With an unusual name, Teutonic beats and aggressive sound, it is often assumed that Nitzer Ebb originated within the German techno scene, but the truth of the matter is that this trio hailed from the United Kingdom, Chelmsford in Essex, England to be precise. Formed in 1982 by school friends Douglas McCarthy (lead vocals, guitar), Vaughn 'Bon' Harris (vocals, percussion, guitars) and David Gooday, (percussion), Nitzer Ebb were influenced by the harder sounds of the early techno pop scene, distilling elements from several other genres too until they had created their own identifiable sound. 

What followed was a decade plus of pounding beats, militaristic imagery, angst and anger, resulting in 6 full length albums and myriad singles and EPs.

By the time their fifth album Big Hit arrived in 1995, Nitzer Ebb had been through another metamorphosis. Gone was the techno rage that had become their signature, being replaced instead with a wider use of real instruments, particularly guitars and drums. Following that album’s completion, the band went on an 'extended hiatus' which effectively spelled the end of Nitzer Ebb's activities as a group for nearly a decade.

Nitzer Ebb reunited for a tour in 2006, which led to its members working on new material and recording activities in 2007.  “Promises” is the first new recording from the band to be released to the public in more than 13 years, and is available only on NCIS:  The Official TV Soundtrack.  It’s featured in the January 13, 2009 episode of NCIS titled, “Broken Bird.”