ASP

ASP have always stood out as one of the groups to best the rest in this genre combination of deep house, rock, electric pop, industrial and even soundscaping. However with Weltunter they went all out and created a masterpiece of a CD, maybe its not perfect but this is the first CD that has ever made me, someone who hates headbangers, jump up and down like a fool.

The CD starts out interesting enough with the simple title of "Intro" it starts out as a basic electronic sound but within moments picks up to give an amazing feeling of depression, despite its high sounds it still succeeds in conveying ASP's dark side.

The "Intro" immediately opens into the track "Welcome" what at first seems to be nothing more than the traditional ASP voice with some rock thrown in for good measure, but as it opens up it conveys its true feelings with a brilliant line of "Come on in and spend an hour, Or two up there in the dark tower, Where there is nothing as it seems, Follow me to where hopes die, The realm of the black butterfly, I welcome you here in my dreams." If one cant recognize this as a amazing musical feat then they don't truly understand emotion conveyed within music.

After a short pause we are brought into the track "Weltunter", now out of all the songs this is the one that most have heard, however its worth listening to all over again as the CD version is crisp and clean and you can finally hear it like it was supposed to be. If you haven't heard it, the best way to put it, is that it is a mix of deep house and rock with exaggerated lyrics. I don't want to ruin this song for anyone so I wont go into details about it.

"Stille Der Nacht" is the next track, this one is often as expressed as being the track ASP put their heart into and it shows, with brilliant lyrics and a astounding recital it blends perfectly with the mesmerizing sounds of the old ASP with a sound reminiscent of "Hast Du Mich Vermisst?", regardless its good to hear that ASP hasn't forgot their roots and can still open a can when they need to.

If there is a weak link on this CD I would have to say its the next track "Geisterjagd", for me the beat seemed a little of a low light and his singing reminds me more of a traditional Dark Wave group, not that this is bad, simply that it doesn't fit. I must say that for ASP the lyrics wernt as poetic and thoughtful as normal.

"She Wore Shadows" is an amazing feat of electronic prowess and even if the lyrics were just regular, the song itself quickly makes up for it. The lyrics though bland are surprisingly made very entertaining with ASP chanting "She wore shadows, Shadows and Skin, She wore shadows, She wore shadows, Nothing but shadows, Shadows and skin".

"Demon Love" is a unique track, it doesn't follow any of ASP's normal styles, instead it is its own. Its a very slow track, give a few lines. However what makes this song is the lyrics, well thought out and very meaningful, this could be sung to the worst music in the world and it would still convey its deep meaning, and with it being ASP you know its definitely not bad.
Now for the hard rocker of the CD, I'm not sure anything ASP has ever done can compare to "Ich Will Brennen" its simply that good. With an opening that will leave even the most seasoned ASP fan speechless and a recital that best many of their previous hard rock attempts. This song itself makes the CD worth buying.

"Hasslich" and "Eleison" I include them together as they are one after another and despite each having their own draw, neither of them truly stands out amongst so many other great songs. They are good for a few listens and are fantastic songs but they are not masterpieces as the rest of the CD is. I'm not sure how to explain it, some may like them but they are not my taste.

"Lykanthropie" is another hard rock song mixed with electronic and at some points it even seems to resemble a Ballade though not in the same line as "Die Kleine Ballade vom Schwarzen Schmetterling" but similar in areas. At the same time it stands alone with its wicked voices and downright sinister approach to music.

ASP finish this brilliant album with "Die Ruhe vor Dem Sturm" an amazing sound scape. The song is so elegant and yet so powerful one cant even explain it, its the kind of songs that depicts calm and serenity yet has the power to rock the earth, a very powerful peace and an amazing way to finish an amazing album.

ASP continues to impress and with their new offering already out I'm hoping they kept to this new brilliance they have found. 5/5 one of the best albums I have ever heard.