Time leaves its marks and one hopefully evolves. Sometimes for the better, sometimes for the worse. And while I celebrated the songs of IN EXTREMO from the very first second 20-25 years ago, it now takes me several listens of their new album "Wolkenschieber" before the spark slowly ignites.
Yes, my taste in music has developed towards the heavier side, especially in recent years, yet I still celebrate the old IN EXTREMO songs like "Erdbeermund", "Küss mich", "Rasend Herz", "Raue See", "Liam", "Frei zu sein", "Herr Mannelig", or "Vollmond" just as much as I did 20-25 years ago. But even the songs that are half as old, like "Feuertaufe", "Sternhagelvoll", or "Störtebeker", still appeal to me just as they did back then. Your medieval rock kissed me at full moon during a fire baptism at rough sea, with its Erdbeermund and a Störtebeker in hand. We were together with Herr Mannelig and Liam, Sternhagelvoll and my heart raced.
But IN EXTREMO has also evolved, and so "Wolkenschieber" has become a rock album, as stated in the Handmade Rock book. Of course, it features clearly audible medieval sounds, but in a different way than the earlier hits albums. I had to get used to this at first, which is why it took me a bit longer for the 14 songs to reach me.
In the meantime, I catch myself singing along to the lyrics, a good sign that the songs have arrived with me. And this starts right with the first song "Wolkenschieber", continuing with "Weckt die Toten" where Henry Rauhbein from RAUHBEIN vocally supports IN EXTREMO frontman Micha "Das Letzte Einhorn" Rhein.
With "Katzengold", IN EXTREMO stands against all agitators, dividers, conspiracy theorists, populists, and other homophobic idiots. The song certainly also refers to the former seventh IN EXTREMO member Boris Pfeiffer, who has unfortunately drifted away and sadly passed away. Now it continues with six members, although I do miss a seventh musician with a medieval instrument a bit.
"Ólafur" is an old Icelandic song/text and Albert, the half-Icelander, was kind enough to translate the lyrics. As expected, it’s about real men, standing together, drinking beer, and a very long journey. The winters are indeed long in Iceland. Some Latin words can be heard in "Unser Lied", along with a lot of "oh oh oh ohhooo". Featuring Björn Both from SANTIANO and in the following song "Feine Seele", Oliver Pade from FAUN. In this song, there’s also more medieval music including a violin than rock music. What hasn’t changed is the certainty that, apart from these few exceptions, all songs on "Wolkenschieber" have German lyrics.
And with guest singers, it continues joyfully. In "Des Wahnsinns fette Beute", Joachim Witt can be heard briefly. And then again "oh oh oh ohhooo". Maybe the songs should be shortened by a minute instead of 4½ minutes, then one could also do without the extensive refrains and "oh oh oh ohhooos".
The saying "What’s given is given" (repeating is stealing) is known to everyone, and it has now been set to music. It strikes me :-)
Did I just mention guest singers? KELLY FAMILY, do you know them? In the tenth song "Aus Leben gemacht", Joey and Jimmy Kelly can be heard (somewhere in the background?). Yes, both bands have certain parallels, that cannot be denied.
It gets really calm with "Terra Mater" (oh Latin) as we approach the end of the album.
And then come the two bonus tracks, and I especially like "Schweine", which is about arrogant (right-wing) populists who pretend to come from a land where wine and honey flow.
53 minutes of IN EXTREMO are over and "Wolkenschieber" starts again for the tenth time (approximately). And each time I like the album a little better :-)
