B.O.S.C.H. - Apparat
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I’m quite confident that I’ve heard the name B.O.S.C.H. before, and even more confident that it was not when walking past the Kitchen and Home appliances aisle. Well, even if I did, they couldn’t have made an impression strong enough for me to remember them, which right now I find quite curious, as their latest album is simply great. Not revolutionary, definitely not epic, but still packing enough force to annoy your neighbours with loud listening.
The first track I encountered from ‘Apparat’ (second LP from Germans, the first being ‘Einsam’ from 2010), was ‘Der Erste Stein’, which incorporates almost every aspect present in the music of B.O.S.C.H. and defines what industrial metal Made in Germany means. The heaviness of music, despite its melodic character, leaves you breathless. The sound of guitar work will probably remind most of early Rammstein, however this does not mean it’s a mindless rip off of an already exploited element, but rather a solid foundation for the band’s own creation. Besides, the band does not even deny Rammstein being one of their influences, case closed.
As I was saying, ‘Der Erste Stein’ encapsulates almost everything the album has to offer. Apart from the already mentioned heavy riffing, we have vocals (surprised?), which mix more melodic singing with those more aggressive and harsh, turning out pretty good and, more importantly, distinctive, especially when considering that German metal vocalists tend to sound very similar. It must be something in the air. The drumming, although not jaw dropping is faultless, solid and thick. Combined with a bass which you can actually hear (!) we have a text book rhythm section.
And the electronics! This I’m happy to tell you is far from the piece of crap offered by oh-so-many bands, thanks to whom we later see eyesore names like ‘dance metal’. ‘Apparat’ is no place for such abominations, every piece of electronics on the album is subtle and well-thought, complementing the listening process. Be it a short intro to ‘Gier’ (one of my favorites, by the way) or ‘Schwarze Sonne’, or a matching background in any other tune, the ‘industrial’ part of ‘Apparat’ fits like a hand in a glove. Additionally, there are some instances of female vocals on the LP, which despite its rather small role, contribute to some more dramatic moments on the album (see ‘ Ein Augenblick’).
If there is something which I don’t like with ‘Apparat’ it’s the length. I mentioned a few times before, that I’m not fond of long albums (with the exception of ambient LP’s). ‘Apparat’ has 14 tracks, an average song lasting for 4 minutes, which more or less gives us an hour of music. Now, it not like I’m complaining (much), but one or two tunes less and it would be perfect. What worries me more, is the fact that for some B.O.S.C.H. will be just another band from the Neue Deutsche Härte basket, indistinguishable from bands like Rammstein, Megaherz or Oomph!. Personally, I find ‘Apparat’ much more interesting than what these bands have offered recently (except Oomph!, which I never really liked), and recommend to listen and decide yourselves. It’s worth it.
Tracklist:
1. Der Apparat
2. Der Erste Stein
3. Engel
4. Schwarzer Mann
5. Gier
6. Schwarze Sonne
7. Eiszeit
8. Der Sturm
9. Meine Welt
10. Ein Augenblick
11. Sklaven Des Nichts
12. Amok
13. Die Lästerzungen
14. Treibgut Der Zeit
Other articles:
The first track I encountered from ‘Apparat’ (second LP from Germans, the first being ‘Einsam’ from 2010), was ‘Der Erste Stein’, which incorporates almost every aspect present in the music of B.O.S.C.H. and defines what industrial metal Made in Germany means. The heaviness of music, despite its melodic character, leaves you breathless. The sound of guitar work will probably remind most of early Rammstein, however this does not mean it’s a mindless rip off of an already exploited element, but rather a solid foundation for the band’s own creation. Besides, the band does not even deny Rammstein being one of their influences, case closed.
As I was saying, ‘Der Erste Stein’ encapsulates almost everything the album has to offer. Apart from the already mentioned heavy riffing, we have vocals (surprised?), which mix more melodic singing with those more aggressive and harsh, turning out pretty good and, more importantly, distinctive, especially when considering that German metal vocalists tend to sound very similar. It must be something in the air. The drumming, although not jaw dropping is faultless, solid and thick. Combined with a bass which you can actually hear (!) we have a text book rhythm section.
And the electronics! This I’m happy to tell you is far from the piece of crap offered by oh-so-many bands, thanks to whom we later see eyesore names like ‘dance metal’. ‘Apparat’ is no place for such abominations, every piece of electronics on the album is subtle and well-thought, complementing the listening process. Be it a short intro to ‘Gier’ (one of my favorites, by the way) or ‘Schwarze Sonne’, or a matching background in any other tune, the ‘industrial’ part of ‘Apparat’ fits like a hand in a glove. Additionally, there are some instances of female vocals on the LP, which despite its rather small role, contribute to some more dramatic moments on the album (see ‘ Ein Augenblick’).
If there is something which I don’t like with ‘Apparat’ it’s the length. I mentioned a few times before, that I’m not fond of long albums (with the exception of ambient LP’s). ‘Apparat’ has 14 tracks, an average song lasting for 4 minutes, which more or less gives us an hour of music. Now, it not like I’m complaining (much), but one or two tunes less and it would be perfect. What worries me more, is the fact that for some B.O.S.C.H. will be just another band from the Neue Deutsche Härte basket, indistinguishable from bands like Rammstein, Megaherz or Oomph!. Personally, I find ‘Apparat’ much more interesting than what these bands have offered recently (except Oomph!, which I never really liked), and recommend to listen and decide yourselves. It’s worth it.
Tracklist:
1. Der Apparat
2. Der Erste Stein
3. Engel
4. Schwarzer Mann
5. Gier
6. Schwarze Sonne
7. Eiszeit
8. Der Sturm
9. Meine Welt
10. Ein Augenblick
11. Sklaven Des Nichts
12. Amok
13. Die Lästerzungen
14. Treibgut Der Zeit
Other articles:
- B.O.S.C.H. - Einsam - 2013-12-02 (Music reviews)
