My first contact with the band GROBER KNÜPPEL from Berlin was at the Berlin Rock City Festival. The brutal sound coming from the speakers caught my attention. However, after a few songs, the band became too brash for me. While the sound and the perfect interplay were impressive, that was about it.
Now I have their second album "Unbeugsam" in front of me. I expected the worst, based on my memory of the Rock City Festival.
The cover is definitely not for animal rights activists or people with high standards. A guy is about to hit a pig with a baseball bat. Is that supposed to be a metaphor?
Cover opened, and I pulled out the booklet. A heart with tanks can be seen. As a cover behind the booklet, "Unbeugsam" is written in Fraktur font with a guy holding a chain and a sledgehammer in a corridor. As a horror movie fan, I find that quite appealing, but overall, the cover doesn't excite me. Let's see how the CD is.
The first and most notable feature is the brutally thick sound. A lot of effort and passion has gone into the production. The sound of GROBER KNÜPPEL is a mix of punk rock with many (trash) metal influences, crossover, and even some hip hop elements.
The band also plays cleanly, so it's not bad at all, but then, the lyrics.
I have no idea who the lyrics appeal to, probably Onkelz fans, hardcore posers, and people who love sexism, chauvinism, and gutter language. While I also don't like overly intellectual lyrics like those of Die Sterne or Tocotronic, lyrics like the following examples make my blood boil:
My mother, she wasn't thrilled, always covered in socks.
Only controlled by the pipe, fired into every slot.
(in the lyrics, there's also the line: The pipe, it still ties up chicks today)
Just damn well accept that all the boys only love pussies
There are more of these lyrical outbursts that are truly bottom of the barrel. It has nothing to do with me lacking humor, but this is really unacceptable.
However, not all the lyrics are at the level of brash porn films. Songs like "Who Protects Us from You?" or "No Means No" are rebellious, underground, and empowering.
But why these brash, sexist lyrics in the first part of the album? It's the lowest level. I haven't heard something this vile in a long time.
The fact that the guys have also played with bands like Die Enkelz or Freiwild adds to the band's very dubious reputation.
