Review Summary: En Esch's second solo outing can't help but feel like less than the sum of its parts.
Nicklaus Schandelmaier, more commonly known as En Esch, is an industrial rock musician hailing from Germany. For many years he was in the phenomenal band KMFDM (Kein Mehrheit Für Die Mitleid), sharing songwriting duties with Sascha “Käpt'n K” Konietzko. Like many famous musical partnerships, their volatile relationship actually resulted in some great music. Just about everything from 1988's outlandish Don't Blow Your Top through to the lush electronics of 1997's Symbols deserves a place in your iTunes.
KMFDM's sound was unmistakable: heavy beats, fiery riffs, self-referential lyrics, and stunning pop vocals. En Esch brought to the table a sense of camp absurdity. With Sascha's focus and slightly sinister edge, the pair were a creative powerhouse. It is no surprise, then, that they sound incomplete without each other. The KMFDM albums following En Esch's 1999 departure sorely miss En Esch's flamboyance. Similarly, En Esch's solo records have all of his charisma, but lack the vigour and production values of a KMFDM release.
Having said that, I've had a lot of fun with En Esch's work outside of KMFDM. His first solo record, the appropriately-named Cheesy, was a eurotrash tour de force, held together by En Esch's Dionysian persona. His other band Slick Idiot has also released two albums of dance-metal weirdness – their cover of Hot Chocolate's 'Every 1's a Winner' is well worth a listen. My only qualm with Slick Idiot is that in that band, En Esch eschews some of his eccentricity in favour of a heavier sound.
Though I would have liked this new solo album to continue stylistically where Cheesy left off, Spänk in reality sounds a lot more like Slick Idiot. Things get off to a villainous start with '12345', a song of insistent synth rhythm and seething guitars. Throw in Esch's gravelly vocals, and you've got an undeniably kick-ass song. The next two songs, 'Give The People What They Want' and album highlight 'Hard On', improve on this formula. The glorious backing vocals on those tracks lend them a rich, widescreen quality.
My enthusiasm for the album begins to dwindle, however, as I progress further through its fourteen tracks. It is a strange criticism to have for an En Esch album, but Spänk's biggest problem is its lack of variety. Almost every song, regardless of how catchy or hard-hitting it is, plays out similarly to the one before it. Chugging guitars, high-stakes synthesizers and En Esch's guttural voice can be found anywhere and everywhere. The same could be said of Slick Idiot's music, but at least their songs have distinctive personalities. Two thirds of the songs on Spänk have the same dark, aggressive temperament.
As I've already said, some of the individual songs on Spänk are great. 'Hard On' has quickly become one of my favourite En Esch tracks, and the effervescent 'This Party Ain't Over' feels like the deranged goth cousin of Taylor Swift's 'Shake It Off.' It is possible that with repeated listens, subtle differences between these songs will become apparent. As it currently stands, there is a homogeneity to Spänk that makes it feel like less than the sum of its parts.
