REVIEW: DUSK - Repoka

Costa Rica’s atmospheric industrial black metal project DUSK, active as a full band since 2016, has built a reputation for marrying extreme metal’s raw force with electronic experimentation. Their latest EP, Repoka, condenses that vision into a snappy 15 minutes, delivering four tracks of retro-futuristic violence that feel both mechanical and otherworldly. Rooted in industrial grit yet sharpened with cyber metal intensity, Repoka is a short but jarring experience, thriving on disorientation, dread, and the uneasy thrill of staring into the abyss.

The opening track, ‘DARK SHAMAN .2.25’, wastes no time establishing a suffocating atmosphere. Within seconds, listeners are dropped into what could easily pass for the score of a futuristic horror game, with layers of metallic synths and unsettling sound design working together to conjure a lingering sense of dread. It’s a sound that doesn’t even fully feel human, not only setting the tone but also defining the EP’s trajectory: hostile, immersive, and deeply disquieting.

From there, ‘DEMONS BE DRIVEN .2.25’ amplifies the chaos. The track begins with a chilling spoken-word sample of a clinical voice diagnosing “schizophrenic psychosis”, and another replying, acknowledging hallucinations and experiences they know aren’t real. What makes this moment so unnerving is the almost laidback, matter-of-fact tone in which it’s delivered, as if discussing the mundane symptoms of a cold. That calmness makes the plunge into shrieks, blast beats, and electronic punishment that follows even more jarring, as though the listener has been pulled into a fractured psyche. The juxtaposition is haunting, and the track’s seamless transition into the next piece ensures that the central section of the EP unfolds as one relentless, overwhelming experience.

The next track, ‘DIRECTIVE7 .2.25’, represents perhaps the clearest intersection of this EP’s industrial and blackened tendencies.  While mechanical textures echo throughout the whole record, they take centre stage here. Pulses of synthetic rhythm and metallic clangs dominate the track, creating the impression of being swallowed by some vast machine. The sheer weight of the electronics completes the sensation of inhabiting a world where technology has replaced humanity. It’s claustrophobic, and executed with a precision that makes it a highlight of the record.

The finale is where Repoka risks alienating listeners, but also asserts its boldest move: a cover of Slayer’s 1986 classic, ‘Raining Blood’. Rather than attempting to match the original thrash metal sound, DUSK twists the track into their own sonic language. Blast beats remain, but the thrash riffs are mangled by glitchy electronic surges, and wrapped in cyber metal atmospherics. Purists may balk at the liberties taken with this track, but there’s absolutely no denying its uniqueness. By reframing a metal staple through a lens of industrial menace and futuristic distortion, DUSK ensures the EP closes with an unforgettable statement.

In terms of production, Repoka feels intentionally unstable, choppy, and abrasive. This EP is meant to disorient and drag the listener into a space where music becomes indistinguishable from nightmare. For fans of experimental sounds within the industrial and atmospheric black metal spheres, this approach will be exhilarating. For the uninitiated, however, it may come across as more punishing than enjoyable.

At just four tracks, Repoka is unfortunately brief, but its intensity lingers well beyond its runtime. DUSK have crafted an EP that thrives in extremes, with equal parts mechanical precision and chaotic distortion. It’s a record that challenges as much as it rewards, and in doing so secures its place as one of the more intriguing releases of this year.

Score: 7/10

Repoka will be released on August 29th 2025.

Words: Zuzanna Pazola

Photos: DUSK