Search - In Strict Confidence :: La Parade Monstrueuse

La Parade Monstrueuse, A Musical Freak Show Worth Listening

M. Mierzwa | Davis, CA USA | 06/11/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"About the Band:

Fronted by Dennis Ostermann, this 20+ year old German darkwave project has managed to continue to pioneer and progress the darkwave genre, by slowly changing over time while keeping true to electronic format. Of course, the challenge for any band that slowly changes its sound is to keep its original fan-base happy with its newer music. In the case of In Strict Confidence (known in industrial circles simply as ISC), most fans seem pleased (I certainly have been) with ISC's growth. ISC is best known for Dennis's raspy, deep, and slow vocals (he is the gothic / darkwave Billy Idol).



About the Album:

The steampunk flavored La Parade Monstrueuse is ISC's 8th major release and on my first listen immediately earned a spot amongst my favorite albums. Named after a 1930s era French film about freak shows, Monstrueuse diverse collection of industrial / steampunk flavored songs is aptly named. Common to German darkwave bands, while most of the songs are sung in English, two of the tracks, "Ewige Nacht" and "Schwarzes Licht" are sung in German.



Like most ISC albums, the liner notes are amazing in their own right. Although not credited as a steampunk band, the artwork is unmistakably of the Victorian-industrial flavor. Lyrics for all the songs (English and German) are included, in order, and easy to read (many industrial bands forget that the point behind lyric notes is that they can be both interesting to read and legible ... ISC passed the test again).



The opening track and title track is thankfully short. It is literally a circus themed intro ... which is OK once, but if you mix the album with the rest of your collection the track will bring no value. On that note, the album works either as a 45 minute front to back listening experience or as a collection of tracks to be added to your music library. In other words, all the tracks are excellent, but they also are distinctly different enough from each other that no two tracks feel as a repetition of a previous track.



Upon reading the name of my favorite track, "SnowWhite" I thought it was a retelling of the German fairy tale Snow White (Schneewittchen). Nope! It wasn't until the second time that I listened (more closely) that it was a reference to PCP. The track is highly reminiscent of older ISC (Face the Fear era).



Fans l'ame Immortelle and Blutengel styled male / female duets will enjoy "I Surrender", "Schwarzes Licht", "Set Me Free", & "This Is All" which feature both Dennis and Antje Schulz. Antje joined ISC with its 2004 Holy album, and has been a great influence on the band.



Dennis himself is an incredibly talented vocalist, and it is nice when we get to hear his vox in slower pieces. My wish was answered with the first real track "My Despair" and closing track "Golden Gate", which is why I describe Ostermann as the darkwave Billy Idol. (Not only does Dennis have Idol's vocal range, but he also has one of the best stage presences I've seen; I'll encourage you to find some of ISC's videos, they're fantastic!)



There is literally too many great things to write about with respect to this album. It's a solid 5-star album. My recommendation is that you listen to the amazon samples. I did, and immediately ordered the album. I found that while the samples captured the diversity between songs, you can never capture the diversity within a song with a 30-second sample. If you like dynamic music, La Parade Monstrueuse will not disappoint. Male/female vocals, electronics (keys and drums), piano, & guitars are all expertly collected in a one "freak show" worth enjoying again and again!



Recommended Tracks:

* SnowWhite

* I Surrender

* Schwarzes Licht

* One Drop

"