The German Craving is completely new to me. This means listening unbiased, checking the band through the biography and the internet. And then it quickly becomes clear that Call Of The Sirens is not an album that was put together on a rainy Wednesday afternoon while knitting a pair of socks. No, the music, lyrics and artwork have been well thought out.
To start with the first: in opener Mich packt die Wut, the well-thought-out riffs are striking, which may be brutal but also contain melody. This is then expertly hammered tight shut by the drums of Wanja “Nechtan” Gröger. He is lightning fast with his feet and reportedly holds a world record: producing a blast beat of 250 bpm for twenty minutes. You don’t do that after three drum lessons at the local music school… Admittedly: the drums have clearly been computerized and triggers must have been involved. Who cares, they provide an extra dimension to Craving‘s music.
The texts also provide an extra dimension. As can be seen from the tracklist, these Germans do not limit themselves to the use of their native language, because they also growl in English, Russian and Ukrainian. Although they are not always clearly audible, it is a great achievement.
Moreover, the use of acoustic guitars is not avoided. This is nicely displayed in Death March. This song stands out positively in several respects. For example, it contains female vocals that have been dubbed several times in the studio, imitating the effect of a complete choir. This feat is also displayed in Blood Ov Franconia and it becomes clear that Craving manages to score on several fronts. And we’re only just over half way through the album.
Finally, the artwork: this refers to the Greek myth of the sirens in which these semi-goddesses cause misfortune to men through song and erotic sounds. The artwork depicts a siren trying to stop a man who is bravely plodding along, thus symbolizing the current state of the world and its moral decay. Furthermore, subtle references to the various songs from Call Of The Sirens can be found in the details of the artwork. A nice picture puzzle to keep you occupied while listening.
With this album, the fourth in his catalogue, Craving delivers a more than good album and therefore more than deserves a place on the margins of the underground. It is typically an album that grows with every listen and will withstand the test of time, mark my words!
Score:
90/100
Label:
Massacre Records, 2023
Tracklisting:
- Mich packt die Wut
- Call Of The Sirens
- Death March
- Maiden Of The Sun (Дева солнца II)
- Blood Ov Franconia
- God’s Don’t Negotiate
- Prayer For The Rain
- Star By Star
- El Diablo (Elena Tsagrinou cover)
- Shum (Go_A cover)
Line-up:
- Ivan Chertov – Zang, gitaar
- Jonas Papmeier – gitaar
- Leonid Rubinstein – Basgitaar
- Wanja “Nechtan” Gröger – Drums
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