''Rocket Science'' is a studio album from

Apoptygma Berzerk Apoptygma Berzerk (; commonly abbreviated to APB or APOP) is a Norwegian musical group. They have achieved success with a brand of synth-pop, and ballads backed with electronic rhythms, commonly known within the scene and referring to themselve ...

. It follows the same path of synth-rock trends as the band's previous album

You and Me Against the World ''You and Me Against the World'' is the fifth studio album from Norwegian electronic rock music band Apoptygma Berzerk Apoptygma Berzerk (; commonly abbreviated to APB or APOP) is a Norwegian musical group. They have achieved success with a ...

. The first single was "Apollo (Live On Your TV)" followed by " Green Queen". It was also their final album on

Gun Records GUN Records (''Great Unlimited Noises'') was a record label located in Bochum, Germany, founded in 1992 by Bogdan Kopec ( DRAKKAR Promotion Musikverlag GmbH) and Wolfgang Funk. Different artists on the label have had hit singles as well as albu ...

, released one week before the label ceased operating. The album's theme is heavily influenced by the novel

1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeast A ...

George Orwell Eric Arthur Blair (25 June 1903 – 21 January 1950), better known by his pen name George Orwell, was an English novelist, essayist, journalist, and critic. His work is characterised by lucid prose, social criticism, opposition to totalitar ...

, as well as various conspiracy theories and

The Matrix ''The Matrix'' is a 1999 science fiction action film written and directed by the Wachowskis. It is the first installment in ''The Matrix'' film series, starring Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, Hugo Weaving, and Joe Pantolia ...

movies. The album's lyrics reflect Stephan's world view and his personal life and views. The album also features guest vocals on multiple tracks from

Benji Madden Benjamin Levi Madden ( né Combs; born March 11, 1979) is an American musician. He is the lead guitarist and backing vocalist for the band Good Charlottefor which he has received various awardsas well as pop rock collaboration the Madden Brother ...

from

Good Charlotte Good Charlotte is an American rock band from Waldorf, Maryland that formed in 1996. Since 2005, the band's lineup has consisted of twin brothers Joel Madden (lead vocals) and Benji Madden (guitar and vocals), Paul Thomas (bass), Billy Martin (g ...

, and

Amanda Palmer Amanda MacKinnon Gaiman Palmer (born April 30, 1976) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and performance artist who is the lead vocalist, pianist, and lyricist of the duo The Dresden Dolls. She performs as a solo artist and was also a ...

from

The Dresden Dolls The Dresden Dolls are an American musical duo from Boston, Massachusetts. Formed in 2000, the group consists of Amanda Palmer (lead vocals and piano; additional: keyboards, harmonica, ukulele) and Brian Viglione (drums and backing vocals; ad ...

. The final track ''Trash'' is a cover of a 1996 single by

Britpop Britpop was a mid-1990s British-based music culture movement that emphasised Britishness. It produced brighter, catchier alternative rock, partly in reaction to the popularity of the darker lyrical themes of the US-led grunge music and to the ...

band

Suede Suede (pronounced ) is a type of leather with a fuzzy, napped finish, commonly used for jackets, shoes, fabrics, purses, furniture, and other items. The term comes from the French , which literally means "gloves from Sweden". The term was fir ...

Track listing

Personnel

Apoptygma Berzerk

Stephan Groth Stephan Groth (born 10 August 1971) is a Danish-Norwegian singer. He is the man behind Apoptygma Berzerk, an electronic body music act that plays in styles such as synthpop and futurepop. Groth was born in Odense but relocated with his famil ...

– vocals, programming, synth *

Geir Bratland Geir "Gerlioz" Bratland (born 29 July 1970 in Narvik, Norway) is a Norwegian keyboardist for the band Dimmu Borgir (2010-) and formerly was a member of the bands God Seed, Apoptygma Berzerk, The Kovenant, and Satyricon. Discography/Performances ...

– synth, vocoders, backing vocals *Angel – guitar * Fredrik Brarud – drums, backing vocals

Other musicians

– vocals *

– vocal * Jonas Groth – vocals * Ida Helen Fjeld – vocals *Solveig Petersen – vocals *Chris White – spoken words * Emil Nikolaisen – guitars * Mikael Jensen – bass * Dag Anders Sandell – bass * Jon Erik Martinsen – MS-20 *Alexander Odden – synth

Production

– producer *

Bob Kraushaar Bob Kraushaar is an English pop music record producer specializing in mixing. Kraushaar has mixed and produced commercially successful songs and albums for numerous British and international artists. His first industry appointment was as runner for ...

– audio mixer * Willi Dammeier – audio mixer * Marcus Forsgren – audio mixer * Bjarne Stensli: – audio mixer * Emil Nikolaisen – audio mixer *Maor Appelbaum – sound designer *

Howie Weinberg Howie Weinberg is an American audio mastering engineer with over 2,257 mastering credits, three TEC Awards, 21 Grammy Awards, two Juno Awards, and one Mercury Prize. Career Weinberg mastered Herbie Hancock's 1983 album ''Future Shock''. Other m ...

– mastering

Design

* Alaric Hammond – cover art design * Sven Sindt – photos * Tarjei Ekenes Krogh – photos

Charts

References

{{Authority control Apoptygma Berzerk albums 2009 albums GUN Records albums