Labels: Narshardaa
Review by: Alex Deller
Angstzustand occupy a punishing no man’s land lying between such heavyweights as Tragedy and Shikari, retaining the driving melodies and harsh, rasping vocals of the former and the pounding, octave-driven malevolence of our Dutch friends. The songs are on the lengthier side, giving them time to build and sprawl from brooding chordal fragments up into double bass pedal-led urgency and huge galloping walls of tidal noise. Each song is a tightly played slab of near-relentless ferocity, a churning maelstrom that, if it were a natural element, would be reducing buildings to rubble and uprooting farmsteads.
Thankfully translated, the lyrics stray from the typical doom, woe, my-life-is-hell variety and represent positive statements about seizing the day, as well as thoughtful critiques of blind national pride, the penal system and food distribution. Good stuff.
As much as I want to rave about this record there seems to be surprisingly little to say. But, put simply, this is easily one of the better hardcore records I’ve heard from Germany in recent times.