Review by: Ant Nation
So many things to do, so little time… this promo CD has been sitting on my book shelf for the last month since I offered to be a good little Collective punk and put my rambles in some sort of cohesive form, masquerading as a review. “Send me anything. I’m not fussy. I’ll get a review to you straightaway, Andy. Promise guv’nor!” Fast forward one month and what have I learned? Don’t put CDs that need to be reviewed on the same shelf as your Xbox 360 games and Dexter Boxsets. You’ll only get distracted every time you go to get a CD to put on the stereo. Every evening, I’ve come in from work and said “Right! Time to see what aural delights I’ve been sent!” and every evening there’s been another Riddler Trophy, another piece of Animus, another episode of Twin Peaks/Dexter/Walking Dead/Whatever other boxsets I got for Christmas to watch. I blame society myself. And all those preservatives in Nerds that I used to eat by the fistful as a kid. Anyway, first to grace my headphones is Germany’s Final Prayer 7 inch “Berlin”. Apparently released three years after their last album, this song contains two new songs and a cover of Ideal’s Neue Deutsche Welle anthem “Berlin”, according to the blurb anyway. Never heard of them before to be honest but then that’s more to do with my insular ways of finding new music. I usually stumble across things I like. If anyone recommends it to me, I usually put it off giving it a go. Yeah, I’m a contrary bastard, I know. BUT this is really good. I’m not a big hardcore fan. I’m more a hardcore dabbler (“But you’re in a hardcore band, you prick!” – “Yeah? And? I want to be Neil Diamond anyway!) but this grabbed me straight away. The first two tracks “Mind Eraser” and “Final Hour” are a damn good example of balls to the wall hardcore/metal. It’s a fine line to walk, I think but they do it rather well. Catchy as hell. And at the right level of intense. The production and mix is spot on. Vocals are growly and gruff but not ear wincing and the riffs are chuggalicious (You may kick me for using that word.) Onto the third track “Berlin” with guest vocals by Nico Wfahm and Bernd Kurtzke of the Beatsteaks. Well, my first impression is that it differs in style slightly to the first two tracks. It’s a decent slab of hard punk rock pie but it lacks the intensity of tracks 1 and 2. On the strength of the first two tracks, I would rather Final Prayer did another of their own songs than this cover, that although enjoyable on its own merits, lacks the punch to the guts that “Mind Eraser” and “Final Hour” deliver. Still all in all, it’s pretty ace and it’s been a pleasure to listen to. Might even go and find that album from three years ago.