The Cassandra Complex are a British

electronic rock Electronic rock (also known as electro rock and synth rock) is a music genre that involves a combination of rock music and electronic music, featuring instruments typically found within both genres. It originates from the late 1960s when rock b ...

group originally formed by Rodney Orpheus, Paul Dillon, and Andy Booth in 1980 in

Leeds Leeds is a city in West Yorkshire, England. It is the largest settlement in Yorkshire and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds Metropolitan Borough, which is the second most populous district in the United Kingdom. It is built aro ...

, England. The current line-up still features original members Orpheus, Dillon, and Booth, with the addition of part-time US musicians Chris Haskett and Mera Roberts. Over the years, the band's sound has included elements of EBM, industrial,

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 ...

, new wave and

synthpop Synth-pop (short for synthesizer pop; also called techno-pop; ) is a music genre that first became prominent in the late 1970s and features the synthesizer as the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s and early 1970s ...

, and the band's sound has been described as a blend of

Joy Division Joy Division were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Salford in 1976. The group consisted of vocalist, guitarist and lyricist Ian Curtis, guitarist and keyboardist Bernard Sumner, bassist Peter Hook and drummer Stephen Morris (musici ...

the Ramones The Ramones were an American punk rock band formed in the New York City neighborhood Forest Hills, Queens in 1974. Known for helping establish the punk movement in the United States and elsewhere, the Ramones are often recognized as one of t ...

and

Kraftwerk Kraftwerk (, ) is a Germany, German Electronic music, electronic band formed in Düsseldorf in 1970 by Ralf Hütter and Florian Schneider. Widely considered innovators and pioneers of electronic music, Kraftwerk was among the first successful a ...

History

The band was initially composed of Rodney Orpheus and Paul Dillon, who met when Orpheus gatecrashed Dillon's 21st birthday party in Leeds. They began putting on large multimedia shows featuring various avant-garde acts from the Leeds area. Andy Booth was a journalist who interviewed the band and was later asked to join.Wilson, Mackenzie " The Cassandra Complex Biography, ''

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

'', Macrovision Corporation The band released their first self-financed single, "March", in March 1985.Strong, Martin C. (1999) ''The Great Alternative & Indie Discography'', Canongate, A live cassette followed a month later, and the band signed to local label Rouska. Dillon left the band to get married and the band recruited Rodney's childhood friend John Marchini, with Jez Willis and Keith Langley guesting live and in the studio. They released two albums on the Rouska label, ''Grenade'' (1986) and ''Hello America'' (1987), and added tracks to the compilations ''Raging Sun'' (1985) and ''Zarah Leander's Greatest Hits'' (1987). Afterwards they signed to the Belgian-based Play It Again Sam label, which issued the double-live album ''Feel the Width'' in 1987."Cassandra Complex ''Feel the Width''", ''Underground'', October 1987 (issue 7), p. 10 During the production of the ''Theomania'' album in 1988, Marchini and Booth left, with Orpheus recruiting a new line-up for 1989's ''Satan, Bugs Bunny, and Me'' album. Hamburg guitarist Volker Zacharias from the band Girls Under Glass joined a year later, and has been a stable member of the group since then. During this period Orpheus also began work on the book ''Abrahadabra'', published by Looking Glass Press in Sweden and later republished by

Weiser Books Red Wheel/Weiser, also known in different periods in its history as RedWheel/Weiser/Conari and Samuel Weiser, Inc., is a book publisher with three imprint (trade name), imprints: Red Wheel, Weiser Books and Conari Books. It is America's second-l ...

. Orpheus set up a recording studio in Hamburg where The Cassandra Complex recorded their next albums, as well as producing and remixing several records for other German alternative artists, including

Die Krupps Die Krupps () ("The Krupps") is a German industrial metal/electronic body music, EBM band, formed in 1980 by Jürgen Engler, Ralf Dörper, and Bernward Malaka in Düsseldorf. The band has had a diverse range of musical influences over time, i ...

and Girls Under Glass. Orpheus had a role in the German vampire movie ''Kiss My Blood'', and toured with

The Sisters of Mercy The Sisters of Mercy are an English rock band formed in Leeds in 1980. After achieving early underground fame, the band experienced a commercial breakthrough in the mid-1980s, sustaining their success until the early 1990s, when they halted th ...

. He was described as a " technopagan" in

Mark Dery Mark Dery (born December 24, 1959)''Contemporary Authors Online'', s.v. "Mark Dery" (accessed February 12, 2008). is an American writer, lecturer and cultural critic. An early observer and critic of online culture, he helped to popularize the ter ...

's 1996 overview of

cyberculture Internet culture refers to culture developed and maintained among frequent and active users of the Internet (also known as netizens) who primarily communicate with one another as members of online communities; that is, a culture whose influence ...

''Escape Velocity'':

To Rodney Orpheus the ease with which such metaphors are turned upside down underscores his belief that there's nothing oxymoronic about the term ''technopagan'' in end-of-the-century cyberculture. "People say 'pagans sit in the forest worshipping nature; what are you doing drinking diet coke in front of a Macintosh?' " says Orpheus, who in addition to being a card-carrying Crowleyite is a
hacker A hacker is a person skilled in information technology who achieves goals and solves problems by non-standard means. The term has become associated in popular culture with a security hackersomeone with knowledge of bug (computing), bugs or exp ...
and a
mind machine A mind machine (aka ''brain machine'' or ''light and sound machine'') uses pulsing rhythmic sound, flashing light, or a combination of these. Mind machines can Induced activity, induce deep states of relaxation or concentration. The process app ...
aficionado. "But when you use a computer, you're using your imagination to manipulate the computer's reality. Well, that's ''exactly'' what sorcery is all about – changing the plastic quality of nature on a nuts-and-bolts level. And that's why magickal techniques dating back hundreds of years are totally valid in a
cyberpunk Cyberpunk is a subgenre of science fiction in a dystopian futuristic setting said to focus on a combination of "low-life and high tech". It features futuristic technological and scientific achievements, such as artificial intelligence and cyberwa ...
age."

Booth went on to become a lawyer and the head of Company Commercial and Creative Industries at

Manchester Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...

firm Turner Parkinson.Wade, Alex (2007)
My Weekend: Andy Booth - Eighties electronic band The Cassandra Complex are back - one of them with a law degree
", ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British Newspaper#Daily, daily Newspaper#National, national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its modern name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its si ...

'' The band continued with Orpheus and Zacharias releasing ''Cyberpunx'', ''The War Against Sleep'' and ''Sex & Death''. In 1995, Orpheus worked with Patricia Nigiani and Markus Giltjes on a side project called Sun God. In 2000, the band released the ''Wetware'' album on SPV in Europe and Metropolis Records in the USA. The album ranked #32 on the German Alternative Charts (DAC) Top 50 Albums of 2000. The EP ''Twice as Good'' was also released in 2000, ranking #84 on the DAC Top Singles of 2000 chart. Orpheus also produced the surround albums ''Planet Earth'' for

LTJ Bukem Daniel Andrew Williamson (born 20 September 1967), better known as LTJ Bukem (), is a British drum and bass musician, producer and DJ. He and his record label Good Looking are most associated with the jazzy, atmospheric side of drum and bass m ...

and ''A Gigantic Globular Burst of Anti-Static'' for

The Future Sound of London The Future Sound of London (often abbreviated FSOL) is a British electronic music duo composed of Garry Cobain and Brian Dougans. They have been described as a "boundary-pushing" electronic act, covering techno, ambient music, ambient, house ...

, and published his second book Grimoire of Aleister Crowley. In 2007, the original three band members reformed along with Volker Zacharias to play several festival shows in Europe and Brazil. Dillon subsequently left the band again and was replaced by Axel Ermes. In 2019, the band remastered and re-released their two earliest albums, ''Grenade'' and ''Hello America.'' At the end of 2020 the band released a studio single: ''The Crown Lies Heavy on the King (Destroy Donald Trump Mix)'', which reached number 3 in the German Alternative Chart on December 31, 2020. The band released a new studio album entitled ''The Plague'', their first for 22 years, on May 6, 2022. The album went on to spend 4 weeks at #1 in the German Alternative Charts. In 2024 the band reformed their original lineup, along with guest musicians

Chris Haskett Chris Haskett (born 1962) is an American guitarist. He was a member of the rock band Rollins Band from 1986 to 1997 and again for the band's reunion in 2006. He has also recorded or performed with David Bowie, Foetus, Pigface, The Cassandra Co ...

(who formerly played with

Rollins Band Rollins Band was an American rock band formed in Van Nuys, California. The band was active from 1987 to 2006 and was led by former Black Flag (band), Black Flag vocalist Henry Rollins. They are best known for the songs "Low Self Opinion" and "L ...

and

David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer, songwriter and actor. Regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Bowie was acclaimed by critics and musicians, pa ...

) on guitar, Mera Roberts (

Faith & the Muse Faith and the Muse is an American rock music, rock band composed of Monica Richards and William Faith. Their music encompasses many genres, from folk music to dark wave, drawing on many sources and influences, notably Dead Can Dance. Richards i ...

Black Tape for a Blue Girl Black Tape for a Blue Girl (often stylized as black tape for a blue girl) is an American neoclassical dark wave band formed in 1986 by keyboardist/songwriter Sam Rosenthal, the founder of Projekt Records. The band's fans include director David ...

) on cello, and Brent Heinze (Probe 7) on keyboards. This lineup recorded the album Death & Sex, released by

COP International COP International, also shortened to ''COP Int'l.'', is a music label based in Oakland, California. Initially, the label was founded in 1991 by Christian Petke (a.k.a. Count Zero of Deathline Int'l.) in Frankfurt, Germany. A few months later, ...

. Like the previous album, this went on to spend several weeks at #1 in the German Alternative Charts. The band are currently spending 2024 on their CX40 retrospective world tour taking in 11 countries across 3 continents.

Discography

Studio albums

*''Grenade'' (1986) Rouska *''Theomania'' (1988) Play It Again Sam *''Satan, Bugs Bunny, and me ...'' (1989) Play It Again Sam *''Cyberpunx'' (1990) Play It Again Sam *''The War against Sleep'' (1992) Play It Again Sam *''Sex & Death'' (1993) Play It Again Sam *''Wetware'' (2000)

Metropolis A metropolis () is a large city or conurbation which is a significant economic, political, and cultural area for a country or region, and an important hub for regional or international connections, commerce, and communications. A big city b ...

*''Grenade - 2019 Remaster'' (2019) Complex Music *''Hardware- 2019 Remaster'' (2019) Complex Music *''Software - 2019 Remaster'' (2019) Complex Music *''The Plague'' (2022) Complex Music *''Death & Sex'' (2024)

Live albums

*''Live in Leather'' (1985) Complex (cassette-only) *''Feel the Width'' (1987) Play It Again Sam *''Beyond the Wall of Sleep'' (1992)

Compilations

*''Raging Sun'' (1985) Rouska *''Hello America'' (1986) Rouska *''Zarah Leander's Greatest Hits'' (1987) Rouska *''Work 1.0'' (1995) PIAS *''Dancing in Darkness'' (2019) PIAS *''Hello America - 2019 Remaster'' (2019) Complex Music

Singles and EPs

*''March'' (1985) Complex *''Moscow, Idaho'' (1985) Rouska *''Datakill'' (1986) Rouska *''Kill your Children/Something came over me/Angels In The Sky'' (1987) Play It Again Sam *''30 Minutes of Death'' (1988) aka "Gunship" *''Penny Century'' (1988) *''Finland'' (1990) Play It Again Sam *''Nice Work'' (1990) Play It Again Sam *''Gnostic Christmas'' (1991) free with limited edition of "War against Sleep" *''Give me what I need'' (1994) Play It Again Sam *''Twice as Good'' (2000) *''Twice as Good - 2019 Remaster'' (2019) *''The Crown Lies Heavy on the King (Destroy Donald Trump Mix)'' (2020) *''Nazi Goths, Fuck Off ( Suzi Sabotage cover) (2025)

Associated works by Rodney Orpheus

* Third Circle ''– Last Night'' (1984) (Producer) * Set Fatale ''- Set Fatale'' (1988) (Producer) * Girls Under Glass ''– Positive'' (1990) (Producer) * Sisters of Mercy ''– Under The Gun'' (1992) (Keyboards/Top of the Pops appearance) * Catastrophe Ballet ''– Transition (''1992) (Producer) * Die Krupps ''– Fatherland'' (1994) (Remixer w/ Andrew Eldritch) * Rodney Orpheus ''- Sun God'' (1995) (Vocals, Instruments, Producer, Songwriter) * Asylum''– Vent'' (1995) (Producer) * Aurora Sutra ''– Passing Over in Silence Unto Nuit'' (1996) (Producer) * INRI ''– The Whole of Nature is Renewed by Fire'' (1996) (Producer) * Still Silent ''- Still Silent'' (1996) (Vocals, Lyrics) * Faith & the Muse ''– Vera Causa'' (2000) (Remixer) * Soil & Eclipse ''– Purity'' (2002) (Remixer) * Kraftwerk – ''Tour de France Soundtracks'' (2003) (Technical Adviser) * LTJ Bukem ''– Planet Earth'' (2004) (Producer) * Beborn Beton ''– Another World'' (2004) (Remixer) * London Symphony Orchestra – ''Beethoven Classics'' (Creative Director) * London Symphony Orchestra – ''Handel's Water Music'' (2005) (Creative Director) * London Symphony Orchestra – ''Mozart Classics'' (2005) (Creative Director) * London Symphony Orchestra – ''Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker'' (2005) (Creative Director) * London Symphony Orchestra – ''Bach Classics'' (2005) (Creative Director) * London Symphony Orchestra – ''Tchaikovsky Classics'' (2005) (Creative Director) * Future Sound of London ''– A Gigantic Globular Burst of Anti-Static (2006)'' (Producer) * Within Temptation ''- And We Run ft Xzibit (WholeWorldBand Edition)'' (2015) (Remixer) * Rodney Orpheus ''- Sun God (2020 Remaster'' (2020) (Vocals, Instruments, Producer, Songwriter) * Rodney Orpheus - ''Places Beginning with N'' (2020) (Keyboards, Producer, Songwriter) * Lifeline International - ''Come Together'' (2022) (Performer)

References

External links

* * *
Cyberpunkreview.com review of ''Cyberpunx'' at Internet Archive
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cassandra Complex, The British electronic rock musical groups Electropunk musical groups Cyberpunk music COP International artists