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That’s what good songs are made of, and the fact that you can hear the typical ONKELZ sound in this case is justifiable, as KÄRBHOLZ clearly speaks out against outdated ideologies. The band also demonstrates this in the third song "Kein Rock´n´Roll", where they provide a clear musical response and give a dry middle finger to any questionable and disguised German nationalism. The short reggae part in the song, featuring guest vocalist Felix Volmert from THE BEATBURNERS from Warburg, is especially brilliant. Amazing.
What stands out already: The band has matured and brings new sounds into the songs, making them even fatter. In the 15 songs, you often hear a Hammond organ providing a pleasant base sound. Additionally, there’s an accordion, a trumpet, a ukulele, and a piano featured in the songs. I might have overlooked one or two other instruments, but the sound is so rich that can happen :-)
The guys take it a bit slower with "Das hier ist ewig" but are still in the highest gear. But at the latest with the fifth track "Sink oder Schwimm", KÄRBHOLZ downshifts and reflects on the past years. The music is contemplative and the lyrics thoughtful, as singer Torben asks: to swim along or to drown, in order to start anew. "It feels right" and "Nothing of that" are not full-throttle Rock´n´Roll songs, but that wouldn’t fit the lyrics, which are about a positive feeling of life. Nevertheless, both songs are in the highest gear on the A3, just not at 250 km/h.
Now we come to the first and only song that I really don’t like, "Instrumental". As the title of the track suggests, it’s all about being "Instrumental". Mostly very leisurely as well. No, that just doesn’t work, a song without lyrics is like a döner without meat :-(
Good thing that "Tiefflieger" immediately follows with hard guitar riffs and whirling drumsticks. There’s a moment to catch your breath before continuing to race down the highway at 250 km/h ;-) AWESOME
The following tracks "Steh auf", "Ich will Dich (nie wieder sehen)" and "Abschied" all start slowly. The songs begin musically with care, so that the focus is more on the lyrics. "Abschied" doesn’t pick up speed over the entire 4½ minutes of playtime, and the melody strongly reminds me of "What´s up?" by 4 NON BLONDES. Generally, almost all 15 songs are based on the typical rock sound; new melodies don’t just roll off the sleeve these days, on the other hand, you don’t have to make the "borrowing" so obvious, as in "Steh auf" a la "Rebell" by ÄRZTEN ;-)
In any case, the gentle songs take over the hegemony in the second part of the album. Is KÄRBHOLZ bidding farewell to their trademark: "Full-throttle Rock´n´Roll"? I hope not!
However, the last three songs "Wenn Musik da ist", "Seite an Seite" and "Lauter" also don’t always run in the highest gear. But KÄRBHOLZ doesn’t want to impress with metalcore or thrash, but with good handmade indie-punk-rock´n`roll. And they achieve that especially in the first part of "Karma". Unfortunately, in the second part, the musical structures of the songs lower my subjective rating, unfortunately..... However, the lyrics are all top-notch!
