ADAM TRISTAR - VHS Horror Tape

If we leave aside the untouchable pioneers Clan Of Xymox, the Dutch dark scene has never really broken through on the international circuit. In recent years, however, a handful of lesser-known acts have been trying (with mixed results) to carve out their own space: from the derivative Desinteresse to the livelier Bragolin, all the way to the synthetic, nocturnal approach of Adam Tristar, a musician from Amsterdam now on his fourth studio album (one of which was made in cahoots with Bragolin themselves).

“VHS Horror Tape” comes out on the Catalan label Oráculo, a partnership that dates back to Adam Tristar's appearance at the penultimate edition of Barcelona's Ombra Festival (an event organized in collaboration with the charismatic Nico Cabañas, who is extremely active not only with the aforementioned label).

This is an even darker record than his previous releases, thanks to a musical aesthetic steeped in cinematic references: horror suggestions, old videotapes, neon lights and retro-futurist suspense. It's a magnetic mood, at times genuinely enveloping, as in the notable “Save Me Tonight” (the female vocals remain hazy and distant as ever), “Complicated Calculator” (where the minimal-synth drive comes through forcefully) and “Losing My Mind”, all tracks that stick firmly in the mind.

Adam Tristar's analog visions are also experimental: “The Creeps Come Out” grows nervously like a restless creature, while the closing “Days Turns Into Years” turns into a kind of darkwave procession with chilling implications once again, since walking in the dark can be just as fascinating as it is dangerous.

Ultimately, while not upending the coordinates of this kind of sound, “VHS Horror Tape” is a short album that does its job well, not least thanks to its oppressive, obsessive atmospheres. Like an old tape capable of conjuring nightmares.

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03/03/2026