FAHNENFLUCHT I first heard in the 90s on a Schlachtrufe BRD sampler, which was almost 30 years ago. However, I must admit that other punk rock bands spoke to me more during that time, most of which have since faded into punk rock retirement. The only ones that come to mind are DRITTE WAHL, TOXOPLAMSA, POPPERKLOPPER, and BETONTOD, who I celebrated back then and are still (more or less) active.
With "Molotov Zitrone" (reminds me of MOLOTOW SODA, but has no equivalent to Tommy's band), FAHNENFLUCHT now presents their seventh album, and I must confess it took a while for the spark to ignite for me. No question, the 13 songs showcase solid punk rock, but there isn't a hit among them. Highly political lyrics, which almost all reflect a depressed state of mind, overshadow the 41 minutes of playtime. One of the few exceptions is the punchy (love) song "Mit dir okay" (it's nice that you exist, through you this life here becomes okay).
Even though I like the album more and more after listening to it 3-4 times, musically the songs are too uniform for me; you could almost blast all the lyrics in a single beat. Here and there a different guitar riff or a few BPMs more or less, but otherwise quite similar. One exception is the song "Die Letzten," which features an 80s NDW synthesizer, with lyrics that fit the 80s/songs, including a solidarity with today's "last generation." Also, "Kollektivschlaf," my favorite song on "Molotov Zitrone," deviates slightly from the "normal" beat and has more swing in the hips.
Conclusion: the new FAHNENFLUCHT album is rock solid, but without a hit that people will still be talking about in 10 years. Almost ¾ of the "Molotov Zitrone" songs are built on a basic musical foundation; I wish for more variety. Generally, I like the album more with each listen, moving from a convincing score of 7 to an 8, and maybe "Molotov Zitrone" will eventually reach a 9 for me……
