Review Summary: Superbly done industrial-metal that only fails due to overly simple, if brief, English lyrics.
Hanzel und Gretyl have changed their sound drastically since their inception in 1993. The first two studio albums were praised for their techo-industrial sound and even netted the group tours with Marilyn Manson and Rammstein. The group was not about to be pinned down however, 2003 saw the release of the groups third album
Über Alles and a departure from their softer sound; Hanzel und Gretyl delved into industrial-metal.
The vocals of Hanzel und Gretyl are almost completely in German, though not as guttural as Till Lindemann's (Rammstein) they feature a more harsh edge that fits this style of music perfectly. Both Kaizer Von Loopy and Vas Kallas are responsible for the vocals, and while one could try to pinpoint who is doing what it is overly hard and pointless; the sound of Hanzel und Gretyl survives on the driving guitars and Germanic singing that these two dish out with gusto.
Once “Overture” begins it becomes clear that the band went for a far grander scale with this release. A low key female drone begins the song, varying slightly in pitch to give the sound a horror film element. After half a minute goes by an orchestra begins to overlay the drone, and while the percussion begins a high female voice starts to hold notes above both the orchestra and the drone. Suddenly the listener is assaulted by the sound of a bomb dropping, and with that the World War II samples of Germanic chanting and speeches takes center stage. As the track draws to a close the high female voice accompanied by a piano begins only to suddenly fade into the sound of a warning siren. The effect created from this track is one of sinister beauty, something that glories in the morbid darkness of itself.
While the use of only Germanic vocals can grate on the nerves of some listeners
Über Alles refrains from becoming annoying, in a 13 track album entirely dominated by its heavy use of guitars this is a true godsend. The four slower tracks are spaced throughout the album; “Mach Schnell,” the aptly named “Intermission,” “Transplutonian Annihilation,” and "Aufweidersehen" all bring things down to a somewhat normal level, and while these brief respites are a nice addition the band never forgets that they excel at making hard hitting tracks. “SS Deathstar Supergalactik” features the albums first English lyrics, though they are weak lyrically. The song in undeniably fun however and receives its fair share of club playtime even if “Let The Planets Burn” is far superior.
The stellar track from
Über Alles is actually one of its shortest, “11:11” is unlike any other track on the album. Harsh whispers in English, inhaled screams, shrieks ending in the higher octaves, variety is the name of the game. Opening with softer (in comparison to the rest of the album), fast repeating guitar chords “11:11” piques the listeners attention. A high pitched electronic whine starts to jump from speaker to speaker and with this eerie backdrop the lines “after the end/we still remain/as one forever/ to the stars again” begin, soon joined by the aforementioned shriek. The guitars pick up pace, the vocals drop lower, the inhaled screams begin, and the words “eleven... eleven...eleven...eleven” are spit out at a slow, even tone. Ending with a sound comparable to that of heavy breathing or a large pendulum being swung slowly through the air, “11:11” brings back the sinister vibe of “Overture” and throws what the listener has gone through in the previous eight tracks into the mix.
Über Alles is something not everyone can handle; the mix of American and German vocals, the WWII samples, and the darker tone will lead some to be put off by this album. For those who have no issue with any of that
Über Alles is a superb offering of industrial-metal, the only downside being the overly simple English lyrics. This New York group clearly was not afraid of offending fans and going in a new direction with their third album, and it is a move that worked brilliantly for them.
