RAZZIA

Now here is a strange release : most Grobschnitt albums up to this point have been sure- fire winners, then we get something that sounds like, to my ears anyway, a cold, metallic, goofy New Wave arrangement which hardly resembles anything they had done before. Now that that has been said, it's not entirely a write-off, not at all, in fact Razzia actually has certain charm and I, personally, am glad they tried something radically different. The album opens up with (Wir Wollen Sterben) silly voices and even sillier singing, complete with synth and claptrap and synthetic drums. I'd probably say that the band had lots of fun recording this album. Next track 'Remscheid' has a slightly heavy riff from guitarist Lupo, with boomy drums, simple synth lines and bass and Wildschwein's cool singing, which has been said to be of an acquired taste, and I agree. The lengthy title track has a solid, danceable beat to it, and contains a degree of spaciness, almost ambient toward the end but slightly marred by 'infant bleating'. Side two opens with Der Alte Freund, kind of an offbeat, alternative pop track. Next up, Schweine im Weltall (translates to 'Pigs in Space') is similar to the previous track and quite over-the-top with their brand of humour. The only truly, melodic song here to be found, and quite worthy of radio play, is Poona Express, which is an enjoyable, laid-back track whose sound is a lot 'warmer' than the rest of the album. Album closer 'Wir Wollen Leben' is an anthemic little ditty that rounds things off nicely, if a little on the boring side. 2 stars seems a bit low, 3 may be to high, therefore 2 and 1/2 shall suffice, but I'll back the album up by ticking the 3 star box.