Review by: Kjetil Holstad
This had been anticipated this for quite some time as I have always been a fan of the bands Mike Kirsch has played in, but then who hasn’t? After all he has been behind all time favorites as Fuel, Bread & Circuits and Torches to Rome to mention a few. I should probably mention that he is of course not alone in making up the Baader Brains. The line-up also includes folk from bands like The Shivering, Bullets In and Struggle, which make this an even more impressive all-star line-up.
In many ways this sounds like a straight continuation of Please Inform The Captain, This Is A Hijack. Hell, the record is even broken down in the same sample-song-sample-song format which ranges from pure genius to, sadly, pretty dull. When the first song explodes a minute and something into the record is pretty obvious that this will be a more raging endeavour than the last PITCTIAH leaning heavily on straight forward hardcore. Initially I was impressed by how superbly crafted these songs where and that the record has so much going on, that it rarely got boring. For the first couple of weeks it was hardly removed from my turntable. All in all, this record had potential of becoming an instant classic but, and there is a but, it did not grow on me and after those initial weeks it actually slowly began to bore me a little.
Months later and the feeling remains. I end up listening to the member’s old bands instead of spinning this record. Quite hard to point a finger on what is missing, think it might be that, even though it sounds like a mix of all members other bands, it does not even reach some of them to the knees. Torches to Rome is rawer, Bullets In take the hardcore elements to perfection on the last 7″, Pinhead Gunpowder and Colbom is at times ten times catchier and the list could probably go on. If this was a obscure band from nowhere, i would probably have been dead impressed, but with a past like these guys have I was expecting more.
All in all, this is a well crafted record and filled with semi-obscure references and political messages both when it comes to the music, lyrics and the packaging, which is outstanding and detailed, even printed on the inside of the glued together cover.