I guess this is somewhat of a discography CD for this German band? The tracks are previously released on the split 7" with Funeral Diner, the split 7" with 244GL, the split LP with The Blame Game, as well as demos, comps, samplers, etc. Their style is basically really extreme "screamo" mixed with grindy metalcore or something, but more grind than "emo" or whatever. There's definitely an indie-ish edge in there and stuff, it's very jangly and discordant, it's got a lot of chaotic arrangements and shredding screams, etc. There's not a lot of melody at all, and there's no singing or anything, so it's pretty harsh through and through. Honestly not my thing at all. They have their moments where they lock into a noisy, rhythmic churn that really kicks ass (see the awesome "Maschine Mensch"), but for the most part this is a boring mishmash of overly dissonant and chaotic mess to me. I don't know, I just can't get into a lot of this stuff. It's too jumbled and random and to be quite truthful I have a hard time taking it seriously here. I enjoy the band's sense of humor (despite having a serious message), but something about parts of this stuff just sound goofy to me. A lot of it has to do with the vocals, which are just too over the top and sort of whiny at times, even if they are just screamed with no remorse. The newer tracks from 2003 are more melodic and metallic, portions of "Too Fast for Love" are fucking great, layering lead melodies against totally abrasive chords, but then they just let it all go and start randomly unleashing flurries of blasting drums and nonsense guitars, and it ruins the vibe. That's basically the story for this entire CD. A few good parts, but very few good songs... it's just too obnoxious. The tracks were recorded at various sessions over the last few years, and they're all pretty raw. I definitely dig the thickness and insane distortion, as well as the fact that they're generally able to make sense of the mix, but there are definitely some issues. If the songs were more forceful I wouldn't mind it, because when they slow down and hit a His Hero is Gone styled chord progression the production works fucking superbly, but the faster and looser playing is all over the place. The layout is done in black and white with maroon and is collaged from shitloads of band photos and comic book styled artwork and captions. The lyrics are all in German with English explanations, dealing with personal topics such as relationships and whatnot, as well as scene commentary, attacks on mass media, etc. The band has a message but also a major sense of humor, as within the photos they're very convincingly dressed up in fake poses as hardline vegan straightedge kids, drunk punks, etc. Quite amusing, I must say... Too bad the music's just not doing anything for me. I like one or two songs and the rest I have a hard time sitting through. I'm often surprised by such small bands of this nature getting the discography treatment... is there really an audience out there for this?
[Geekscene]
Running time - 46:14, Tracks: 15
[Notable tracks: Maschine Mensch, Es Gibt Nichts Mehr Zu Beschoenigen]
Geekscene - http://www.geekscene.co.uk
