Sad news: The music world mourns the loss of Ray Manzarek (74), founding Member and keyboarder of The Doors, White Zombie drummer Phil Buerstatte (44) and Uriah Heep bassist Trevor Bolder (63). R.I.P.!
German Hardrockers BERSERKER will donate 18.000€ to the Berlin cancer charity for children on May 25. November 2011 BERSERKER front man Schröder was diagnosed with cancer, now he is cancer-free. In 2012 the band collected money for this charity at their concerts and will also continue to do so in the future. Slayer´s Jeff Hanneman is dead: he passed away at about 11AM on May 2nd near his Southern California home because of liver failure due to an infection after a spider bite. R.I.P. Jeff!
The Siberian Jay music video "I´m Holding" featuring Mikko Sirén from Apocalyptica on drums - we reported about the videoshoot in our "1h with" Special - can be watched here: http://youtu.be/C-hSNurZVcs
"Keine Sekunde Schweigen", the title song of the same-named CD by the German duo Schneewittchen, starts thoughtfully rebellious and a little angry, as if a pinch from the former Nina Hagen-punk would meet the cabaret-like sounds of Kurt Weill. A powerful song - once heard it barely gets out of your ear. Like a musical woodcut - pure, hard, reduced to the essentials.
The hardness becomes with "Fürchte dich nicht" more electronic and goes on an exciting balance between EBM, punk, and the German Schlager music - Marianne Iser between hard shouting and singing sweet; paralyzing, arousing attention. Because of the following "Töte mich ganz", the semi-theatrical, rough sung poetry seems to be continuous prescription, but wrong, the next songs lead into a very different musical landscape.
Here we find ourselves in a kind of clear sung "musical", orchestral, melodic, romantic - the provocative truculence of the first songs are replaced by emotional phrases that have been used/misused since the blissful 60s: "I want the next 100 years only with you..." Oh, that´s pretty schmaltzy. Who loves sonorous, beautiful pop music - which is even combined in "Zwischen-den-Welten-Tänzerin" with the Neue Deutsche Welle - can feel very well and softly stroked in entertaining German soft-pop.
"Jenseits von Gut und Böse" is a dance track, but also here the lyrics and music are no longer as explosive as during the exciting start of the album. "Ist das schon alles gewesen?" (Is that already have been everything?) - yes, this is to wonder at the selfsame song which could be suitable for the smooth Sunday afternoon party at the nursing home; harmonious, laconic, melancholic. Fortunately, there´s "The ring on your finger," although the title might suggest at first kitsch, too, and start very tame, but then it foams up and returns the missing voltage. A little chili in the sugar-sweet milk-coffee. Also "Verbissen" bridges the gap between electronic sharpness and colored melodies. "Genialer Augenblick" leads softly out of the product.
This music doesn´t like to get defined to any distinct genre. It falls apart in style and also of the lyrics. The range of expression that might be interesting is, by the soft-pop middle part of the CD so smoothly polished that pieces such as the strong title track either go down or out of place. A pity, because Marianne Iser has a versatile and interesting voice and the entire musical songwriting could develop more exciting aspects.
Tracklist:
1. Keine Sekunde Schweigen
2. Fürchte dich nicht
3. Töte mich ganz
4. Zwischen Bauchnabel und Brust
5. Ja, ich will
6. Du musst an dich glauben
7. Zwischen-den-Welten-Tänzerin
8. Jenseits von Gut und Böse
9. Ist das schon alles gewesen?
10. Der Ring an deinem Finger
11. Wunderbar
12. Verbissen
13. Genialer Augenblick
