Hanzel Und Gretyl Über Alles
Metropolis Records MET279 20th May 2003
By Russell Garwood
Hanzel Und Gretyl are a New York-based duo with a quirky sense of humour and some extremely catchy industrial/dance metal tunes under their belt. Acts such as Rammstein, Marilyn Manson and Ministry have clearly influenced the pairs sound, and their originality is not of the highest order. Nevertheless, the music is well-written, memorable and hugely energetic, taking the immediacy of dance, intensity of metal and abrasive electronics of industrial and making an entertaining, enjoyable album.
Hanzel Und Gretyl are, it conspires, Loopy who is responsible for "pressing buttons, metal riffs and detached vocals" and Vas Kallas "soprano, tenor and baritone screaming, ignorant guitars, and pressing buttons Loopy forgot to press". Throughout the course of "Über Alles", songs range in mood from the dance-floor fun of an unforgettable "SS Deathstar Supergalactik", through the dramatic operatics and noise of "Overture", to the melancholic, endless melodies and subtle scratching of "Aufweidersehen".
These different moods are all united by the bands sense of humour at least I assume were not supposed to take titles like "Third Reich From The Sun" straight-faced, and any band that calls their followers "Huggies" in all seriousness is in for a nasty shock. Overall "Über Alles" is a very entertaining and rather enjoyable listening experience, that may well be met with some animosity from purist extreme metal fans. For those not so worried about being "true", however, I recommend Hanzel Und Gretyl as light relief from bands that take themselves seriously. Not to forget the music is actually pretty damn good
Metropolis Records MET279 20th May 2003
By Russell Garwood
Hanzel Und Gretyl are a New York-based duo with a quirky sense of humour and some extremely catchy industrial/dance metal tunes under their belt. Acts such as Rammstein, Marilyn Manson and Ministry have clearly influenced the pairs sound, and their originality is not of the highest order. Nevertheless, the music is well-written, memorable and hugely energetic, taking the immediacy of dance, intensity of metal and abrasive electronics of industrial and making an entertaining, enjoyable album.
Hanzel Und Gretyl are, it conspires, Loopy who is responsible for "pressing buttons, metal riffs and detached vocals" and Vas Kallas "soprano, tenor and baritone screaming, ignorant guitars, and pressing buttons Loopy forgot to press". Throughout the course of "Über Alles", songs range in mood from the dance-floor fun of an unforgettable "SS Deathstar Supergalactik", through the dramatic operatics and noise of "Overture", to the melancholic, endless melodies and subtle scratching of "Aufweidersehen".
These different moods are all united by the bands sense of humour at least I assume were not supposed to take titles like "Third Reich From The Sun" straight-faced, and any band that calls their followers "Huggies" in all seriousness is in for a nasty shock. Overall "Über Alles" is a very entertaining and rather enjoyable listening experience, that may well be met with some animosity from purist extreme metal fans. For those not so worried about being "true", however, I recommend Hanzel Und Gretyl as light relief from bands that take themselves seriously. Not to forget the music is actually pretty damn good
