Add to playlist: the boundless bedroom-made black metal of Powerplant and the week’s best new tracks

<p>Theo Zhykharyev, the Ukrainian wizard working low-profile under this brand since 2017 has pivoted to a new realm which blends ferocious energy with freewheeling fun</p><p><strong>From</strong> London<br><strong>Recommend if you like</strong> Devo, Home Front, Snõõper<br><strong>Up next</strong> New album Bridge of Sacrifice released 13 March</p><p>Theo Zhykharyev is one of those brilliant weirdos capable of turning wild ideas into reality. Since starting Powerplant as a bedroom recording project in 2017, a couple of years after he left Ukraine to study in London, he has released records built around fizzing electro-punk, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/music/2025/feb/25/the-dark-delightful-magic-of-the-dungeon-synth-scene">dungeon synth</a> and treble-heavy hardcore, concocting Dungeons &amp; Dragons-inspired role-playing adventures to accompany some of them, while slinging visually arresting DIY merch through his <a href="https://arcanedynamics.bigcartel.com/">Arcane Dynamics</a> label. Yet even coming amid an output this freewheeling, his upcoming new record is full of surprises.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/music/2026/jan/30/add-to-playlist-the-boundless-bedroom-made-black-metal-of-powerplant-and-the-weeks-best-new-tracks">Continue reading...</a>