Customer Reviews

Cannibal Anthem

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Wumpscut has always been hit and miss. Cannibal Anthem marks Wumpscuts return to a darker, heavier sound like that of Embryodead and Bunker-Gate 7. It is not without a lot of melody though. I didn't like Evoke or Bonepeeler cause they seemed so uninspired and boring. Rudy's vocals on Evoke were awful, he just whispered. Plus, he has never really been good at picking a decent female vocalist to sing on his albums, because Evoke suffered from cheesy female vocals. Cannibal Anthem has two songs with female singers, but they are actually very good, the wonderful Yendri sings on here. There is guitar as well, which is new to Wumpscut. The artwork is also WAY crazy as hell, especially inside the booklet. Has to be seen! It rivals even Embryodead's artwork. However, it is not without its bad spots. It still isnt anything new or amazing. The sentence, "the intensity of this record can hardly be contained," is too much of a pretentious statement for this album. This is traditional Wumpscut doing what Wumpscut does best: makes scary sounding German EBM. At this point in Rudy's career, you can't really ask for too much more. No need to to a song-by-song run because you already know what it sounds like! Definitley get this if you liked Embryodead, Bunker Gate 7, Music For A Slaughtering Tribe, or Wreath Of Barbs. But whatever you do, avoid Bonepeeler and Evoke because they are mega boring compared to the other albums mentioned. Thats the best way I can sum it up. This album is for Wumpscut fans.

If any of you are reading these reviews, it is highly likely: a) you are new to the :W: sounds and are curious or
b) you are a scorned fan wondering if you should even bother with this newest offering, after what went wrong with Evoke, Bone Peeler, and (gasp) yes even Wreath of Barbs!

The good news is, as goofy sounding as the album title is, Cannibal Anthem is a return to form. Disturbing imagery, harsh and distorted vocals in German (and not some made up language!), and even a guitar is thrown into the mix.

After the intro track, "Wir Warten" kicks things into gear with a melody not quite unlike one would expect from a bunch of tribal headhunters, had they the means to grab a bunch of synthesizers and start spouting German lyrics. From there, Die Liebe kicks in, not a bad track, but one that reminds me sort of a "Save Screen" background music a la a Resident Evil video game or something.

The juicy parts of this CD begin with "Jesus Antichristus". I do not know necessarily what the song is about, but Rudy Ratzinger has not sung this angry and convincing since the track "Embryodead" almost 10 year ago!

From there "Cannibal Anthem", "Auf der Jagd", "Pass auf", and "Jetzt", carry the flow of the cd, much like one or 2 song score, though they are indeed individual pieces.

The gems of this cd are saved for last. Personal fave "Ohne Dich" has a nice Winona Ryder (Dracula) sample permeating throughout the song. Think "Hate Is Mine" from WOB, but more upbeat and ethereal. "Hunger" is the first :W: track since "Sag Es Jetzt(Tell Me Now)" that has female vocals ADDING to the track instead of detracting. And finally, album closer "Recht vor Gnade", while not a stomper, is still better than anything you found on Evoke (and possibly Bone Peeler).

As you can see, I'm a long time fan, and really excited about this release since purchasing it several days ago. Owning all of :W:'s works at one time or another, I would put this release between "Eevil Young Flesh" and "Wreath of Barbs" in terms of overall quality. Only reason this doesn't get a 5 is that it's too short! Alas, I'd rather have that, than a 70 min cd of crud.

Here's hoping Rudy keeps it coming!

After Evoke I didnt think much about a new :W: cd I thought iy was all down hill form there, while I'm not saying I didnt like Evoke it just wasn't :W:, sure some of the beats were heavy and harsh(Churist Churist) but over all it was just a bunch of love songs(Dont Leave). But I guess he just needed to get love out of him because ever since Your Last Salute came Evoke, and I already went through that.
So that leaves us with CAnnibal Anthem I figured I thought it was going to be in the Evoke vein because of the single 'Die Liebe' but its not. The first song sets the mood for this album this some dark elektro/industrial and harsh too. Imagine Embyodead but darker and without the whole concept that it had. As for 'Die Liebe'...I dont understand German all that good but I do know it says Ich Liebe dich which is I love you but musically its not all that lovey. There is one song with female vocals but instead of being for melodic purposes I think its just for atmosphere maybe. A new thing that I know of os that on one track there is guitars(!) but it doenst make much of a difference it jsut makes the song more organic. A GREAT BUY

Though I have a lot of respect for Wumpscut, I've always found them to be rather hit or miss for me. This album is by FAR the best of that artist that I own or have ever listened to, and has quickly catapulted itself into my 'favorite albums of all time' list.

There is not one track that fails to keep the fluidity and mood of the album as a whole, without losing distinctiveness or strength. Its a glorious mix of great industrial beats, dark vocals as well as haunting, hypnotic female vocals and sounds. And it really grows on you the more you listen to it. There is also a sincerity in the music, completely lacking the pretentiousness that I've come across in some of the other Wumpscut works (not that I don't mind a little pretentiousness on occasion :).

Although every track is good, the ones that stand out to me in particular are: "Cannibal Anthem" (now one of my 'all time favorite songs'), "Jesus Antichristus," and "Ohne Dich."... Though I could easily list them all.

If you are someone who has been disillusioned by a less than impressive Wumpscut album in the past, this is definitely the one to give them another chance with. This is a must have whether you want something you can dance to or listen to alone.

I bought this cd because I was surprised to see it in a cd store. I had heard bits and pieces from Wumpscut, and I had liked what I heard, but I never went after him. And when I saw the cd is the store, I grabbed it. But then I left it sit unopened for several months. I loaded it into a friend's MP3 and I still never listened to it. This past week I accidentally played in in my MP3, which had been loaded with it for several weeks. What a recording! I am kicking myself for not checking this cd out sooner! And this time, the female vocals work!

rudy goes back to some great sounds, more intense beats and classic vocals from the earlier days....finally...but, i didnt mind evoke, and i thought bone peeler was decent...there was never a wumpscut album i didnt like, each album has its own setting and story to tell, thats how Rudy V gets it done, he can change and make an of the wall album only to come back to the roots of what has defined him as the great artist that he is, a definate buy in my book!

When :Wumpscut walks away from their Gemran lyrics, their albums are really hit and miss. That can really be seen in the two albums before this one, and it shows in other albums that have great songs mingling with subpar songs. In Cannibal Anthem, Rudy opts to return to the basics, delivering beats that say :Wumpscut and lyrics that seem to imply more than their English counterparts. The results - something you want to listen to time and again.

When it comes to this album, i have a few favorite songs but the album really works for me as a whole. That really says something because some of the albums have bumps in the roads that are really hard to overcome. Even some of the newest stuff that I have grown to love is like that - basically it is hard to find an album that you really want to listen to.

If you are new to the band, you might want to stick with something that interests you musically. By this I mean that you might want to see what technology is available at the time and stick with that. Otherwise you might end up with an album that was great at the time but that is really outdated. Regardless, this album is years out of the gate and is still good, making it a good platform to judge the band. I like it alot and think it merits a rounded up 5 stars.

it's about time that :wumpscut: released an album with completely german lyrics. the language's brutal style often conflicts with the beauty of the music and sometimes fits perfectly with the harder aspects of this album, as a long time :wumpscut: fan i chalk this up among my favorite albums. if you odn't own it, you need to.

I am so impressed with this album.I think it's one of the best Wumpscut albums yet made. At first I was kind of bummed out that all of the lyrics are in german on this album, but after listening to the whole thing from start to finish while driving around in my car, wow!! This CD is damm near addictive it's so good. Great industrial/EBM music that nearly ever "terror" band is trying to sound like...so why not start with the originator? If your allready a :W: fan than your naked without this album...it's essential to the :W: discography.

:Wumpscut: has always been a group for me that has been quite hard to get into as I've started off with listening to their Evoke and Wreath Of Barbs CD's, which I was told to not start with and was recommended to start with something more bold like Bunker Gate Seven (a lot of it seemed uninspiring). I never they put out Cannibal Anthem until I was browsing Metropolis Records. This is the way :Wumpscut: should always sound in this one. Songs like Die Liebe and Wir Warten are good solid tunes that would make for screaming singles (Die Liebe is one already I believe). Jesus Antichristus and Auf Der Jagd were some other good solid tunes with chillingly motivating beats and tearing vocals to drive you passed insanity into the realms of type of world war (much like Terrorfakt in a sense). Keep it coming :Wumpscut: