The first album from Simon Schall, a new electro-industrial project from Vienna, is certainly entertaining, though the opening piece ‘Die Spielerei’ is a bit boring. The tracks on this album are rather simple and monotonous, but quite effective and danceable at times. I can imagine that the industrial dancefloors are not safe when you play ‘Der Tod’. But on “Mit Ach und Krach” you can also hear a slow and threatening soundscape like ‘Der Schmerz’.
In general the music of Simon Schall sounds cold and mechanical. Typical rhythmic industrial elements, mixed with some minimal electro influences (especially on ‘Das Nafara’ and the last track ‘Die Auferstehung’) give this album a nostalgic sound.
Fans of oldschool industrial music in the vein of early P.AL. or Marita Schreck (though less noisy) will certainly be pleased by this album. On the more aggressive pieces the scene around Haus Arafna comes to mind. Most tracks are dominated by monotonous electronic melodies and repetitive rhythms, except for ‘Die Angst’, which is decorated by bomb alarrms and harsh vocals. Achtung!
