Customer Reviews

Spectators

5 star:		(44)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I'm going to tell it to you straight. I don't like to much of the synth pop music I hear. I'm not generally into EBM or darkwave for that matter.

Currently I'm listening to a lot of Rammstein and a lesser known band called "Blue October". Rage Against the Machine is in my cd player a lot too.

(starting to see I'm not even close to gothic?)

I listen to Spineshank, I listen to Custom, I listen to Pearl Jam. So if you know these bands you are beginning to see where I lie in musical Genre's.

But I will say this. Wolfsheim blew me away. The first song I heard from them, Kunstliche Welton, was simply fantastic. I listened to it 4 times in a row. I was thinking there was nothing to top it. It's dark, melodic. I think I nearly fell in love with his voice, (that's coming from a straight male)

That was my favorite song, that is, until I heard "Heroin she said".

I'm surprised nobody has mentioned this song. It's the best song on the cd, in my opinion. The lyrics are dark like the song. And like the track above, this song is one you'll get hooked on.

The songs flows easily, at usually under four minutes, they are short enough to not get repetitive or old. Fantastic music for driving on a Raindy day.

If you like any, and I mean ANY kind of darker melodic music. I'm talking anything from Cruxshadows to Custom, to songs like Voodoo from Godsmack.

Buy this album.

If nothing else, just to hear Heroin she said and Kunstliche Welton.

You won't find it at Best Buy, heck your lucky to find it at Homer's. I don't care how you do it, GET IT.

This was recommended to me by an extremely talented musician in New Jersey. He told me I had to hear Once In A Lifetime. I bought it with the usual apprehension one might have in spending money on music they have never heard. Track one begins with an operatic aria that will chill you to the bone and make you wish you had spent just a little more money on those speakers of yours. The lyrics are perfectly sung by the male lead with haunting precision. If you can bring yourself to take this first track off repeat you will meet track Kunstliche Welten and you will be under the spell of this absolutely intoxicating band. This is something everyone should have regardless of what genre of music you might be into. Synth-pop never truly got the respect it deserved and happily Wolfsheim continued on the artistic vein that pumped the blood into Depeche Mode and their contemporaries. I refuse to compare this band to anyone. Buy this and you WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED. Oh yeah, you havent really danced until you have danced to Once In A Lifetime.

About the Band:
Wolfsheim is a prolific late 1980s synthpop band from Hamburg, Germany that is tremendously popular in the international goth, synthpop, and darkwave scenes. They are known for quality male vocals and catchy, danceable tunes.

About the Album:
This album contains a number of tracks, sung in easy to understand English and German, that you will hear in just about every goth / industrial club on the face of the planet. Seriously ... I've traveled to clubs in a number of countries, and Spectators has made its way onto the floors of most of these clubs. If you are (un)lucky you may get to hear two or three tracks from Spectators in a single night.

If you like synthpop, you'll likely enjoy this album. Although I honestly believe this album is overplayed and sold my copy (why not, I can hear it any time I go out), DJ's might want to purchase this album. Not because it is good (which obviously many people - myself not included - believe), but rather because your request lists will be filled with tracks from this album, and you may want to honor those requests or risk creating "Club Drama!" Particularly popular (or annoying ... take your pick) tracks include:

- Once In a Lifetime
- Kunstliche Welten
- Touch
- Blind
- Read the Lines

Though I do not like this style of music, plenty of people swear by it. This album is well engineered and thought out. Heppner's male fronted vocals are actually exceptional (I will admit I really like the track "For You", though sadly it doesn't end up on the g/i top 40 list). If you like happy synthpop or romantic music, you should listen to the samples of the tracks and actually seriously consider buying this album.

Similar Artists:
For those of you that are already Wolfsheim fans, if you like Heppner's vocals, then there are two other bands that feature enchanting male vocals that I'd like to recommend you check out:

- Germany's Deine Lakaien
- California's Soil and Eclipse

Wow, this was certainly a surprise! Wolfsheim has consistently released wonderfully haunting and catchy electro-pop albums with heavy darkwave and Depeche Mode influences for years now. This album is a giant leap forward from what was already a great sound. It has enormous crossover potential for electronic dance music fans of all persuasions. Normally, a comment like this would deter me from checking it out (as this usually means the band has lost its creativity and originality), but if anything all of their previous brilliance has been amplified with such a lush vibrancy that there is not a song on here that I do not love. The singer's voice is touching and sincere and perfectly complements the music. What really stands out about this album in comparison to other Wolfsheim albums is the entire lack of Depeche Mode sounding ballads, I do not like ballads (though if I was to be subjected to ballads for some horrid reason I would certainly hope they would be by this band!). If you like Depeche Mode, Xymox or The Pet Shop Boys this is definitely for you.

If you are a synthpop fan of any stripe, this album absolutely belongs in your collection. Reminiscent of Depeche Mode without being derivative, each track has the rare quality of being danceable without degrading into mindlessness.

You may know the band from their club smash, "Once In A Lifetime", but by all means, do not think of Wolfsheim as a one-hit wonder. Tracks like "Heroin, she said" and "Hurting For the First Time" will make you want to hear more, and the haunting, yet catchy "Kunstliche Welten" will make you wish you spoke German.

This CD will be an excellent addition to your collection.

"Wolfsheim??? Who the heck is Wolfsheim???" If you're the average American, you're probably thinking just that, and let me tell you, it's really a shame. Everyone who is familliar with this band will tell you emphatically, "THIS IS ONE OF THE MOST UNDERRATED, UNDERAPPRECIATED, UNDERPLAYED AND BRILLIANT MUSICAL GROUPS IN THE ENTIRE WORLD!"

If you're new to Wolfsheim, this would be the album to buy first-- every song on 'Spectators' is a classic, from Peter Heppner's melodic and touching vocals on 'For You' to the infectious dancefloor beats of Markus Reinhardt's synthesizers on 'Once In A Lifetime.' The song that stands out the most for me personally is 'Künstliche Welten,' written entirely in German, but so inspired that the language hardly matters.

On another note, there are several versions of this album, but I would recommend you seek out the limited edition 2-disc set that comes with the single for 'Künstliche Welten' if you plan on buying 'Spectators,' because the remixes are well worth it.

In short, 'Spectators' is a beautiful album, emotionally charged and eager to take you places most modern music just can't.

I must of listened to Once In a Lifetime 100 times and can't get enough. The singers voice, the beat itself, and (of course) the lyrics. I suggest this CD to anyone who listens to industrial, alternative, pop, electronic, well basically it fits the profile for a ton of different kinds of music. Well to keep it short but sweet. BUY THE CD!

"Wolfsheim??? Who the heck is Wolfsheim???" If you're the average American, you're probably thinking just that, and let me tell you, it's really a shame. Everyone who is familliar with this band will tell you emphatically, "THIS IS ONE OF THE MOST UNDERRATED, UNDERAPPRECIATED, UNDERPLAYED AND BRILLIANT MUSICAL GROUPS IN THE ENTIRE WORLD!"

If you're new to Wolfsheim, this would be the album to buy first-- every song on 'Spectators' is a classic, from Peter Heppner's melodic and touching vocals on 'For You' to the infectious dancefloor beats of Markus Reinhardt's synthesizers on 'Once In A Lifetime.' The song that stands out the most for me personally is 'Künstliche Welten,' written entirely in German, but so inspired that the language hardly matters.

On another note, there are several versions of this album, but I would recommend you seek out the limited edition 2-disc set that comes with the single for 'Künstliche Welten' if you plan on buying 'Spectators,' because the remixes are well worth it.

In short, 'Spectators' is a beautiful album, emotionally charged and eager to take you places most modern music just can't.

If you haven't heard about them yet, don't worry, it's understandable. Most of Wolfsheim fans got to know this band from word-of-mouth around the synthpop/electronic community out there. This is the time to get this album for you a starter; especially if you are a synthpop/electronic/new wave fan. Musically it's somewhat similar to Depeche Mode or De/Vision. What's unique is Peter Heppner's vocal. Some people need sometime to get used to it, but once you got it, you're gonna be hooked !! (He's also doing the vocal on "Schiller" new song called "Dream of You"--- another great one, check that one out also). Bottom line: it's a great album. Give it a try !! Peace!!

This type of cd comes along once in a lifetime. Excuse the pun. The song for which my article named is perfect in every way. If you do not believe me, well just take a listen. However, as Americans we are not exposed to enough music labeled as "synthpop." That's why this review is being written. If you at all enjoy this band take a listen to the following: Beborn Beton, And One, Clan of Xymox, Mesh, De/Vision, Neuroactive, Statemachine, Silke Bischoff, Iris, and Apoptygma Berzerk.