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Archived Reviews
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In my review of the Klangfusion EP I stated that this album would hopefully see (:SITD:) expanding on their trademark sound but I have to admit that that was more hope than expectation but, much to my pleasant surprise, they've done exactly that & turned probably their most consistent album yet. It's not that they've done anything radically new, which makes it obvious who you're listening to most of the time, it's more that what they've varied the pace & moods a lot more as, aside from the obvious anthems such as 'Silver Bombs' & the infectious 'Stammheim' & the fact that 'Kreuzgang V2' sounds so much more majestic (thus making the most of the anthemic potential of the chorus) & to-the-point than the version that appeared on the preceeding EP, Thomas Leczenski is given more chances to bring his highly expressive voice to proceedings, adding an extra human element to the typically robust opener 'Herbsterwachen' while they really coming into their own on such melodically-inclined pieces as the mid-paced 'Displaced', where he perfectly embellishes the majestic but dramatic mood & most of all on the brilliant 'Direction: North' which, at over 7 minutes long, has the space to build into a touching & superbly emotive piece & is a contender for the best track they've ever done. Carsten Jacek's voice doesn't have anything like as much expressive potential so if he had tried to sing this latter track in particular the result would have been nowhere near as effective, being better suited to the cold ambience of 'Telepathic' &, as ever, the more up-tempo pieces such as the brilliant 'Propaganda', the superb chorus of which even rivals the classic Snuff Machinery in terms of all-round musical excellence & is another massive highlight. Furthermore, it's always good to see a band taking instrumentals seriously & so 'Floating' (an odd title for such a lively piece) proves to be another worthwhile track among the many to be found here. I was more than happy to have my reservations concerning this album proved wrong as it's an excellent release, just what the band needed & which is sure to delight their fans everywhere & might even gain them a few new ones. |
