By DJ Monk
To date, 2019 has been a pretty decent year for fans of Germany’s electro-gothic-industrial take on the metal genre. The highlight, of course, has been Rammstein’s towering self-titled “comeback” album, which once again has placed them front and centre on the global stage. This was followed shortly afterwards by the debut offering from Nachtfalter; now comes this, the latest offering from the latter’s labelmates, Soulimage, aka Robert Ebert (or Rob E Soul as he prefers to be known for artistic purposes).
Whereas Nachfalter very much explore the darker, more gothic noir aspects of the EDM/industrial sonic landscape, Ebert is much more firmly rooted in the synth rock side of the genre, with strong echoes of the likes of Depeche Mode permeating the grooves of this, his second full-length offering. It also is an album with a singular vision, as evinced in its over-arching lyrical theme of mankind’s need to change, to adapt to those which have been forced upon it in the recent past and channel itself into a mindset which will help it rise out of the darkness which Ebert perceives to envelop it.
Surprisingly, given the darkness of some of the issues which it addresses, ‘human kind…’ is a very upbeat and even uplifting album, exuding a positive energy that is as infectious as some of the undeniable earworm harmonies and melodies that also characterize the 12 tracks on offer, which in turn are built on the kind of driving beats guaranteed to fill dance floors the length and breadth of the Überverse. And, of course, there are plenty of crunching guitars to keep us metalheads nodding along and stretching our neck muscles in appreciation.
‘human kind…’ brings nothing new to the genre. In fact, it could be accused of being extremely derivative in places, especially in its middle section, where it all begins to sound just a little bit “samey”. In it’s good parts, it is extremely good: the likes of lead single ‘Human Kind’, ‘Blind’, ‘Break The Silence’, the epic nine-minute long ‘Soma’ and the sheer aggression of closer ‘Animal Mind’ are suitably impactful and great examples of the electro-goth sound at its best. But, in it’s not so good parts… well, let’s put it this way, ‘Children Of Tomorrow’ has a very Eurovision feel to it. But, it is worth casting the weaker moments aside to concentrate on the album’s better aspects and gain the rewards that these bring. And I love Ebert’s tribute to Germany’s heavy metal heritage, with his homage to Scorpions’ classic ‘Blackout’ album artwork…
- ‘human kind – animal mind’ is out now. You can get your copy HERE.
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