Die Apokalyptischen Reiter Have a Nice Trip
Nuclear Blast, 2003
The Eastern German formation, which was brought together in 1995, became known worldwide as The Riders of the Apocalypse. Their newest craze, an LP called Have a Nice Trip, has just been released. Those who havent been lucky enough to meet them yet may not understand my use of the word craze. But those who have already heard them know that these guys have come out with something very unusual again, even if we have long got used to their stuff, so, after all, its not surprising by Reiter-standards. Anyway, theyve proved once more that the word impossible is missing from their dictionary.
Those who put on the 2003 record of the Riders can participate in a 55-minute long swirling, timeless madness that eventually returns to where it has come from. Its as if we randomly took the rides on the different machines of a weird amusement park. The LP is a real shock indeed. You can find everything here thrown together in a strange mess. I could start listing the elements with the death and black features or the heavy or rock themes, if I wanted to approach the LP from the angle of metal. Then I could go on with the influences suggesting the folk line of In Extremo or Skyclad, the symphonic instances, the simple pop music parts, the rhythms that are sometimes as uncomplicated as getting close to punk, or the occasional Rammstein-effects, while the acoustic parts and the organ remind me of the 70s.
First of all, Id like to call attention to the flamenco-like Baila Conmígo(Dance with Me), which is simply terrific. The sad tunes of the trumpet make the emotions of the song vibrate with passion, which becomes even more emphatic with the characteristic guitar sound and the Spanish lyrics. If you get the feeling of this song even if its not the craziest of the tracks , youll easily digest the rest. Besides the diversity of the album, some may also find the German lyrics a bit distracting; however, its only a prejudice, as we are too much used to English. Still, I myself like it when bands sing in their own language, simply because, on the one hand, everybody is more versatile and expressive in their native tongue, on the other hand, an unusual language may add an exotic touch to the music. What the fans of the band might still miss here is the death and black vocals, as these are hardly present on the album, having been exchanged by Fuchss clear singing. Its up to you to decide if its an advantage or a disadvantage to the songs.
Have a Nice Trip starts with a pleasant death-blast in the opening Vier Reiter stehen bereit, but this one also slows down and becomes melodic with the piano and the catchy chorus, which makes you sing along even when you listen to the song for the first time. The death and melodic parts then go alternating until the end of the song. Just like Baila Conmígo, this track also belongs to the best moments of the album. The second song, Warum proceeds in a similar groove with a killing chorus and double bass drums, as well as the slowed-down parts familiar from the first track. The third song, Sensucht is written in a kind of mood characteristic of In Extremo, although the title and the music rather recall Rammstein, similarly to the track Terra Nola. We Will Never Die makes you feel brave and enthusiastic with its heavy metal themes, which are skillfully combined with the piano tunes. There are some more common and easily definable songs on the album as well, which may be called usual, apart from one or two special parts appearing in them here and there. And there are the great whirling songs full of splendid ideas that have made the band famous and infamous at the same time. Unfortunately, there are also some filler songs on this 55-minute, 14-track album (with the bonus track) without which Have a Nice Trip would have become much more noteworthy. Even worse, the bonus track is a Manowar cover why did they need it at all?
What makes Die Apokalyptischen Reiter really unique is the ignorance and transgression of categories. I wouldnt say theyre musical geniuses who have renewed the whole scene, since the album lacks both complexity and unbelievable runs. However, theyre following the right path as far as abstract musical composition is concerned, though theyre not yet abstract enough to be called avant-garde. Geniuses or madmen, or simply taking the listeners for fools? You can decide for yourself. I recommend this LP to those who are not frightened off by a little bit of craziness, and who dont mind if theres no clearly defined musical line on an album, but theres an absolute mixture of styles instead. This is what the cover art also prepares you for.
1. Vier Reiter stehen bereit
2. Komm
3. We Will Never Die
4. Ride On
5. Warum?
6. Baila Conmígo
7. Sehnsucht
8. Du kleiner Wicht
9. Terra Nola
10. Fatima
11. Das Paradies
12. Wo die Geister ganz still sterben
13. Seid Willkommen
14. Master Of The Wind (bonus track)
Official band homepage
Nuclear Blast, 2003
The Eastern German formation, which was brought together in 1995, became known worldwide as The Riders of the Apocalypse. Their newest craze, an LP called Have a Nice Trip, has just been released. Those who havent been lucky enough to meet them yet may not understand my use of the word craze. But those who have already heard them know that these guys have come out with something very unusual again, even if we have long got used to their stuff, so, after all, its not surprising by Reiter-standards. Anyway, theyve proved once more that the word impossible is missing from their dictionary.
Those who put on the 2003 record of the Riders can participate in a 55-minute long swirling, timeless madness that eventually returns to where it has come from. Its as if we randomly took the rides on the different machines of a weird amusement park. The LP is a real shock indeed. You can find everything here thrown together in a strange mess. I could start listing the elements with the death and black features or the heavy or rock themes, if I wanted to approach the LP from the angle of metal. Then I could go on with the influences suggesting the folk line of In Extremo or Skyclad, the symphonic instances, the simple pop music parts, the rhythms that are sometimes as uncomplicated as getting close to punk, or the occasional Rammstein-effects, while the acoustic parts and the organ remind me of the 70s.
First of all, Id like to call attention to the flamenco-like Baila Conmígo(Dance with Me), which is simply terrific. The sad tunes of the trumpet make the emotions of the song vibrate with passion, which becomes even more emphatic with the characteristic guitar sound and the Spanish lyrics. If you get the feeling of this song even if its not the craziest of the tracks , youll easily digest the rest. Besides the diversity of the album, some may also find the German lyrics a bit distracting; however, its only a prejudice, as we are too much used to English. Still, I myself like it when bands sing in their own language, simply because, on the one hand, everybody is more versatile and expressive in their native tongue, on the other hand, an unusual language may add an exotic touch to the music. What the fans of the band might still miss here is the death and black vocals, as these are hardly present on the album, having been exchanged by Fuchss clear singing. Its up to you to decide if its an advantage or a disadvantage to the songs.
Have a Nice Trip starts with a pleasant death-blast in the opening Vier Reiter stehen bereit, but this one also slows down and becomes melodic with the piano and the catchy chorus, which makes you sing along even when you listen to the song for the first time. The death and melodic parts then go alternating until the end of the song. Just like Baila Conmígo, this track also belongs to the best moments of the album. The second song, Warum proceeds in a similar groove with a killing chorus and double bass drums, as well as the slowed-down parts familiar from the first track. The third song, Sensucht is written in a kind of mood characteristic of In Extremo, although the title and the music rather recall Rammstein, similarly to the track Terra Nola. We Will Never Die makes you feel brave and enthusiastic with its heavy metal themes, which are skillfully combined with the piano tunes. There are some more common and easily definable songs on the album as well, which may be called usual, apart from one or two special parts appearing in them here and there. And there are the great whirling songs full of splendid ideas that have made the band famous and infamous at the same time. Unfortunately, there are also some filler songs on this 55-minute, 14-track album (with the bonus track) without which Have a Nice Trip would have become much more noteworthy. Even worse, the bonus track is a Manowar cover why did they need it at all?
What makes Die Apokalyptischen Reiter really unique is the ignorance and transgression of categories. I wouldnt say theyre musical geniuses who have renewed the whole scene, since the album lacks both complexity and unbelievable runs. However, theyre following the right path as far as abstract musical composition is concerned, though theyre not yet abstract enough to be called avant-garde. Geniuses or madmen, or simply taking the listeners for fools? You can decide for yourself. I recommend this LP to those who are not frightened off by a little bit of craziness, and who dont mind if theres no clearly defined musical line on an album, but theres an absolute mixture of styles instead. This is what the cover art also prepares you for.
1. Vier Reiter stehen bereit
2. Komm
3. We Will Never Die
4. Ride On
5. Warum?
6. Baila Conmígo
7. Sehnsucht
8. Du kleiner Wicht
9. Terra Nola
10. Fatima
11. Das Paradies
12. Wo die Geister ganz still sterben
13. Seid Willkommen
14. Master Of The Wind (bonus track)
Official band homepage
