There are times in life when you get thrown a curve ball, left in situations that leave you completely out of your comfort zone. Reviewing this album is one of those curveballs. As an almost Neanderthal being I usually trudge through any review with flourishes of the English language I’ve skilfully absorbed throughout the years, however this album is a bit different as the lyrics are exclusively delivered in German. Sometimes though you have to let the music do the talking and let the language be absorbed through the music. It worked for Rammstein and I actually prefer the German version of ’99 Red Balloons’, so why not?
Straight of the bat this band strike me as a force to be reckoned with. From the opening track I was dragged willingly into the atmospheric circus resonating in my ear drums. The guitar work switches effortlessly between painting an almost dreamlike landscape to drilling your ear holes like an angry wasp.
The bass is the prominent back bone in this band, standing proud and soldiering on throughout every song. Usually seen as a rhythmic staple however the bass has been given permission to wander and evolve into a different beast with very good reason. The drummer gets in on the action also with every hit of the snare pounding at my brain and then soothed apologetic with a few splashes on the ride cymbal.
Everyone knows their role and they take pride in knowing it well. You can tell that these guys had an absolute blast recording this album and it’s definitely worth a praise chorus.
It’s hard to guess where each track will head next, my heart is pounding nervously waiting for the next schizophrenic shift into another tempo. My brain is lulled into a somber mood that Rob Smith would be proud of, soaking up the almost operatic beauty of the guitar work and then suddenly I’ve been thrown into an electric fence having all of my senses set ablaze by the almost Thor-like lightning strike delivered by the rhythm section. There aren’t any complaints here though, I’m loving every minute of this.
I couldn’t find anything to object to or find annoying with this album. There is the point of not being able to understand what is being said but is that really a reason not to indulge? I don’t think so and I can do nothing but praise the band for being true to themselves and playing what they want to play.
I have a phrase that sums up my attitude towards many things in life: “If you can keep an open mind, nothing gets left behind”. It certainly seems to be quite fitting here and I would definitely recommend this album to anyone.
MARC ANDERSON-JONES