Artist: Rebellion
Title: The Clans are Marching
Type: EP
Label: Massacre Records
Sour grapes is something I guess we can all empathise with to a degree and who doesn’t feel an element of bitterness when they feel let-down, betrayed or just plain shafted by someone they once trusted? Nevertheless, there comes a point when you just have to shrug and move on, looking ahead to greater things. Not Rebellion, it seems. The back story here certainly has an element of the ‘metal soap opera’ about it – formed back at the start of the decade by Uwe Lulis and Tomi Gottlich following their unceremonious sacking from the band Gravedigger, the two initially fought Gravedigger mainman Chris Boltendahl in a legal challenge for the rights to the band’s name. A fight which they subsequently lost, therefore opting to name their band ‘Rebellion’, a not-so-subtle nod to one of their old band’s most celebrated songs ‘Rebellion (The Clans are Marching)’. Are you starting to see? So, several years and several albums of sturdy, muscular Germanic metal ensue and Rebellion are starting to carve something of a niche for themselves. And then what do they do? Release this EP in which, not only is it named after the sub-title of their old band’s track, it also contains a cover of said song.
OK, so I can understand that perhaps Messrs Lulis and Gottlich had more than a hand in writing the Gravedigger original but ultimately, it’s a Gravedigger song. That’s the way it is. Why Rebellion have chosen this point, four albums into their career, to release a note-for-note cover of this song is utterly baffling, particularly as it is played so safe. It’s a great metal track – always has been – and Rebellion vocalist Michael Seifert delivers a Boltendahl-esque performance that manages to display a far greater sense of dynamics/harmony then the Gravedigger lungsman. Fist-pumping stuff, but ultimately, it’s a pointless exercise in point-scoring. Let it go, guys.
It’s a shame as the other three tracks on this release show Rebellion to be a more than capable outfit. Their take on classic metal is shot through with a Germanic sense of pomp but never threatens to become overbearing whilst the songwriting demonstrates a real grasp of penning serious hooks. ‘Arise’ decorates a driving main riff with some delicate piano and boasts a suitably epic chorus with plenty of choirs. ‘Ragnarok’ is a relatively straightforward chugger but still deploys enough chest-beating heroics to satisfy the longboats ‘n’ ale-horns brigade while ‘My Blood in the Snow’ evolves from sombre reflection to a rousing, galloping finale. Seifert displays great range – from bellowing, throaty Norseman to Bruce Dickinson styled wailing – and the band as a whole are a decent outfit. They just need to let go of the past and keep looking to the future as, on the strength of this material, the future is looking pretty bright.
http://www.myspace.com/rebellionfromhell
Frank Allain
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