30 years of BETONTOD! And now the 13th album! WOW!!!
And I must admit, I haven't been following the Rheinbergers for even half that long. The first album I got from them was "GlaubeLiebeHoffnung" and that's where my love for BETONTOD began. The hope for more albums was fulfilled and my faith in them grew from album to album.
And now with "Zeig Dich" the 13th album is already here, and I'll spoil it for you, it's another fantastic album.
This was already evident in the spring when they blasted "Nie mehr St. Pauli ohne dich" from the new album into the YouTube world. What a catchy tune!! And this song shouldn't be the only one featuring brass on the new album.
"Zeig Dich" starts off with a real punk rock song "Brandstifter", without any frills. But with the second song "Zurück in Schwarz", it becomes more melodic, and on the second listen, you can already (almost flawlessly) sing along, just like with many other new songs.
And then comes "Nie mehr St. Pauli ohne dich"; if it weren't for "Neonlicht" on the album, this song would be the summer song of 2023. But it is "Neonlicht", and I don't know how many bands or songs from the 80s BETONTOD references in this song. It must be dozens. And yes, I get teary-eyed every time I hear "Neonlicht". Just for this song, the album deserves 11 out of 10 possible points... (I just melt every time I listen to it, as a child of the 80s).
"Tanz im Algorithmus" reminds me a bit of "Im Rhythmus bleiben" by FRONT 242, who have also been around for over 30 years. Of course, not with an EBM beat, but I can definitely hear a synth in the BETONTOD song.
But the other seven songs also justify the mandatory purchase of the album; "Zeig Dich" is simply a must. For example, there's "Diese Liebe" featuring Tiger Lilly Marleen from BONSAI KITTEN as a guest vocalist, which really gets under your skin. Or "Wir müssen hier raus" with TON STEINE SCHERBEN and TOTEN HOSEN attitudes/lyrics.
The ballad "Mehr als Legende" at the end of the album is sure to resonate (almost) with everyone, showcasing their past and youth years.
"Zeig Dich" => 36 minutes that I've listened to at least 36 times in the past 2 weeks (at least it feels that way).
