mabbitt’s vocals are brimming with emotion, delivering impassioned, searing melodies over a maelstrom of sludgy guitars and electronic flourishes. It’s infectious, anthemic, and emotionally charged, offering a brief respite before the album’s sonic onslaught resumes.

The second half of the album pushes the experimental boundaries even further. “Dead by Dawn”, featuring Daedric, is a pulsating, EDM-meets-metal fever dream. The glitchy, off-kilter beats and ethereal vocals create an atmospheric, cinematic build-up, before the track explodes into a furious, riff-heavy breakdown. It’s dark, haunting, and cinematic, evoking a futuristic horror movie in musical form.

“Night Ride”, with Young Medicine, takes a left-field turn into synthwave-inspired territory, with neon-soaked melodies and brooding vocals over a pulsing electronic backbone. The track offers a moment of shimmering, synth-laden respite, showcasing HIGHSOCIETY’s versatility. But it’s not long before the metallic fury returns.

“HARM”, featuring The Anix, is a slow-burning industrial anthem, driven by brooding synths and distorted guitars. The gloomy, atmospheric verses build to a crushing, explosive chorus, making it a darkly cinematic highlight.

The punishing “OBS0LETE”, featuring Coping Method, is pure mechanical fury. The bone-crunching riffs and glitch-ridden electronic elements create a claustrophobic, dystopian soundscape that feels both futuristic and primal. The feral vocals and relentless tempo make this a standout for fans of industrial metal brutality.

As DATAMOSH nears its end, HIGHSOCIETY pulls no punches. “Post-Humanity”, featuring Becko, delivers a crushingly heavy mix of trap, industrial, and metalcore. The dystopian lyrics and mechanical beats give it a cyber-apocalyptic feel, while Becko’s snarling vocals add an extra layer of menace.

Finally, the album closes with “Ghosts (DATAMOSHED)”, a collaboration with Protect Your Heart. This track is a perfect encapsulation of the album’s ethos, with violent guitar riffs and pulverizing EDM drops smashing together in a blistering crescendo. The frantic pace, glitched-out synths, and soaring vocals create a thrilling, chaotic finale that leaves you breathless and craving more.

Verdict: A Genre-Bending Masterpiece

With DATAMOSH, HIGHSOCIETY doesn’t just blur genre lines—he obliterates them. The album is a ferocious, experimental triumph that showcases brutal metal riffs, infectious EDM beats, and glitch-ridden chaos, all fused together with cybernetic precision. Each track offers a new sonic surprise, making the album feel thrillingly unpredictable.

For fans of industrial metal, experimental EDM, and futuristic rock, DATAMOSH is a game-changer. It’s a relentless, chaotic, and exhilarating ride that redefines what heavy music can be. In a world of formulaic releases, HIGHSOCIETY’s willingness to take risks makes DATAMOSH a bold, boundary-pushing triumph that demands to be experienced.

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