Tevalik is a dark electro band from Rhineland, Germany and 'SchattenlÄufer' ('Shadow Runner') is their sophomore album. Alternately described as darkwave, synthpop and technoid electro, they are really a kind of hybrid EBM band with a good amount of variation in the 13 tracks, so the 4-on-the-floor typical EBM dance & stomp isn't what they're really all about. The band is a duo consisting of Thorsten Schumacher and Michele Pesch, with Schumacher handling most of the synths, programming, mixing, mastering etc., and Pesch doing the majority of the vocals and lyrics (but not all), a similar format to a band like Die Form, not that Pesch's vocals are anything like Elaine P.'s.

The opening track is a rhythmic instrumental number called "Arsinath," reminiscent in part to the intro of Nine Inch Nail's "Head Like A Hole." Track 2, "Freakstreet" has a cool black & white YouTube video but the song is a bit more low-key than I expected. This is your first taste of Tevalik vocals, done in the "Sprechstimme" style and in Deutsche, not at all unusual for this type of music. Although they both vocalize, Michele leads the way on this one. "Nethazz" moves into dance-beat territory and Michele's vocals become more didactic. On the title track we hear more of Schumacher's vocals this time, and it is done in a mysterious shadow-runner style. Almost all the sings with lyrics are in German but I don't have time for translation, so I defer to the Echozone one-sheet that states "the duo maintains their melancholic side with a socially critical perspective." (I'd expect nothing less.)

"Codes and Crashes" is a pretty cool and varied instrumental you can dance and stomp to. The two songs with English lyrics are up next - "Pure Soul" and "The Way". "Pure Soul" offers a positive message in times of darkness and had a hint of Gary Numan in the synths. "The Way" is a strange jittery number with a healthy does of social criticism, and a long dialogue sample in English. After that I think I prefer the vocals in German as they seem to pack more of a punch. The next few tracks are closer to old school EBM with vocals. Things change on "Fremde neue Welt" getting a bit more experimental, but still within a mostly EBM beat. "Schlussschatten" is a really different instrumental, almost proggy (or art-rocky) showing Tevalik's versatility. I don't know if Tevalik participated in :Wumpscut's: remix contest, but they do have an instrumental remix version of "Du hast kein Herz." I never thought the original was all that, but Tevalik manaages to capture the song's essence and add their own signature touch. This is an album that should remain in my rotation for a while, and that speaks volumes.