Band: Feindflug
Album: Volk und Armee (Limited edition)
Released: 2005
Label: Black Rain
The new Feindflug release is an album I was waiting for for a long time. With 13 tracks (14 on the limited edition) and a running time of more than an hour, it’s a certainly has enough quantity. But does it has the quality you can expect from Feindflug? I can comfort you all, if you are a Feindflug-lover, this new release is certainly worth your money. The sound is a bit more polished then the previous Feindflug-albums, but the ever recognizable Feindflug-beat still remains.
The major difference with the other Feindflug albums is that Volk und Armee has a very colourful albumcover(!), with a lot of Russian (war)propaganda in and on it. The war theme isn’t new of course, but the use of that many colours is. By the way, the CD itself is as black as can be!
The album has a load of good songs. My favourite is Gulag, because this song has an interesting danceable beat and a funny melody. Another track I like very much is AK 47. It has parts with pumping beats as well as parts that are surprisingly calm.
Feindflug uses beats that are (nearly) the same as on other albums, but they manage to give each song it’s own theme. Volk und Armee is a real Feindflug album in every way, but sometimes it divert a little from the “standard” Feindflug-sound. That diversion is something I missed a bit in the previous Feindflug albums. This new album is also an album that is easier to listen to than the previous albums; therefore it’s a good start if you’re not familiar with Feindflug. It still has strong beats and aggressive rhythms, so don’t think that the guys have gone soft!
Rating: 8,5/10
Band: Funker Vogt
Album: Navigator (Limited edition)
Released: 2005
Label: SPV
Funker Vogt has returned with a new album: Navigator. With this album the Germans continue the line they’ve set in earlier. The songs on Navigator sound as poppy as on it’s predecessor, but that isn’t a bad thing (unless you’re more into the more rougher Funker Vogt). So, don’t expect a new Execution Tracks, but prepare for the follow-up of Survivor.
The sound on Navigator is more or less the same than on Survivor. The main difference between the two albums is that Navigator has more relatively slower songs.
The album starts of with the song Killing Fields, with reminds me a bit of Prisoners of War, but with a bit more beat. The second song of the album is also the single of the album: Fallen Hero. The song continues the story of the Tragic Hero (on the album Execution Tracks) and is really catchy. Other great songs are: Navigator, Starfighters and Vorwärts.
The album comes in two different versions: a regular jewel-case and a limited edition in a metal box. The limited edition also has two bonus tracks and a bonus video-CD, which contains the video clip of Fallen Hero. The bonus-tracks are nice tracks, but not that good that you would miss them. The video clip of Fallen Hero is also fun to watch, but after you’ve seen it… well, you’ve seen it. But for the true fan, you have to have it.
If you like the more pop sound that Funker Vogt has developed over the years, Navigator is a fun album to listen to. Don’t expect the more aggressive side, because than this album doesn’t live up to your expectations.
Rating: 7,5/10
