Released on: 29th Novemeber 2024
The metal and by proxy the alternative industry has been subject to antagony from conservative actors acting in the best interests of palimpsests since the latter days of the twentieth century. Which to be fair has caused a bit of a schism in the media we, as a society, consume. What does this have to do with Dero-Goi. A musician better known for his tenure in the German pop group Oomph! The ex-singer has made a Biblical concept album. A double feature of dark-industrial-pop with a born again Christian twist; Gott ist ein Popstar.
With twenty-three tracks to play there is a lot to take in. The composition within are, of course, very good. Catchy; bouncy; you will need maracas because how can you not shake along? There is a lot of Oomph! to be heard in this album. The flavour of the electronics more than make up for the missing rhythm of sonic thermite. The harsh tones of the old bands’ guitars.
The beats and bass lines make a groovy foundation for very dark and obtuse lyrics. Where staccato leads carry the ominous mood of the pieces within. While the overall timbre is colder than Goi’s previous outfit. There is still a comforting and familiar sound with which to get wrapped in. Overall the compositions are funky, almost tongue-in-cheek. To cite the parlance of the privy: it is very demure, very mindful.
Religion is often perceived as a social ill in todays’ climate. And, while it is fine to identify with one. Unsolicited proselytising and the enforcement of belief in others, who do not subscribe to said ethos, is a menace. It is with this in mind that the more active lyrics do come across as aggressive and like much of the Christian rhetoric: domineering.
The Christian message is the least egregious lyrical concept. And like whatever, you do you. The most misunderstood concept this album deals with on a very scare-tact level is the threat of omnipresent technology; Totalitarian governance. It is perhaps not Goi’s intent to present these ideas as such, but as a pre-emptive counter-point: it is not a substitute for an omnipresent Ego. Whatever, at the end of the day, it is just a medium for some guys opinion. Titled 1984, a glib allusion to Orwells’ satire on postwar hysteria, the album is musically a master class.
8/10
