One of the strange things about the modern German music scene is that the vast majority of it is sung in English, maybe the result of the post war influence of occupying US and UK forces, and the cultural influx of the new movement that was rock and roll. The good thing about this would be bands like Accept, Kreator and Tankard plying their trade in a language I can easily understand; on the flip side is the image of David Hasselhoff in headband, glowing jacket and over tight leather trousers displaying his hairy chest to the masses of Berlin!
Bucking that trend and playing only in their native language, comes Die Vorboten with their debut CD ‘Aufschrei.’ Die Vorboten translates directly as The Harbingers, and ‘Aufschrei’ as Outcry, and on these eleven tracks they have indeed screamed their presence. Opener ‘Das Volk’ sets a high standard for the whole album, keyboards being dominant throughout and setting a menacing tone that a perfect match for the snarled verses, a contrast to the massively layered choruses. Obvious and immediate comparisons would be Die Apokalyptischen Reiter, or even more so Rammstein, an industrial sound pervading and dominating even more in the stamping march of ‘Vaterland’. However, to write them off as a pure clone would be unfair, and to ignore what this young band brings to the table. ‘Vaterland’ throws into the mix of Kraut rock inspired keys some off kilter and attention grabbing guitar screams that gives the band its own identity, whilst ‘Extreme’ combines industrial pounding riffs and ethereal gothic female vocals over blasting drums, discords threaded through like the mad visions of The Cabinet of Caligari.
‘Hauptstadt’ follows with pounding guitars before drifting into distinctly Kraftwerk territory with distorted vocals and synths on the verses, head banging riffs mixed with an almost Cabaret Weimar lilt to the choruses, the band’s time changes and eclecticism paying homage to their classic predecessors. Every one of the eleven tracks of the album combine obvious influences, but with a new and energetic twist that stops Die Vorboten becoming dull and predictable, throwing the likes of an electro disco break to the middle of ‘Schreit’ and a techno opening to ‘Der Weg’ to keep the listener wrong footed slapped out of complacency.
‘Aufschrei’ is an album that needs and indeed demands multiple plays to get to do it justice, and to appreciate all that ‘Die Vorboten’ has put into the album. An incredibly accomplished debut, and one that speaks of much more to come.
http://www.myspace.com/vorboten
http://dievorboten.de
Spenny Bullen
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