DANSE MACABRE is a Germany based band from the lovely town trier. They deliver screamy chaotic hardcore with a lot of power and moody parts, it reminds me of some bands in this genre which have been around a couple of years ago, but they still manage to create something own. After a great 7" and a wonderful split 7" with killed by malaise(another great german band, sadly they have broken up at all), they made a huge step for in comparison to the earlier stuff with their first full-length "synkopenleben, nein danke", great layout and production and well written songs. They blend both the chaotic and the grim elements of heavy music to create something familiar to the scene, yet all of their own at the same time. In the end of summer 2006 they released a picture 7" together with her breath on glass and toured with them through europe. Soon there will be another split 7" with the shortly disbanded am i dead yet. |
DISCOGRAPHY
die kritik ist keine leidenschaft des kopfes 7" (rwp006)
split 7" with killed by malaise (totenschiff records)
"untitled" on V/A - emo armageddon compilation 7" (rwp014)
synkopenleben, nein danke 12" (rwp015)
split picture 7" with her breath on glass (rwp024)
Split 7" with Am I Dead Yet (rwp025)
SOUNDS
GREGOR(mp3) from die kritik ist keine leidenschaft des kopfes 7"
SYNTAX ERROR(mp3) from Synkopenleben, nein danke 12"
schon ok irgendwie...(mp3) from Split 7" with Am I Dead Yet
VIDEOS
REVIEWS
"Clocking in at 20 minutes, Synkopenleben, Nein Danke stands like a giant exclamation point. It's a largely violent experience, dashed with the bombast of Envy, the ardor of City of Caterpillar, and maybe even the reckless disregard of Converge, roiling and bubbling until it's burned itself off in a fit of hissing steam. What is lacks is the epic swagger of those bands, choosing to make its point with aggressive under-two-minute blasts that somehow manage to pack the punch of a decade's worth of post-hardcore raucousness with brief post-rock interludes of clean guitar and spoken-word vocals. It all whips by at such a blinding speed it's hard to know how to feel – all that one is sure of at its conclusion is an aching sense of breathlessness. Synkopenleben, Nein Danke has a very non-American feel, and the first comparisons that come to mind are of Danse Macabre's foreign brethren: Envy, Amanda Woodward, Mihai Edrisch, etc., and rightfully so, as the band hails from Germany. While many hardcore bands in the States tend to be foolishly caught up in tough-guy testosterone-filled pissing contests or prefer to mix elements of metal into their songwriting, it seems that many Eurasian bands are striving for some greater aesthetic, producing albums with all the rage of badass dude-filled bands like Biohazard or Hatebreed, but with a level of sophistication and intelligence unthinkable in the ranks of bro-core and metalcore. Though relentlessly noisy at first listen, Synkopenleben, Nein Danke is rife with complex riffs and stellar interplay between guitarists. It's unfortunate that much of it is lost in the violent presentation, as it is doubtful that many adrenaline-pumped listeners are going to don the critic's ear and really attempt to sieve through the squall to mentally tabulate the guitar work. Each song starts with the same full-on assault, at times approaching a speed and intensity that recalls grindcore more than hardcore, and after five or six tracks, they can become hard to differentiate. And though the band's breaks into clean guitars in the middle of such raging tempests can work amazingly (see the title track and "Eine Shwalbe Macht Noch Keinen Sommer"), by the end of the album, the trick begins to sound a bit trite. These rough patches can easily be forgiven, however, especially if one is a fan of Envy-style post-hardcore, and also considering this is the band's first attempt at a "full-length" album, having previously only released several 7" records. Because of the nature of hardcore vocals, it's hardly noticeable that all the lyrics on Synkopenleben, Nein Danke are delivered in German, though for the sake of interest it would be nice to know what the lyrics said, even in rough translation. The band takes a step in the right direction with the liner notes, but confusingly only includes descriptions of what the songs are about in English, not the actual lyrics. While it's all certainly interesting enough, one can't help but wonder: why not just print the lyrics with the descriptions, too? Though German can be notoriously difficult to translate properly, a part of me doubts that Danse Macabre's lyrics are on par with the literature of Goethe or Nietzsche. I will give them props for the track titled "Life is a Pralinenschachtel" however, a silly homage to that famous Forrest Gump line. Brutal as hell and classy like few other hardcore albums, Synkopenleben, Nein Danke is a worthy entry point into the world of post-hardcore for Danse Macabre. Though the band has a few minor releases under its belt, Synkopenleben finds the band born anew, with a startlingly fresh sound and an unbridled, fanatical fervor. If you enjoy any of the bands used for comparison thus far, take it upon yourself to check out Danse Macabre. Though they've just stepped into the big ring of contenders, they've got their gloves strapped on tight and their mouth guards firmly in place."
about the synkopenleben, nein danke 12" by Dan Sorrells from Delusions of adequacy
MEMBERS
Philipp, Stefan, Berni, Benni and Dan
WEB APPEARANCES