20 years after their formation, the new album by the Rheinberg punk rock band BETONTOD has now been released. Apart from a few self-produced demo recordings, this is the fourth studio album alongside "Hier kommt Ärger", "Stoppt und, wenn ihr könnt" and "Schwarzes Blut", and the band continues in pure form what they emphasized with their first album: a mix of punk rock, rock, and some metal elements.
GlaubeLiebeHoffnung is the name of this fine piece and is filled with 13 tracks. The cleanest recording quality and thick guitars make it catchy and create pressure. The focus is more on (German) rock than on punk; on the one hand, you will search in vain for fast numbers from previous albums like "Schrei es heraus" or "Freunde in Grün", and on the other hand, the songs certainly don't have the same sing-along character (I think of songs like "Exzessiver Alkoholgenuss"); one could say the band has become more profound.
It is noticeable here as well that bands can change a bit over time, and in this case, certainly not for the worse.
GlaubeLiebeHoffnung can largely be described as a concept album, as it mostly deals with emotions and the feelings mentioned in the title. The very first song of the album, "Nichts", is already programmatic, describing a feeling between resignation, oppression, and melancholy. This theme recurs in various songs on the record. Some new facets in the sound can be recognized; for instance, the ballad "Stadt ohne Licht" reminds me of Subway to Sally due to the use of strings and the somber mood, while the song "Ewigkeit" evokes Wolfgang Petry (or at least how a Wolfgang Petry might sound under drugs), as the melody and tempo, as well as the lyrics, strongly resemble schlager music. I assume this is intentional on the part of the five gentlemen of BETONTOD. But the album also contains emotionally charged songs, as the capitalism-critical "Club der Reichen" proves.
The album seems to be a complete follow-up to its predecessor "Schwarzes Blut"; apart from the few new musical influences that GlaubeLiebeHoffnung showcases, there is nothing musically new, and certain guitar and vocal lines remind me of other BETONTOD songs, so the band is very much tied to their own (new) style, perhaps a bit too much. The CD comes packaged in a nice design, as does the band's new homepage, which looks very chic and elegant-serious, just like the design of "Schwarzes Blut", certainly more mass-appealing than the unprofessionally looking design of, for example, "Stoppt uns, wenn ihr könnt".
Currently, the band is said to bear a strong resemblance to bands like Böhse Onkelz or Frei.Wild. I don't think the five Rheinbergers would appreciate that, and I don't like it either. Such a conclusion can only be drawn by someone who reduces music comparisons to the sound of guitars and a rough voice. Anyone who takes a look at the backgrounds of the bands should immediately notice the differences, especially regarding the political motivations of the mentioned bands.
BETONTOD are indispensable in German punk rock, and their new album is definitely worth listening to, not just for punk rock fans. While it doesn't convince me on every point, so that I don't fall into a listening euphoria, it is nonetheless a very worthwhile purchase overall.
