Freshly released on CD via US cult label Distortion Productions, DEATĦ B¥ LØVE’s debut album “444” is less a conventional industrial-goth release and more a ritualistic transmission from somewhere between the underground club, the dream state, and the spiritual void. Across eleven tracks, the trans-Atlantic duo constructs a deeply immersive world where darkwave melancholy, trip-hop atmospherics, industrial aggression, and Middle Eastern musical textures coexist with startling cohesion.
Comprised of American producer and multi-instrumentalist Peter Guellard and Polish vocalist and songwriter Inga Habiba, DEATĦ B¥ LØVE arrives with a remarkably assured first full-length statement. While the album carries traces of classic gothic, industrial, and trip-hop influences, “444” never feels derivative. Instead, the duo transforms those inspirations into something deeply personal, cinematic, and emotionally charged, balancing abrasive electronics with spiritual introspection and sensual atmosphere.
The album’s greatest strength lies in its atmosphere. From the opening moments, listeners are pulled into a cinematic landscape of hypnotic electronics, brooding rhythms, and haunting melodic flourishes. Habiba’s vocals glide between seduction, vulnerability, mysticism, and quiet devastation, while Guellard’s production continuously shifts between expansive ambient spaces and punishing industrial textures. The result is a record that feels simultaneously intimate and immense, ancient and futuristic.
“Cosmic Power” stands as the record’s centerpiece and perhaps its most immediately captivating moment. Built around lush trip-hop grooves and weightless synth layers, the track reveals a more atmospheric side of the duo’s sound while still maintaining their unmistakably dark identity. The accompanying video expands the song’s dreamlike scope even further, presenting a brooding, space-bound visual narrative that mirrors the track’s themes of illusion, power, and emotional collapse. It is both intimate and cosmic — restrained yet emotionally explosive — and perfectly captures the immersive aesthetic DEATĦ B¥ LØVE is cultivating.
Meanwhile, “Strong Inside” dives into far heavier territory, driven by cavernous industrial rhythms and dense sonic architecture. The track also highlights the collaborative spirit surrounding the project, featuring guitar work from Tomasz “Mechu” Wojciechowski, whose roots in Poland’s influential dark alternative scene deepen the album’s connection to that musical lineage. That connection becomes even more significant with DEATĦ B¥ LØVE preparing to perform in Łódź at the Wooltura Club for BlitzDay alongside MECHU and Shagreen — an event celebrating artists who were part of Blitzkrieg, a legendary band in Polish new wave and alternative music history. Joined live by guitarist Pam Simmons and drummer Joe Palermo, the duo appears poised to translate the album’s layered intensity into an equally immersive live experience.
There are many excellent tracks here worthy of note, but what makes “444” particularly compelling is the sincerity at its core. The album explores survival, spirituality, trauma, identity, endurance, and emotional rebirth without becoming self-indulgent or overly theatrical. The trans-Atlantic creative process behind the record — developed through file-sharing, travel between Pittsburgh and Poland, and a year-long collaborative process — gives the music an unmistakable sense of distance, longing, and connection. Those themes echo throughout the album’s sonic architecture.
Production-wise, Guellard demonstrates a masterful command of mood and texture. Recorded at Psychotribe in Pittsburgh and Toya in Łódź, the album breathes with detail: distorted bass pulses, reverberating percussion, shimmering electronics, hypnotic rhythms, and Arabic-inspired melodic phrasing all intertwine seamlessly. Additional contributions from Wojciech Lubertowicz on duduk and George Glashier’s spoken-word appearance further enrich the album’s cinematic scope, while mastering by Garrett Haines at Treelady Studio gives the record both clarity and crushing depth.
There is also a strong visual identity running through the project. From the album artwork by Grindhouse Alternative Art Studio to the videos directed and produced by Peter Guellard, DEATĦ B¥ LØVE approaches music as a multimedia experience rather than simply a collection of songs. The duo’s interest in holographic imagery and immersive performance concepts suggests a project aiming far beyond standard darkwave conventions.
Fans of gothic, industrial, darkwave, alternative rock, and trip-hop music will find plenty to absorb here, but “444” also reaches beyond genre boundaries. Its fusion of electronic darkness, spiritual symbolism, cultural memory, and cinematic storytelling gives the album a distinct identity within today’s alternative music landscape For a debut, “444” is remarkably confident, ambitious, and cohesive. DEATĦ B¥ LØVE has crafted an album that embraces shadow without losing sight of transcendence — a hypnotic and emotionally resonant journey that lingers long after its final moments fade into silence.
If you’re looking for the physical real-deal of the ‘444’ album, you are in luck. Distortion Productions has posted the new CD available via Bandcamp. And if your digital backpack is where you’d like to load up you can find the album everywhere online, including Spotify, Apple Music and Bandcamp.
CREDITS
Music by Inga Habiba & Peter Guellard
Lyrics by Inga Habiba & Peter Guellard on ‘God’
Inga Habiba – vocals & keyboards.
Peter Guellard – guitars, daw, bass, upright bass & vocals
Wojciech Lubertowicz – duduk on ‘Ziro’
Tomasz “Mechu” Wojciechowski – guitar on ‘Strong Inside’
George Glashier – spoken word on ‘Sellenno (Reprise)’
Produced by Peter Guellard
Recorded at Psychotribe (Pittsburgh, PA, USA) and Toya (Lodz, Poland)
Mastered by Garrett Haines at Treelady Studio (Pittsburgh, PA)
Cover art designed by Grindhouse Alternative Art Studio
All Rights Reserved C + P Death By Love / Distortion Productions, LLC
‘Cosmic Power’ & other videos directed and produced by Peter Guellard
Publicity by Shameless Promotion PR
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