*** "I AM MEAN!!!" ***

RASSELBANDE - "ES GEHT LOS!"
("Metal Bastard"/"Bellaphon"; CD):

And here comes the last review of my old "METAL BASTRAD" (/"BELLAPHON") record releases, and also (if you ask me) this one here was released back then some time around the mid to late 1990's and the (very) early 2000's. And also this one here was always everywhere announced to be an Oi! record and by looking at the coverartwork you might may also think you get some Oi! or maybe some Hooligan Rock & Roll stuff... but beside the reviewed STAHLSCHÄDEL record every "METAL BASTRAD" release reviewed here was once announced to be Oi! or something pretty similiar and all they (AUSSENSEITER, KRACHKANONEN, and now RASSELBANDE) felt in being so (okay, STAHLSCHÄDEL were announced to be Oi!, too, but they are respectively were exactly this, at least its specific respectively particular german version of it), so also the RASSELBANDE here was everything but Oi!, point and fact. What we have here with this band and record is rough and raw Hardcore Punk all sung in german language and all influenced strongly by the almighty THE EXPLOITED as well as the German Punk veterans DRITTE WAHL and also (musically) you won't make that much wrong with listening to the RASSELBANDE if you like bands like RAWSIDE as well as VKJ. The pace of the songs is mostly some pretty fast affair, sometimes some 'groovy' and pretty 'old schoolish moshy' parts to loosen it all a little bit up, mostly when the refrain parts are taking the lead of the direction of the songs. Very powerful music with huge loads of force and pressure to back it all up. Fast and heavy, very rough and raw guitar riffing, all done very harsh and 'mosh-and-pogo-compatible', is marking the songs heavily, as well as a very fast working (respectively playing) rhythm section, very tight and fast and hard and especially the drumming is some very present and also pretty nice thing, and then there are the vocals... and the vocals are really a let-down, mush too less expression and also simply far too less power and that especially if you set 'them' (the vocals) in the context of the whole music. Beside the vocals another major trouble or problem is the fact that the guys knew how to play and what to do with their instruments, no problems here, but they weren't the best songwriters anyhow because all the songs simply sound very equal and so they sound just the same, beside some cool bass playing suprises you won't find that much suprising stuff here at all. Also the arrangements of the songs, especially of the vocal lines, are all far too well known already by the first listen to it, if you know what I want to say with this words. So, okay, beside this really weak points the positive aspects, especially the huge doses of power and force and the 'tightness' of the music and some pretty cool guitar and especially bass parts, I've already mentioned as well, so what there's left to say is that we do get beside some total crap "Come on over and let me fuck you, you whore!", "You are a damn bitch!", etc. pp. lyrics also some really good lyrics about personal issues, lowlife psychopath rapist and child molester scum, and very critical on society and its ruling politics stuff, and that's always good. The artwork looks pretty good after all (evn the cover drawing looks a little bit retarded a all and it's the same 'slim' affair with no proper booklet- just the cover and a list of greetings- and also all done not so overy exciting anyhow, and that's the case with all "METAL BASTARD" releases reviewed up here) and the dirty production sound is also some good stuff after all. Best songs are "GELD REGIERT DIE WELT" (musically as well as lyrically) and "KEIN BOCK" (also lyrically and musically damn good stuff), and there are also some more pretty good songs that are waiting to be discovered by you, and we get ten songs at all in round-a-bound 29 minutes. Okay, all in all this record was and is in no way bad and if I would keep one eye and also one ear closed I would give it maybe one point more... If you are on the hunt for some hard and fast German Hardcore Punk (or Hardcore German Punk) and if you still don't know the RASSELBANDE you should really check them out (even it's really not 'my music' at all, to be honest) but keep their mentioned faults in your mind. Ah, and again like with all other here reviewed "METAL BASTARD" records also this one here should be to get today for damn low prices (even it's maybe again just and only via the second hand way of buying old things today in the new light of the current days). Solid midfield stuff, but if you're a fan of German Punk the Hardcore Punk way check it out because it's anyhow a  nice shot!!! (6 of 10 points)

(Sorry guys, but also of this former "METAL BASTARD" band I've found no homepage or MySpace site or what-so-ever at all.)