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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Megaherz - The Return, September 11, 2008
Let me start by saying that I'm a Megaherz fan of 4 years, and I'm going into this review as unbiased as possible.
Megaherz, for anyone who is familiar with them, is a German metal band who has been around since the mid 90s when Alexx was at the helm. Five albums, a demo, several drummers, and two vocalists later we arrive at the newest release "Heuchler." This time, Lex (who had his own solo project going for awhile) has taken up the vocal duties. As many of you have probably heard or read, Lex has been accused of being a "copy" of the original singer Alexx. Yes, they both shave their heads, and by coincidence they share the same name (more or less), but they are not interchangeable. I will say that Lex seems to have a bit less personality than either Alexx or Mathias (who fronted the album "5").
So at that, I think that it's somewhat fair to say that "Heuchler" is lackluster not because of the vocalist changes, but falls more with the musicianship. It's not that it's bad, there just isn't anything overly impressive about the album. Each song seems to have its own base riff, and then repeats it for the duration of the song. Kinda boring if you ask me. It's all the more disappointing knowing that guitarist X-ti is a phenomenal guitarist capable of amazing solos (see SpiRitual's "Pulse" album for proof). Drumming has never been a standout part of the Megaherz experience either, so the fact that there is another new drummer who doesn't deliver anything special isn't a big surprise.
On the plus side though, the bass (played by Wenz) seems much more prominent on this album than before. Unfortunately, that's about it for the positives.
So on to the songs. As I hinted at above, due to less than impressive guitar riffs, drumming, and uninspired vocals, there aren't that many standouts on the album - no joke. In fact, there is only one standout on the album, that being "Fauler Zauber." The riffs are infectious, and the vocals are exciting. The vocals go from almost a rapping state in the verse to singing in the chorus, kind of reminiscent of "Kopfschuss" and "Wer Bist Du". I do also enjoy "Ebenbild" and "Heuchler", but I could care less about everything else.
So, in the end, this certainly isn't a good album, but it isn't a bad album either. It just could have been so much more. If more songs had the excitement of "Fauler Zauber" then "Heuchler" would have been a kickass album instead of just mediocre.
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4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Megaher's triumphant return., August 26, 2008
Megaherz ranks easily as one of my favorite bands and one of the most influential groups I've ever listened to. That said, I was certainly nervous when I found out that yet another lead singer was leaving, and they were replacing him with a total stranger. I was worried that the new album wouldn't live up to standards set by previous albums, and that Lex would be merely "passable". My fears were completely unfounded. "Heuchler" is a triumphant return from obscurity. The music is rich and complex as it has always been, backed up by meaningful and passionate lyrics. Lex, in my opinion, surpasses Matthias by leaps and bounds; within the first few songs he shows a substantial range without resorting to that unpleasant growl that Matthias did so much in '5'. He also has a deeper, darker voice which seems more fitting with Megaherz's dark, serious tonal and lyrical style.
The music itself immediately recalls songs from "Wer Bist Du" while establishing this album as completely new; for one, it's more refined and deeper than the instrumentals present on "Wer Bist Du". Also, this album does not hide the fact that it is dark, though never depressing or "goth". I've already stated that this sticks with Megaherz's overall dark and serious tone. Megaherz's songs tend to adopt new or different elements with each new album; "Heuchler's" songs have a much heavier bass kick, as well as stronger industrial elements, with some instrumental bits I don't recall them using before. But that does not mean one song sounds like the next on each album.
"Heuchler": The opening song should set the tone for the album, and this song does it beautifully. Moves along at just the right pace while not being too heavy or dark, and the chorus is classic Megaherz. 5/5
"Das Tier": When translated, the lyrics for this song seem fairly generic for dark, German songs. However, this song carries itself on presentation and execution: I would describe it almost as an orchestral ballad; slow paced, powerful and rather spooky. The added church bells and various other sounds add quite a bit of atmosphere here. 4.5/5
"Ebenbild": Slower like the previous song, but heavier. While it is less atmospheric than "Das Tier", it is more complex; adding in some electronica to a few previously unheard instrumental elements in addition to the heavy bass kick. 5/5
"Mann Von Welt": The music sounds similar to "Heuchler" at times, though not entirely. It's a decent song, but the generic sounding chorus drags it down a bit. 3.5/5
"Fauler Zauber": Possibly the best song on the album; the actual verses are frantic and harsh, almost rap-like (as "Kopfschuss" was, and this is good). Simple music with a nice pace and beat make it all the better. 5/5
"Mein Gral": And thus, we follow up the best song with the worst. It starts out promising, then quickly devolves into tepid drivel. Reading the translated lyrics only reinforces this. 2.5/5
"L'Aventure": While it sounds a bit mainstream for Megaherz, the singing and still kicking bass save it from mediocrity. 4/5
"Schau In Mein Herz": I can't say much about this song, as it's merely tolerable. It's not bad, but it just doesn't appeal to me that much. 3.5/5
"Kaltes Grab": The verses are faster, the choruses slower and heavier. It runs a bit long, but it is another excellent song. 5/5
"Alles Nur Luge": Another slow song to round out the album, this one sounds a bit sad and also features some english in back-up vocals. 4/5
"Morgenrot": Megaherz's first true instrumental song in quite some time. Like many instrumental songs, the complexity of the song increases as it goes along with some electronica sounds thrown in for good measure. A very nice wrap up to the album. 5/5
My expectations were not that high for "Heuchler" given Megaherz's difficulties and events, but they proved that they're still with it. Fans may be put off by the fact that they're on their third vocalist, but I will reiterate what another fan wrote by saying that you need to focus on the music as a whole, not just the lead singer. Do that, and you won't be disappointed. While any review is only subjective, I think fans will find that this album is reminiscent of the old Megaherz while proving that they can keep their sound fresh.
But if you're honestly wary of Megaherz's "new" sound, listen to it on Itunes first. Go on. You know you want to.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
Amazing CD, December 31, 2008
This cd is my favorite Megaherz cd. It takes some time to get used to. It doesn't have their older sound with a lot of keyboards and stuff, which I like, but it has a different goth sound now, which fits perfect with their goth style album cover.
Nice old school rock sound, brings back sounds of the early 90's and has a lot of good drum beats.
If you like Megaherz, get this cd, and listen to it until you like it.
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