Party anthem for Irish pubs - A review of In Extremo's "Sternhagelvoll"

''Sternhagelvoll'' is the first single taken from In Extremo's upcoming eleventh studio album ''Quid pro Quo''. The medieval rock band is known to write liberating songs about little vices such as partying and this tune is no exception. This type of music comes as a welcome change of style if compared to the mass sensitization about the bad influences of alcool, drugs, fighting, gambling and sex. The music video offers a three hundred sixty degree scenery of a wild party in a bar including brawls, lots of drinking and smoking and women dancing on tables. No matter how much organizations will try to demonize these activities, these are important parts of what life is all about and it's essential to enjoy some of these things with moderation from time to time.

The new song itself is a great anthem with amazing bagpipe melodies, chilling cister sounds and some nice medieval percussion elements. The simple yet liberating guitar riffs add some energy. The vocals are epic, joyful and have a raw charm while the lyrics tell us epic episodes of some chaotic drinking bouts. The chorus is simply addicting and immediately stuck on your mind until the end of times. It doesn't matter whether you speak German or not because you will sing along to this and if you feel too shy to do so, help yourself and go to the next pub with a couple of friends and start drinking. For those who aren't familiar with In Extremo, this instant live classic sounds like a mixture of Alestorm, Dropkick Murphys and Flogging Molly that invites you to dance, drink and sing throughout the entire tune. This song is closer to punk music than metal but if you're drunk enough liberating punk music is easier to digest than complex metal tracks anyway. Even though In Extremo wrote similar songs in the past like ''Viva la Vida'', this track here is the best of its kind in my book.

What are you still waiting for? Download this song, go to your next Irish pub with your mates and ask the cutest waitress to play this song for you. If she refuses, don't go to this pub ever again. Cheers!"

Final verdict: 80%