BROILERS - "FACKELN IM STURM" (Rerelease, 2011)

BROILERS - "FACKELN IM STURM"
(Running time: 45:36 minutes; 12 songs)
("Skull & Palms Recordings"; 2011; CD):

Hey guys, yes, next dose is already incoming and this time here you now get my review on an old record, yes, in its original-version an even already very old record because here we have the full-length-debut of/by no one else than the (al)mighty BROILERS titled "FACKELN IM STURM" and originally it was released way back then in 1997 and so some may/might with all justifications consider it a classick. And, yes, with all justification to do so. Back to the topic,  the BROILERS were one of the young and strong stomping German Oi! bands that started to take over back then in the mid to late 1990's. Since latest 2007, when the "VANITAS RECORDINGS" was released, the BROILERS really 'took off' and today they are a damn 'big number' in the german music scenery with save (and high) chart-entries every time a new release hit the stores. And, not that you get the wrong impression, this for all the right and justified reasons and personally for me today it is a big, a huge pleasure to see them standing where they are today and I only wish them all the best on their further way. Even more because they never forgot or denied where they came from and they always stayed true to and never were ashamed of their Oi! and Skinhead roots and that makes them only more authentic and also and maybe even especially sympathic in my eyes and that's someting sort of very 'rare' and 'precious' especially in our current time and age. And so seven years ago in 2011 they were already very strong going and only getting bigger and bigger and then they rereleased their older albums in totally drop-dead-gorgeous rereleases and so also their debut, standing proud and true to and for their roots. Personally back then when I was a teenager or a (very) 'young adult' I really discovered the BROILERS properly with their second full-length-album "VERLIERER SEHEN ANDERS AUS" from and in the year 2000 and their former works I back then first only knew songwise from compilations and parties and such stuff, yes, and that's also the reason why this very album and review on it isn't part of the ('personal') "CLASSICK(S) OF THE MONTH" series up here because my first real personal classick of, with, and by the BROILERS was and is "VERLIERER SEHEN ANDERS AUS". But back in 2011 I finally realized that I should definitely get "VERLIERER SEHEN ANDERS AUS" in a proper version, especially after the tape on which I got it back then started rapidly to 'melt' away, so to say, and so I already in 2011 wanted to call this one finally and properly my very own... but don't ask me why it took me long seven years to finally get it done, damn it... however, because some time ago this year of and in 2018 I finally managed to get it, yes, done and since some months I call this drop-dead-gorgeous rereleased timeless classick of German Oi! my very own and so I thought why not even still today deliver you my review on it, yes, and so now finally after all this 'historical ramblings' let's go, yes, so, truly, here we finally go: Back in 1997 the BROILERS still were sort of 'nearly teenagers', so to say, and they delivered an asskicking harsh sawing and thirsty-for-life forward rumbling German Oi! that still today suprisingly strong and tall stands its very own ground, yes, and that alone is a statement. I mean, definitely, this is through-and-through pure 1990's Oi!, yes, with surely already a strong own identity, also definitely, but still true 1990's German Oi! and still it is as strong and releavant as back then and this still today even despite the fact that German Oi! developed hugely and massively since the 1990's and, yes, so that  the BROILERS' "FACKELN IM STURM" is still as strong and as relevant as back then in 1997 is truly a statement of its very own. The songwriting was already back then nicely diverse and multi-facetted and what they served us back then they also knew how to get it all properly done and without 'taking themselves over with something' and the impressive development and evolution of the sound'n'style of the BROILERS like we know them today was or better is retrospectively already in its very floorplans or groundplans to be recognized here on and with "FACKELN IM STURM" that's still even today a very strong and in parts even just 'overwhelmingly' conquering album and I really could kick myself in the ass that I haven't cheered up to it properly already back then in the glory days of 1997. Anyhow… again: return to the topic; so the foundation of the BROILERS' "FACKELN IM STURM" is by harsh (German) Punk(rock) fueled gruff and rough and 'boorish' German Oi! that's massively driven forward by harsh sawing and powerful stomping bonedry and 'road-grimed' guitars that deliver a headsmashing full force riff-and-rhythm-work and also set strong and 'formative' melodic and lead accents from start to finish of the whole album, yes, and they also deliver power and force non stopp; then there's the warm and earthy but also or as well as heavy and dirty huming and buzzing bass that's struts around like '(s)he' owns the place and that's also very often nicely marking the songs in its own way and with its own flavour; then the smashing drumming pushes the songs with massive and meaty poundings onwards and lending it all the needed massively beefy and bulky stomp; then there are the gruff and harsh and in a throaty shouted way sung lead vocals with a very nice own vibe to them and, just by the way, no matter how much I also still today love Sammy's 'old style'n'voice of singing' it is really impressive how much and how far he developed since then to what he does and is able to do today, hell yeahr, nothing but much respect; and finally we have the loud crew backing chants only adding up to the massively hymnal and anthemic character of all the songs. And, yes, already back then in 1997 on "FACKELN IM STURM" the BROILERS knew very damn well how to write really massivley hymnal and anthemic songs with really large 'hooky' sing-a-long refrains and also damn rousing verses that are mostly in no way inferior arranged than the mighty refrains and that was and still is an ability that the BROILERS (sort of) 'learned from the ground up' and haven't unlearned to the present day and I am pretty damn sure they will never unlearn it. And all this is enriched and cultivated by already back then in 1997 pretty strong and nicely huge SKA and Offbeat influences and elements, licks and rhythm-arrangements as well as also some slightly 'Coutnryesque' guitar tones and some few nicely doses of healthy Rock & Roll like onwards pushing marks. With all that added together even still in 2018 "FACKELN IM STURM" is an exciting and grapping, intense ride and truly a timeless classick of the German Oi! of the 1990's and in the basic floorplans today in the retrospective a lot of what should become of the BROILERS culminating so far in 2018 is or was also already in slight portions dawning at the horizon of and in 1997 while they and we, the "FACKELN IM STURM" still defying the storm still burning brightly, proud and strong. Already back then often pretty outspoken and anyhow thematically nicely diverse and sympathically 'ironical winking' and anyhow good lyrics with a strong and clear youthful attitude, a fantastic artwork, and a heavy bombing and still dirty stomping production sound then round it all finally up. Surely, yes, some songs like for example "KELLY FAMMELLY" or "SUFF DICH VOLL" are today in one way or another (at least a bit) outdated but, hey, what did you expect. My personal favorites were and (mostly still) are "BLAUE AUSTER", "IN 80 TAGEN UM DIE WELT", "DU BIST SO BLIND", "FACKELN IM STURM", "DÜSSELDORF", and "WENN DU DENKST" and the sort of 'bonus-medley' "DAS GÜLDENE POTPOURRI" is just a fantastic 'musical bouncer' of the (rerelease-)album. So, yes, also with nowadays being already twenty-one-years-old I can only and nothing but recommend the BROILERS' "FACKELN IM STURM" to anyone into Oi! and also to anyone who wants to know how great German Oi! was already back in the 1990's, oh yeahr, and so you should finally (and desperately, trust me) try to get your hands on a copy of it, yes, and the rerelease-version of it would be a perfcet match for or in the case of this very undertaking, yes, trust me. So, okay, you best promptly just damn fucking finally get it. Cheers & Oi! Oi! Oi!

(8,5 of 10 points)

http://www.broilers.de/ (-the link to the homepage of the band)

BROILERS - "FACKELN IM STURM" ///live, ca. 2010 @ the "WITH FULL FORCE FESTIVAL"\\\ (1997/2011, "FACKELN IM STURM")