STOMPER 98, a band that some see as a kind of superband in the skinhead scene, while others view them as the only band that unites all short-haired individuals. Some also consider the band to be latent or otherwise right-wing, which I think is nonsense.
STOMPER 98 are definitely a band that is mostly seen on festivals or larger packages on tour. While some skinhead bands play in small clubs for a bunch of old-school working-class skins and young Oi-skins, STOMPER 98 do it on a larger scale. They might see the bigger picture.
The cover of this mini-CD is definitely designed in a way that almost every skin can relate to and appreciates. It also looks fat old-school and is nicely provocative.
For the critical observer, the skins in the background also give the impression of a homogeneous mass, an army, or blind zombies.
As I said, everyone finds something for themselves here.
Now let's get to the silver disc. It offers six songs, making for a nice mini-CD.
After a great intro from the past, which is still a reality today, just the wording is different; today they are referred to as rioters, vandals, or autonomists, labeled by those who have no idea, in order to influence and control the masses. So that they don’t rise up.
But real skinheads think differently. The song “Antisocial,” fitting to the view of the masses, has the refrain clearly stating “…forever outsiders.” Aren’t subcultures always like that? Whether with or without hair? “Antisocial” sounds quite a bit like Onkelz in terms of vocals, song structure, and refrain, but somehow… at least after multiple listens, it does feel different.
Next, there’s another song in the Onkelz style. Very pathetic (“Let the skinhead flags wave…”) comes “Too young (to be old),” where the title fits perfectly. At my age, I can afford to be like this, and the guys from STOMPER 98 can too. We are too young to be old, but aren’t we also too old to be young?
Pathos has always been a trademark of STOMPER 98, just like catchy mid-tempo numbers, which are offered here in perfection.
Then it’s time to kick back and let loose, Ska! “In your eyes” is also full of pathos but also filled with the thoughts that slumber in the hearts of outsiders. The refrain here is again unmatched: “In your eyes, I see what one calls fire, and the other does not know.” Can it get any better? No!
Yes, I know, STOMPER 98 are pathetic, catchy, and maybe sometimes simply structured… so what! What is life about anyway? But even here, the scene police find enough potential to take action against the band (politically). Will they hold their opinion until the end?
The next song is about the unity between Hudson River, Spree, and Leine.
The sixth song “Rock’n’Roll Banda” is definitely the soundtrack of the week for me. Everything else can pack it up for now. Sure, there’s pathos here too, and the song is certainly blatant, but who cares if it speaks from the heart?
The last song “It’s time” is different from the others. It’s a ballad. A ballad whose lyrics are important, correct, and contemporary. A text that hurts. A text that fits, and it made me wonder why they are singing about a dead person from 1916? A quick search then told me that it’s not a song by STOMPER 98, but a cover by the gentlemen Hannes Wader, Reinhard Mey, and Konstantin “Koksnase” Wecker. Tough stuff? True, but in this version, it’s quite bearable.
STOMPER 98 actually want to shorten the wait for the next album with this mini-CD, but they manage to make these six songs sound like an album.
Great cinema, like a blockbuster, but in essence from the street for the street.
