REVIEWS

Hanzel und Gretyl
Scheissmessiah

These German-shouting American headbangers are ready to burn with an album full of fire, fire, fire!!!

For those of you who thought Metropolis Records could not release anything other than synthpop and futurepop, have no fear. Hanzel und Gretyl are here to tear things up, keep the label from going soft and to keep the fires of the industrial scene burning. Of course, fire seems to be the big theme on their latest release, Scheissmessiah. With songs like "Fikk Dich Mit Fire," "Disko Fire Scheiss Messiah," "Blut! Sex! Fire!," "Burning Bush," and "Scheissway to Hell," one gets the sense that the band just might have an unhealthy fixation with pyromania (and those are just the songs with fire in the titles; never mind that every song seems to have some sort of fire reference in the lyrics).

The music is heavy and obnoxious. The lyrics are vulgar and unassuming, just burning with hardcore sexual energy and aggression. The guitars are loud, the rhythms pounding, the vocals gritty and screaming everything listeners have come to expect from Hanzel und Gretyl. The album starts off calmly with "Lust," an instrumental track that would sound like something out of the Lord of the Rings soundtrack if not for the hilarious preacher samples. The calm doesn't last long, for once the hammering power chords of "Fikk Dich Mit Fire" kick in, the volume doesn't let up for a second. "Kaiser Von Shizer" makes effective and humorous use of Wagner samples, while Vas Kallas' vocals just ooze with erotic force on "Blut! Sex! Fire!" Just what "Burning Bush" is about is not really up for debate; with the lyrics consisting primarily of "burn that muthafucka," it doesn't matter whether it's a political statement or not. It's a straightforward hate song. The wah-guitar solo that exits the song is killer though, proving that solos need not be the lost art that they've become in modern music. "Sheissway to Hell" slows the tempo slightly, but it doesn't affect the album's thunder in the slightest. It's still as noisy as every other song here. "Hellalujah" makes for another laughable moment, essentially a heavy metal anti-cover of the famous hymn, even using samples of "Hallelujah" to add to the joke.

The album's closer track, "Purity" returns to the theme of the opener, "Lust." The album ends much as it began; quietly and calmly, although the guitars actually provide something of a melodic counterbalance. Scheissmessiah is an all-around head banger, asking no questions and taking no prisoners. It's a perfect album to annoy your parents, piss off your neighbors, and get your blood pumping and raring to burn (whether that be to burn calories engaging in rough sex or to burn down a few buildings, whatever your fancy may be). You have been warned!