the Cennsor – NEW blog

So yeah, I moved again. Hopefully for good this time!

Check out my same old, same old new blog here.

pallas – XXV (2011)

there’s, as usual, a couple of different ways i could start this review. for once, let’s set my ramblings on my own writing aside and let’s focus on pallas‘ own. for those of you who happen not to ever heard of them before, here’s some news: that’s normal and you, my dear ladies and gents, are part of a vast majority. but as this record itself shows perfectly, it’s never too late. XXV is none other than the conceptual follow-up to pallas‘ very first album, which dates back to 1983. as a result of a troubled history with record companies (which has absolutely nothing to do with their undeniable talent), pallas‘ releases have been rather sparse throughout their career, and to listen to XXV makes you wish they were luckier with that. and i mean, for your own amusement, of course.
i must confess XXV woke my interest in the band’s work to the point i set out on a search for their previous work (most notably to this album’s predecessor, the sentinel) without much ado. but i realise it wouldn’t be too fair to judge their most recent effort as a mere comparison to their grand opus of old. for starters, it wouldn’t be fair to those who (just like me till a couple of days ago) are not acquainted with the band. secondly, it wouldn’t quite be true to XXV itself, for it would fall short of doing it justice.
the music on XXV is undeniably a progressive kind of rock or, if you will, “neo prog”. such a label is obviously nowhere near telling, even more so if you think it encompasses too long a history of changes in musical technique and tastes. to be true to the definition, the aforementioned the sentinel would for instance have to share a position with its baby follower within the boundaries of said genre; problem is, they actually couldn’t be more apart than they are.
provided they’re both (not-so-)little gems in their own right, XXV bears heavy signs of the times gone by or, if you like, of “modernity”. the sound’s very clean, the song structure is somewhat more listener-friendly and the whole album is much heavier overall, although there’s no lack of soft episodes. i would actually go as far as to call them hints at heavy metal. in spite of this, XXV never strays from the intended direction, which is that of a prog rock concept album whose sound is much in the vein of the so-called british neo-prog (IQ, pendragon and the likes can’t but come to mind).
now, some of you will be probably aware i do have something for concept albums. no doubt that has an influence on this review, though the positive side of it (meaning: i have a slight preference for conceptually developed albums than not) is kind of balanced by the negative one (meaning: my high expectations are not always met). as a matter of fact, the first spin already convinced me pallas‘ comeback was well worth the wait, no matter what they might’ve done earlier.
you can read more about the concept on their website, where they even offer one song for free download. here i’ll just briefly mention the narration (which we get to hear snipets of, in the form of speech rather than lyrics) is set on our earth in the 25th century (hence the album’s name), and it involves the fall of our civilisation as it confronts with alien “saviours”. you might think this is a bit cliché, but pallas are not new to it (story-wise, the links with their the sentinel are very strong) and know how to deal with it. although some verses are quite cheesy and way too easy to predict (some rhymes seem to be forced), they’re still well sung, even in an emotional way i would say, and varied enough.
heavier and softer moments are very well balanced. pallas‘ experience takes a welcome toll on the matter, making the listening flow smoothly from start to finish. you might actually be left to wish it lasted longer, though an hour without fillers of sorts or silly intros fits just fine. the long opener, falling down, is quite catchy in its turn, and manages to set the tone right for what’s to come. crash and burn takes it to a hard rock kind of level, a mere hint at the heaviness to be found later in the alien messiah, with its anthemic feeling. another juicy “heavier” moment is young god. monster could be called the most AOR-iented song of the lot, while something in the deep‘s very relaxed, almost ambient feeling anticipates that of blackwood and violet sky, two tracks that might as well have been fused together, so dependant on each other they are. the perfect synthesis (a word i almost feel compelled to use, thanks to the abundance of keyboard layers and beautiful solos throughout the album) of the heavy and soft side of the coin is to be found on the title track, split into two movements in the middle and at the end of the album. it’s an excellent multi-structured piece of prog rock which sums up the lyrical and musical “quid” of the album.
to sum it all up in my own turn, i’d say if you’re a fan of (prog rock) concept albums, you can’t miss this one. if you’re not, but have nothing against an album that can offer a lot of variety managing never to go too far from the core ideas, give it a go – as a side effect to just enjoying the music, you might find yourself caught up in the threads of a thrilling sci-fi story, written and developed with gusto and skill. much credit to the inventive pallas for a release which proves mature in many a way.

thus spake the cennsor: 8,5/10

voyager – element V (2003)

so like i promised, let’s dive some deeper into too often uncharted territory. as i’ve hinted at in my previous post, and as you can read to whatever extent and depth you wish after a quick googling, voyager is a five member (no “men”, for they also feature the gifted simone dow at guitar) band from australia. the country/continent has witnessed quite a bloom of pretty talented heavy metal acts starting from the late nineties, and voyager‘s voyage starts up right on the brink of the 00′s. what shouldn’t surprise by now is that such bands are more times than not met with well-deserved success even across the seas, and i mean here in ol’ europe as much as in the americas. still, the path to large scale success is of course steep and clogged by many household names that often don’t come even close to deserving it at the expense of bands like, well, voyager.
i must be honest here and confess the first thing coming to my mind when i first heard them (and this album was voyager‘s first i listened to) was: whoa, another great melodic metal act from australia! if, and i’m afraid only if you’re acquainted with the genre and like it, will you most likely immediately think of vanishing point. i’ll put it plain and simple, ’cause i realise the comparison’s getting redundant: the similarities between the bands are striking, but in a way neither is nowhere close to being the other’s clone. this is probably as simple as because they hail from the same country, they share the same kind of background, they happen to play the same genre and they both do it very good, both technically and as far as personality and originality are concerned.
as i stated before, element v is the best example in voyager‘s not yet as deep discography to point out what they’re capable of. simply put, they manage to create a blend of a few ingredients i definitely favour in (metal, but not only) music: well constructed melodies; a perfect blend of symphonically bond instruments; a strong multi-faceted voice that can manage different registers, all equally well; and a deep, wrapping sound that can keep you musically and even emotionally involved throughout a whole record.
as to the album’s structure, here’s probably one of the reasons element v even stands out within voyager‘s own discography: the musical progression is sort of an ebb and flow, starting with a pretty classical intro (long and well structured enough in its turn to stand apart from the irritating thirty-second intros too many albums start off with) which sets the tone for the first full track, the strong to the morning light. a feature this song shares with the later monument is a keyboard-driven start, which might remind you of artension and the likes. no wonder monument also kicks off after sort of a short intro, miseria, placed about in the middle of the album. this kind of divides the music flow into two big “movements”, making the listening easier and (which i personally like very much) more of a journey-like experience.
pretty much all of the songs stand out on their own, thanks to the aforementioned strong and ever original melodies, ranging from fast keyboard progressions to catchy choruses and verses (one of my personal favourites will have to be the eleventh meridian‘s, which is sung in a perfect german!), so that it’s hard to pick a favourite – though i do have mine of course, both melody- and overall atmosphere-wise, and they’d be the tracks i mentioned so far.
the general feeling, also thanks to the lyrics’ overall theme, is that of an enchanted journey, with hints at epicness but without grandeur or solemnity. voyager manage to keep it all cool and within the boundaries of a particularly strong AOR or, if you will, melodic heavy metal. it’s also no wonder they point out themselves, on the online bio to be found on their website, the links they have with 80′s rock, obviously metalised and decidedly brought into the 21st century. such bonds account for their attention to melody and overall polishedness of the sound; whereas tracks like cosmic armageddon (both part 1 and 2) bring their power metal side to the surface. the result’s a powerful mixture of epic atmospheres neither lacking speed and power nor a touch of thoughtfulness and peace where needed.
to kind of wrap it up, element v is a little manna for all lovers of melodic metal, as much as a grand introduction to the band’s following works, which never go far from the wonderful premises of this album, although they don’t sum them up quite as well as this record does. to go listen to it would most likely mean doing yourself a nice favour.

thus spake the cennsor: 8/10

voyager – i am the revolution (2009)

as much as i’d love to relent on my hate towards bands and albums that didn’t quite turn out as i wished them to, i thought i’d rather give it a break before i got carried away (’cause believe me, there’s a lot more coming) and focus on something i do like instead.
so what about what’s actually been my greatest own discovery in the past few months? given i won’t be able to do them justice, due to my well-known lack of any musical background whatsoever (and boring writing style), let’s try and explain why they caught me so off-guard and kept me listening through their whole discography.
just to keep it weird, i’d like to start off from their latest album to date, i am the revolution. the band’s name is voyager, by the way. i’d assume it’s likely whoever heard one of their records (they’re three to date) also went on to listen to the others – to those i have nothing to say, as you already know what voyager‘s about. whether you like them or not is the rather well known, abused and infamous “matter of taste”. just, not only: taste ain’t random, atleast to a certain extent. so for instance, there’s a big chance you’ll like them if you usually enjoy melodic power metal with strong melodies, exceptionally well sung lyrics, catchy but never too expected melodic lines and choruses, and an overall dedicated musicianship able to convey a fair amount of emotion without trespassing the border of cheesiness.
easy as it is, i can’t help comparing them to another australian melodic metal band i got to know before them, vanishing point. the name might ring more than a bell to many of you (and by the way, i reviewed their best and latest album to date right on this blog quite some time ago); but i have to add voyager is actually better. some would even say i am the revolution, being their latest and naturally most mature record, brings their talents to sort of a natural completion. it could be; it’s undeniable the already excellent whole mixing and production thing reaches (or manages to mantain) a stunning level. needless to say, the melodic sort, of all sub-genres of heavy metal, benefits the most from such an attentive polishing; that’s exactly also the case with i am the revolution.
still, i wouldn’t call it their best work; personally (and you’ll most likely be hearing about it soon) i like their first album, and their second one as well, better. that said, i am the revolution still is a very enjoyable piece of good melodic metal which is definitely worth listening to. voyager manages to stay on the same quality levels as before, yet taking a slight turn towards what to me seems to be simpler melodies and easier to catch tunes. it’s no coincidence their first two videoclips ever were lost and the devil in me, the two most listener-friendly tunes of the album.
the feeling of the whole record never goes very far from that of those two songs; and it’s no bad thing really. we’re still dealing with some good old (or should i say, modern?) heavy metal here, melodic as you will, but still. the approach throughout the whole tracklist is rather song-oriented, the song structure itself is pretty classical, with no great exceptions nor deviations. it all flows pretty smooth, and if a distinction is to be made, i’d say the heavier and a bit more “metallic” feel to the very first songs gives gradually and naturally way to a more relaxed, calmer and softer one as we near the end, culminating in the almost oniric closing title track, which stands out for its sleepy repetitiveness (to be held apart from “boring”, which doesn’t apply at all here). after listening to it once, you’re already left with the feeling it all flows in the right direction – and further listenings will confirm that impression.
to me, that’s already a nice feat. i am the revolution will well keep you attentive, never bore you, and will manage that without any impressive highlights or something. when music flows so good, who needs those anyway? and if i had to point out one single album feature that does stand out, i’d say it makes an awfully good introduction to the band’s style and former (and hopefully also upcoming) work.
in short: darn good stuff for fans of vanishing point and the likes, still very good for generic fans of melodic metal, and i daresay also something fans of the heavier AOR won’t regret lending an ear to.

thus spake the cennsor: 7/10

evergrey – glorious collision (2011)

let me put this simple: what the heck is going on?
the close-to-zero few of you who happened to take notice of my unexpected, unrequested and and not-so-promising comeback might have been wondering why, after such a pompous announcing of said comeback (me being me, could it be any different, really?) – why i kept silent instead of bombing you with my well-kept acrimony towards bands, albums and anything orbitating thereabout.
the reason is simple: i feel kind of scared. scared of how far my judgement seems to have gone during this whole hiatus i took, and i mean far from the commonly shared perception of what’s good and bad (in music; beside that, it’s always been that way). i’ll sum it up to make it clearer.
not long ago i thought i’d take a risk and give evergrey, a band that’d been disappointing me for half a decade, a not really deserved second (alright, make it third or fourth) chance. well, turns out i had the right feeling all along. the new album, glorious collision, pretty much follows in the (lame) footsteps of their latest works, eventually turning out to be even worse – just because they seem not to have learnt anything from those. quality’s on the same line, production’s probably even gotten better – problem is, it’s the same old crappy mainstreamy easy-listening, devoid of ideas, low-recorded-to-fool-them-all pop metal its predecessors were. one would think two and a half albums (yes, i do think the inner circle had tidings of what was to come, and i did think it back then… turns out i wasn’t afraid for nothing) would be enough to cut with the “let’s try and appeal to a larger fan base” crap, leave whatever experimentations and/or crisis they’ve been through behind, and get back on track of the sontuous dark power-prog metal they had begun with, leaving many a fan (why, including me myself) to wonder where those very interesting premises may lead.
apparently, that’s not even nearly been the case. now, i’m fully aware a lot of metal fans out there have saluted the turn to a much catchier, poppier kind of “metal” (do we still want to call it that, seriously?) with joy and relief – who wants to sit and listen to longer, more layered and thoughtful songs anyway? for oh my oh my, that takes patience.
no bashing intended here, really. especially not towards the fans. point is, they’ve turned into something they were not; they didn’t keep the promises they made with their earlier works; and after a couple of commercial hits they apparently decided resting on the laurels was the right way to go. are they to blame? perhaps; it’s not what we’re concerned with here anyway. we are with the following questions: should i get over it? should i move on and finally just take them for what they’ve become, without making a fuss everytime they basically just confirm they’re no longer what i used to like?
yes, and yes. the blame’s rather on me for giving them a chance they didn’t deserve, once too many. i should of course have guessed the massacrating line-up changes and the metalzines’ and indipendent reviewers’ condescention and complacency would build on their own, and i mean self-complacency. you make some gradual yet substantial changes to the core of what you play, fans (i’d have to suppose a majority of those) and media buy on it, you feel encouraged to just go on down that road – no matter how much of an artistic suicide that could turn into. that, to me, sums up the path evergrey‘s taken around 2004, after the inner circle (the following live a night to remember kind of doesn’t count). and at the end of the day, what matters is not that i am done with them, but that they are with the dark, prog-power music they used to herald.
for the sake of honesty i feel like adding a sincere, non-ironic and non-paternalising advice to all those of you who actually liked evergrey better from monday morning apocalypse onwards, or just continued liking them choosing/not being able to notice what had changed in the meanwhile. my tiny word of wisdom is: get this record asap, no way it’ll disappoint you. as a matter of fact, i am convinced there’s much truth in all the praise reviewers grant it time and again: if you like/don’t mind/don’t see the difference between their first albums and the couplet (now become triplet) MMA and torn, you will acutally enjoy this one as well, possibily even more than those. just don’t let the hastily written, probably just copied reviews of those who try and sell it as the “long awaited and much needed turn back to the origins” fool you, simply because glorious collision is anything but that.
finally, to those of you who pervicaciously don’t/didn’t want to abandon all hope yet and are/were wondering whether evergrey finally took a couple of steps back with glorious collision, to you i say: nay. not the case. to try again? not anytime soon.

thus spake the cennsor: 4/10

a new beginning in site?

to my countless few aficionados, greetings and not actually meant apologies for the lame pun in the title.

and now for the explanation: i’ve been deserting this blog for ages, which is nothing new in itself (actually making it all the worse), and after flirting with the idea of bringing it back to life, i’ve finally made up my mind. it’s been no long pondering & considering, but i’ve been thinking about it for quite a while now, and as i was presented with the possibility of doing something pointless and meaningless instead of studying, well i thought, what the hell!

so the cennsor’s back again, for the umpteenth time. expect the same old not really high quality writing and a whole lot of cranky ranting about what i don’t like about the music i like. oh, and delays and all that, of course.

when i made up my mind about this, i thought i’d try and finally follow a pattern when i’m choosing what to review. to bring an order to it, as it were. but then again, i’m pretty sure there’ll be lots of deviations and exceptions – pretty much what always happens to all my self-imposed rules.

though maybe, and i’d like to stress that maybe, i’ll feel compelled to follow it a bit more strictly if i write it down here. okay, not really; but let’s give it a try anyway. so, for the record: i’ll post my impressions on whatever new i listen to; new meaning i might have just heard (about) an album, though it’s already been out for decades.

sure, it’s not like i get a new album every other day; but there’s lots i haven’t even heard once yet, and i’ll do my best to catch up on those as well.

so “sit back and relax” (that’s supposed to be a quote from ayreon’s actual fantasy) and have a nice time disagreeing with me and/or being annoyed by my writing.

* * *

post-first publication edit: i just realised the date being displayed on top of this post might mislead you. so no, no april’s fool.

myrath – desert call (2010)

while we all (who? me and my like-minded fellow music freaks, of course) sit and eagerly wait for this year’s most anticipated album (perfect example of how not to create a fuss about something that does deserve it), how about we give a listen to something else not only worth it, but well likely to climb up our top 10 albums of the year when the time of reckoning will come?
i’m talking about tunisia’s most promising band, myrath, and their new output desert call. a couple of years ago these guys stunned all of us non-conventional music lovers with an excellent debut (hope) in the vein of neo-classical prog metal, an impressive tribute to their beloved symphony x. i dare label it “impressive” because what you usually find in such bands is a talented group of copycats and not much more. and it usually takes a few years to really develop a trademark sound and all that. but hope left you with actually more than just… hope for a bright future. it gave you a clear sign these guys were already on the right track.so hope was a beautiful debut of its own.
what’s next? definitely something even better. the songwriting seems to have improved on desert call, and you’re left with the impression there are more ideas spinning round, and all of them are dressed up in a very convincing musical fashion. we’re still with both feet deeply stuck on symphony x ground, which thistime proves to be a blessing rather than a curse. you can hear those echoes all throughout the album, from the stop&go’s to the same scales romeo and the jersey guys love to play, and moreover, myrath seem to kind of have assimilated their masters’ latest lesson on paradise lost: raise your hand if “madness”‘s choirs don’t immediately have you think of paradise lost‘s. that said, myrath don’t forget to add something personal, and that comes out when it’s solo time. i think you can quite tell then that they can personalise their sound.
variety within what you like – could you ask for more? that’s what myrath will bring you if symphony x are also on your favo-list. but to do this band right, let’s also point out where they differ from the american fab five. myrath wouldn’t quite be what they are if they didn’t have that charming middle-eastern (let’s rather say: arabic) touch to their songs. desert call is no journey through exotic landscapes as amaseffer‘s slaves for life, but the folky (here’s to say: arabic) melodies play quite a role through the songs, from the very beginning of the opener “forever and a day”.
“memories” suffers from the same kind of holdback many ballads from such bands seem to be hampered with: slower tempos and an acoustic setup, though stirred with a very melodic, clean singing style (the singer zaher really possesses a vast array of qualities), aren’t enough to make it something you’d listen to over and over when you’re in the mood for something softer. but that’s about the only lowlight on the album and, like i said, no exception within the genre. the whole of these 65 minutes of music are well worth more than a spin.
the recognition myrath are gaining is absolutely well deserved and we can only… hope this desert call won’t be their last of this refined kind. when you do have a trademark sound and it incidentally involves a sane misture of arabic melodies sung in a clean yet powerful voice, E-tuning and scales, syncopated riffs and pretty solos, you’re most likely to win my attention, and for quite a while. which myrath‘s desert call definitely did and hopefully will do to you as well.

thus spake the cennsor: 8/10

qantice – the cosmocinesy (2009)

approximately in the same vein as roswell six, let me introduce you this talented french quartet and their first, very convincing output the cosmocinesy.
first impressions as i first heard it: they remind me of the here previously reviewed alkemyst - also french, same genre, same originality within a genre usually clogged with clones and almost doomed to repetitiveness. which is to say: the “good” side of power, the most eclectic one; varied, with a slight touch of experimentalism, symphonic without being epic or sumptuous. kind of the symphony x side of power-prog, though hinting at speed metal and with no trace of the jersey guys’ constant use of syncopes. let’s even say echoes of angra are to be heard to quite a large extent.
they define their music “movie metal”, which does actually fit and has nothing to do with rhapsody of fire‘s so-called hollywood metal (alright, just a bit). what we have here is truly atmospheric music yet within the boundaries of power metal, if that’s even possible. what strikes you the most about these guys is that they really managed to blend metal and a few external influences together. to my own likings, they drift a bit too often towards “classical” power, but if you’re into the genre, be assured it’s a-class power you’ll find here. which would then make my final 7,5 a full eight, i guess.
that said – what kind of movie would this music be suitable for, then? the coverart and titles already give some suggestions. let’s say it would fit a sci-fi movie of the steampunk kind, or something of the sorts. the intro already sets in you in a suitable mood, with a surprisingly fitting bagpipe sound which is but a clue of the symphonic arrangements to be found overall in the album. qantice manage to keep a balance between the “angrian” vein of the power choruses, the symphonic background, and the folkish passages (see “best in the well”) à la rhapsody of fire (here you go).
the way they bring in “unusual” instruments (tin whistles, baroque flutes, and so on) is also uttermost convincing. and if you take into account the genesis of the album took some five years to reach its well-deserved end, that’s even more striking.
the cosmocinesy is a nice little gem if you’re in search for something both symphonic and power-proggish. fine musicianship, good and original (yet not too daring) songwriting make the album well worth one listen. quite possibly not to be the last.

thus spake the cennsor: 7,5/10

roswell six – terra incognita: beyond the horizon (2009)

i might just spare you the apologetic foreword that it has been heck of a long time again since i last posted something here, so the next entry’s gotta be about something real good (for the sake of compensation, i guess). or, you might’ve just read it.
but what’s first and foremost worth a mention about beyond the horizon, is that it belongs to a particular (not all that rare, but not so common either) category of albums, within which it proudly stands out of its own.
most albums are “just” about the music (and what else? i hear you ask), some are an attempt to put something else into music, a story of whatever kind (like concept albums do, broadly speaking). and a few are capable of merging both succesfully with no detriment for either. at this point i don’t even need to say beyond the horizon is obviously one of the latter.
so what’s behind this very nice, and varied, prog rock/metal output? one name is the key: kevin j. anderson. surprisingly enough, he has nothing to do with the music industry, not even with music itself. he’s no musician, no producer, nor anything of the sorts. he’s a famed sci-fi/fantasy novelist. what binds him to prog music is, simple as that, the fact he loves it and uses it as a source of inspiration for his works. till the day he decided to tighten this bond.
he racked up a bunch of talented musicians and had them write and play the music to the first book of his planned trilogy terra incognita, “the edge of the world”. the result is sort of a soundtrack to his book, which, just like any other soundtrack, may as well be listened with no connection to the story – and here i mean, without having to read the book.
what’s striking about it, is that it’s an excellent work music-wise, so again, regardless the story. you might or might not be a fan of (high) fantasy, you might like or not like adventure stories set in imaginary worlds inhabited by horrifying sea-monsters and corageous sailors — but chance is you’ll find the music pretty intriguing of its own. the musicians involved all share an indisputably good background, spanning from saga‘s michael sadler to shadow gallery‘s gary wehrkamp. what will immediately strike prog music lovers though, is the notable appearance of lana lane and james labrie. whether or not you like his voice, there’s no doubt it’s a very characteristic one, way easy to recognise and definitely fitting in this context (to let one example speak for all, he leaves quite a mark on the slow-paced, balladesque “anchored”, which i was lucky enough to hear first when i gave the album the first listening). as to the former, we all know there’s no lana lane without her husband, keyboardist-composer erik norlander. he was actually chosen to compose the music and sort of headline the project.
i haven’t heard enough of his (apparently excellent) work to be a trustworthy critic of his, but i’ll admit straight away that he did an overwhelming job for roswell six. the songwriting is fresh and original without being experimental, and yet catchy and most likely to gain your attention at the very first listen. what we may call the main theme to the album does underline it all, echoing from the beginning to the end, but it doesn’t go so far as to making it boring or expected. the slow, calm themes (the triplet “letters in bottle”, “halfway”, “anchored”, later followed by “beyond the horizon”) alternate succesfully with the faster-paced, heavier ones (“the call of the sea”, “here be monsters”), to create a convincing amalgam that flows smoothly from start to finish.
whether this falling together of all the pieces of the puzzle is to thank to the mastery of mr norlander rather than the sum of the single performances, or the idea behind it all itself, or more likely a mix of all the previous — beyond the horizon is worth the purchase. it is literaly a musical journey to lands yet unexplored (unless you’ve already read the book!), in the footsteps of the best (neo)prog tradition. to many of you the name norlander might already be an assurance; for me it wasn’t, but the concept behind this album was way too intriguing not to give it a chance. and i must say it totally proved worth it.

thus spake the cennsor: 8/10

rammstein – liebe ist für alle da (2009)

one widespread and generally agreed upon assumption about rammstein is that either you love or hate them, no matter where your usual music preferences tend to. that is to say: you don’t have to be a big fan of industrial to like their (let me put it this way) minimalistic music.
i myself belong to said category. add to that the fact this album still follows the path set by their previous works from mutter on, and you can skip the following bunch of lines to land straight to the final, full 8 i just had to award it.
there’s a simple reason for that: the album deserves it. after the sheer disappointment brought about by the video for “pussy” (which turned out to be the worst song of the pack), my expectations were honestly not that high.
liebe ist für alle da took care of rapidly changing my mind about that. and from the very first songs already. “rammlied” is nothing but a true hymn to the band; a sort of link to the now old “rammstein” is surely to be heard, though filtered through the band’s more compact sound of late. later on in the album, “haifisch” is a tribute to the fans, in a way that reminded me of “ich will” – that is, a song you’ll wanna sing along to and, needless to say, a perfect fit for a concert. the softer tones are also to be found, and those of you who prized the likes of “ohne dich” will surely meet “frühling in paris”, as well as “roter sand”, with pleasure. “mehr” is probably the biggest hint at the band’s oldest stuff, still with a post-mutter feeling to it. “liebe ist für alle da” explicitly hints at “feuer und wasser” instead, which is also made evident by the lyrics.
for a quick word about the lyrics: just as always, they’re written in a very plain style encompassing several possible levels of reading. the infamous “read between the lines”-kind of lyrics à la rammstein is thus very well present. i guess those who hastily brand rammstein as “simplistic” or something of the sorts will continue to do so in spite of whatever i might have to say on the matter, so let there be quiet. just let me remark once more how “much” lies hidden behind such apparently high school-level german lyrics.
on to the heavier stuff now. “ich tu dir weh” is yet another nice example of combining heavy rhythms with melodic lyrical lines, which rammstein had already gotten us quite used to. “b********” is some steps closer to the “hilf mir”/”dalai lama” kind of songs, namely a slow tempo, quasi-recited “march” with a darkened sound and a dim atmosphere. it all becomes even grimmer with “wiener blut”, where we’re literaly welcomed “into the darkness” by lindemann‘s trademark gloomily low notes, and a thick instrumental combo giving way to dim (again!) keyboards and diquieting samples here and there. seems like there’s enough to please anyone who grew loving rammstein‘s more “mature” stuff – anything following the first two albums, that is. the same old themes (disturbing stories, and so on) and ways of putting them into music are back again, to the point there’s almost one possible cognate to each of the bands’s classics. not enough? then i should’ve mentioned “waidmanns heil”, the closest thing to “zerstoeren” to be found on this album – uptempo, aggressive, and as someone would say, very “headbangable”.
also a few words about the bonus disc. i’m not sure whether there’s enough on it to justify the much higher price you might find it being sold for. still, as often happens, some of the bonus tracks are actually worth the status of “normal” tracks. suffice it to mention the very good “führe mich” – but they’re actually all worth it.
in a word, liebe ist für alle da presents us with basically the same kind of material rammstein have been busy with in the recent past years. if you already were a fan, this album will keep you bond to a band you loved; if you didn’t like their previous stuff, big chance you won’t find this of your liking either. personally, it was comforting to find out rammstein are still there, and still the same old them (not by chance, it once leaked that they were going to put all the unused material that didn’t make it to rosenrot on a new album… which is in fact to be heard here). same old rammstein, to the bone. hence: very good.

thus spake the cennsor: 8/10