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MISSSTAND hail from Klagenfurt in Austria, which is almost an exotic country. Very little punk rock from Austria makes its way to the northern neighboring country. However, since music from Austria is currently somewhat trendy and is being played on the radio, it makes sense to give the trio a chance to become better known in our regions.
What immediately stands out when listening is that this is quite a solid production. Two-part vocals, driving drums, some choirs, sing-along choruses, and catchy melodies. The band really puts the pedal to the metal on the thirteen tracks. In terms of style, they strongly remind one of Fahnenflucht. Lyrically and in terms of their statements, they also head in the direction of Fahnenflucht, but ZSK comes to mind as well. In this respect, MISSSTAND aren’t really doing anything new.
After several listens, the music is enjoyable, but somehow not much sticks. This isn’t due to the lyrics but rather because the music is quite uniform in tempo and melodies. What the guys do, they do well, and it will surely rock live, but a bit more variety in tempo, melodies, and style would benefit the record. Then the lyrics would also have more impact. The band has something to say! It’s a pity that the lyrics sometimes get a bit lost, especially with quotes like:
...I don’t want a piece of the pie, I want the whole industry
...And somehow I’m already fascinated,
you completed your economics degree on YouTube.
That’s why you think you’ve understood who profits from all this misery.
And Spiegel Online agrees with you when you talk about half-truths
...One third uniform, two thirds inferiority complex,
crying reflexively at every ACAB
In the song “Konfrontation“, Thomas from FAHNENFLUCHT sings in duet with Manni from MISSSTAND. It’s hardly noticeable, as the song is very similar to a song by FAHNENFLUCHT.
With this album, MISSSTAND show that they have done their punk rock homework.
As a bonus to “I can´t relax in Hinterland“, there is the album “Die netten Jahre sind vorbei“. This is the band’s second album and was released about 3 years ago. You can tell what the basis of the current album is. Fast, powerful punk rock that may not be as refined in terms of melodies as the current album, but still pushes forward with great energy. This album also features guests, namely ALARMSIGNAL and KOTZREIZ. Musically, ALARMSIGNAL fits well.
Lyrically, the three Austrians are already delivering great texts on this album.
The band can definitely do that. The lyrics are only partially sung very quickly and barely come through against the music at times. Similar to the current album. It’s sometimes too fast, as the vocals struggle to keep up, giving some songs a rushed impression. I like speed and melody. However, the interplay is not yet perfect here. The trio has probably noticed this as well, because the discrepancy is not as strong on the current album.
In short, there are 14 songs here with very good lyrics, fast melodic punk rock in a good recording. So everything is pretty great.
Anyone who likes ALARMSIGNAL, FAHNENFLUCHT, and ZSK will also enjoy the music of the three Austrians. Live, MISSSTAND will still be seen a few times in Germany this year, including at the “Aggropunk-Fest“ in Berlin (20.10.2017) and Nuremberg (21.10.17) before the year ends on Austrian and Swiss stages.
