Prager Handgriff – Das Letzte Gefecht (Album – Infacted Recordings)
Genre/Influences: EBM.
Format: Digital, CD.
Background/Info: More than thirty years after their set up and seven years after their last album German EBM duo Stefan Schäfer – Volker Rathmann aka Prager Handgriff strikes back with a new work featuring fourteen new songs.
Content: The sound and global approach plus concept didn’t change. “Das Letzte Gefecht” which can be translated as ‘the last battle’ sounds in the purest German EBM approach of the band. Engaged vocals dealing about the world and politics we’re living in transposed into dark and melodic EBM with deep growls on top.
+ + + : Prager Handgriff is a band you can’t compare to any other. They have this particular sound DNA mixing power and dark melodies with some extra refined treatments on top. Stefan Schäfer cavernous timbre of voice is guiding us through this sonic inferno. Prager Handgriff doesn’t bring anything new although takes me by surprise unleashing great and accomplished songs. The tracks are sophisticated featuring several attention grabbers like “Alle Zeit Der Welt”, “Du Bist Wie Du Bist”, “Enig Vaterland” and “In Moria” which sounds to me as the absolute highlights from the opus. One of the most surprising cuts is “Abschied” which sound-wise sounds as an Electro version of The Cure.
– – – : Definitely one of the best albums of the band from their post-millennium period. Let’s hope the title isn’t prophetic for their own future as a band.
Conclusion: EBM as a critical reflection of the world we’re living in; that’s the trademark of Prager Handgridff!
Best songs: “In Moria”,“Alle Zeit Der Welt”, “Du Bist Wie Du Bist”, “Enig Vaterland”, “Böse Geister”, “Für Immer”.
Rate: 8.
Artist: www.pragerhandgriff.de / www.facebook.com/pragerhandgriff
Label: www.infacted-recordings.de / www.facebook.com/pages/Infacted-Recordings/124099254321690
Since you’re here …
… we have a small favour to ask. More people are reading Side-Line Magazine than ever but advertising revenues across the media are falling fast. Unlike many news organisations, we haven’t put up a paywall – we want to keep our journalism as open as we can - and we refuse to add annoying advertising. So you can see why we need to ask for your help.
Side-Line’s independent journalism takes a lot of time, money and hard work to produce. But we do it because we want to push the artists we like and who are equally fighting to survive.
If everyone who reads our reporting, who likes it, helps fund it, our future would be much more secure. For as little as 5 US$, you can support Side-Line Magazine – and it only takes a minute. Thank you.
The donations are safely powered by Paypal.
