Saturday, December 27, 2008

REVIEW: Einsturzende Neubauten - Five On The Open Ended Richter Scale

7 out of 10


Of all my favorite bands Einsturzende Neubauten is easily the hardest to spell. If you haven't gotten into this prolific industrial band, you are missing out. Although fair warning, Einsturzende are a great example of "be moved or remove" listening. They make their sound from banging on sheet metal, power saws, drills, chains or whatever is made handy. Sound is music, is sound. They also utilize strings and Blixa's banged on guitar. Just about everything is used somewhat rhythmically.

This album isn't my favorite because it's just really great, instead of being totally amazing. It's structured more around Blixa's vocals and just doesn't have as much sonic force as some of their other releases. Slow and more atmospheric isn't a bad thing, but once you've heard these guys blast out it just doesn't have as much impact. This band really makes me wish I could speak German. The atmosphere of "Zwoelf Staedte" is that of being dragged into a long black hole of horror. Not that they don't have their beautiful moments. Like the track after "Keine Schoenheit Ohne Gefahr". It's still brutal, but it's a ballad none the less. The album ends with the sound of an approaching high none gun duel. It clips along and ends with a snarl.

Bottom Line: If you're a big fan of industrial music, german music, or experimental music, this album is for you.

Standout Tracks: Zerstoerte Zelle, Morning Dew, Keine Schoenheit

No comments:

Post a Comment