Dance with the Dead: Kat Von D Joins ‘Whispers End’ as ‘Dark Matter’ Redefines Synthwave

A growing number of artists operating at the intersection of electronic music and rock are challenging genre conventions, yet few have approached the balance with as much consistency or cohesion as Dance with the Dead. The California-based duo, formed by childhood friends Tony Kim and Justin Pointer, has steadily carved a place within the expanding darksynth movement, merging the heavy textures of guitar-driven music with the brooding pulse of vintage synthesizers. Over the past decade, their work has cultivated a distinctive aesthetic that resonates across metal, synthwave, and alternative music scenes.

Their latest project, ‘Dark Matter,’ released on October 25, 2024, reflects a maturation of that formula. Featuring a slate of collaborations with vocalists from across the metal, synthpop, and gothic spheres—including a notable appearance by Kat Von D—the EP highlights both the adaptability and precision that have come to define the group’s evolving approach. The release of the ‘Whispers End’ video further affirms Dance with the Dead’s focus on crafting visually striking narratives shaped by the darker aesthetics of modern culture.

Career and Discography Highlights

Dance with the Dead emerged from Southern California’s fertile underground music scene in 2013, formed by childhood friends Tony Kim and Justin Pointer. Both musicians brought backgrounds in metal and punk, influences that would later infuse their distinctive approach to electronic music. Their debut album, ‘Out of Body,’ released independently that same year, introduced a dark, synth-driven sound that stood apart from the lighter retro synthwave movement beginning to gain traction at the time.

Building on the momentum of their debut, Dance with the Dead issued ‘Near Dark’ in 2014, further refining their integration of aggressive guitar work and cinematic synths. Subsequent releases, including ‘The Shape’ (2016) and ‘Loved to Death’ (2018), solidified their reputation as one of the leading acts within the darksynth subgenre. Their 2022 full-length, ‘Driven to Madness,’ showcased an increasingly polished production style, reflecting the duo’s maturation without abandoning the ominous, kinetic energy that had defined their earlier work.

In December 2023, they reissued a remastered edition of ‘Out of Body,’ offering a technically enhanced version of the record that first established their identity. The remaster served as both a retrospective acknowledgment of their origins and a prelude to the collaborative direction they would pursue on ‘Dark Matter.’

Alongside their studio work, Dance with the Dead built a reputation for electrifying live performances, touring extensively across North America and Europe. Their ability to bridge electronic, rock, and metal audiences became a defining strength, allowing them to share stages with a wide range of acts, from synthwave contemporaries like Carpenter Brut to metal outfits such as DragonForce. This live adaptability reinforced their distinctiveness in a genre often characterized by studio-centric acts, positioning Dance with the Dead as a rare hybrid capable of thriving in both electronic and rock performance circuits.

‘Dark Matter’: A Focused Expansion of Dance with the Dead’s Sound

With ‘Dark Matter,’ Dance with the Dead present a focused yet expansive addition to their body of work, building upon their established darksynth foundation while introducing new textures through high-profile collaborations. Across its six tracks, the EP maintains a tight narrative cohesion, favoring concise arrangements that deliver maximum impact without unnecessary embellishment. The decision to feature a different guest vocalist on each song provides a natural variation in tone and atmosphere, yet the underlying sonic identity remains unmistakably their own.

The EP opens with ‘Cold as Hell,’ where Shaun Phillips’s vocals lend a visceral immediacy to a dense wall of synthesizers and guitars, setting a high-intensity tone that persists throughout the record. Tracks like ‘Neon Cross,’ with Brandon Saller’s forceful delivery, amplify the rock elements without sacrificing the electronic backbone, while Gunship’s contribution to ‘Wolf Pack’ brings a more melodic, retro-futuristic sheen. Kat Von D’s performance on ‘Whispers End’ introduces a subdued, haunting contrast, offering a quieter but no less potent moment of introspection within the EP’s overall arc. Cole Rolland’s appearance on ‘Rust’ closes the collection on a driving, aggressive note, underlining the heavier influences that have always informed Dance with the Dead’s compositions.

While ‘Dark Matter’ does not represent a radical stylistic departure, it showcases a band confident in its ability to incorporate new voices without losing coherence. The EP’s production values are sharp, emphasizing clarity and sonic weight, and its pacing demonstrates careful attention to structure, allowing each track to occupy a distinct emotional space while contributing to a unified listening experience. In its compact runtime, ‘Dark Matter’ offers a distilled reflection of the duo’s strengths, presenting a compelling argument for their continued relevance and adaptability within the evolving landscape of dark electronic music.

‘Whispers End’ Video Single

Following the release of ‘Dark Matter,’ Dance with the Dead unveiled the official video for ‘Whispers End,’ a collaboration featuring Kat Von D, further amplifying the EP’s impact. Directed by DJay Brawner, the video embraces the band’s longstanding aesthetic rooted in atmospheric horror, pairing moody visual storytelling with the track’s brooding sonic architecture. Kat Von D, recognized globally for her work as a tattoo artist and her recent ventures into music, delivers a restrained yet emotive vocal performance, aligning seamlessly with Dance with the Dead’s darkly cinematic approach.

‘Whispers End’ presents a natural extension of the band’s artistic vision, merging the visual cues of classic gothic horror with the modern polish of contemporary production. Kat Von D’s presence introduces an added layer of cultural resonance, bridging synthwave’s niche appeal with broader audiences attuned to alternative, gothic, and pop subcultures. Her contribution, both visually and sonically, strengthens the band’s commitment to cross-genre experimentation, reflecting an ongoing effort to expand the boundaries of dark electronic music without sacrificing its core sensibility.

The video’s carefully constructed aesthetic, underscored by its minimalist set design and saturated color palette, pays homage to the band’s deep-rooted influences in 1980s horror cinema. Yet it avoids pastiche, opting instead for a more restrained, psychologically driven interpretation of dread—an approach that mirrors the evolving maturity of Dance with the Dead’s overall sound.

Kat Von D: From Tattoo Artist to Gothic Music Figure

Kat Von D, born Katherine Von Drachenberg in Montemorelos, Mexico, and raised in California, first rose to prominence in the mid-2000s through her work as a tattoo artist and television personality. Her breakthrough came with the reality television series Miami Ink and later LA Ink, where her distinctive black-and-gray tattooing style, combined with a striking gothic personal aesthetic, positioned her as a defining figure in the mainstream tattoo renaissance. Beyond her work in tattoo artistry, Von D cultivated a public persona that embraced elements of alternative fashion, subculture, and entrepreneurship, founding a successful cosmetics line that emphasized bold, unconventional styles.

In recent years, Von D has shifted her focus increasingly toward music, pursuing a career that reflects her longstanding affinity for gothic, synth-driven soundscapes. Her debut album, ‘Love Made Me Do It’ (2021), presented a darkwave-inflected sound deeply indebted to the legacy of artists like Depeche Mode and The Cure. The album’s somber tone, atmospheric production, and introspective lyricism affirmed Von D’s commitment to establishing herself as a serious figure within the alternative music community rather than a celebrity-turned-musician novelty.

Von D’s collaboration with Dance with the Dead on ‘Whispers End’ represents a logical extension of her musical trajectory. Her vocal style, characterized by a restrained, melancholic delivery, complements the duo’s brooding synth textures and cinematic sensibilities. By aligning with Dance with the Dead—artists similarly rooted in dark aesthetic traditions—Von D reinforces her evolving identity as a gothic music figure, bridging her past achievements in visual culture with a growing presence in the alternative sonic landscape.

Dance with the Dead: Musical Style and Influences

Throughout their career, Dance with the Dead have cultivated a musical identity rooted in the intersection of electronic synthwave and heavy rock instrumentation, a fusion that has remained remarkably consistent while allowing for nuanced evolution. Drawing inspiration from the brooding synthesizer scores of 1980s horror films—most notably the works of John Carpenter and Dario Argento—the duo constructs compositions that balance retro sensibilities with modern aggression. Their tracks often feature pulsating basslines, soaring lead synths, and distorted guitar riffs, producing a sound that feels at once nostalgic and immediate.

In live performance, this fusion translates into a heightened sense of physicality. Tony Kim and Justin Pointer alternate between synthesizers and guitars, creating a dynamic stage presence that emphasizes the organic roots of their electronic arrangements. Rather than relying on elaborate visual staging, the duo focuses on musical intensity, delivering performances that underscore the raw energy underpinning their studio recordings.

The influence of horror cinema extends beyond the sonic elements to the broader visual and thematic presentation of Dance with the Dead’s work. Album titles, cover art, and song structures frequently evoke narratives of suspense, decay, and existential dread, reinforcing a unified aesthetic across their discography. However, even as they reference these stylistic touchstones, the duo avoids falling into parody, favoring an earnest engagement with the genre’s emotional core. Their music, while stylistically anchored in dark nostalgia, maintains a forward-looking sensibility that continues to resonate with audiences across diverse subcultural spaces.

Collaborations and Crossover Appeal

The collaborative ethos behind ‘Dark Matter’ demonstrates a broader strategy Dance with the Dead has pursued in recent years: expanding their musical vocabulary through strategic partnerships while maintaining a coherent artistic vision. Each guest appearance on the EP functions not as a departure, but as an extension of the duo’s established aesthetic, reinforcing their position at the intersection of multiple musical communities.

The inclusion of Brandon Saller of Atreyu on ‘Neon Cross’ and Cole Rolland on ‘Rust’ demonstrates the band’s enduring ties to the heavier edges of contemporary music. Meanwhile, the appearance of Gunship on ‘Wolf Pack’ highlights a shared affinity for the atmospheric sensibilities of synth-driven soundscapes. These collaborations reaffirm Dance with the Dead’s ability to move fluidly between the realms of metal, synthwave, and alternative electronic music without diluting their core identity.

Perhaps most emblematic of this crossover appeal is the partnership with Kat Von D on ‘Whispers End.’ Known primarily for her work in visual art and reality television, Kat Von D has steadily cultivated a music career rooted in gothic and alternative traditions. Her involvement extends Dance with the Dead’s reach beyond traditional genre boundaries, attracting audiences from adjacent cultural spheres while maintaining credibility within their established fanbase.

Rather than approaching these collaborations as exercises in stylistic novelty, Dance with the Dead integrate their guests seamlessly into the architecture of their compositions. Each track on ‘Dark Matter’ feels distinctly part of the duo’s catalog, a testament to their ability to absorb new voices without compromising the cohesion of their sound. In doing so, Dance with the Dead continue to affirm their unique standing: a bridge between eras, genres, and audiences, grounded by a commitment to dark, cinematic storytelling through sound.

Conclusion

With ‘Dark Matter,’ Dance with the Dead reaffirm their commitment to evolving within the framework they helped define. By opening their sound to a diverse group of collaborators while maintaining a clear and cohesive vision, the duo continues to bridge distinct musical cultures without compromising their identity. The partnership with Kat Von D on ‘Whispers End’ in particular signals an increased willingness to engage audiences beyond traditional genre boundaries, introducing their work to a broader alternative and pop-cultural landscape.

As they move further into their second decade, Dance with the Dead remain uniquely positioned within the shifting terrain of electronic rock. Their ability to balance nostalgia with innovation, and intensity with atmosphere, offers a model for how artists can grow without losing the essence that first defined them. ‘Dark Matter’ stands not merely as an extension of their past achievements, but as a marker of their continued relevance in a musical climate where stylistic clarity and adaptability are increasingly rare.