The rascals from Saarland have been on the road in Germany for several years now, presenting their interpretation of the soundtrack of the streets on countless stages.
After so many years, it’s about time for a Best Of album.
Much has been said and written about the sense and nonsense of Best Of albums, and I will certainly have a word or two to say about it in this review.
First of all, one must mention the elegant packaging with embossing. It looks good and high-quality, but why does it always have to be skulls? This symbol has been used so excessively for years that even insurance employees no longer find it objectionable. Welcome to the mainstream, dear skull. Probably, the current spring collection from Pimkie, Orsay, or H&M will also feature clothes with this symbol, and those who buy it will likely feel so cool. Meanwhile, the cool kids already have another, new symbol. But which one? I’m curious to see what comes next.
I was also curious about which songs the band selected, as several albums have been released by now. And there are… well, actually no surprises.
To be precise, while reading the lyrics, all of which are in the booklet, one gets the impression that the band relies on the magical thematic triangle of “Friends,” “We are different from others and therefore better, cooler, and more awesome,” and “We will always be who we are because we are proud to be different,” and more… just not much more. The same themes recur, though presented in various ways, but the essence remains the same. This continues throughout the entire album, leading to some lengthy moments.
Of course, the band’s fans will see it differently, and to be honest, the success of KRAWALLBRÜDER is quite understandable. And they are certainly better than obvious gray area bands.
The only thing that really makes the purchase worthwhile are two live tracks that the band recorded in Berlin, which are also included on the “15 Years - Live in Berlin” album.
This raises the question of what to do with this Best Of?
The fan has a nice disc with their favorite songs and will surely enjoy the recording.
Those who are not yet familiar with the band will quickly discover the band’s boundaries while listening and wonder why the guys are so successful. I don’t mean to say that the band is bad, but you can clearly see the defined territory in which they operate. Since the guys have been doing this for a while, they do it well.
KRAWALLBRÜDER will still go on tour this year with Slapshot and play in venues where they would have only played as support years ago. Now they are probably headlining and likely often in sold-out halls.
I’m looking forward to the new album; let’s see what Pascal and his crew have put together. I’m open to surprises.
