In Extremo - Kunstraub (2013)

Reviewed by Sebastian Kluth

In Extremo is not only the most popular “medieval rock” band, but also my favorite German band period. I’ve been a fan since I first heard the successful “Küss Mich” single from the album Sieben ten years ago. Today, I have seen them three times live, have all their studio and live albums, and several singles and compilations. After the powerful last record,Sterneneisen, with its liberating anthems and psychedelic experiments, I couldn’t wait to listen to their new output Kunstraub.

Even though this album doesn’t quite reach the high quality of Sterneneisen or past successes like my favorite record Mein Resend Herz, the new album is still very enjoyable and a definite must have for any folk metal fan.

The drumming on this record is more diversified and heavier than ever. Immediately, the opener “Der Die Sonne Schlafen Schickt” convinces with high quality drumming full of details, plus amazing pipe melodies and strong harp sounds. It’s thanks to this vivid drumming and a few sharp riffs that this album sounds more metal orientated than any other In Extremo record before it.

Not only is the drum play very dominating, but the bass playing that was only of an average quality on the previous efforts has seen a noticeable improvement. Now, we can hear short but very strong bass guitar driven passages in songs such as “Doof” or “Belladonna”. Another strong point on this record is the use of harp melodies that sound more organic and better integrated into the whole sound than ever. The epic and melancholic “Gaukler” could be cited as a very positive example.

The experimental side of the band is almost as strong on this release as on Sünder Ohne Zügel, and at least on the same level as the previous effort Sterneneisen. The narrative opening of the title track “Kunstraub” is entertaining and funny, and represents the band very well. The epic vocal effects in the opening moments of the vivid “Lebemann” add an enjoyable touch to the band’s sound. The haunting piano pieces in the emotional “Alles Schon Gesehen” are something I have never heard from this band before, and I find that very exciting.

Three tracks really stand out on this album for me. The emotional single “Feuertaufe” offers nothing stylistically new, but really convinces with an incredibly catchy chorus that you won’t get out of your mind. Let’s add that this song also has a few punk influences. This isn’t surprising, because most of the medieval musicians in the band played in underground punk bands in times of the socialist German Democratic Republic when this kind of music was considered illegal. The emotional, melancholic, and profound “Alles Schon Gesehen” really touches me, and is a true tearjerker. The sad guitar riffs, the haunting piano play, and the amazing and surprisingly warm and comforting vocals make this song one of the very best the band has ever written in my opinion. My very favorite song on this album follows immediately, and is entitled “Belladonna”. It’s a fast and joyful ride with smart, ambiguous lyrics about a witch and mistress. The fast and melodic punk riffs, the waggish piper sounds, the vivid bass guitar play, the highly diversified drumming, and the raw but charming old playboy vocals are the strongest trademarks of this anthem. This kind of song invites you to dance, make love or simply sing along, and is one of the catchiest tracks in the band’s entire career.

The limited edition of this album includes two more excellent tracks, which are also the longest ones. Fans should get their hands on the beautiful “Bunter Vogel” and especially the brilliant acoustic medieval anthem “Meie Din”, with old German lyrics from the thirteenth century. This track goes back to the band’s medieval roots, and should appeal strongly to older fans. Only God and the band know why these killer tracks didn’t make it on the regular edition.

Now, you might ask why this record doesn’t get more points and doesn’t beat the three records I’ve mentioned in the beginning. The first reason is the complete absence of exotic traditional songs in foreign languages that were present on all other In Extremo albums. I’m missing a lot on this album with fourteen songs sung in German. I’m aware of the fact that a band has to move on and try out new things, but these foreign language songs were always the charming and charismatic elements that made the band so unique, and I hope they will get back to this approach. The second reason is that among many great songs, a few don’t do very much. “Himmel Und Hölle” is too much Neue Deutsche Härte with unharmonious simplistic industrial metal riffs for me, and lacks the band’s typical beautiful melodies. I have exactly the same problem with “Doof”, but the few medieval instruments save the song for me. The band should focus on their outstanding instrumental skills instead of adding so many simplistic metal riffs to their sound. Another thing that starts to get annoying is the reoccurring approach to epic and melancholic songs that the band has repeated over and over again. “Gaukler” is still convincing because the band put so much passion into it, but the usual calm and epic closer “Die Beute” is only of an average quality at best. The last album closer I really liked was “Spielmann” from Mein Resend Herz, which was a passionate outburst that made me cry the first time I listened to it. I’m missing this kind of album closer from the band.

In the end, we still have a strong record with a few fresh and new elements, as well as many catchy anthems that should work very well in concert and cater to old and new fans alike. On the other hand, the band shouldn’t forget about the strengths that made them so unique, and I hope the next album is more medieval than industrial metal-oriented. I’m sure that this record will hit the charts again and make the band even more popular than before. Fans of folk metal and medieval elements in combination with rock music can’t get around this album. If you needed one more reason to take German lessons, here it is. In Extremo is still the best in their genre, even if Saltatio Mortis really came quite close this time with their excellent last output, Das Schwarze Einmaleins.

4.0 // 5

Dream Theater- Dream Theater (2013)

Reviewed by Sebastian Kluth

After the dark and gripping Black Clouds & Silver Linings and the lighter and more diversified A Dramatic Turn Of Events, I was hopeful for the new self-titled Dream Theater release, and was excited to see in which new direction this output would go. I was equally curious to hear how Mike Mangini would be integrated. I was looking forward to see John Myung taking up more space than before in terms of musical presence and song writing qualities. And finally, of course, I was hoping for new musical ecstasy from guitarist and main songwriter John Petrucci, front man and singer James LaBrie, and creative keyboardist Jordan Rudess.

The new output only introduces a few new elements to the Dream Theater universe. The opening instrumental “False Awakening Suite” will take the place of other cinematic overtures the band has used as samples to start their concerts with. Their very personal overture is cinematic and concise and just sounds fine. The band decided to close the record with a laid-back and sadly unfitting and unspectacular hidden instrumental at the end of “Illumination Theory”, which somehow tries to close the circle. Let’s also mention another instrumental called “Enigma Machine”. New drummer Mike Mangini and bassist John Myung (who has been rather passive over the past few years) finally find their time and place to shine in this song, which is one of the best on the album.

The rest of the album offers nothing new, but rather a mixture of different band phases. So your appreciation will really depend upon whether or not you like the connected phases of the band. The dark and sometimes too-technical first single “The Enemy Inside” could have come from Systematic Chaos. The warmer “The Looking Glass” goes back to the Awake sound, and is clearly inspired by bands like progressive rock legends Rush. “The Bigger Picture” has symphonic elements, piano passages, soothing vocals, and a ballad-driven sound. However, it’s combated by the poor-fitting harder sections. This kind of half-ballad would have found its justified place on records like Metropolis Part Two and Six Degrees Of Inner Turbulence. Fans of laid-back progressive rock sounds of the seventies by Genesis or Yes should adore “Behind The Veil”, which has a darker tone close to “The Count of Tuscany” without reaching its class. The more laid-back sound could also please fans of the underestimated Falling Into Infinity. “Surrender To Reason” could also fit that release, and should appeal to fans of progressive rock bands like King’s X or Pendragon. It’s a calmer but technical piece of music with a few magic melodies and moments.

Moving on to the last couple of tracks, “Along For The Ride” is another appeasing Dream Theater half-ballad dominated by LaBrie’s soft vocals, acoustic guitars, and great bass guitar work and beautiful keyboard passages in the middle part. This kind of song has a touch of Awake, but could also have been a leftover fromA Dramatic Turn Of Events. Then comes the closing “Illumination Theory”, with a running time of over twenty-two minutes, including the hidden closure I’ve already told you about. Musically, this track calls to mindMetropolis Part Two. As always, such a long song has its ups and downs. The mysterious sound collages with nature noises that appear seven and a half minutes into the track remind me of Mike Oldfield’s amazing “Music From The Balcony”, for example. What then follows are parts inspired by classic music like Muse used to do on their last two albums. These parts in the final song are cinematic, epic, and touching. The rest is technically appealing but sounds a bit directionless.

While there are a lot of positive things to point out, such as the calm arrangements, the stunning keyboards, and the strong bass guitar work, there are also a number of mentionable drawbacks to Dream Theater. In fact, I really didn’t like this record as much as the two previous ones. First of all, almost all tracks feel lengthy and stretched. Concise song writing and shorter songs would have helped. The final “Illumination Theory” would have been a gripping song around the seven or eight minute mark, but twenty-two minutes are far too long and offer too many changes and too much instrumental masturbation. That’s also the case for the faster, hectic and very technical parts in “The Enemy Inside”, “The Bigger Picture”, and even the instrumental “Enigma Machine”. Another negative aspect is that I was able to relate each track to a certain Dream Theater record. This means that the band doesn’t really offer anything new at all. There isn’t much progression going, and the band digs in its own successful past. That’s not a big problem because they have written some progressive metal masterpieces, but I was expecting more creative input. My favorite songs here are “The Looking Glass” followed by “Surrender To Reason”. The two instrumentals are quite good, and the rest is somewhere between good and a comparatively boring average. Those who already have albums such as Awake, Metropolis Part Two and Six Degrees Of Inner Turbulence don’t really need this record, as it shows nothing new or better than these.

In the end, I would only recommend this album to faithful Dream Theater fans. It’s a good but not a spectacular album and some things could have been done better. After the last two records, this album is a little letdown. I’m complaining at a very high level though. Maybe the tracks are working better in concert. This being sad, the band will release a new live package from their last tour entitled “Live At Luna Park” by the end of the year. If I had to choose between the new album and the live package, I would save my money for the live package.

3.5 // 5