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Artist: Weena Morloch
Title: Grüss Gott, wir sind die Morlochs
Genre: Electro/ Synth Rock/ Electro Pop
Release Date: 2nd October 2015
Label: Trisoli Music Group (Soulfood)


Album Review

WEENA MORLOCH is a side project of Alexander Kaschte, better known for his main project SAMSAS TRAUM- It was founded in 1998 under the former name MCBETH. The name was also inspired by literature, referring to a main character of H.G. Wells’ ‘Time machine‘. In the beginning it was more of a Noise project - Synth Sounds mixed with samples of horror movies - which Alexander called “Horror Death Industrial”. Both the demo album and the debut album with 500 copies each sold slowly among the SAMSAS TRAUM fans. As the label refused to produce the EP ‘Trauma 7‘ at first, it became a bonus CD of the limited SAMSAS TRAUM album ‘Tineoidea‘. But apart from some exemptions the sound diverged from Noise and drew more near the sound of his main project. Also the next album became part of a ST CD/ DVD box release.

The, in 2008 announced, release of a new album with the title ‘Amok‘ had to be postponed due to the label’s fear of a boycott as the title track refers to the shooting rampage of Emsdetten. Finally it was launched contemporaneously with the new ST album in 2011. At the end of that year Alexander Kaschte announced that he won’t tour with both projects anymore but focus on producing studio albums. But with the release of his fourth WEENA MORLOCH studio album as well as a new SAMSAS TRAUM album, he is currently touring with both projects. The lyrics are mainly in German language. Beside the studio albums, a best of, a compilation with remixed and new songs, a DVD, an audiobook cd together with his book, a vinyl single, a mcd and a complete collection of former artworks were launched.

Last year Alexander announced that a new WEENA MORLOCH album will be produced and that it will contain cover versions of renowned songs of the 70’s and 80’s. The album was produced with the help of crowd-funding via Indiegogo. Mastermind Alexander Kaschte announced in his crowd-funding campaign to create a counterpart to the progressive commercializing and also the mental enfeeblement of the music of the so-called German independent scene. This album is thought to be a persiflage of the meaningless sing along Schlager stuff and a criticism of the music industry nowadays. Nevertheless he hasn’t chosen only German language songs but several of English language songs, some of which were hit singles in the commercial charts. But there were also some I wouldn’t call commercially successful.

The cover artwork displays a quite mad looking zombie couple in rustic Bavarian folk outfits making quite clear what this album is about. The first song, a kitschy German Schlager is presented in a way that you might think of the genre Neue Deutsche Härte with driving beats, guitars and harsh vocals that tears off every bit of the melancholic romantic kitsch that the original song had. The next song, an evergreen that is played at almost every (bad taste) party, comes along in a powerful way as well, though for a parody it is actually covered too nicely. The third song, another party hit, comes also along in a Neue Deutsche Härte outfit but finds its exaggeration by the accentuation of the Russian dialect of the German lyrics. Where the parody in ‘Hiroshima‘ lies, is not really clear to me. Presented in a Synth Rock way it is not a bad interpretation at all. Probably it is chosen as many people used to dance the slow dance to it while ignoring what the song is actually about.

The sticky sweetness of the MILLI VANILLI Pop song is completely destroyed by transferring it into the Synth Rock genre with harsh vocals. But where the irony should lie in the interpretation of the DEATH IN JUNE song didn’t become accessible to me as well. In my eyes it is a quite respectful cover of this Neo Folk song, presented in a Rock version. Therefor the next German language Schlager song is surely more satirical. The interpretation of DIO’s song has more of a transfer from the Metal to the Rock sound without the typical Metal singing vocals. The closure of this album is a German folk song which became famous by the interpretation of the German Schlager star HEINO. Shredding guitars, driving beats and the exaggerated singing in a way that many people from other countries think how our language sounds can be definitely seen as a mocking of the Schlager genre.

Recapitulating most of the songs surely can be understood as a parody but the interpretation of some songs didn’t really fit. They can rather be seen as good cover versions, respectfully made. So I do not quite understand why they made it on this album. The album is available as standard version, download version but you can also only download each song of this album.


Tracklist

01. Tränen lügen nicht (MICHAEL HOLM)
02. Eye of the tiger (SURVIVOR)
03. Moskau (DSCHINGIS KHAN)
04. Hiroshima (WISHFUL THINKING)
05. The KKK took my baby away (RAMONES)
06. I’m gonna miss you (MILLI VANILLI)
07. Fall apart (DEATH IN JUNE)
08. Des Teufels Don Kosaken (IVAN REBROFF)
09. Holy Diver (DIO)
10. Schwarzbraun ist die Haselnuss (German folksong, best known by the interpretation of HEINO)


Line-up

Alexander Kaschte – vocals, arrangements, composing


Website

http://www.weena-morloch.de


Cover Picture

weenamorloch gruessgottwirsinddiemorlochs


Rating

Music: 6
Sound: 10
Total: 8 / 10





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