Review Summary: Come, dance with us to the grave!
Feeling B have always maintained this weird cult following since their debut in 1989. Despite being the spiritual predecessors of the Neue Deutsche Härte (NDH) wave of German Heavy Metal, despite having three of its band members go on to found the commercial juggernaut Rammstein, and despite inspiring the music of bands like Rammstein, Emigrate, and Eisbrecher; Feeling B is not talked about nowadays. Critics aren't reminiscing about their game changing mix of Punk Rock and Orchestral Instruments or their weird Medieval style of Rock. It always struck me as odd, because Feeling B were game changers in the field of German Punk Rock. Their third album
Die Maske des Roten Todes (The Mask of the Red Death) was their final album. Released in 1993,
The Mask of the Red Death is inspired by the Edgar Allen Poe shortstory of the same name and is an eclectic collection of Punk Rock, Medieval Dance Music, and Experimental Electronic Rock.
Many of their tracks, like
Rumba, Rumba,
Mystisches Mysterium, and
Rotta use a mixture of Medieval Jive and Rock Music, mixing violins and heavy guitar riffs with an almost seamless efficiency. At no point due the genre's clash or feel jarring. Many of the songs run at incredible speeds, while the guitars will go from heavy to symphonic. One of the biggest benefits is the drumming of Christoph Schneider, who maintains a quick pace for each tone change. Alexander Kriening would usually handle other percussion instruments. Other instruments are used like violins, bagpipes, and synthesizers (albeit very rarely).
In comparison to their first two records,
The Mask of the Red Death is much more ambitious, with each track moving onto the next one with almost no stops or stylistic changes, allowing for the whole album to feel like one giant track. This, combined with it's eclectic rhythm and speed, makes for a crazy listening experience. Tracks like
Rotta, and
Traubentritt make heavy use of violins as organs are also use at certain points, creating this almost macabre fury of insane guitar playing, energetic drumming, and classical instruments. Credit should definitely be given to Paul Landers, who plays the electrical guitar with steadfast energy and pacing. Of course the cream of the crop is Aljosha Rompe, the lead vocalist of Feeling B. Rompe vocalizes the lyrics as if he is either in fear, high, or both. He with shout his lyrics with an almost trance-like rhythm, making for a really heavy atmosphere to go with the tracks.
The Mask of the Red Death is by far one of the weirdest Punk Rock records I have ever listened to. It follows the code of Punk Rock to the letter, but then breaks every one of those rules at the same time. It is beautiful, dreadful, enigmatic, melancholy, jolly, and macabre. A clashing of elements that shouldn't work, but do. By far one of the best records of the German Punk Rock scene, from a band that would often be imitated, but never duplicated.
