Here comes the end of an era and at the same time a good new beginning.
What happened? The Russian ska-punk band DISTEMPER is releasing their new album not on the small, charming label An´na Nadel Records (ANR Records) from Berlin. This label had been a constant presence for years. Now, changes have also affected the Berlin label. An era is coming to an end, but with a good conclusion. DISTEMPER has found a new home at “Flat Daddy Records,” a company by Pork Pie. Every ska fan will know the Pork Pie label. A small, fine label that doesn’t have much output, but what they release always deserves attention. This is also true for the now fifteenth album of the band from Moscow.
DISTEMPER has been an extremely active band in the past; in 24 (!) years of their existence, they have released a total of 15 albums, and the band is almost always on tour in Europe (almost always traveling with their own bus from Moscow!) and every year they have been able to gain more fans. This has always been due to their legendary concerts.
Fast ska-punk meets personal, socially critical, political lyrics. Passion meets like-minded individuals. Always Russian vocals give the songs a unique touch. And above all, the dog, the mascot and trademark of the band, dances and sings along enthusiastically on stage.
With so much activity in the past, it was inevitable that some of the band’s albums sounded relatively similar. You were never disappointed, but you knew what you were getting. If I were to listen to some of the band’s songs and had to assign them to the albums, I would have problems. Well, I have those problems with NoFx too, so this fact alone does not represent a real quality deficiency.
Now, with “Pride Belief Love,” the fifteenth album is on the shelves of record stores. Nicely packaged in a digipack, with all the lyrics printed in Russian and English. There are exactly 14 songs on the album. How are they?
They are more differentiated. The songs are more varied. The melodies in the songs are played with more nuance and detail. There is more rock influence. The songs are more distinctive. More accents are set.
But don’t worry, there is still the typical DISTEMPER ska-punk, as can be heard in the song “We do not carry the knives.” Driving beat, brass section, powerful drums, strong vocals. Yes, that’s DISTEMPER, that’s how you know them, that’s how you love them.
What makes the album stand out are the slower songs (don’t worry, the band isn’t playing the blues yet), where you can tell that more emphasis has been placed on the precise power of the music.
Perhaps it is also because the band is supported by young musicians; only the drummer Bai has been there from the beginning. Then there’s singer Dacent, who has been with them since 1992, and then there’s a long gap. This mix of two experienced veterans and young musicians gives the music a note and power that hasn’t been heard so strongly before. It makes this album one that surely won’t please every fan, but it represents the entire musical range of the band.
Lyrically, the band has remained true to themselves, politically they have not changed!
PRIDE, BELIEF, LOVE is the strongest album by DISTEMPER in years, and the upcoming tour is sure to be well attended again. The band deserves it, having evolved from playing in a small AJZ to becoming a well-known name (gigs with Talco underline this). Which band is as active live as DISTEMPER and has remained true to themselves for so long?
DISTEMPER are and remain a class of their own, an extraordinary band.
