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"Wer bettelt wird nicht gefüttert": Dementi It was a little over a year ago that I was introduced to Dementi via a posting on Germaniac.com, informing me that the band was giving their 2003 debut "Zweigefühl" and 2005’s "Für Heute Reichts" away for free on their site. I had heard a lot of good things about them, so I quickly headed over to Dementi-band.de and snatched up both albums, and I am glad I did. 2003's "Zweigefühl" was an excellent Gothic Rock album, with a great flow. From the faster tracks like the opening "Meine Welt" to the slower more orchestral "Zeitlos", I was seriously impressed and it quickly became one of my most played albums. 2005’s "Für Heute Reichts" picked up right were the band left off, but added a much harder rock and metal edge to the music, and it seemed a natural evolution. I was blown away right from the seriously rocking track "Leise Stimmen" and the following track "Ein Stück Papier", (which has some of the most messed up lyrics I have ever heard!) to the end of album, I felt like I was being taken on a progressive ride that never really let up, and I enjoyed every second of it. Skip ahead 4 years from their last album to 2009. It was only 2 years between Dementi's first two albums (released in 2003 and 2005), so with such a long time between albums I was expecting something amazing in their newest effort "Wer Bettelt Wird Nicht Gefüttert". I got the album last week, loaded it up on my Ipod and set out onto the city as the first track, a small intro began to play. I noticed right away a more Industrial sound this time around, with piano and voice samples present. It seemed right away to be a mix of the first two albums, a natural evolution. The sounds fade away and then build right back up again, erupting into the first track "Dein Zweites Ich". I definitely noticed a more Industrial sound behind the heavy guitars. Niko's voice remains pretty much unchanged, fitting into the music quite nicely. I found for the rest of the tracks, there was a mix between faster and heavier sounds, and a more rhythmic, slower sound. I thought it flowed quite nicely and there were enough memorable tracks (Die Finger Deiner Hand, Wer Bettelt Wird Nicht Gefüttert, Warten im Regen, Das Buch feat. RIG - Janus, Lügen, Mit Einem Engel) to keep my attention fixed. Not to say there are any 'bad' tracks on this one, because there honestly aren't, but some of them just don't have that ability to really captivate or grab me like so many of the songs on their first two albums did. I waited a few weeks before deciding to write this review, and at first I was very critical of the album, feeling it really let me down, because over the last year, I had very high expectations from Dementi based on their previous efforts. I expected something as awesome as the first two albums combined that would start playing and blow my face off. In retrospect, that was unfair, but it says a lot about the talent of this band that I would expect something like that in the first place, I think. So, what do I think of this one? It's pretty damn solid, honestly. Dementi started with a more Gothic/Rock sound for their first album, graduated to a Hard Rock/Metal sound for their second and now for their third, it's a mix of everything, really. Hard Rock/Gothic/Industrial/Metal. They evolved, as I expected, but not in the way I expected, and that is hardly their fault, so I can't possibly fault them for my expectations as a fan. After listening to this album probably 6-10 times over the last 2 weeks, I've concluded that it is a more than fair album by the band from Erfurt, Thüringen and a solid follow up to their first two efforts. Would I recommend it? Absolutely. If you are a fan of Dementi, this album will deliver exactly what you've come to expect from these guys, but don't expect it to amaze like I did, or you may be disappointed until you really get into it and realize that it's not the album that lets you down, but perhaps 4 years of expectations built off of their absolutely rocking 2005 effort "Für Heute Reichts". Don't expect something amazing, but rather keep an open mind and accept it for what it is: An above average follow up and evolution of styles. For new fans, I would recommend starting with 2003's "Zweigefühl" and then moving on in order to 2005’s "Für Heute Reichts", before listening to this album so you can see exactly what I mean. All in all, with 15 tracks, an appearance from RIG of Janus on the excellent track "Das Buch" and a remix of "Der große Regen" by Painbastard PLUS a bonus track, this album is a worthy buy that will get more than one play through in your cd player. Just don't make the same mistake I did and expect what you got the first two times around and you will be fine. Overall: 7.5/10 Recommended! - Jochen 7/09 More at: |
