Imperative Reaction is an American electro-industrial band, active in the gothic scene since 1996.
The band was founded in 1996 by Ted Phelps and David Andrecht, two former members of the band D.N.A (Digital Neural Assault).
After three years spent searching for their own technical style to suit the tastes of the band members, in 1999 Imperative Reaction released their first album entitled “Eulogy For The Sick Child“; the album was successful in the United States and a few months later it was also distributed in Europe thanks to the record company Zoth Ommog Records. The same year Pendragon, the label that released their first album, was bought by Metropolis Records.
In 2002 Imperative Reaction released Ruined, which contributed a lot to the media attention in the band, and in 2004 the album Redemption marked the shift of the band’s style towards a more aggressive imprint, and led Imperative Reaction to embark on numerous tours, also as an opening act for VNV Nation.
From 2000 onwards Imperative Reaction have composed remixes for many artists of the EBM scene such as Assemblage 23, XP8, God Module and Combichrist.
While the first album is more EBM sounding, with their second album Imperative Reaction have outlined their own style, characterized by 4/4 dance rhythms, by full-bodied synth bass lines and at the same melodic tempo that resemble those of Electro house, revolving around scratchy keyboard leads and Phelps’ rock voice.
A style often associated with Futurepop, it has also been described as “an Industrial metal reinterpreted by an Electro purist”.
At present, Imperative Reaction’s lineup consists of Ted Phelps (vocals), Clint Carney (keyboards), Trevor Friedrich (drums), and Adam Vex (keyboards / guitar).
I took pictures of Imperative Reaction at New City Liqwid Lounge in Downtown Edmonton, Alberta, Canada: