Artist: Straftanz
Title: Mainstream Sellout Overground
Genre: EBM / Electro / Industrial
Release Date: 16th September 2011
Label: Scanner Records
Album Review
German formation STRAFTANZ attacked the dance-floors for the first time in 2006 with a single ‘Straftanz’ and immediately conquered the clubs all over the country. Preceded by the single ‘Tanz Kaputt, was Euch Kaputt Macht!’, the debut album ‘Forward Ever, Backward Never!’ came out in 2008 presenting uncompromising infectious old-school EBM sound that crushed the floors worldwide and proclaimed the band a significant phenomenon on the scene. STRAFTANZ started extensive touring with such bands as VNV NATION and have been actively playing live as well as “escalating everything” with the help of video-making and YouTube powers. On their second release ‘Mainstream Sellout Overground’, the band declares the new commandment: “Fame is nothing. Bass drum is the law.”
The album starts off with chaotic mad title song, setting the mood perfectly well and then fires turbulent overwhelming sequences of ‘Turbo’ right in your head, leaving no doubts, who’s the king of the dance-floor. Without giving any respite, STRAFTANZ go on with perky and boisterous ‘Die Neue F-Klasse (Ein Panzerlied)’ stuffed with throbbing crispy bass and irresistible drive. The band shows their more gentle and melodic side on ‘Forward Ever’ - a beautiful mid tempo future-pop track sung in clear voice with certain trance influences, lyrically dealing with the future from the aspect of technical progress: “From concrete and rust we shall rise Into the orbit Up to the sky”. A tradition of inviting guest artists is preserved on this album - entrancing angelic vocals of Eva Janina Haas embellish romantic gothic ballad ‘Biftek De Licorn’, which solemn and sombre atmospheric sound dilutes the crashing mind-blowing power of two explosive dance-floor destroyers - guitar-laden bomb ‘The Bass Below’ and insurmountable stomping monster ‘The Enchantment’, that features Reverend G. and F. Neitzsche and proclaims the self-identifying statement from behind the scenes: “No longer we are artists We have become a work of art”.
‘Für Die Kinder (Ist Mir Egal!)’ comes back to the good old-school EBM with rough aggressive vocals and thick pulsating bass-line. Straight beat sustained by gritty bass and drilling synths backs the crunchy vocals in ‘Monkey Do, Monkey Say (feat. C.C. Blacks)’. ‘Alle Reden Vom Wetter (Boom! Mord!)’ picks up the baton of pushing dynamics, rushing the tempo and adding a menacing touch, that is created not without assistance of machine-like vocals which acquire rapidness through the proper portion of processing. A slowing down part with repetition of line “Gottes Tod” seems to be a reference to the prominent DAS ICH hit of the same title, but I may be mistaken. The next track with the optimistic title ‘Du Stirbst Aus!’ doubles STRAFTANZ’ daring madness with saucy insanity of SANTA HATES YOU, lending both Peter Spilles’ trademark vocals and Jinxy’s sultry voice to enrich the accompaniment of lush sequences and pumping springy bass line, providing this peculiar SANTA HATES YOU-esqueness. Stately anthem of procrastination ‘Weltzeitvernichter’ makes a perfect album-closer as well as strikingly great track.
STRAFTANZ surely made the most of the past three years polishing their kick-ass “industrial streetfighting dance” sound to dominate the dance-floors. In spite of the variety of genres and styles blended on this release, the band managed to create the feeling of entirety of the album. ‘Mainstream Sellout Overground’ will make you dance without asking, whether you want to or not, and won’t let you go till the last note fades away.
Tracklist
01. Mainstream Sellout Overground
02. Turbo (Album Cut)
03. Die Neue F-Klasse (Ein Panzerlied)
04. Forward Ever
05. The Bass Below
06. Biftek De Licorn (Feat. Eva Janina Haas)
07. The Enchantement (Feat. Reverend G And F.Nietzsche)
08. Für Die Kinder (Ist Mir Egal!)
09. Monkey Do, Monkey Say (Feat. C.C.Blacks)
10. Alle Reden Vom Wetter (Boom! Mord!)
11. Du Stirbst Aus! (Feat. PS + Jinxy From Santa Hates You)
12. Weltzeitvernichter
Line-up
dee-kup, K-X, -jl-, cyberdominator, j-ing, mjölnir das destruktor and various other artists, muses and nominal members
Website
http://straftanz.de / http://www.facebook.com/straftanz.zk
Cover Picture
Rating
Music: 10
Sound: 10
Extras: -
Total: 10 / 10
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