The Year That Should Not Be

THE ULTIMATE
RECKONING with
one of history’s
WORST YEARS
SPECIAL FEATURE:
NEW WORLD ORDER
PLUS:
COVID 19
BREXIT
POLICE BRUTALITY
VLADIMIR PUTIN
MUAMMAR AL-GADDAFI
PETER ALTMAIER
HEAVY METAL
POETRY
TERROR
AND
DIRTY SEX ACTION*
*NOW THAT’S A BLATANT LIE

FUCK 2020
FINALLY
A GRUESOME YEAR COMES TO AN END. THESE ARE A „FEW“ WORDS ABOUT IT. AND MY
(EXTENDED) YEAR-END LIST, FOR YOUR READING PLEASURE OR TO YOUR DISMAY. YOU
DECIDE. HERE’S WHAT YOU GET:
THE YEAR THAT ShOuLD NOT BE 3
A REVIEW OF 2020 IF IT WAS AN ALBUM 4
THE YEAR TO END ALL LISTs 6
MY TOP 20 ALBUMS OF 2020 6
THE LISTs TO END ALL YEARs 12
LIST OF 20 ALBUMS THAT ARE TOO GOOD TO BE LEFT OUT 12
A CORNUCOPIA OF EPS 14
THE RISE OF THE OLD WHITE MEN 15
DIE, DIE, MY DARLING 17
…ALL HOPE IS (NOT) LOST? 18
ZE kRAUT ZAT ShOuD NOT BE 20
Denk ich an Deutschland in der Nacht / Dann bin ich um den Schlaf gebracht 20
NEW WORLD ORDER 21
WATER IS LIFE
The wonderful Muskelrock Festival
supports an organization that drills wells in
communities in Tanzania, and I’m happy to join.
If you like this thing here, you can send me
money through
https://www.patreon.com/lt_dave
I’ll give every penny to
PAMOJA
https://www.facebook.com/
Pamoja-1853569788225548

FUCK 2020
THE YEAR THAT SHOULD NOT BE
W
HY? Why You Do This?, as Death Angel asked
a loong time ago on the brilliant „Frolic
Through The Park“ album, you might ask
yourself the same question I ask myself all the time.
„Why you do this, dude?“ Well, I have to answer: I
dunno. I’ts a hobby. It’s for me. It’s for you, should
you need even more entertainment in a world
overcrowded with fucking entertainment. Why you
should want to chose my stuff - of all
stuff - to read through / flick
through / listen to / look at / lough
about / shake your head over? Well
- because it’s fucking ace stuff and I
am a hidden superstar. Very well
hidden, but still. DISCLAIMER:
Should you find irony, sarcasm, cynicism, polemics or
even outrageous bullshit in this, you can keep it. No
worries, it’s for free.
I
usually don’t like the year-bashing that has
become a social media phenomenon. „Year
WXYZ is sooo bad because *insert recently
deceased childhood heroine / hero here*. Take for
instance 1986: Of course it’s bad / sad to this day,
that Cliff Burton died in that year. Many other
people died that year too, as always. Loved ones,
family members, historic figures. But still…Cliff’s
death broke my heart. Still I can’t recall
moaning„oooh, fuck 1986, you’re such a bad year.“
In 1986 man, we’ve
had „Master Of
Puppets“, „Reign In
Blood“, a gazillion
other great releases,
outburst of youth,
creativity, summer
sun, fun, on the verge
of WWWIII and the
end of the Cold War
at the same time.
History in the air.
Mourning Cliff’s
death, praising „The Thing That Should Not Be“ in
one fucking year! By the way, a certain Diego
Armando Maradona Franco was shown a yellow
card in the 10th minute of the World Cup final in
1986 (apparently google’s „AI“ creates a search
result page in the style of a live-ticker even for past
football matches - I sense we are on a very good
way when it comes to reasonable implementation of
…aye, „AI“), in which Jorge Buruchaga scored the
decisive goal against a certain „West-Germany“.
Those were the
happy days. Re-
Build The Wall!
Re-Build The
Wall! Just
kidding. Maybe.
Said World Cup
( M e x i c o ,
Mexico, Ra, Ra,
Ra!) saw the emerging of the Hand Of God, which
was used by said legendary player, who deceased
too early (or too late, given his white line fever), to
score a highly illegitimate goal, which sure-asfucking-hell-freezes-over
would nowadays be
instantly detected by the VAR - and subsequently
England would have won the championship. Haha,
just kidding. Maybe. His death (Diego’s, not the
VAR’s unfortunately) has caused quite a turmoil
among his fans during the public viewing.

NEW WORLD ORDER
FUCK 2020
Yes, He died in 2020, of all years.
L
ooking for another link from the Then to the
Now? Uganda’s prez Yoweri Museveni is in
power since 1986! Jeez, Donnie, that’d be a
far better role model for you than Vladdi-Baby or
Kimmi-Boy. And also in Uganda a HipHop artist
wants to contest the current ruler. But believe me,
Bobi Wine is so much cooler than Kanye West. I
w i s h h i m a l l
best. He’s - like
many - looking
forward to
2021, even if
the „election“ in
which he wants
to run will most
likely be
properly rigged. He simply wants to look to the
future, wants the indeed very bashable 2020 to end,
this fucking year, we all wanna get over with. Such
nice numbers…2020…could have been such a nice
starting point for a new era. Instead it has become a
fucking nightmare. Dead bodies everywhere. Dead
brains everywhere. Social fucking distancing.
NO FUCKING CONCERTS. NO FESTIVALS. NO
MUSKELROCK! A huge blowback for creative
workers, artists, shop owners, bar owners… So many
early deaths… so many unemployed …so many
tragic stories of isolated people…so many people
who are completely
delusional. And Jeff Bezos is
getting richer and richer
and richer every fucking
second. PLEASE, FOLKS,
BOYCOT AMAZON! There
are a trillion reasons for it.
And yes, other companies
are fucking evil as well. But
Amazon is the Cream Of The Crap. And then
there’ve been even more insane mindblowers to this
damn year than Covid: Trump’s deathmatch vs
democracy. George Floyd. Nazi terror. More terror,
more people killed. World’s on fire…melting the ice.
The worst season of Brexit thus far. Can’t even
bother to remember all the shit that has been going
on.
L
ife is definitely too short to just remember
the bad things anyway. There are so many
one will never forget anyways. So let’s
focus on what was good this year. Musically, it has
been good enough for me to bother to make a „best
albums list“ again after many many years.
Personally, the isolation and lack of gigs to go to
and bars to drink in has somehow revived my
creative drive. So I did some crazy stuff like Radio
Carsten and some more writing. And I did this -
A REVIEW OF 2020 IF IT WAS AN ALBUM
NEW WORLD ORDER
2020 …. Re-inventing History
(Capitalist Decay Records / Behemoth, inc.)
2020
So after the end of a wacky, but compared to it’s
predecessor rather quiet decade (as long as you do
not live in Syria or Yemen or South Sudan or Moria,
or Afghanistan, or… höhö) here comes another real
banger from the brutal Free Jazz- Grindcore- Trip
Hop- Gabba- Schlager - Neo-Folk - Gangsta Rap -
troupe, which is only something for people who suck
in John Zorn operas and recite Nickelback songs for
breakfast. NEW WORLD ORDER seem to easily
manage to follow up their previously released EPs
"Refugees Not Welcome" (2015), "Grabbing The
World By The Pussy" (2016) or "Climate Change Is A
Hoax" (2019) with "2020 ... Re-Inventing
History", their magnum opus. Already at the end of
2019, when the pre-sale for the world tour with the
…re-inventing history

FUCK 2020
strange motto "Coronamon - Catch them all" started,
it was clear that NEW WORLD ORDER would
strike a big blow in the direction of world
domination. All over the globe, or - depending on
the opinion - the flat earth, people got hold of the
cleverly branded merchandise of the combo - quickly
the scraps of cloth were on everyone's lips. And
those who couldn't get hold of one were deadly sad,
sometimes lost their sense of taste, or at worst died
of despair. Even Australia and Brazil were on fire -
but ablaze! The main attraction of the album is, of
course, the charismatic frontman DJT, whose
performance, as usual, divides opinions. Since King
Diamond, no singer has polarized more than the
orange master. Also on "2020 …." songs like
„Good People On Both Sides", "Stop The Count",
"Look How I Can Hold The Bible (While Shooting
Looters)" or the epic Fun Punk banger "Four Seasons
Pool Party" reflect the dreary, soulless, infinitely
brutal emptiness in the sound body of the "Overlord
of Cringe". Kaiser Wilhelm II is already rotating in
his grave at the grim prospect of someone wrestling
the title of "best worst frontman" from him. But of
course, none of this would be possible if DJT didn't
have his world-class band around him. Kim Jong-un
really beats the hell out of everything on the drums,
together with Jair Bolsonaro he forms a wonderfully
weird rhythm section, which hits the "one" even more
rarely than Lars Ulrich, but which brilliantly
underlines the disruptive element of NEW WORLD
ORDER with its coarse simplicity. At the keys, a
certain Victor Orban lays out a lardy, sticky carpet
of sound for which his numerous right-wing fans give
everything they have. If they are hungary, they can
still eat their pride. Of course, this doesn't just win
him friends, the great Ken Hensley has even left the
planet out of frustration. Just like the head master
Eddie Van Halen, who just couldn't stand how Vlad
"The Impaler" Putin stole the show from him on lead
guitar. Of course, the "Russian Bear" is not exactly
squeamish about it and scythes everything down
with his razor-sharp riffs. He forms a congenial duo
with the always out-of-tune rhythm guitarist Boris
Johnson in terms of charisma and pose. Only the
backing vocals remain strangely weak-chested on
"2020 .... Re-inventing History." Angela
Merkel, Ursula „I bring the whip" von der Leyen and
co. just can't compete with the testosterone-soaked
sound on this "sausage party". The unbalanced
production of Xi Jinping doesn't help either. All the
controls are on attack and the "loudness war" here
even outshines the "First We Take Hongkong, Then
We Take The World" live disc, also produced and
orchestrated by him. And these are by no means all
the weak points: the clumsy and downright bumbling
cover versions of "Spanish Flu Is The Great
Reaper" (almost exactly 100 years after the first
release) and "Pay Your Own Ghetto (Schwarzbraun
ist die Haselnuss)" trigger anxiety, depression, panic,
shortness of breath and violent vomiting. In addition,
there is the tasteless, puffery marketing, with which
Capitalist Decay Records simply steal the last nerve
of everyone on all channels around the clock. You
can almost touch that they are doomed to success
despite (or just because of) the lush war chest of
their parent company. And they probably realize
themselves that they are only a copy of better days.
Behemoth, Inc. don't care, they keep on earning and
when they can't get enough profit anymore, they will
close down the store just as mercilessly as they did
with their labels Socialism Is Real Records or Das
Dritte Reich Schallplatten in the past. It's about time,
one is inclined to think, in view of the fact that of all
things the absolutely worst and most miserable track
"Cummings Home For Brexit" is the first single
release.
Verdict: "2020 ... Re-inventing History" by no means
reinvents the wheel, let alone history. It is merely the
umpteenth rip-off of the well-known in a
predominantly loud, ultra-shrill and incredibly
primitive disguise. Once you've seen through that,
you can't help but hate this record, albeit this of
course meets the taste of a broad, uncritical mass
that unfortunately considers itself pretty woke. Half a
point of mercy is given for the fact that even this
overlong torment comes to an end and, with a
conciliatory note in the style of "Chilenian
Democracy" or "...And Vaccines For All", at the very
last second still exudes hope for a more high-quality
future. But it might very well be that this is nothing
more than a cleverly woven backwards masking
message and the Behemoth via his mouthpiece NEW
WORLD ORDER deliberately misleads the listeners,
who are completely exhausted by this hopeless trip.
0,5 / 10 Points

TOP 202020
THE YEAR TO END ALL LISTS
Painstaking. „Working“ through the releases of the
year. So much music to look back upon, listen to
again. Make notes. „Scienticify“ what brought me
joy. Helped through dark hours. Enlightened the
bright ones. Made my head bang. Do I really kick
out CIRITH UNGOL? Seriously, dude? What about
LADY BEAST? Did I really not miss something
important? Who am I to judge?
Each best-list also bears the danger of degenerating
into bragging. Do I really think release XYZ is better
than ABC or do I just feel cooler because I know the
hottest underground shit? The very worst would be,
after all, if you were somehow mainstream. (Die
Kassierer widersprechen lauthals!)
Obviously these kind of thoughts are similar for all
people of the year-end business. On one hand, it's a
ploy for folks who feel they have to let a perceived
weightiness slip out, but on the other hand, it's a lot
of fun for geeks. In any case, it's tough every time to
choose the supposedly best album and let others fall
out. In the end, it can't be about objectivity here, but
about which releases of the passing year you
celebrated the most. And there is an ever-present
threat of the (in this case, to make matters worse,
self-imposed) end, which forces one to disregard
music one has grown to cherish. Fuck that shit!
Why You Do This, dude? The question lingers on and
on. It’s so much fucking work. On top of that, there
is also the incredible consumption of raw materials.
Entire hop fields have been razed to the ground and
the oil industry has made a killing. Yes, another one.
Not to mention the 48 coal-fired power plants that
had to be built because of the countless hours of
digital music consumption.
Really, there’s nothing to win. I haven’t heard of a
prize for the best year-end list. And I’m not much of
an influencer, unfortunately. And hopefully not too
much of a show-off. So guess what: I still dunno why
I do this. But I did, so why blabber on? Tadadadada.
Carsten’s - whooohooo - super impeccable YEL. Eat
this, Pitchfork, Invisible Oranges and all you other
nerdy blogs. Here’s the ultimate list of what made
lockdowns, cancelled tours and festivals, and missing
the evenings in the favorite pub bearable:
MY TOP 20 ALBUMS OF 2020

TOP 202020
1. HORISONT - SUDDEN DEATH
Can the album with the worst cover be the best of the year? Well, obviously. They fought hard, not always fair.
And they sure lost some teeth and broke a nose. But they won in the penalty shoot out. The album I listened to
the most in 2020. A mother effin’ brilliant band. Live and on record. „Sudden Death“ is HORISONT’s
magnum opus so far, bundling straight forward hits („Revolution“,„Runaway“) and clever, more challenging
songs („Sail On“,„Archaeopteryx In Flight“) into one 70s Rock - meets Abba - meets NWOSHM masterpiece.
Übersongs: „Gråa Dagar“, „Reign Of Madness“.
Fàn, vad en jävla grymt skivor, vänner!
2. WYTCH HAZEL - III: PENTECOST
God only knows why THIS FUCKING GREAT album is only on second place.
Indeed, the podium of this list is really tight. There should be three number ones,
really. WYTCH HAZEL have delivered such an outstanding record with „III:
Pentecost“. Not that this comes as a surprise, as „Prelude“ and „II: Sojourn“ have
already been beautiful records by these British hotshots. It’s kinda funny that this
year the role models WISHBONE ASH, DEEP PURPLE, and BLUE ÖYSTER
CULT have released new records, but the old gang can’t hold up at all (BÖC comes
closest). WISHBONE fucking ASH would have loved to write hits like „I Am
Redeemed“ or „Dry Bones“. Flat out 11 from 10 points, chaps. I guess you’re only second because you’re
Christians. But you know how it is: Everybody needs something to believe in and I believe I have another drink.
3. HÄLLAS - CONUNDRUM
HÄLLAS are always a strong contender for the first place and when listening to to
it for the umpteenth time, it puzzles me why they’re only on third place. Might have
to do with the fact that it took me a while to really get into the first single „Tear Of A
Traitor“ and ultimately into „Conundrum“. I really have no clue why, as It’s a
flawless album. The chorus of „Carry On“ didn’t really catch me in first place, but
now it pays back my ignorance with being this terrific earwig I can’t get rid of. Like
a soundtrack for the lockdown. Carry on - doing nothing. Apart from carrying toilet
paper. Like a „Fading Hero“, the last and best track. Pure, heartfelt, big, big love
for HÄLLAS!

TOP 202020
4. SECOND SUN - KAMPEN GåR VIDARE
„Holger, der Kampf geht weiter!“ is one of the most iconic quotes in German
history, shouted by Rudi Dutschke with his Socialist fist raised in the air at the fresh
grave of RAF terrorist Holger Meins who died from his hunger strike…ääh violent
oppression by a fascist regime in 1974. Anyway you put it, „Kampen Går Vidare“
means „der Kampf geht weiter“ means „the fight goes on“. But there’s no fight here.
If SECOND SUN would’ve released this album in said year ’74 they would have
invented the NWOBHM. In 2020, people tag them with the moniker „Retro Rock“,
which is a fucking shame! Denna skiva är jävla metall!!111!!! Och innehåller några
riktigt bra hits: „Du är allt du har“, „Slå tillbaks“…. Så kul! Du BEHÖVER det!
5. Eternal CHAMPION - RAVENING IRON
Raise yer Swords to the sky and praise the rain of our enemies blood! More epic
than Epic Metal can get, ETERNAL CHAMPION hail the mighty riff in sheer
wonderful grandezza. I mean, no shit, to me 2/3 of this album are almost of „Hail
To England“-quality and the rest is not exactly bad either. These blokes from Austin
are on their way to becoming the Kings Of Metal that MANOWAR only very
clumsily claim to still be.
6. AMBUSH - INFIDEL
AMBUSH manage to blend so many styles I love in to one smashing sound, they
simply warms my heart. I hear JUDAS PRIEST, ANTHRAX, early EUROPE and so
much more. Sometimes they quote pretty smartly, but most of the time AMBUSH
create their very own branch of pure classic Heavy fucking Metal while sporting a
stunning musicianship. Equipped with a singer of world-class quality and, more
importantly, the necessary tenacity when it comes to drinking beer, absolutely
nothing stands in their way of becoming superstars.
7. SORCERER - LAMENTING OF THE INNOCENT
This is epic metal grandezza. I think I'm repeating myself. In contrast to ETERNAL
CHAMPION, SORCERER of course still serve my passion for finest Doom. Say: it
gets nice and slow in between, the riffs flow tenaciously and the harmonies are
performed with great conviction. Fittingly, there is also a duet with CANDLEMASS
singer Johan Langquist at play („Deliverance“).
By the way, this is the fifth Swedish band in my top 20, but I wonder if the other
countries will catch up?

TOP 202020
8. NECROPHOBIC - DAWN OF THE DAMNED
With their new beast „Dawn Of The Damned“ NECROPHOBIC disappoint anyone
who - after all these years - awaits the quality Black Death outfits to release a bad
album. Let’s face it, that’s not what they can do. But they can scalp you with razorsharp
riffs, pump the blood out of your body with crushing beats and force your
head to bang by cutting your throat with precise grooves. Particularly remarkable is
the clear and punchy sound that further ennobles this smasher.
9. MAGGOT HEART - MERCY MACHINE
Ever since Fenriz suggested to release SONIC RITUAL on the legendary, but very
short-lived „Band Of The Week“ series I am a fan of Linnéa’s art. The unfortunately
also very, very short-lived THE OATH will be unjustifiably remembered mainly for
the "horny" cover of their great debut album. MAGGOT HEART, on the other
hand, is a much more lasting project. The astonishing debut EP „City Girls“ already
presented Olsson’s idea of a Voivod / „art-metal“ induced Punk Rock in top form.
Now „Mercy Machine“ transforms the sound to the next level and works way better
this time than the - IMHO - a bit „hasty“ predecessor.
10. LIK - MISANTHROPIC BREED
Since ENTOMBED and co. invented and coined the "Elk Death" aka "Sweden
Death", there is no reason for OSDM bands to disguise their origin by means of an
international sounding band name. Consequently, LIK smells nicely acrid of
cultivated decay. With "Misanthropic Breed" the guys climb on a damn huge
steamroller and leave a squeezed but happy audience.
11. KULT OF THE WIZARD - GOLD
With the international release date set on Dec, 18th, this smasher came to my
attention very late, and I’m happy that I missed the internal deadline my boss gave
me for this. (Yeah, right, I am my own boss, dude). So finally a crushing
DOOOOOOOOM record here. (Yeah, right, SORCERER are up there, but this one
here is not so much Epic, know what I mean?). We’re talking SABBATH meets
ELECTRIC WIZARD here with absolute shockingly great Soul (!) vocals. Yes we do.
We’re talking pure GOLD!

TOP 202020
12. CRIPPLED BLACK PHOENIX - ELLENGÆST
It sure as hell sounds melodramatic, but the song „Lost“, respectively the video clip,
has changed my life. It’s for sure nothing new that humans „are worse than animals,
we hunger for the kill“ (Lemmy Kilmister in „Brotherhood Of Men“), and the events
shown here are also well-known. But this video clip smashes mankind’s wrongdoings
into your face like a hammer. I could not watch it in its entirety without crying. And
every time I now hunger for some meat, I hum to myself: „We Are Lost As Humans“.
We are fucking lost. Great song by a killer band on a diverse, atmospheric and
clever record - CRIPPLED BLACK PHOENIX never disappoint!
13. DEAD KOSMONAUT - GRAVITAS
On their second album „Gravitas“ DEAD KOSMONAUT a five piece from, yes,
you guessed right, Sweden, nails down a complex, partly proggy, partly leaning
more to classical Metal compositions. Listening to „Gravitas“ for the first time,
immediately IRON MAIDEN popped to my mind. They somehow make the lateperiod
MAIDEN song structures sound more interesting and compelling than the
masters themselves do on their über-long songs. Plus, the Swedes blend early
JUDAS PRIEST, and, in the more proggy parts, some 70s art rock that reminiscent
of PINK FLOYD into the mix.
15. BLUE ÖYSTER CULT - THE SYMBOL REMAINS
On many newish releases of elderly masters there are more cringeworthy moments
than great songs. BÖC luckily evaded those „too big to not fail“ songs on their
newest effort. Only time can tell how this album stands up in the long run against
the iconic discs from the early period. And surely you can't expect a second "(Don't
Fear) The Reaper", but that song already exists anyway. On "The Symbol Remains"
there are definitely some not so successful ideas, but all in all it creates the warm
timbre that is a BÖC trademark and great (stadium) rock moments just make your
heart soar. And towards the end there is a super song with "The Alchemist", which
will soon be one of the band classics. Word!
16. DÖDA HÄVET - TID OCH RUM
I regret a little that I got to know DÖDA HAVET only recently, because this combo
from - I almost don't dare to mention it - Sweden are just what I'm after. Located
between SKRAECKOEDLAN and WITCHCRAFT with slightly reduced heavyiness
and providing with a touch of TOOL, here is a first-class Heavy Rock album, which
simply has great melodies that transcend time and space, or „Tid Och Rum“, to be
precise.
Tastes excellent with Coke & lime juice.

TOP 202020
17. HELLRIPPER - THE AFFAIR OF THE POISONS
HELLRIPPER are a gang from Scotland that have written Heavy Metal history.
WOT? Yes. Their song „Spectres Of The Blood Moon Sabbath“ is featured in the first
episode of RADIO CARSTEN, which is by far the best radio show / podcast of all
times. John Peel, Howard Stern, Radio Fenriz, hold my beers, you’re out. And
HELLRIPPER are fucking „in“. Blackened Thrash Metal for the win by an accurately
named band.
„The Affair Of The Poisons“ is here to rip you apart!
18. CIRITH UNGOL - FOREVER BLACK
CIRITH UNGOL are of course on the list. Anything else would be an insult to their
majesty. But it was definitely close. In the first third the disc sounds partly a bit
overambitious, almost as if the über-cult heroes were as excited as their fans about
their first album since, believe it or not, 1991! Maybe it's all a bit too kitschy.
Anyway, "Forever Black" sounds exactly like CIRITH UNGOL sounded in the good
old days. It contains brilliant epic monsters like the title-track and especially the loveit-or-hate-it
vocal performance of screamer Tim Baker is outstanding and reminds of
the classic masterpieces from the first to the last second.
19. DARK QUARTERER - POMPEI
DARK QUARTERER challenge the listeners with their complex, sometimes even
somewhat wild „Pompei“ and there are moments, when the challenge is a bit too
hard. But overall this album is a great listening experience. Epic Prog Doom Metal
could be a monicker for the music on this album. So one can’t expect a classic
neckbreaker and the convoluted song structures don’t work all the time throughout
all the longish tracks. But when they do, they’re ace and leaves us with an overall
fascinating and well orchestrated album.
20. CHAINBREÄKER - RELENTLESS NIGHT
Austria is mainly known for absolute fucking shitmusic - OPUS’ „Life Is Life“ will
always be the worst fucking song in the history of songs, and fuckwits like
ANDREAS GABALLIER are simply too fucking fuckshit and unfuckingworthy to
even fucking talk about. So I really wonder that CHAINBREÄKER, who are from
the same country, made it on my list. But their blackened Thrash Metal bleeds
fucking Old School with some tricky breaks and kicked my ass from minute one. I
imagine these guys on a tour with BÜTCHER and maybe STÄLKER: Umläut ’em all!

TOP 202020
THE LISTS TO END ALL YEARS
Immediately after finishing the list, I felt
very bad. Man, you really left out LADY
BEAST. And so many other great
releases. So I went onto producing more
lists.
These consist of the drop-outs of the A-
list, EPs / Singles / On-Offs and other
special interest stuff. You might think that
it somehow contradicts the reason for a
ranking, if you also present the drop-outs
and left-overs. And in a way you’re right.
But, according to NCS (resp. NO
CLEAN SINGING, the very knowing,
nerdy blog), ENCYCLOPEDIA
METALLUM lists 30,110 metal releases for
the year 2020! I dunno what exactly they
file under these releases - from only one
fucking genre! - , but that sheer figure
gives you a glimpse of how hard it is to
pick only 20 albums. And even with
listing additional 20 brilliant albums
there’s not a trace of old masters like
OZZY OSBOURNE (sorry, my Lord, I
still love you), AC/DC, DEEP PURPLE,
BRANT BJORK, NAPALM DEATH,
WISHBONE ASH (<3), EVILDEAD (!!)
or RUMBLE MILITIA (!!!) who all at
least deserve a honorable mention for
their new albums. Well done, chaps.
Then, there’s no real Black Metal on
here, let alone many albums from non-
Metal related genres. The more I think
about it, the more it drives me crazy. So I
just let it go, before I drop dead over a
stoop
LIST OF 20 ALBUMS THAT ARE TOO GOOD
TO BE LEFT OUT

TOP 202020
MYRKUR - FOLKESANGE
DEATH THE LEVELLER - II
HIGH SPIRITS - HARD TP STOP
PSYCHOTIC WALTZ - THE GOD-SHAPED VOID
THE NEPTUNE POWER FEDERATION - MEMOIRS OF A RAT QUEEN
MRS. PISS - SELF SURGERY
COMMUNIC - HIDING FROM THE WORLD
TRAVELER - TERMINATION SHOCK
THE WIZAR’D - SUBTERRANEAN EXILE
SKELETHAL - UNVEILING THE THRESHOLD
DOOL - SUMMERLAND
ARMORED SAINT - PUNCHING THE SKY
LADY BEAST - THE VULTURE’S AMULET
MOUNTAIN WITCH - EXTINCT CULTS
KING GIZZARD & THE LIZARD WIZARD - K.G.
ALL THEM WITCHES - NOTHING AS THE IDEAL
PALLBEARER - FORGOTTEN DAYS
MEGATON SWORD - BLOOD HAILS STEEL - STEEL HAILS FIRE
HEXECUTOR - BEYOND ANY HUMAN CONCEPTION OF KNOWLEGDE
HENRIK PALM - POVERTY METAL

TOP 202020
…AND THERE’S OF COURSE WAY MORE. MUSIC IS SIMPLY A - HOPEFULLY - ENDLESS SOURCE OF
HORNINESS. EH, CHEERFULNESS. AGAIN,
A CORNUCOPIA OF EPS
WAS RELEASED IN THE DOOMED YEAR THAT WOULD HAVE EITHER MADE IT INTO MY TOP 20 (HAD THEY
BEEN ALBUMS), OR DREW ATTENTION TO FANTASTIC NEW BANDS.
1. SMOULDER - DREAM QUEST ENDS
„Warrior Witch Of Hell“ is this one song that I can’t get enough of. Such a fantastic
tune for raised fists and bobbing heads. And then „Sword Woman“ - „I sold my soul to
the highest bidder“ - FUCK YES, M’AM, stab me. As year-end lists puritan I have to
concede that "Dream Quest Ends" is only an EP and therefore has no place in the A-
list, so I made up this extra chapter especially for it. On this record Epic Doom of the
very finest - the Canadian! - kind is celebrated and the voice of singer Sarah is plain
and simply fantastic! metal.de gave it just 7 of 10 points. Better clean your ears,
suckers.
2. COLTRE - UNDER THE INFLUENCE
Wanna find out what makes (classic) Heavy Meta great? Look no further (and don’t
take it too literally). „Under The Influence“ is one perfect example of how to play (and
sing) NWOBHM in the sullen present. This record sounds like you’re strolling through
Soho oder Camden in 1980 and drink a beer with WITCHFINDER GENERAL and
ANGEL WITCH in the pub at the corner, to celebrate that you’ve found that JAGUAR
record for a few quid in the record store. But beware of the „Crimson Killer“!
3. KING BUFFALO - DEAD STAR
Trippy, psychedelic, dreamy, proggy, 70s-ish. I’d say it’s best to listen to „Dead Star“
with a nice blunt in your mouth while sitting in a planetarium. But I don’t smoke
anymore and I’m too much a coward to break in to a planetarium, so my stereo must
do. And maybe a red wine. (This is not typically a beer-drinking record). I gotta say
that it works as well. Nice quality work by KING BUFFALO as always. Prefer a
straight-forward banger? „Dead Star“ got you covered with the radio edit of „Red Star,
Pt. 2“, fucken supreme.

TOP 202020
4. COMMANDO - RITES OF DAMNATION
We just learned that COLTRE play NWOBHM like they were a part of the scene. The
same applies for COMMANDO, apart from the fact that their scene is the Bay Area
Thrash Metal gang. They jammed with EXODUS, drank a few with the late Paul Baloff
and taught Gary Holt some SLAYER licks they stole from their trip to L.A. the other week.
This is 1983 all over again.
5. TØRONTO - UNDER SIEGE
A friend of mine recently posted on facebook about this one thing he missed the most in
2020: Standing with 20 crazy people in a dark, dirty club with a sticky floor, a bottle of
beer in hand and going totally nuts on (a band like) TØRONTO. Damn right. I'd be up for
that too! In the area of tension between pogo and mosh there is a proper beating on
"Under Siege" and the basement shed in the nearest slum becomes a place of longing.
2020 SAW NOT ONLY THE INEXORABLE TRIUMPH OF ALL-ENCOMPASSING STUPIDITY, WHICH IS EVEN
MORE DANGEROUS THAN A CERTAIN VIRUS. THE DUMBASSES ARE ABOUT TO FINALLY TAKE OVER
EVERYWHERE, BUT THANK SATAN THERE ARE ALSO POSITIVE EFFECTS IN
THE RISE OF THE OLD WHITE MEN
BOB DYLAN - MURDER MOST FOUL
Of course, I've also long since counted myself among the old white
men, so Grandmaster Bob hits right into my heart with his epic long
track "Murder Most Foul" from the album "Rough And Rowdy Days".
The eternally young Kennedy complex and the subsequent gallop
through American (cultural) history are delivered in the typical,
endearing mumble and meander wonderfully. If only this could be
said of the development of the U.S. as a whole.

TOP 202020
IDIOT PRAYER (NICK CAVE ALONE AT ALEXANDRA PALACE)
NICK CAVE has been used to some grief in recent times and has turned his
experience of loss into great harmonies and compositions. In any case, he can take
this little pandemic in his stride. He sits there alone in this huge venue, separated
from his BAD SEEDS by social distancing rules and streams his rearranged
melodies to millions of living rooms worldwide - while he seems close and
vulnerable. Heartbreaking and moving. And the version of "Palaces Of Montezuma"
by GRINDERMAN is fabulous. Thanks to Satan, this masterful "concert" has been
preserved for posterity.
EINSTÜRZENDE NEUBAUTEN - ALLES IN ALLEM
I as a metalhead, respectively a "beaviesandbutthead" can't make a sophisticated
judgement about EINSTÜRZENDE NEUBAUTEN, of course. However, I do know
that on this new album no second strategies against architecture are designed and
from the dramatic, crashing brute force of my previous fave "Schwarz" the songs on
"Alles in Allem" are quite a while and many surprisingly tender melodies far away,
but the listening pleasure is still great. Even if the only thing that is "metal" here are
the sampled sound sculptures of scrap metal.
BECAUSE IT IS ALWAYS DIFFICULT TO JUDGE OBJECTIVELY ABOUT ALBUMS WITH FRIENDS OR LONGTIME
GOOD ACQUAINTANCES, HERE ARE A FEW RECORDS OUT OF COMPETITION BUT WHICH ARE STILL
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED AND ADDICTIVE SMASHERS IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER -
FROM FRIENDS FOR FRIENDS
DAILY THOMPSON - OUMUAMUA
Long time friend and neighbor Mephie with spouse Danny fuzz out their best piece of
work yet. If you’re into bluesy, psychedelic Desert Rock and you have a crush on the
likes of SONIC YOUTH (and who wouldn’t?), this is a safe bet for you.
INSIDIOUS DISEASE - AFTER DEATH
Old School Death Metal titan Marc Grewe gathered his supergroup buddies Shane,
Silenoz & co. again to show the world how this music has to be played.

TOP 202020
LONG DISTANCE CALLING - HOW DO WE WANT LIVE?
Janosch’s gang is long established in the scene of (mostly) instrumental metal. That is of
course for a reason. In addition to great, superbly played songs, they have a sense for
the important questions
NEÀNDER - EREMIT
„Atlas“ is not only the name of the closing song of this brilliant collection of Post Metal
soundscapes, but also the nickname of man-mountainous guitarist Jan. A record with
songs to get lost in, live in.
DIE, DIE, MY DARLING
DEATH, THE GRIM REAPER, IS YET ANOTHER DEFINING THEME AT THE END OF EACH YEAR, AS PEOPLE
HAVE THE EXCEPTIONALLY NASTY HABIT OF DYING OFF LIKE FLIES. SO, OF COURSE, IT IS ALSO
IMPORTANT TO COMMEMORATE ARTISTS WHO HAVE DECEASED IN 2020. AND WHAT BETTER WAY TO
DO SO BY REFLECTING ON THEIR BELOVED MUSICAL WORKS? THESE THREE STAND REPRESENTATIVE FOR
SO MANY MORE LOST SOULS:
RUSH - TOM SAWYER
Spotify ranks „Tom Sawyer“ on No. 1 of my Top-Songs 2020, which I means I must have listened to that
monster of a song a lot of times since I must have played JUDAS PRIEST’s „Rapid Fire“ 666 times alone.
„Catch the mist,
catch the myth,
catch the mystery,
catch the drift,“.
Save travels, Neil Peart.
VAN HALEN - PANAMA
Panama probably makes for a good location to spend the afterlife, so I sincerely hope the Eddie Van Halen
has found a nice place to rest his soul and lay down some fantastic licks.

TOP 202020
URIAH HEEP - BIRD OF PREY
For most of my obnoxious Thrash Metal puberty, I thought keyboards were only for posers. KEN HENSLEY
proved me so damn wrong. He wrote ca. half of the under-acclaimed „Salisbury“ album, of which „Birds Of
Prey“ is my fave tune.
BONUS FEATURE:
SKRAECKOEDLAN - DOOMEDAG
That band has a real cool name for achieving international success - yeah, öh, not. I
have a crush on this band ever since I heard them for the first time and I’m happy
they released a video this year so I can sneak them in here. Crunchy riffing,
pounding beats and catchy - not cheesy - melodies always make for a pretty cool
combination. I suggest ’Groovemonter’ as new bandname. Rise to the top!
PHEW, DEAR READER, YOU'VE COME PRETTY FAR NOW, THANKS A LOT. SOON THE SERMON WILL BE
OVER. HOWEVER, WE MUST USE OUR RETROSPECTIVE TO LOOK AHEAD, OF COURSE. I SOMETIMES TEND
TO BE A BIT TOO PESSIMISTIC/REALISTIC ABOUT THE FUTURE. THE FOLLOWING THREE SINGLES SUGGEST
THAT THINGS ARE GOING WELL IN 2021. IF ONLY THERE WAS MUSIC ALONE AND NOT THIS DAMNED
NEWS….
…ALL HOPE IS (NOT) LOST?
„Raise Thy Horns, Bang Thy Head“ - sounds a little cliché you think? Damn right DURBIN - THE PRINCE OF METAL
is pure cliché, but I’m yet undecided, if this is a real good joke or unintended parody. Either way, it’s the thing
that has me smile…
…AND NOT SO MUCH THINK ABOUT THE MOST RECENT NEWS. A NEW VIRUS STRAIN IS 70% MORE
INFECTIOUS THAN „THE ORIGINAL“. IT’S BEEN FIRST DISCOVERED IN THE U.K., YES, THE COUNTRY WHERE
UNICEF HAS SET UP A PROGRAM WHO FEED HUNGRY KIDS TO PREVENT THEM FROM STARVATION. WELL
DONE, BREXIT BOYS. YOU ARE THE SCUM OF THE EARTH… DONALD TRUMP WANTS TO SEND TROOPS TO
OVERTURN THE „RIGGED“ ELECTION….
…I don’t think the troops will follow him into Untergang, though. The conspiracy theorist in me is inclined to
speculate that the whole DJT show of „I’m won the election“ is just a flashbang to hide the massive cyber war
that’s obviously going on. And Putin’s puppy is just playing his part perfectly. When it comes to Covid-19: let’s
just hope we can slay the asshole virus with the vaccine and get over it. Let’s further hope that Brexit somehow
goes off leniently so that we can focus on SERGEANT THUNDERHOOF - CLOUDBUSTING, which - apart from the
cliché - is a great song announcing a hopefully equally great record…
…AND THAT SOME „CLOUDBUSTING“ (IN THIS IN THIS CONTEXT BY SPRAYING PESTICIDES OVER LARGE
AREAS) FIGHTS OFF THE LOCUST PLAGUE, CURRENTLY HAUNTING EAST AFRICA. YES, ANOTHER ONE. YES,
MORE PEOPLE ABOUT TO STARVE….

TOP 202020
…which the world - or at least Europe - should stand united to prevent that from happening. I really and
honestly think we need a HIGH COMMAND - EVERLASTING TORMENT (great single release in 2020) has been
exported for too long to our neighbors. We should overcome our feuds over - most of the time - petty bullshit
and support the African countries to rise up with rolling back the fucking one-sided trade treaty, trying to
establish a functioning state in Libya and stop breastfeeding warlords. We need to stop the trafficking. And,
foremost, WE NEED TO PREVENT PEOPLE FROM DROWNING!
…SPEAKING OF EVERLASTING TORMENT, IT IS A MOTHERFUCKING SHAME AND UNBEARABLE SITUATION
IN GREECE AND OTHER REFUGEE CAMPS….BABIES ARE BITTEN BY RATS. THIS SHOULD BE A FUCKING
G.B.H. ANTI-SOCIETY DYSTOPIA FROM THE 80s AND BY NO MEANS A FUCKING REALITY IN 2020. THE EU
NEEDS TO PUT AN END TO IT !
SO FROM APPARENTLY UNREALISTIC NAIVETY I COME TO WHAT I WISH FOR IN 2021: I LONG FOR
CONCERTS, FESTIVALS, WANT THEATERS, MUSEUMS, EVENTS TO BE OPENING / POSSIBLE AGAIN!
CULTURAL LIFE! SITTING AT A BAR! MUSKELROCK! ALL FRIENDS & FAMILY HEALTHY!
SO WE CAN ALL RAISE OUR HORNS AND BANG OUR HEADS IN 2021!
UNTIL THEN I WISH YOU A PEACEFUL & HEALTHY JÓL, A GREAT FOUR HILLS TOURNAMENT OR
WHATEVER YOU CELEBRATE WITH YOUR LOVED ONES WHEN YOU GATHER UNDER THE PAGAN
FERTILITY SYMBOL.
OH, AND YEAH, MERRY X-MAS & HAPPY NEW YEAR
SPECIAL THANKS TO JACOB HECTOR / TYROLENS VÄNNER, THE MASTERMIND OF MUSKELROCK FOR LETTING ME USE
THE WIZARD FOR THE COVER. EVERYBODY SHOULD AT LEAST ONCE IN A LIFETIME ATTEND MUSKELROCK FESTIVAL OR
THE FANTASTIC VENUE TYROLEN! www.tyrolen.se
PLEASE SUPPORT:
https://www.facebook.com/Pamoja-1853569788225548
(ANY PENNY YOU MIGHT WANNA CHUCK ON MY PATREON ACCOUNT www.patreon.com/lt_dave IN
APPRECIATION FOR THIS „MAGAZINE“ WILL GO TO PAMOJA TOO)
FOR THE ENCORE I HAVE SOME STUFF FOR THE GERMAN SPEAKERS AMNONG US:

2020, DU DUMME SAU
ZE KRAUT ZAT SHOUD NOT BE
DENK ICH AN DEUTSCHLAND IN DER NACHT / DANN BIN ICH UM DEN SCHLAF GEBRACHT
Der gute alte Heinrich Heine muss mal wieder
herhalten für eine aktuelle Polemik gegen die
Bundesrepublik Deutschland GmbH, die sich
anschickt, uns alle mit Bill-Gates-Chips
zwangszuimpfen, auf dass wir gegen uns
unterjochende Muselmanen ausgetauscht werden.
Die kommen alle mit ihren Krummsäbeln und
murksen uns auf die schlimmste Art und Weise ab,
die man sich vorstellen kann. Natürlich nicht ohne
d a s B l u t u n s e rer K i n d e r i n g i g a n t i s c h e n
unterirdischen Auffangbecken zu sammeln, um damit
die Gang um Lady Gaga (die war schon mal in
Duisburg (!), wo ein wichtiger Knotenpunkt der
Neuen Seidenstraße entsteht, bestimmt nur Zufall
und da steckt gar nichts weiter dahinter, genau,
denk doch mal nach Mensch, Duisburg, wer zur
Hölle hält sich da schon freiwillig auf?) und Angela
Merkel bei Laune zu halten. Die besaufen sich
nämlich regelmäßig mit besagtem Kinderblut (am
besten wirkt Blut von 9jährigen blonden Knaben, die
Thomas oder Norbert heißen, bitte nennt eure
Kinder niemals so!!!!!! Die sind einfach super
begehrt) und huldigen Satan. Damit werden sie
unsterblich und können eine Armee von Reptiloiden
befehligen, die alles niedermetzelt, was die Ölaugen
übrig lassen. Oder was meint ihr, warum ist Andreas
Scheuer noch im Amt? Der weiß einfach zuviel über
die üblen Machenschaften. Weil der ist ja auch Teil
in dem Club und hat sich in hinterlistiger Manier
Aufträge für die bayerische Tiefbauwirtschaft
erschlichen, die an dem Bau der Auffangbecken und
Kinderlager 14 Billiarden Euro verdient. Unter dem
Chiemsee entstehen diese Einrichtungen, obwohl der
Markus Söder die eigentlich lieber in seinem
schönen Frankenland bauen lassen wollte. Aber weil
der sich schon die nächste Kanzlerschaft gesichert
hat, musste er Oberbayern den Zuschlag erteilen.
Dort scheinen auch die Gesteinsproben günstiger
ausgefallen zu sein. Die Kosten für die Bohrungen
zahlt natürlich auch der Steuerzahler (ist euch
eigentlich mal aufgefallen, dass immer nur von „dem
Steuerzahler“ die Rede ist? Immer auf das
schwache, marginalisierte Geschlecht, mit dem
Mann kann man’s ja machen, der ist ja in den Augen
aller*innen nicht mehr als ein Dödel, den man bis
auf den letzten Tropfen abmelken kann. Und für das
Kinderblut wird ja auch Nordstream 2 gebaut. Lasst
euch nicht von den Fake News blenden. Hier geht es
nicht darum, dass wir es schön kuschelig warm
h a b e n . H i e r g e h t ’ s u m a b s o l u t e
Bevölkerungskontrolle. Die wollen unser Blut. Unsere
Gedanken.
Genau, vor allem solche queren…
Querdenker-Vollpfosten gibt es ja weltweit, Leute die
irgendwelchen Möchtegern-Diktatoren und Gurus in
den Arsch kriechen, sie mit ihrem Ersparten reich
machen, weil ihnen die „Linken“ ja aus reiner
Bereicherungsabsicht ans Ersparte wollen. Ja ne, ist
klar. Ich habe dieses Jahr teilweise noch härter mit
meinem Heimatland - am allerschlimmsten für mich,
wie „Pandemie bedingt“ Gedenkfeiern zu den
November pogromen 1938 abgesagt oder
beschnitten wurden (Hallo Dresden, du ….) - und
dessen Insassen gefremdelt als eh’ schon und diese
selbstherrlichen Querabbieger setzen dem Ganzen
das Krönchen auf, wie sie unter den Reichsflaggen
marschieren, obwohl unter kaiserlicher Herrschaft
alle zwangsgeimpft wurden. Kann man sich gar nicht
ausmalen, so viel verfic kte, besc hissene,
staatszersetzende Doofheit.
Das hätte man nach 1945 vermeiden können, hätte
man dieses seelenlose Land einfach komplett
atomsaniert wie durchaus angedacht war. Aber
genug der genozidalen Gedanken. Schließlich
wären wir dann wohl alle nicht hier, was ich sehr
schade fände. Arschlöcher gibt’s leider immer und
überall. Da müssen wir wohl durch.
Glück auf!

NEW WORLD ORDER
2020, DU DUMME SAU
NEW WORLD ORDER
2020 …. Re-inventing History
(Capitalist Decay Records / Behemoth, inc.)
So, hier kommt also nach dem Ende eines abgefahrenen, aber
doch im Vergleich zumVorgänger eher ruhigen Jahrzehnts (wenn
man nicht in Syrien oder Jemen oder im Süd-Sudan
wohnt, höhö) direkt ein richtiger Kracher von der Brachial- Free
Jazz- Grindcore- Trip Hop- Gabba- Schlager -Neo-Folk - Gangsta
Rap - Truppe, die nur was für Leute ist, die sich schon zum
Frühstück John-Zorn-Opern reinziehen und dazu Nickelback
2020
Songs rezitieren. NEW WORLD ORDER schaffen es scheinbar
spielend, ihren vorab veröffentlichten EPs „Refugees Not
Welcome“ (2015), „Grabbing The World By The Pussy“ (2016)
oder „Climate Change Is A Hoax“ (2019) mit „2020 … Re-Inventing History“ ihr bisheriges Magnum Opus
rauszuhauen. Schon Ende 2019, als der Vorverkauf zur Welttournee unter dem Motto „Coronamon - Catch
them all“ begann, war klar, dass NEW WORLD ORDER zum großen Schlag in Richtung Weltherrschaft
ausholen würden. Überall auf dem Globus, bzw. - je nach Meinungslage - der flachen Erde, besorgten die
Menschen sich das clever gebrandete Merchandise der Combo - schnell waren die Stofffetzen auf aller Munde.
Und wer keinen ergattern konnte war todtraurig, verlor mitunter seinen Geschmackssinn oder ging vor
Verzweiflung schlimmstenfalls armselig ein. Sogar in Australien und Brasilien brannte der Baum - aber
lichterloh! Und nicht nur einer.
Mittelpunkt der Scheibe ist natürlich der charismatische Frontmann DJT, an dessen Performance sich wie immer
die Geister scheiden. Seit King Diamond hat kein Sänger mehr polarisiert als der Tausend - ach was,
Milliardensassa DJT. Auch auf „2020 …. Re-inventing History“ finden sich wieder einige instant classics
der Lautakrobatik, die sofort im Ohr hängen bleiben.“Good People On Both Sides“, „Stop The Count“, „Look
How I Can Hold The Bible (While Shooting Looters)“ oder der epische Fun Punk-Knaller „Four Seasons Pool
Party“ spiegeln die triste, seelenlose, unendlich brutale Leere im Klangkörper des „Overlord of Cringe“ perfekt
wider. Kaiser Wilhelm II. rotiert bereits in seinem Grab ob der düsteren Aussichten, dass ihm jemand den Titel
als „best worst frontman“ abluchsen wird. Aber natürlich wäre das alles nicht möglich, hätte DJT nicht seine
Weltklasse-Kappelle um sich herum. Kim Jong-un haut an den Kesseln wirklich alles kurz und klein, gemeinsam
mit Jair Bolsonaro bildet er eine herrlich schräg-tighte Rhythmusfraktion, die noch seltener die „Eins“ trifft als
Lars Ulrich, aber die das disruptive Element von NEW WORLD ORDER mit ihrer grobschlächtigen Einfachheit
brillant unterstreicht. An den Tasten legt ein gewisser Victor Orban einen schmalzigen, klebrigen Soundteppich
aus, der vor allem seine zahlreichen rechts-schaffenden Fans ungarnt. Die ziehen gerne ihr letztes Hemd aus,
um ihrem Heiland zu huldigen. Natürlich bringt ihm das nicht nur Freunde ein, der große Ken Hensley hat
sogar eigens aus Frust den Planeten verlassen. Genauso wie der Obermeister Eddie Van Halen, der einfach
nicht mehr ertragen konnte, wie Vlad „The Impaler“ Putin ihm an der Leadgitarre die Show gestohlen hat.
Natürlich geht der „russische Bär“ dabei auch nicht gerade zimperlich vor und senst mit seinen messerscharfen
Riffs alles nieder und bildet in punkto Ausstrahlung und Pose ein kongeniales Duo mit dem stets verstimmten
Rhythmusgitarristen Boris Johnson. Einzig die Backing Vocals bleiben eigenartig schwachbrüstig auf „2020 ….
Re-inventing History“. Angela Merkel, „Flinten-Uschi“ von der Laien und co. kommen gegen den
Testosteron-geschwängerten Sound auf dieser „sausage party“ einfach nicht an. Die wenig ausgewogene
Produktion von Xi Jinping ist dabei auch nicht gerade hilfreich. Hier stehen alle Regler auf Attacke und die
„Loudness War“ stellt hier sogar die ebenfalls von ihm produzierte und orchestrierte „First We Take Hongkong,
Then We Take The World“-Live-Scheibe in den Schatten. Und das sind längst nicht alle Schwachpunkte: die
plumpen und geradezu stümperhaften Coverversionen von „Spanish Flu Is The Great Reaper“ (ausgerechnet
fast auf das Jahr genau 100 Jahre nach der ersten Veröffentlichung) und „Pay Your Own Ghetto
(Schwarzbraun ist die Haselnuss)“ lösen Beklemmungen, Depressionen, Panik, Atemnot und heftigen Kotzreiz
aus. Dazu kommt das abgeschmackte, marktschreierische Marketing, mit dem Capitalist Decay Records auf
allen Kanälen rund um die Uhr einfach allen den letzten Nerv rauben. Hier merkt man immer wieder, dass sie
…re-inventing history

2020, DU DUMME SAU
trotz (bzw. gerade wegen) der üppigen Kriegskasse ihres Mutterkonzerns zum Erfolg verdammt sind. Und wohl
selber merken, das Sie längst nur noch ein Abklatsch besserer Tage sind. Behemoth, Inc. kann es letztlich egal
sein, die verdienen kräftig weiter und wenn sie nicht mehr genug Rendite schöpfen können, stampfen Sie den
Laden genauso gnadenlos ein wie seinerzeit schon ihre Labels Socialism Is Real Records oder Das Dritte Reich
Schallplatten. Zeit wird’s, ist man geneigt zu denken, angesichts der Tatsache, dass ausgerechnet der absolut
schlechteste und jämmerlichste Track „Cummings Home For Brexit“ die erste Singleauskopplung ist.
Fazit: „2020 … Re-inventing History“ erfindet keineswegs das Rad, geschweige denn Geschichte neu. Es
ist lediglich der x-te Abklatsch von Altbekanntem in einem lauten, schrillen und überwiegend unfassbar
primitiven Gewand. Hat man das einmal durchschaut, kann man nicht anders, als diese Platte zu hassen, auch
wenn das hier natürlich den Geschmack einer breiten, unkritischen Masse trifft, die sich leider für ziemlich woke
hält. Einen halben Gnadenpunkt gibt es für die Tatsache, dass auch diese überlange Quälerei einmal zu Ende
ist und mit einer versöhnlich anmutenden Note im Stile von „Chilenian Democracy“ oder „…And Vaccines For
All“ in allerletzter Sekunde noch Hoffnung auf eine künstlerisch hochwertigere Zukunft verströmt. Kann aber
auch sein, dass das nichts weiter als eine geschickt eingeflochtene Backwards-Masking-Botschaft ist und der
Behemoth über sein Sprachrohr NEW WORLD ORDER die von diesem Höllentrip völlig erschöpfte
Hörerschaft hier bewusst in die Irre führt.
0,5 Punkte
CARSTEN KLEINE, Dec 2020
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