I’m pretty big on hardcore and punk. But not so big that I don’t enjoy other genres of music. So, I was intrigued by my newest request to review this Wave Punk band out of Germany. Two songs into this album and I was very strangely intrigued. I haven’t really listened to any industrial music since the late 90’s and maybe it has been too long because I really enjoyed this album. First off, I am extremely picky about Industrial Music in general. It’s hit or miss with me. KONTROLLE turned out to be a hit. It may be a little cliché to mention Rammstein in this review, but if the shoe fits BETTER, then wear it!
The album starts with Baumkart. Mind you, I have no fucking clue what any of this means or what the fuck this dude is saying, (no lyric sheet) but that didn’t stop me from enjoying the shit out of this song. I can’t explain it. It’s like NIN, Skinny Puppy and Rammstein blended together. Only I enjoy Daniel’s vocals better. To me,this has a lot more character than the robotic tone of Rammstein while employing a lot of the same characteristics. Zuruck starts off in the same fashion with a good blend of sludgy bass lines, echoing drum beats and eclectic guitar sounds. Really, I’m not exactly an experimental type of guy when it comes to music. I like loud, heavy and fast. But this record maintains the experimentalism and but still keeps the heaviness and eeriness in the mix. Gunther is another amazing song that starts off slow and builds up to a fast punk beat which then leads to a good thumping chorus. There’s even some Mr. Bungle and Faith No More mixed into this song. Ich Volk Mich Um really isn’t much different from the previous song as far as words that I can communicate to a person, but somehow this music seems to distinguish itself on its own. It just works and the feeling behind it dissipates any weirdness one might feel if this were one’s first rodeo as far as industrial music is concerned. 360 Grad reminds me of a song that could have been released on Glenn Danzig’s Classical Album, Black Aria, with German lyrics. Nacht is an awesome display of Carsten’s guitar and synth skills. This song has a good flow to it. Andrew bangs out some serious drums on Sitzer in der Bahn which is definitely the most upbeat song on this effort. The track Solitaire picks the pace back up and has a ton of groove. This is my favorite track on the album. It has a mix of a lot of different sounds and beats. All of which are heavy AND groovy! Another great track at the end to show off Daniel’s bass skills as well. Alle Wollen Zahlen closes off the disc and is a good way to end a strong record.
All in all, I liked listening to this. Anyone who has ever enjoyed the Industrial genre should check this one out. I wish I had more info on these guys. I don’t speak a lick of German, even though recently I found out that I do have some German blood in me. So, I’m just going to let the music speak for itself.
