Artist: In Extremo
Title: Kunstraub
Genre: Medieval Rock / Metal
Release Date: 27th September 2013
Label: Universal
Album Review
With this new album, IN EXTREMO seem to have gone into a different path. The album exist out of more rock numbers, steady drum beat, a persistent bass and hard riffs, we are used from the rock/metal scenes. It is also the first time that all the numbers are sung in German, which I find somewhat disappointing. The raspy voice of Micha Rein is just perfect to sing those mysterious sounds of those foreign languages. But let’s dig into the songs itself now…
‘Der die Sonne schlafen schickt’ comes with heavy riffs, metal sounds mixed with rock sounds, and they need off course the bag pipes. During the song we hear the droning sounds, resembling the Tibetan monks singing. A quit almost common sound of IN EXTREMO starts ‘Wege ohne Namen’, swelling up to rock beat, and returning back to the softness. At the end you have the bagpipes - to me it feels as if they seem to have forgotten to use them and quickly gave them a place. Following ‘Lebemann’ is a great song - heavy, catching, again deep bass. The fans will love this song. It is perfect to sing along, I can hear the audience already shout out JAHHHHHHHHH and head banging half way through the song. A strong beat of the drums is followed up by the guitars. After such a great song you get a little downer with ‘Himmel und Hölle’. After a powerful beginning it quickly goes into a steady drone - not exciting, repetitive.
The song ‘Gaukler’ sounds mysterious, magical and Micha’s voice is just perfect for this song and when he sings “Es tut toch so weh” (it hurts so much), you can feel that pain. The whole melody fits just perfect with the instruments - the harp, the shawms are mixed in with the modern drums and guitars, making it all complete. Just wonderful. The title song of the album, ‘Kunstraub’, sounds at the beginning like the start of one of the old Sherlock Holmes films. Then it goes back to the metal riffs and pounding drums, Gaelic sounding bagpipes, but yet it feels to me that the excitement a title song needs is missing. At times I think here it comes, but only to wither away in a for me nothingness.
‘Feuertaufe’ has a catchy beginning, a droning bass that is good to hear, almost feeling it streaming through you. A nice song, one which is good to hear, but not really staying with you. It sounds too simple to me, almost a bit too poppy. Afterwards, there is another song that didn’t work for me, ‘Du und ich’, which sounds too easy, too monotonous – just a song without risk. ‘Doof’ is a rather Metal like song with riffs and bass being prominent but not overpowering, with a nice loud chorus, almost shouted out. The end of the song reminded me a bit of Mike Oldfield though. The album contains also a ballad-like song, ‘Alles schon gesehen’, which is not too soft but still it feels like a ballad which after all just didn’t make it. To me it came to close to a Schlager with peppers.
Now to something better, ‘Belladonna’, a song to go to battle with, marching off under the sound of heavy guitars riffs, following the rhythm of the drums. It has got a catchy chorus that will be easy to sing along to. I caught myself head banging along, for me one the better songs. Last song ‘Die Beute’ is a really beautiful song, a great ballad with haunting bagpipes. Fantastically accompanied by the bass guitar and the almost scary voice of Micha - his voice sounds as haunting as the bagpipes and therefor a perfect combination. A truly perfect ending for the album.
Do I like this album? Yes I do after all, it got the quality we can expect from IN EXTREMO. It is good that they try to step into different paths, for me it a pity that in some songs, like ‘Du und Ich’, ‘Feuertaufe’ and ‘Kunstraub’, they are not sure anymore and going back to safety which makes the songs almost dull. The bass sound is great, it is there all the time but it doesn’t bore you, it keeps you on the track, it not only sounds on your eardrums, it goes straight through your bones, and I like that feeling, I cannot say that for the drums, at times they started to annoy me. All in all a good album with catchy songs, deep bass and hard riffs, the vocals as usually on very high standards, that raspy haunting voice that makes your skin crawl but in a good way. Just a pity that the album, for me, is not consistent all over.
In Extremo – "Räubernest – A Making Of for Kunstraub"
In Extremo - Räubernest - Ein Making of zu Kunstraub on MUZU.TV
Tracklist
01. Der die Sonne schlafen schickt
02. Wege ohne Name
03. Lebemann
04. Himmel und Hölle
05. Gaukler
06. Kunstraub
07. Feuertaufe
08. Du und ich
09. Doof
10. Alles schon gesehen
11. Belladonna
12. Die Beute
Line-up
Das letzte Einhorn (Michael Robert Rhein - The Last Unicorn) - vocals
Van Lange (Sebastian Oliver Lange - The Long One) - guitar
Die Lutter (Kay Lutter - The Lutter) - bass, trumscheit, timbal
Dr. Pymonte (André Strugala) - bagpipes, shawms, harp
Flex der Biegsame (Marco Ernst-Felix Zorzytzky - Flex the Flexible) - bagpipes, shawms
Yellow Pfeiffer (Boris Pfeiffer - Yellow Piper) - bagpipes, shawms, nyckelharpa
Specki T.D. (Florian Speckardt) - drums
Website
http://www.inextremo.de / https://www.facebook.com/officialinextremo
Cover Picture
Rating
Music: 6
Sound: 8
Total: 7 / 10
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