Five days before official release, Industrial Metal pioneer Jason Köhnen (THE KILIMANJARO DARKJAZZ ENSEMBLE, THE LOVECRAFT SEXTET) premieres the full stream of “Esoterik“, the new album from his primary project BONG-RA, on DMP’s YouTube channel. Listen below.
“Fans of the golden era of Industrial Metal have just gained another classic.” (Musique Machine)
BONG-RA‘s signature low-frequency weight, cinematic horn arrangements and percussive austerity remain at the core, but on “Esoterik” they are recontextualised, distorted, mechanized and reforged into a denser, more monolithic sound. The result is an album that feels both primal and post-apocalyptic, ritualistic yet modern, symbolic yet physical.
A spiritual successor to 2025’s “Black Noise“, the record delves deeper into the shadows and luminescence of the occult, expanding the ritualistic atmospheres explored on previous albums “Antediluvian” (2018) and “Meditations” (2022).
Köhnen comments on this fusion:
“I was curious to see the result of the fusion between the styles of the previous albums with the new path taken. Apart from there being a lot of similarities in atmosphere I wanted to be able to also continue the line with the more occult and archaic themes which set a great contrast with the futuristic dystopian atmosphere of (2025 preceding album) “Black Noise“. The idea was already born during the creative process of “Black Noise“, it was just a matter of patience to put those ideas into fruiting a year or so later.“
The title of BONG-RA‘s new album “Esoterik” hints at the record’s conceptual framework, drawing on occult and hermetic traditions. This philosophical dimension is also reflected in the cover artwork, where enigmatic figures evoke a blend of ancient mythological imagery and futuristic, almost extraterrestrial aesthetics.
Köhnen elaborates on the conceptual ideas:
“Hermeticism and Stoicism have been major influential guidelines to life for well over a decade. Hermeticism helps me answer questions to the metaphysical and Stoicism is the guiding moral compass for the physical. “Esoterik” is a wide-ranging accumulation of ideas regarding hidden layers to our existence.“
Find all album info here!
“Esoterik” will be released on CD, vinyl — including an exclusive DMP vinyl edition — and digital on March 20th. An exclusive T-shirt design will accompany the release. Pre-orders are available via DMP’s EU, US and Bandcamp shops.
March and April sees BONG-RA touring Europe extensively alongside avant-garde Extreme Metal force THY CATAFALQUE. Find all dates below and secure your tickets here.
24.03 – Arena Vienna, Vienna (AT)
25.03 – Mocvara, Zagreb (HR)
26.03 – Legend Club, Milan (IT)
27.03 – Antirouille, Montpellier (FR)
29.03 – D8, Bilbao (ES)
30.03 – Le Ferrailleur, Nantes (FR)
31.03 – Backstage, Paris (FR)
01.04 – L’Autre Canal, Nancy (FR)
02.04 – DB’s, Utrecht (NL)
03.04 – Volt, Sittard (NL)
06.04 – From Hell, Erfurt (DE)
07.04 – SO36, Berlin (DE)
08.04 – Voodoo, Warsaw (PL)
09.04 – Zascianek, Krakow (PL)
Jason Köhnen began his musical journey in 1988 as the vocalist/bassist for BLUUURGH…, an underground Dutch Crust/Death Metal/Grindcore band. Following the release of an EP and LP, in 1991 he founded the Death-Doom band CELESTIAL SEASON, gaining widespread recognition as a prominent name in the genre outside the renowned ‘Peaceville 3′.
In 1996, Köhnen shifted from Metal to electronic music, creating the project BONG-RA and pioneering the intense Breakcore genre of electronica. His 1998 debut album led to a Peel Session in 2002, and established BONG-RA as one of the first acts to fuse Extreme Metal with electronics. The experimentation deepened with releases like the 2007 “Grindkrusher” EP, featuring BOLT THROWER samples, and collaborative releases with noise artist Maruosa in DEATHSTORM and the neo-classical Doom project WHITE DARKNESS.
Beyond BONG-RA, Kohnen co-founded THE KILIMANJARO DARKJAZZ ENSEMBLE and later THE MOUNT FUJI DOOMJAZZ CORPORATION, releasing a series of cult albums up to 2013. Over his 30-year career, he has collaborated with notable artists such as VENETIAN SNARES and IGORRR, performed at major festivals including Glastonbury and Dour, and toured globally, sharing the stage with legendary acts like APHEX TWIN, MINISTRY and THE PRODIGY.
After a brief hiatus, during which BONG-RA explored Doom, Electronica and Jazz – including via 2018’s “Antediluvian” and 2022’s “Meditations” – Köhnen is now returning to his Metal and Grindcore roots. A deal with Debemur Morti Productions, also home to his Doomjazz project THE LOVECRAFT SEXTET, has been reached.
BONG-RA now prepares for a new era as a live three-piece featuring guitarists Attila Kovacs and Botond Fogl. This freshly rejuvenated vehicle for Metal/breaks fusion debute in early 2025 with a new record “Black Noise” and continues its journey with forthcoming “Esoterik” album (2026) and more touring.
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