RIP Douglas McCarthy of Nitzer Ebb
On the same day we lost Brian Wilson, we learned that Douglas McCarthy, the former frontman of elctro-industrial English band Nitzer Ebb (est. 1982) had died. Nitzer Ebb emerged in the 80s, specializing in what they termed “electronic body music,” an aggressive keyboards-and-beats approach that sounds great in dark clubs where everyone is wearing black.
The group’s social media page posted this:
It is with a heavy heart that we regret to inform that Douglas McCarthy passed away this morning of June 11th, 2025. We ask everyone to please be respectful of Douglas, his wife, and family in this difficult time. We appreciate your understanding and will share more information soon.”
There was a lot of “shouting and pointing” with McCarthy’s style, with a lot of declarative commands. Here’s an example.
McCarthy and Nitzer Ebb were pioneers of this sound. Along with Skinny Puppy and a few others, they set the stage for future bands like Nine Inch Nails. The Prodigy and Rammstein. The band also toured with Depeche Mode and McCarthy later collaborated on some projects with keyboardist Alan Wilder.
Nitzer Ebb broke up in 1995 and McCarthy moved to the US, living in LA and Detroit before moving back to England to take a job in the ad world, There was also a return to music that lasted until March 2024. That’s when years of alcohol abuse caught up with him, resulting in a severe case of cirrhosis of the liver. Although no cause of death was given, you have to think that it was somehow related to his previous health issues.
