Schwarze Bande

If you are a person who eats the same thing for breakfast every day, a person who always dresses in the same colour palette and the same style of outfit, a person who likes routine that never varies, there is a chance (not very big) that you will like this album, because if there is something to highlight in this work it is its abject insistence on not changing its formula for forty minutes to the point of being unsettling. The few variations it offers are like an oasis in the middle of the desert and for that very reason deserve to be commented on separately, but I warn you that they are not enough to justify the possible stroke that this album may cause you.

The main figure of this record is Hendrik Möbus, one of the founders of the original Absurd as drummer and one of the perpetrators of the anti-semitic murder of Sandro Beyer, who here occupies the role of lead vocalist only, and I can only say that his performance represents everything that is wrong with this album. His vocal delivery is a harsh one, with an edge clearly inspired by the Oi! scene, in his natural German language, which makes him sound good at the beginning, for a couple of songs, but he sounds like that for the ENTIRE album, same intonation, same register, all the time the same. There is not a single hint of variety in his performance, not a single attempt to do something different, and unfortunately that is the tone that is going to characterize this release.

The vocal delivery could just be an isolated thing, but the instrumentation suffers from the same problem, the drumming is absolutely boring and at times pretty sloppy, varying only between blast beats or basic beats, never in 40 minutes brings anything, not even a single creative element, is like using a drum machine. The guitars are the only place where you can find some variety (apart from the intro and outro) but 90% of the time they are basic power chords, there is no tension, no emotion, no passion, they don't say anything despite the punk influence. Most of the riffs are unmemorable, which together with the one-way sound makes the end result feel slow, boring and tedious very quickly. Only a few guitar solos are the ones that manage to make some moments of the songs redeemable, they are the exceptions in this ocean of soulless monotony, the only moments where someone in this whole damn work manages to transmit some emotions though the music, these are more melodic and classic heavy metal inspired, they won't blow your mind but they are the only competent thing you'll find and maybe that's why they seem better than they really are.

That would be the ideal summary of this work, one full of flat music, with only one gear, no atmosphere, no depth, neither fast, nor visceral, nor hellish, nor nightmarish, in general it is an album that represents Nazism very well, weak as shit.

If you don't know the background, this incarnation of Absurd is led by Hendrik Möbus, aka HM, aka JFN. He was the drummer for the band appearing on 'Facta Loquuntur' and 'Asgardsrei', but hasn't been involved with the band since 1999. 23 years later he appears as a vocalist for a new studio album, Schwarze Bande. This album is amazing.

Production is really polished and clean, almost how high-fi death metal is produced. Everything is clear as glass including the bass which is almost always forgotten in black metal. JFN's vocals are enjoyable. He does a rough, throaty thrash shout. All lyrics are in German and he's excited and angry sounding. Some of the songs are really wordy - especially the facemelting opener and the title track - and he spits the lyrics out like a madman. Verse after verse it's Deutschtümelei: excessive hyper-Germanness.

The drumming is pretty good. Ride cymbals, blast beats and some breakdowns once in a while. The production is thankfully not top-heavy so you can appreciate the drumming and actually hear the bass pedals during more intense moments. It's even better when you compare to the lackluster drumming on the "other" Absurd operating in this decade.

The riffs are varied and all pretty good. About half the songs will start with a very short acoustic intro before blasting into full metal. Some are really fast with even faster lyrics like I mentioned before, and some are more melodic and make me think of a ship at sea. The riffs build to a crest and splash down like a wave. These songs will usually feature overdubbed clean vocals on the chorus to give a slightly folksy feeling, which is something Absurd has always had in their sound. Examples of these slower and more melodic, folksy songs are "Kein Letztes Geleit" and "In Blut Geschrieben." One riff that stands out every time - forgive me for this but - "Massenmordlust" sounds just like "Flannigan's Ball" by the Dropkick Murphys.

So you have a bunch of cleanly produced songs with no weak link. Drumming is well done, bass is smooth, guitar is creative whether speedy or folksy, and the vocals are unique and add a lot of character. No song stands out as particularly bad. I have nothing to take points off for. This album is an amazing comeback.