On disc: The Other

 
 New Blood
 
- Claudia Ehrhardt -
 
 


 
 The Devils You Know
 
- Claudia Ehrhardt -
 
 

The Devils You Know

(SPV - 2012)



 
 

 

The horror punk rock band The Other was founded in 2002 and they 10th anniversary they celebrate with their 5th studio album The Devils You Know.



The intro is called The Devils You Know and an atmospheric way to lead you into the album. With My Home Is My Casket they present the first song and it reminds me quite a bit of Danzig... Misfits. Singer Rod Usher is heavily influenced by Glenn Danzig. For Take You Down they speed up and add some catchiness, the punk rock feel it still there, but the chorus is too polished for punk rock... They are crossing sonic borders. Dr. Caligari's drumming makes Skeletons In The Closet special, but the backing vocals are too poppy... Gang shouts would have give this one an edge. The single Puppet On A String is a mid-paced tune with a memorable melody, exactly what a single should be. Personally I think it's too polished, but that's just me.



One of my favorites is Phantom Of The Opera, even if I still think it should be a bit rawer... Or more atmospheric. The fast Fire From Outer Space is more my cup of tea, but the chorus could have been taken from a power metal album! The guitar on Hell Is A Place On Earth is hooking me up and the distorted vocals make it stick out. They embedded a mid-tempo passage where Rod Usher sounds a lot like Glenn Danzig...  Actually the up-tempo stuff is more punk rock them the mid-paced tunes.



They close this album with a song with German lyrics! Ewigkeit (=eternity) kicks off with a bombastic sound and then the lyrics set in... It's quite a surprise and at somehow I have to think of Unheilig... It's a balladesque rocker with an symphonic edge, perhaps it's this sound mix which make me think of Unheilig... Then they speed up a bit and musically it's closer to Lingua Mortis... The song is well done, but I'm not sure what to think about this bombastic tune, it shows a different facet that's for sure. If their fans will appreciate it, only time will tell... Perhaps it's an indicator that The Other try to get away from their main influences... As it's the closer, you can always stop before this one, in case you dislike it. Or you give it a few spins and learn to love it. Anyway, The Other deliver a good album which their fans shall enjoy a lot.

 
 










Claudia Ehrhardt


  
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New Blood

(Fiend Force Records - 2010)



 
 

 

New Blood is the 4th album of the German horror punk rockers The Other. Their new album was ennobled by Waldemar Sorychta who is known for his work with e.g. Lacuna Coil and Therion.



They kick off with the title track, a very atmospheric intro which could have been taken from an old horror movie... With Back To The Cemetery their horror trip begins. First slowly, then they speed up into a hymnic heavy punk rock tune incl. a dash of The Ramones. Rod Usher's vocals fit well to the genre mix; he partly reminds me of Glenn Danzig... And musically there are similarities to Misfits, too. For Transylvania they ease up a bit, but the song also offers heavy riffs and a catchy refrain. The fast Ghost Ride To Hell will hook you up immediately. With Hier kommt die Dunkelheit is the only song with German lyrics, a bit melancholy first, then they speed up and the songs atmosphere changes... Almost happy they sound. Very heavy and fast they storm off with The Burial. A real metal track spiced up with some punk elements. After Castle Rock bassist Migore Drake slowly leads you into The Lovesick Mind which has a gothic touch... More The 69 Eyes then Misfits. Talk To The Dead is another ear catcher and also more gothic metal then horror punk, but so the album is very entertaining. With Blood Runs Cold the fast punk rock is back! While In League With The Devil is a riff-based metal tune, dark and a bit Danzig-like due to the vocals. Time to speed up again! Demons Walk The Earth is another punk rock song which cites The Ramones and Misfits. The fast We All Bleed Red is the closer, an up-tempo gothic metal tune with a memorable vocal line.



The album is about 45 minutes long and quite entertaining, coz the foursome is mixing different genres / influences. Listen to New Blood to cut short the time til they hit the stage!
 
 










Claudia Ehrhardt


  
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