Bist du nicht unterhalten? Welcome to the slightly mad world of Letzte Instanz. If you’re a fan of the aforementioned bands, you’ll likely be hooked right from the start, as punchy power chord riffs enter with a crisp mix worthy of modern Rammstein, and are suddenly usurped by the rich soprano wail of the violin, and the surprisingly not-angry german language lyrics. The title ‘Ehrenwort’ translates to ‘Word of Honour’, and fittingly, the music is consistently of a sound that invokes deep feelings, and uplifts from the get-go, and the lyrics are that of togetherness and unity.
Unfortunately, this feeling starts to wear thin a little, as the tracks begin to feel a little derivative by the time ‘Meine Welt’ rolls around, with most songs following a very similar structure and sound. ‘Bis zum letzen Tag’ remedies this somewhat, but perhaps arrives late to the party. Its slower pace and greater reliance on piano bring a much needed structural change at least, although likely after the least attentive casual listeners may have lost interest.
This is deeply unfortunate, as each track in isolation is brilliant, fun and uplifting, and clearly represents Letzte Instanz as a more complete band than the one that created the already good 13 albums prior, and the overall aura of the album’s sound is deeply positive and uplifting.
