Ego Likeness is an American

darkwave Dark wave, or darkwave, is a music genre that emerged from the new wave and post-punk movement of the late 1970s. Dark wave compositions are largely based on minor key tonality and introspective lyrics and have been perceived as being dark, ro ...

industrial rock Industrial rock is a fusion genre that fuses industrial music and rock music. It initially originated in the 1970s, and drew influence from early experimental and industrial acts such as Throbbing Gristle, Einstürzende Neubauten and Chrom ...

band from

Baltimore Baltimore is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the 30th-most populous U.S. city. The Baltimore metropolitan area is the 20th-large ...

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...

. They were formed in 1999 by artist Steven Archer and writer Donna Lynch.

History

Early work

Ego Likeness began as an experimental and dark

trip hop Trip hop is a musical genre that has been described as a psychedelic music, psychedelic fusion of hip hop music, hip hop and electronica with slow tempos and an atmospheric sound. The style emerged as a more experimental music, experimental var ...

project. A demo called ''Songs from a Dead City'', recorded on a four-track and self-produced by Archer and Lynch, was released in 1999. In 2000, Archer and Lynch took the project in a darker electronic and dance direction, resulting in a self-released full-length album entitled ''

Dragonfly A dragonfly is a flying insect belonging to the infraorder Anisoptera below the order Odonata. About 3,000 extant species of dragonflies are known. Most are tropical, with fewer species in temperate regions. Loss of wetland habitat threat ...

'' under EL's own label, Angelfall.

Dancing Ferret Records

After a short hiatus from recording, a lengthy period of trial, error, revision, and many live performances, Ego Likeness signed with

Dancing Ferret Discs The Dancing Ferret entertainment group is an unofficial collective name for Dancing Ferret Discs and Dancing Ferret Concerts. It was started by Patrick Rodgers (a.k.a. DJ Ferret) in 1995 in music, 1995 with the formation of Dancing Ferret Concerts ...

for the 2004 release of '' Water to the Dead''. This album featured the band’s electronic roots while exploring a bit of a heavier rock sound. In 2005, Ego Likeness toured

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

Luxembourg Luxembourg, officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, is a landlocked country in Western Europe. It is bordered by Belgium to the west and north, Germany to the east, and France on the south. Its capital and most populous city, Luxembour ...

, and the continental US with Dancing Ferret label mates

The Crüxshadows The Crüxshadows is an American dark wave and synthpop band currently based in Jacksonville, Florida, United States. They made their debut with the album ''...Night Crawls In'' (1993), and have since released such albums as '' Telemetry of a Fa ...

, as well as performing at several festivals on the east and west coast, including Convergence 11 (San Diego CA), Dracula’s Ball (Philadelphia PA), Blacksun Festival I (New Haven CT), Freaks United (DC), Eccentrik Festival I (Raleigh NC),

Dragon Con Dragon Con (previously Dragon*Con and sometimes DragonCon) is a North American multigenre convention, founded in 1987, which takes place annually over the Labor Day weekend in Atlanta, Georgia. , the convention draws attendance of over 80,000. ...

(Atlanta GA), Ring Con (Fulda, Germany) and others. Their first album, ''Dragonfly'', was also re-released on

in 2005. In 2006, Ego Likeness released their third full-length album, '' The Order of the Reptile'', which ventured back into the realms of heavy electronica, a bit of

, some

goth rock Gothic rock (also called goth rock or simply goth) is a style of rock music that emerged from post-punk in the United Kingdom in the late 1970s. The first post-punk bands which shifted toward dark music with gothic overtones include Siouxsie an ...

, and

. 2006 also saw the release of '' Where's Neil When You Need Him?'', a tribute to writer

Neil Gaiman Neil Richard MacKinnon Gaiman (; born Neil Richard Gaiman; 10 November 1960) is an English author of short fiction, novels, comic books, audio theatre, and screenplays. His works include the comic series ''The Sandman (comic book), The Sandma ...

, featuring the song "You Better Leave the Stars Alone", written for the book '' Stardust''. The band toured Germany once again and the US with

and Ayria throughout the winter of 2006 to 2007. In 2007, Ego Likeness toured

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

and the UK with Ayria and

Angelspit Angelspit is an Australian electronic music band originally from Sydney and currently based in Chicago. The band was formed in 2004 by vocalists/ synthesists Destroyx (Amelia Tan) and ZooG (Karl Learmont). The band's music combines stylistic el ...

. They have also often performed at sci-fi/fantasy convention

, where they are semi-regular guests along with a number of other dark alternative bands. Ego Likeness also performs regularly at Wicked Faire in Somerset, New Jersey.

''The Compass'' EPs

In 2007, Ego Likeness began self-releasing the first of four EPs, collectively titled ''The Compass''. The first, ''

South South is one of the cardinal directions or compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both west and east. Etymology The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Proto-Germanic ''*sunþa ...

'', featured new songs and old remixes. 2008 brought about the second of the Compass EPs, ''

West West is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from east and is the direction in which the Sun sets on the Earth. Etymology The word "west" is a Germanic word passed into some Romance langu ...

'', as well as their single, "The Lowest Place on Earth". This was supported by a US tour throughout late winter and spring. In 2009, the ''

North North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating Direction (geometry), direction or geography. Etymology T ...

'' EP is released, featuring duet with The Dark Clan and a cover of

PJ Harvey Polly Jean Harvey (born 9 October 1969) is an English singer-songwriter. Primarily known as a vocalist and guitarist, she is also proficient with a wide range of instruments. Harvey began her career in 1988 when she joined local band Automat ...

's "Down by the Water." Ego Likeness also embarked on a tour as a supporting act for

Combichrist Combichrist is an American Electro-industrial, aggrotech / industrial metal band formed in 2003 by Norwegian vocalist Andy LaPlegua, who also founded the bands Icon of Coil, Panzer AG, Scandinavian Cock and Scandy. Combichrist was formed in Atlan ...

and

Julien-K Julien-K is an American electronic rock band based in Long Beach, California, that began as a side project for electronic music created by Amir Derakh and Ryan Shuck from Orgy, alongside Anthony 'Fu' Valcic. The band's name comes from the mo ...

. In 2012, the final EP in the Compass series, ''

East East is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sun rises on the Earth. Etymology As in other languages, the word is formed from the fact that ea ...

'', was released. The EP contained two original tracks, a cover of

The Police The Police were an English rock band formed in London in 1977. Within a few months of their first gig, the line-up settled as Sting (lead vocals, bass guitar, primary songwriter), Andy Summers (guitar) and Stewart Copeland (drums, percussi ...

's "Tea in the Sahara", and seven remixes from various artists including

and Komor Kommando.

Metropolis Records

2010s

Ego Likeness were signed to

Metropolis Records Metropolis Records is a record label that was founded in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania ...

and released their fourth album, '' Breedless'', on April 13, 2010.Ego Likeness Official Site
Egolikeness.com. Retrieved April 26, 2012. The album received critical acclaim from music magazines ''ReGen'' and ''Reflections of Darkness''. Ego Likeness has also contributed to multiple volumes of the cancer-benefit compilations, ''Electronic Saviors''. On August 14, 2012, the first single, "Treacherous Things" for the upcoming album "When the Wolves Return" was released along with a music video for the song directed by Kyle Cassidy. On October 29, 2013, the group announced on their official Facebook page a Winter 2013 US headlining tour with support from ''Servitior''. In 2015, "When The Wolves Return" full-length album was released, along with a single featuring a dozen remixes of the album track "New Legion." After a brief period of inactivity (in deference to other projects) the duo released the ''Wolves'' EP in 2020 and a single covering Madonna's track, " Live to Tell," in 2023.

Additional background

Ego Likeness have also shared the stage with

Voltaire François-Marie Arouet (; 21 November 169430 May 1778), known by his ''Pen name, nom de plume'' Voltaire (, ; ), was a French Age of Enlightenment, Enlightenment writer, philosopher (''philosophe''), satirist, and historian. Famous for his wit ...

, The Damned, Chris Connelly, Collide,

Razed in Black Razed in Black is an electronic music act created by Romell Regulacion (vocals, keyboards, guitars) and supported in live performances by drummer Ivan Delaforce and lead guitarist Phil Guerrero. The band was formed in Hawaii in 1994 and signed t ...

Bella Morte Bella Morte is a gothic rock band formed in 1996 in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States. They incorporate elements of metal, dark wave, deathrock, alternative, and synthpop. The band's name means "Beautiful Death" in Italian language. Acc ...

, Das Ich, Rasputina, The Start, Iris, Decoded Feedback, The Azoic, More Machine Than Man, In Strict Confidence,

New Model Army The New Model Army or New Modelled Army was a standing army formed in 1645 by the Parliamentarians during the First English Civil War, then disbanded after the Stuart Restoration in 1660. It differed from other armies employed in the 1639 t ...

, Attriton, The Last Dance, Peter Murphy, and many others.

Other projects

Writing

Lynch wrote a dark fiction novel entitled ''Isabel Burning'', released through Raw Dog Screaming Press in 2008. The plot deals with

incest Incest ( ) is sexual intercourse, sex between kinship, close relatives, for example a brother, sister, or parent. This typically includes sexual activity between people in consanguinity (blood relations), and sometimes those related by lineag ...

and

selective breeding Selective breeding (also called artificial selection) is the process by which humans use animal breeding and plant breeding to selectively develop particular phenotypic traits (characteristics) by choosing which typically animal or plant m ...

, and is heavily influenced by works such as Daphne Du Maurier's ''Rebecca''. Lynch also released two collections of poetry, ''In My Mouth'' (2000), and ''Ladies and Other Vicious Creatures'' (RDSP, 2007). A novella called ''Driving Through the Desert'' was released on Thunderstorm Books in April 2012. Lynch published several more poetry collections including ''Witches'' (2018), ''Choking Back the Devil'' (2019), and ''Girls from the County'' (2022), each of which were nominated for Bran Stoker Awards. Archer has released a children's book entitled ''Luna Maris'' and a steampunk fable

chapbook A chapbook is a type of small printed booklet that was a popular medium for street literature throughout early modern Europe. Chapbooks were usually produced cheaply, illustrated with crude woodcuts and printed on a single sheet folded into 8, 1 ...

titled ''Red King Black Rook'' in 2008. He is an accomplished visual artist whose collage-based work has appeared in numerous galleries and in ''

Weird Tales ''Weird Tales'' is an American fantasy and horror fiction pulp magazine founded by J. C. Henneberger and J. M. Lansinger in late 1922. The first issue, dated March 1923, appeared on newsstands February 18. The first editor, Edwin Baird, printe ...

'' magazine. In 2021, Archer was nominated and became a finalist for a

Bram Stoker Award The Bram Stoker Award is a recognition presented annually by the Horror Writers Association (HWA) for "superior achievement" in dark fantasy and horror writing. History The Awards were established in 1987 and have been presented annually since ...

for his graphic novel adaptation of

Edgar Allan Poe Edgar Allan Poe (; January 19, 1809 – October 7, 1849) was an American writer, poet, editor, and literary critic who is best known for his poetry and short stories, particularly his tales involving mystery and the macabre. He is widely re ...

's ''Masque of the Red Death''.

Hopeful Machines

Archer is also the creator of the electronic/ noise project Hopeful Machines which was signed to Washington, DC–based label Radio-Active-Music in late 2008. Hopeful Machines' first hard copy album, ''::Skinless::'', was released in December 2008.

Stoneburner

Steven Archer is also the creator of the solo project Stoneburner, which incorporates elements of experimental noise,

ethereal Ethereal may refer to: * Ethereal (horse), a horse that won Australia's Caulfield Cup as well as Melbourne Cup in 2001 * Ethereal (musician), American rapper and record producer * Ethereal wave, or simply ethereal, a subgenre of dark wave music * W ...

, and

worldbeat Worldbeat is a music genre that blends pop music or rock music with world music or traditional music. Worldbeat is similar to other cross-pollination labels of contemporary and roots genres, and which suggest a rhythmic, harmonic or textural co ...

. Stoneburner's output explores themes of

neurodiversity The neurodiversity paradigm is a framework for understanding human brain function that considers the diversity within sensory processing, Motor skill, motor abilities, Social anxiety, social comfort, cognition, and Attention, focus as neurobiol ...

as well as social issues such as

abortion rights Abortion-rights movements, also self-styled as pro-choice movements, are movements that advocate for legal access to induced abortion services, including elective abortion. They seek to represent and support women who wish to terminate their p ...

and

anti-racism Anti-racism encompasses a range of ideas and political actions which are meant to counter racial prejudice, systemic racism, and the oppression of specific racial groups. Anti-racism is usually structured around conscious efforts and deliberate ...

, and has included homages to media such as

Donna Tartt Donna Louise Tartt (born December 23, 1963) is an American novelist. She wrote the novels '' The Secret History'' (1992), '' The Little Friend'' (2002), and ''The Goldfinch'' (2013), which won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and was adapted into ...

's ''The Secret History'' and Peter Watts' ''Blindsight''.

The Trinity Project

Archer and Lynch are also the creators of the experimental/instrumental/spoken word outfit The Trinity Project.

Personal lives

Steven Archer and Donna Lynch have both raised hairless

sphynx cat The Sphynx cat (pronounced , ) also known as the Canadian Sphynx, is a breed of cat known for its lack of fur. Hairlessness in cats is a naturally occurring genetic mutation, and the Sphynx was developed through selective breeding of these anim ...

s. In addition, they are both ordained ministers of the

Universal Life Church The Universal Life Church (ULC) is an American non-denominational religious organization founded in 1962 by Kirby J. Hensley,James R. Lewis, The Encyclopedia of Cults, Sects, and New Religions' (2001), p. 769-70.U.S. Department of the Army, ' ...

. Lynch has also been open about her struggles with

mood disorders A mood disorder, also known as an affective disorder, is any of a group of conditions of mental and behavioral disorder where the main underlying characteristic is a disturbance in the person's mood. The classification is in the ''Diagnostic ...

fibromyalgia Fibromyalgia (FM) is a functional somatic syndrome with symptoms of widespread chronic pain, accompanied by fatigue, sleep disturbance including awakening unrefreshed, and Cognitive deficit, cognitive symptoms. Other symptoms can include he ...

, and

Lyme disease Lyme disease, also known as Lyme borreliosis, is a tick-borne disease caused by species of ''Borrelia'' bacteria, Disease vector, transmitted by blood-feeding ticks in the genus ''Ixodes''. It is the most common disease spread by ticks in th ...

. Archer is openly on the

autism spectrum Autism, also known as autism spectrum disorder (ASD), is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by differences or difficulties in social communication and interaction, a preference for predictability and routine, sensory processing d ...

, and has advocated for increased public understanding of both the creative potential of autistic individuals and the stigma autistic individuals face.

Members

Current

*Steven Archer – guitars, programming *Donna Lynch – vocals, piano *"Mindcage" Rick Furr – live guitars *Mike K. Johnson – live drums

Past

*Justin "Dingo" Sabe – keytar, keyboards, noise *Adam Goode – bass *Tim McCracken – keyboards *Dave O'Donnell – drums * Jenny Mettee – guitars, cello *Stephanie Kim – violin *Jerome Lintz – drums *Nick "Konchog Nyima" vonZoll – drums *Dan Mullin – guitars *Amanda Mason – keyboards, backing vocals *Shaun Mason – guitars *Magpie Killjoy – drums

Discography

Studio albums

EPs

*''

'', 2007 *''

'', 2008 *''

'', 2009 *''

'', 2012 *''Compass'', 2016 *''Wolves'', 2020

Singles

*"The Lowest Place on Earth" 2008 *"Treacherous Thing" 2012 *"New Legion" 2015 *"Live to Tell" 2023

Remixes by Ego Likeness

*"When I Cared" – The Perfects on the rerelease of the album ''Future Automatic'' *"Cassandra" –

on the album '' Fortress in Flames'' *"Terribly When" – The Last Dance on the album ''Reflections of Rage'' *"Tarnished" – Black Tape for a Blue Girl on the single "The Scarecrow" *"Inside of You, In Spite of You (Ti Bon Ange Mix)" – ThouShaltNot on the single "The Projectionist" *"Vena Cava"-

on the CD ''

Krankhaus ''Krankhaus'' (comes from "Krankenhaus" which is German for ''Hospital'') is the debut studio album by Australian electro-industrial band Angelspit. It was self-released on 6 June 2006, and re-released on 30 January 2007 with a bonus remix d ...

'' *"Demon"- Hypofixx on the album ''After December'' *"Mantra (Shades of Grey version)"-

The Machine in the Garden ''The Machine in the Garden: Technology and the Pastoral Ideal in America'' is a 1964 work of literary criticism written by Leo Marx and published by Oxford University Press. The title of the book refers to a trope in American literature represe ...

on the album ''XV''

Guest appearances

Little Drummer Boy "The Little Drummer Boy" (originally known as "Carol of the Drum") is a popular Christmas song written by American composer Katherine Kennicott Davis in 1941. First recorded in 1951 by the Austrian Trapp Family, the song was further popularize ...

" – With Nicki Jaine on the CD

Projekt Records Projekt Records is an independent record label established by Sam Rosenthal in 1983, the label focuses on darkwave, ambient, shoegaze, gothic rock, ethereal, dream-pop, and dark cabaret releases. History Projekt was founded in 1983 by Sam ...

' ''Holiday Single 1'' *''

Then and Again ''Then and Again'' is the fourth studio album by Cuban American dark cabaret singer Voltaire, released on October 26, 2004, through Projekt Records. Contrasting with most of Voltaire's albums, on which his songs are mostly humorous and satirical ...

'' –

* "

The NeverEnding Story ''The Neverending Story'' () is a fantasy novel by German writer Michael Ende, published in 1979. The first English translation, by Ralph Manheim, was published in 1983. It was later adapted into a film series and a television series. Plot T ...

" – The Dark Clan on the ''Goths on a Boat'' EP. * "Princess Chaos" –

on "

Hideous and Perfect ''Hideous and Perfect'' is the third studio album by Australian electro-industrial band Angelspit. Released on 9 September 2009, it marks the shortest time between two consecutive Angelspit albums, with ''Blood Death Ivory'' being released in ...

" * " The World Below" – Aioboforcen on Dedale *''

Raised By Bats ''Raised by Bats'' is the tenth studio album by Cuban Americans, Cuban American dark cabaret singer Aurelio Voltaire, Voltaire, released in 2014. The album's production was Crowdfunding, crowdfunded by Voltaire's fans all over the world via a succ ...

'' –

Compilation appearances

*''Asleep By Dawn Magazine Presents: DJ Ferret's Underground Club Mix #1'' *''The Best of Radio Free Abattoir'' *''Dancing In The Dark: 10 Years Of Dancing Ferret'' *''Dancing In The Dark: 2006'' *'' Where's Neil When You Need Him?'' 2006 *'' Electronic Saviors: Industrial Music To Cure Cancer'' *'' Electronic Saviors: Industrial Music to Cure Cancer Vol. 2'' *"Gothic Spirits 12"

References

External links

Official website

Ego Likeness Live Journal

Hopeful Machines: Steven Archer's Atmospheric Electronica side project
{{Authority control 1999 establishments in Maryland Dependent Records artists American electronic music duos American industrial rock musical groups Metropolis Records artists Music based on Dune (franchise) Musical groups established in 1999 Musical quartets from Maryland