Customer Reviews

Eisbrecher

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Congratulations to EISBRECHER! Their January 26, 2004 release in Germany has now been given a North American release. The CD and CD booklet are identical in content to the German version. The differences in the two releases lie in the packaging and extras included. The North American release comes in a standard jewel case (German release is in a digi-pack). The North American release does NOT included the bonus DVD, nor are there 2 imprinted CDR's included for personal copying (the first 5,000 German released CD's included the 2 imprinted CDR's).

The big bonus to North American music buyers is that you can now get your hands on this CD without having to pay the higher import price.

The music of EISBRECHER should appeal to fans of Rammstein, OOMPH!, Laibach, and of course MEGAHERZ. German Text is delivered with the clarity and crispness of a stiffly starched white shirt, the voice of Alexx Wesselsky is amazingly deep and commanding, and the music of Noel Pix emphasizes reliance on synth and a driving drum/bass back beat with extra guitar riffs added for brief sparkle effect here and there.

I was half-expecting disappointment after purchasing Alexx Wesselsky's follow-up to Megaherz's Herzwerk II, the former album having been such a masterpiece. Mensch, was I wrong...

Eisbrecher combines the heavy metal and solid vocal influences of Megaherz with a pronounced electronica and technocore twist. This created an album that was distinctly different from anything Alexx's old band, Megaherz, created... but it's still something very good that most Megaherz fans will appreciate.

{Track Title (Translation) - Review}

"Polarstern" (North Star) - Spoken vocal track.

"Herz Steht Still" (Heart Stands Still) - Mysterious, heavily techno song with a sweeping chorus. Unfortunately, the chorus consists only of four words ("Mein Herz steht still...").

"Wilkommen Im Nichts" (Welcome to Oblivion) - A very fun, fast paced track.

"Schwarze Witwe" (Black Widow) - Archetypal Euro-techno-pop song, with an Alexx twist. Pretty good. There's a video for this song on Eisbrecher's web site.

"Ruhe" (Silence) - An über-creepy instrumental track, featuring a piano.

"Angst?" (Afraid?) - Track with a very strong beat, but little melody.

"Fanatica" - Catchy dance floor track, intended for and only for the dance floor. Alexx sings in English on the chorus along with a female backup vocalist.

"Taub-Stumm-Blind" (Deaf-Mute-Blind) - Like "Angst?", a song with a catchy beat but little melody.

"Dornentanz" (Thorn Dance) - Techno-heavy track with foreboding string chords. Alexx's vocal talent comes out more in this song.

"Hoffnung" (Hope) - This creepy instrumental makes "Ruhe" pale in comparison, in terms of creepiness. Imagine driving down an abandoned desert road while listening to this one.

"Eisbrecher" (Icebreaker) - The title track for both the album and the band, it shows up on my personal music player as Eisbrecher - Eisbrecher - Eisbrecher... I call it Eisbrecher-cubed. This is one of the best tracks on the album; we get to see the full range of Alexx's vocal talent, as well as some great headbanging beats and a catchy melody.

"Frage" (Question) - In my opinion, the best track on the album. A haunting power ballad, the song goes slow and melodic, but hard nonetheless. If you were a fan of Megaherz's "5. März", "Frage" is not to be missed.

"Zeichen Der Venus" (Sign of Venus) - A relaxing, smooth techno track with a harder chorus. Again, we see the vocal talent.

"Mein Blut" (My Blood) - An eerie track featuring a Latin chorus. Relaxing and creepy at the same time.

"Sakrileg 11" (Sacrilege 11) - Yet a third beat-heavy, melody-poor track.

Amazing CD. Alexx and Noel of Megaherz fame head up this new band. The tracks are very enticing and rhythmic. Came across this band after discussing new, upcoming German artists with fellow Rammstein fans.

Tracks
1. Polarstern: Very interesting track in which Alexx speaks three different languages: Russian, French, and German... Very interesting. Very electronic feel and mysterious. 5/5

2. Herz steht still: Very creepy, dark introduction. Very very dark sounding song but Alexx commands with his constant changing voice. Low to high provides great captivation. Nice drumming on this track. 4/5

3. Willkommen im Nichts: More mainstream sort of feeling with this song. Alexx's voice is relatively mellow compared to some of his low performances on the CD. Great guitars. 4/5

4. Schwarze Witwe: My favourite song. The video for this song is quite amusing and can be viewed on their website eis-brecher.com. It once again has a choirish feel in parts. Noel exhibits his great guitarist ability. Alexx's voice is tremendously commanding. 5/5

5. Ruhe (Instrumental): I wish this instrumental was so much longer. It is really really good. Great piano with that electronic element. 4.5/5

6. Angst?: Probably one of the most metal sounding songs. It will get you headbanging in no time. 4.5/5

7. Fanatica: Great dance track. Alexx sings in English during parts. It is great. 5/5

8. Taub-stumm-blind: I think this is just a happier version of Dornentanz. Interesting never the less... Very very Rammstein like. 4/5

9. Dornentanz: Alexx's voice goes really really weird on this track... He does this whole I am the voice of God routine. Good instrumental performance. 4/5

10. Hoffnung (Instrumental): Not as captivating an instrumental. Slightly boring and too technoish at times... Interesting synths at parts. 4/5

11. Eisbrecher: Great song. I liked seeing it performed live. Great energy and headbanging once again. 4.5/5

12. Frage: Very mellow sounding song with very great guitars and slow but appealing electronic track. 4/5

13. Zeichen der Venus: Very interesting. Alexx really exhibits his low voice on this track and his tremendous range. Still he does not beat Till Lindemann. Synths are very 80s like. Depeche Mode is brought to mind. 4.5/5

14. Mein Blut: Gorgeous intro choir. Very electronic feel with amazing vocals by Alexx with great choirs. 5/5

15. Sakrileg 11: Something you would find at a great hard industrial goth dance like concert. Very interesting. Alexx's voice is not as appealing on this track... Seems at time to be a bit monotone and boring. 3.5/5

16. Fanatica-Club-Mix: You will just want to get up and dance. Alexx sings in English for a few parts in this song and has an amazing female backup singer. 5/5

Eisbrecher is quite good. I still prefer Rammstein for the depth and breadth sound, but what the two musicians in Eisbrecher have done is quite impressive (its amazing what you can do with electronics). Eisbrecher verges into a more "poppy" and "techno" feel, due especially to their heavy use of synthesizers and other electronic intruments. The vocals are quite good, done in the very popular harsh, growling, German way. The singer doesn't strike as having the same vocal capability of Rammstein's lead, there is very little actual singing, but the vocals fit well with the music (imagine a deeper more guttural Til from Rammstein).

I like it all a lot, especially:
Sakrileg
Mein Blut
Taub-Stumm-Blind
Angst?

I will admit that Fanitica twice over was a little much, especially when I felt German was a little better suited to the lyrics (didn't make a whole lot of sense in English).

All in all a very good album

While not as heavy as I would have liked, there is so much atmosphere to this album it blows you away anyway. I especially love the vocals. Alexx's deep voice is so different from other german bands, and it just sucks you in. i'm not a big fan of electronica/techno or whatever, but i would definitely recommend this to anyone, especially rammstein fans.

There really isn't much of a comparison with Rammstein (which I've always been a fan of), except that both Rammstein and Eisbrecher know how to kick ass. Eisbrecher is much more electronic-sounding, and quite honestly (by my tastes anyway) their music on this CD is better on average than Rammstein--this coming from someone who thinks Reise, Reise and Mutter are sheer brilliance. Unlike many hard rock groups, Eisbrecher is very melodic and the lyrics are interesting. The CD is packed with songs, almost all of which have become instant favorites of mine. If you like industrial rock and/or darker electronica, this CD is a must.

I actually purchased this album by complete accident. For some reason, it appears in the search results for Rammstein and in my shopping spree to own everything Rammstein, I wasn't paying attention and it found itself on my doorstep. However, after listening to it, I was absolutely pleased. While Eisbrecher does not have the "slightly evil and demented" lyrics of Rammstein, they do have the deep pounding melodies with the perfect mix of highs, mids and just enough ultra lows that you stay mesmerized by it. If you are an audiophile, you deserve this album and if you have the system, this album will definitely test the structural integrity of your house.

Post apopolyptic comes to mind when reviewing Eisbrecher's self titled first CD. Many of the tracks have a style that feels very cold and creates a sonal landscape of something like Terminator or Blade Runner, dark and futuristic. This is a very solid album, and a must own for any German industrial fan, or any industrial fan in general.

The album has a flow to it that feels very natural, mixing "slower" songs in between more upbeat and guitar heavy tracks. This trend is even seen in some of the tracks, starting off slowly with keyboard driven style and moving into power rock. Eisbrecher is one of those albums that never gets old, as I find something new every time I take a listen. The variety of songs is impressive as well as the amount that they packed onto this disc. Sixteen seems to be pretty high now a days. Normally I would put a track rating section about here, but all the songs are in the 9/10 to 10/10 range.

So, how does this CD relate to Rammstein and Megaherz? Well, compared to Rammstein's new album, Reise Reise, there is no contest, as Eisbrecher is far superior to that CD. Eisbrecher is right on par with all the other great albums that both Rammstein and Megaherz put out over the years, and by buying this album, you won't be dissappointed.

I'm telling you guys, this is great. Fresh sound I have not heard yet. Heavy and melodic at the same time. The guy's voice is awesome. Remember that this is coming from a guy that is a heavy, heavy rocker (we are talking Black Label Society, Iced Earth and the likes of Grave Digger here). Is there more stuff like this around?

I love this CD!! This is Industrial music that you can play at the club. Eisbrecher marries melodic, intelligent lyrics with driving dance beats. What more can you ask for? It's a must have for any Goth/Industrial DJ's.