RASTA KNAST have released a new album!
It is indeed true!
No, it's not a rumor, it's true!
After a whopping 11 years, “Trallblut” is the band's first new studio album.
Many thought it was no longer possible, but even though the band has been somewhat scarce in Germany and has seen some musicians come and go, the band has always been there! The leading, driving force and the only remaining member from the original lineup is Martin K..
The new album is not just a RASTA KNAST album as one would wish, but it is also completely recorded by Martin K. in his own studio. It is, so to speak, entirely RASTA KNAST without outside influence.
When a new album appears after 11 years, the expectations are high, and everyone who has followed the band has built their own little refuge called RASTA KNAST. This should not be destroyed, but rather revitalized. At least that's how I feel, and it makes this review difficult for me.
On April 20, 2012, I saw the band with Alarmsignal and Johnnie Rook at Tommy-Haus in Berlin ( http://www.ramtatta.de/konzertberichte,id-130.html ) and can say that the band is still live as one remembers them. Therefore, it is still worth attending a concert of the band. The band will be seen more frequently on stage for the rest of the year, and concerts in 2013 are already being planned.
But now the question is how the album is, which I have tried to gracefully push into the background, but since this is supposed to be a review and not an essay, I will now have to address the answer, like it or not.
The conclusion of the last paragraph suggests that the review might not turn out well, but that is by no means the case.
The thirteen songs that “Trallblut” has to offer come in the best RASTA KNAST manner. They are typically RASTA KNAST, which is both a blessing and a curse. A blessing for those who expect nothing from RASTA KNAST other than what they know. They get the full package. It won't bother them that some song fragments and melodic arcs may remind them of older songs by the band. Not that the band is covering themselves, but they evoke memories of songs from past albums. That's not a bad thing; it just stands out and shows that the band relies on its musical strengths.
This album is a curse for those who hoped for a musical development from the band. It is still the same style as ever.
Lyrically, “Trallblut” is, however, more life-experienced, melancholic, and wistful than the last albums. This may simply be due to life experience, but perhaps also the realization that not much has turned for the better in recent years. Thus, the lyrics are overall darker, such as “Zeichen der Totale” or “Retroaktiv.”
RASTA KNAST sings on “Trallblut” in their well-known, demanding manner about life as it was, as it is, and as it will be. Little is specified, much remains open, and thus left to the listener. This way, the band manages to provoke thought.
With that, the band has done everything right.
“Trallblut” is the darkest, perhaps most reflective album of the band, but it is by no means worse than the previous albums of the combo.
