Review Summary: Industrial medieval. What could go wrong?
For what it's worth, industrial is a complex beast; so complex in fact, it's hard to really pinpoint the genre entirely. There are just too many styles and influences that make it up. And for that, certain iterations won't always benefit everyone who's a fan of this type of music. But even with that said, nationality also plays a tremendous part of how the music will be perceived. Industrial in particular can really be hit and miss, and this is mainly down to where the music comes from; a band from, say, Sweden might make something highly successful, and will be something their country gets; whereas someone who lives in the country fields of England might not grasp the whole picture. It's just one of those things, and sometimes the translation barrier becomes a problem when it comes to other countries trying it out.
Heimataerde are a German industrial band, that use an array of electronic styles such as aggrotech and dance as influence, mixed with industrial metal guitars. However, what makes them stand apart from most is their schtick, which comes from medieval stage theatrics and an integration of medieval influence to their core sound. As said earlier, Heimataerde are one such band that don't always translate well. Their seventh album,
Aerdenbrand falls into these exact problem. It's not that the album is bad, on the contrary, there is some very interesting ideas at hand, but it has an equal amount of things that just sound a little... cheesy. Their synth work on here for the most part sounds like something from the
Sehnsucht,
Herzeleid Rammstein era, mixed in with medieval melodies. Most of it is interesting and decent to listen to, other times it can sound odd.
But bringing Rammstein up again, the reason the band are a global phenomenon is because they found a way to completely disintegrate the translation barrier; Heimataerde have a little trouble trying to bring that wall down. Problems rise when you get to the likes of their opening track "Ein Flammenmeer", which is a monologue to what is clearly a conceptual theme. But when you can't understand a word they're saying, the result is 3:02 of wasted time, because the music is barely worth mentioning. Adding to the problem, the vocal work on here constantly lacks any decent melodies or hooks, ones that can draw a foreign listener in, and make you avoid the thought you're listening to a band that speaks a different language. But little style choices just don't quite cut it either and can quicky turn a good idea into a bad one. The catchiest track on here, "Hick Hack Hackebeil", has a decent hook but the addition of what sounds like a young kid singing quickly becomes irritating and crumbles any potential. The industrial crunch from the guitars doesn't quite meld in with the medieval aesthetic either, or the beautiful ambiance caused by the synths is distracted by an out of place guitar chug, which jars what could have been a great track.
It's not a terrible album, the likes of "Aerdenbrand", "Veritas Domini" and "Und wenn ich sag" bring enough instrumental melody to hold interest. And the album as a whole consistently brings enough of this to warrant interest for anyone who likes industrial or, indeed, anyone looking for something with a unique touch. The overall package knocks heads a lot of the time, but it is a listen decent enough to pass 45 minutes if you have it spare.
Decent.
Editions: MP3, C̶D̶, 2̶C̶D̶/̶D̶V̶D̶
Packaging: N/A
Special Edition: The deluxe contains more tracks and a first time live show DVD of the band playing.
