By Chyrisse Tabone, Rock At Night Tampa Correspondent
Album review: Stahlmann’s Bastard—July 7, 2017 (USA) AFM Records
Back in the 1990s I definitely was into the goth/industrial dance scene. In fact, the scene in Tampa was so “famous” that SNL (with Chris Kattan and Molly Shannon) created a few skits poking fun at it. The Castle was the place to be and is still alive and well in 2017.
Well, I was thrilled to have discovered Stahlmann, a German industrial/electro dance/metal band which reawakened my love for the genre. Often compared to Rammstein (another fav’) they often perform wearing silver face make-up and spooky silver skeletal masks. I believe the comparison is likely due to Mart Soer’s deep, whispering, hoarse voice. Stahlmann released the first single from Bastard “Bastard/Nichts Spricht Wahre Liebe Frei” along with two videos which can give you a taste of the album—dark, gloomy, goth-like industrial music full of keyboard/synth riffs, driving drum beats, and rhythmic metal guitars that make you want to don dark eye liner, black clothes, and head out to the nearest Goth club. I have played the CD a bunch of times around the house and each time I like it more and more. The engineering of the CD is perfectly balanced with vocals, bass, guitars, and percussion. I have visions of stark industrial buildings with smoke stacks, grinding clock gears, an East Berlin Stasi prison I visited a few years ago, and scenes from Metropolis. Dark, growling, yet grooving…
Since I do not understand German I am basing my opinion on the actual music—the sound and how it makes me feel. Some of the stand-out songs are “Leitwof” which has a driving beat, symphonic riffs, and the distinctive determined, dark, hoarse voice of Soer. “Judas” has Moog-like synths and more of a hard, metal sound which changes pace within the song for great dramatic effect. In fact, I noticed this with a lot of the songs, it’s almost like a bass drop. “Bastard” is definitely dance metal full of synths, electric guitar, and a bad ass chorus. The song “Nichts Spricht Wahre Liebe Frei” starts with a classical music or “Proggy” sound with full string accompaniment and may be deemed a “romantic” ballad (as romantic as industrial can get, that is). “Alptraum” is another “romantic” song with a slow, catchy, almost pretty melody. “Wachter” has a very dark sound full of heavy metal riffs and would be great in the soundtrack for a modern vampire film. Another one of my favorite tunes is “Supernova” with its very cool, full-sounding synth riff and sexy beat.
Overall, Bastard is one of my new favs’ this year and is a must hear for every fan of industrial, Goth, and symphonic metal. Honestly, this album is going to stay in my play list for some time.
Band Members:
Mart Soer-Vocals; AblaZ-bass; Frank Herzig-guitar; Max Thiele-drums
Track List:
- Leitwolf
- Judas
- Bastard
- Nichts Spricht Wahre Liebe Frei
- Wächter
- Von Glut Zu Asche
- Alptraum
- Dein Gott
- Schwarz Und Weiss
- Supernova
I grew up in a household full of rock music, studied journalism in college, and then became a scientist.Although my science career has served me well, music has always played a major role in my life. I grew up reading "Creem" magazine; I play several musical instruments as a "hobby";and it seems a camera has always been in my hand. Now, I am combining what I love the most--music and photography--serving as editor of Rock At Night. I travel between the US and UK seeking my dream! My motto: life is short...no regrets. Chyrisse
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