Search - Sturmgeist :: Uber

11th on my best of 2006 list

Miss N. Thrope | Leftcoastfogland | 03/15/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"When Cornelius Jakhelin of Solefald isn't off on his "Icelandic Odyssey", he has been busying himself with this unique side project. The first Sturmgeist album was an exploration into the Neue Deutsche Harte*, and in some ways this second release retains much of that industrial flavor, just with more influence from thrash and black metal. It is definitely the most unusual release in the German style industrial metal genre of 2006.



Everyone would probably agree that metal is a very serious business. Cornelius would probably agree. So I guess for that reason, he needed a side project to get his ya ya's out. Taking political jabs at current events and trends can be a real funny business, and in this case a rather bizarre one, too.



This album has more than one moment that will make you smirk, if not laugh outright. Take for instance the hilarious "Ruger", a ditty about a guy and his friend opening a big ol' can of whoop-thrash on a hip-hop scenester. The song is complete with a snappy chorus done in a traditional death growl as well as industrial compressed '80's dance mix vo-coder effect, and includes a cute "na na na" sing along bridge. Just so long as you can sing your "na na's" with a pure black metal rasp! The last verse finds Cornelius lamenting about the current state of popular music:



"But there are more pages in the Book of Rap

I'm burning for this problem; there is such a pile of crap

That if I lived forever there'd still be more around

The best thing we can do is, fight the scum with sound"



Besides the pervasive "black" style, and the clean German industrial operatic as found on "London", Cornelius impressively employs whatever vocal delivery he needs to get his points (and jokes) delivered. He portrays his characters in different voices, including a very expressive and oddball half growl on fifth track "Iron Hammer" and again on "Unknown Soldier", the most serious song on the disc.



On the whole Uber is a fairly whacky piece of work, and I'll be the first to admit not for everyone. Case in point, the inclusion of the `80's "Falco" dance hit "Rock me Amadeus". As covers go, this one is a fun ride and presented in a classic NDH style. Sung in German, it is the best cover of this song that I have found.



The album spends much time taking aim at social trends and lampooning the political tendencies of certain nation's recent empire building. The album cover itself is a pointed example of such lampooning. I would recommend this to anyone who likes German Industrial and Black metal, even though I fear it might also have both of those groups scratching their heads as well. Sure it's bizarre. I LIKE bizarre!



* Translates roughly as "New German Heavy/Hard" sound. Refers to the recent wave of heavier industrial German metal as exemplified by bands such as Rammstein and Megaherz."