Today we’re bringing you a joint review, since Frank and King Kraut both like the band TERRORGRUPPE and have been listening to them since the ’90s. Since we enjoy discussing the band’s output in our private conversations anyway, we wanted to distill this exchange of opinions into this review. So this is a very subjective review by two fans (because: FANzine) for whom TERRORGRUPPE’s music served as a soundtrack during important stages of their lives. Differences in your own listening experience are therefore to be expected.
TERRORGRUPPE has now decided to borrow the title (which has become a catchphrase) of a book by Friedrich Nietzsche for their own album. Incidentally, the book explains how Christianity succeeded in rising from a position of inferiority, namely through the “revaluation of all values.”
A promising reference? A bold benchmark? What can we expect?
Here, one could also start directly and look for the connection to TERRORGRUPPE, who, with their last album “Tiergarten,” have already left the familiar path they followed from 1993 to 2003—or at least strayed from it. Concise, melodic punk rock is still the foundation, though it is now found only in the lyrics and no longer in the music. Has the band continued to evolve in this direction with their new release, the purple album “Jenseits von Gut und Böse,” or should “Tiergarten” be viewed merely as a fluke, an album on which they experimented?
This album is also intended to mark the end of Terrorgruppe’s concerts and tours. In the ’90s, when a widespread punk revival was taking place, the band revitalized German punk rock in a very unique and clever way. By the mid-2000s, however, they had run out of creative steam. After a 10-year hiatus and various other projects by the musicians involved, Terrorgruppe has reunited with an expanded lineup (a new drummer and, for the first time, an organist) and has been putting on concerts and releasing new material. Stylistically, a noticeable change has occurred since then. Above all, the punk rock element now sounds more like early ’70s punk rock than it did before, when the band flirted with American full-throttle skate punk or pop punk.
However, this is by no means a shift toward a purer form of punk rock. Rather, the tempo has been slowed down, perhaps to accommodate the band members’ advancing age or to give the organ enough space in the songs. Overall, not only has there been more room for the organ, but also for additional sound effects drawn from the vast array of electronic possibilities. This is a technique many bands in the punk scene use. Dritte Wahl is a good example of this. The punk rock songs (yes, Dritte Wahl are still punk rock) are merely supported by the keyboard, which adds more depth and emotion to the songs without letting the keyboard become too dominant.
Let’s listen to the new album and go through it song by song.
01 ) Suizidoption (Prolog)
A few dramatic piano notes, then an uplifting keyboard arc to build tension, and then... well, then it gets confusing.
"You can just kill yourself" sings MC Motherfucker. Clearly put! If you kill yourself, it’s over for you. That’s good for the environment, which is of course true. First of all, there are already far too many of us on this planet, and second, we’re exploiting the Earth far too much. Yes, we’re destroying our own habitat. A kind of fundamental critique of humanity?
The intro is beautifully sung and sets the mood. Lyrically, there are clearly way too many “Oh Oho”s.
What’s that supposed to be?
At least confusing to listen to, and by the way... we know a song like this from WIZO, only theirs are miles better
02 ) Pointless Insult Strategies Against Mythical Creatures
A punk rock track with lyrics that oscillate somewhere between Dadaism, baby talk, and deliberate provocation. They could have done more with it. The horns heard in the song are exhausting, to put it mildly. The joke in the lyrics is unoriginal and has already been handled better by Jesus Skins or NOFX.
That aside, religion is indeed rubbish, but the Terrorgruppe themselves have shown more accuracy on this front before. The “Catholic Ska” from the “15 Punkcerealien” album or “Schäfleinliebe” from the “Melodien für Milliarden” album have actually already said the most important things on the subject
3) ADHD
Finally, a really driving, fast punk rock track that you’d expect from TERRORGRUPPE. A cool pogo track that fits the bill perfectly. It even throws in a bit of criticism along the way. Treating ADHD with pills only treats the symptoms; side effects can occur, and in the worst case, the pharmaceutical cocktail is addictive. So get rid of that stuff and get out into life. ADHD, the widespread condition of recent years. Let’s calm people down so they don’t stand out and can be productively utilized, but I don’t want to just stare blankly at my desk...
Still: Isn’t the topic of “ADHD and the bombardment with medication” kind of 80s? By the 90s at the latest, there was certainly a critical debate in Germany about the excessive use of Ritalin, though that was primarily a problem in the U.S. The use of sedative medications in Germany is now viewed more critically and with greater nuance. So overall: Good punk rock, just a bit behind the times thematically
04 ) The Idiot (Oi, Oi, Oi)
Lyrically, I can definitely detect some criticism here. Criticism of the “everything should stay the way it is” mentality—and that’s forever. Plus, you know everything better yourself. You’re practically a world unto yourself, revolving around yourself, because in this world I feel at ease. Is everything really fine just the way it is? Does change really always have to happen? Big questions that TERRORGRUPPE has packaged in a somewhat… well, unique chorus and even more unique music.
Not punk, not subcultural music.
A dreamy, atmospheric indie sound perfect for the radio, featuring a beautiful piano.
Is that autotune in the line “Konsequenz nicht scheu”? Awesome!
Who’s the idiot they’re singing about? No idea
05 ) Fat, drunk, stupid pig
Finally, the punk rock sound we know and love from TERRORGRUPPE is back. There it is again, the old band we loved so much in our late teens.
Old, white, lazy, and antisocial. I have a right to be like this.
That’s actually what a lot of people think, especially white people. I have a right to be a jerk. Whether that’s in Mallorca or at the village disco, in the pedestrian zone, or in my own backyard. I’m allowed to be a jerk because I can and I want to. A good critique of our behavior, of every single one of us.
The title might be a bit too direct, but lyrically it’s a very well-crafted and intelligently expressed critique of humanity. So far, the best song on the album.
Great earworm.
But you can also see it another way: Does TERRORGRUPPE want to join in on the bashing of white men that’s so popular in left-liberal media? In its simplified form, this isn’t critical thinking, but simply letting certain left-wing groups use you for their own ends. Another case of: TERRORGRUPPE has done this much better before.
The music, on the other hand, is clearly a highlight here.
Here are two controversial opinions meant to give the inclined listener something to think about
06 ) Truck Driver
...Everyone has to climb the career ladder; no one does nice things anymore—just full throttle, pushing, steering, and thinking with your elbows...
That’s our society for you. That’s capitalism, which we’re still stuck with, even though we know better.
The contradiction between knowing and doing.
Why, then, are we picking on truck drivers, who aren’t exactly career-driven people, but rather the poorly paid ones who have to spend their weekends at shady highway rest stops? Poor sods who can barely scrape by. The truck as a metaphor for careerists?
The truck analogy is weak overall and only attempts to be funny. It’s confusing what the Kreuzberg punk rockers are serving us lyrically.
The video is even more confusing, but that’s not the point here.
Musically, at least, it’s a solid, groovy, fast-paced pogo track
07 ) A Leader Will Come
The fear is that a leader will come and bring back everything we’ve already experienced. Trump and Putin are the best examples of this. What can we do about it? TERRORGRUPPE merely states this, and they’re probably not entirely wrong—though it would be good if they were wrong.
The whole thing comes in a sound for which a show staircase was built.
Nice and poppy, with dancing on stage by women and men with funny moves. Lousy lyrics, wrapped up in a sugary-sweet melody and a nice chorus. As everything just plods along, singer Archi, MC Motherfucker, chimes in. Once again, it sounds like forced humor. A half-baked composition where the lyrics are repeated several times to drag the song out a bit, since it actually consists of only a handful of lines.
At least, thematically, another item checked off the punk theme list
08 ) Men
Being a man is no crime, men are people too!
From what confused perspective is the band singing here? A paean to men? Let’s love men, let’s be men?! In the context of songs 04 ) and 05 ), this makes no sense. What exactly is the song’s aim?
White old men are evil, but men are just men. What’s that supposed to mean? Women are women? That’s just how it is. So? What’s the point?
Anyone familiar with TERRORGRUPPE suspects sarcasm. I sense irony, but not in the class we’ve come to expect from the band. A song that can easily be belted along with a wink by bearded, drunk men.
On Mallorca and at the village disco, the song could go over just as well as “Männer sind Schweine” by Die Ärzte back in the day. Except Die Ärzte had more quality.
Dear TERRORGRUPPE, what’s the point of this?
09 ) Alexandra
TERRORGRUPPE with parenting tips! Instead of “Social Failure,” now practical advice on how to raise your child. They should be given love and eat their vegetables. Otherwise, the child will turn out like Alexandra. A failed existence, but one you can happily have sex with. If Alexandra gets too annoying, off to the mental institution she goes. Exploited and locked away—it sounds like that wouldn’t be so bad. Years ago, “Sabine” was a proper punk rock song. Alexandra is more spiteful.
Alexandra is somewhere between social worker rock and music for a support group.
Back in the day, this sound wouldn't have existed in TERRORGRUPPE.
10 ) Alt+Delete
What a missed opportunity to name the song “Ctrl+Alt+Delete.”
Retire and stay there, and hand in your driver’s license while you’re at it
You can’t see anything anymore, you can’t hear anything anymore, your synapses are slowly giving out.
TERRORGRUPPE describes what the old people who govern us are like. Thematically thin ice, Terrorgruppe, you middle-aged gentlemen…
The problem addressed is real (e.g., climate protection, e.g., Brexit), but that doesn’t mean a lower average age automatically leads to better politics. As a reminder: The National Socialists were a young movement.
11 ) Nestle (or does anyone here know how to type that damn little hook over the “e”?)
The lyrics are a bit too simplistic.
Criticizing consumerism is good, but what comes out of this is really nothing new.
Please don’t write another song criticizing the fact that chocolate Santa Clauses are already in the supermarket in October
The music is okay, by the way, but the song doesn’t stick. They could have made more of it. The band could have pulled that off back in the day. But still, a punk rock song with an important and valid message!
And one (important?!) question: Are the Broilers still around?
And an answer to your question: You keyboard dyslexics: Just take a look at the top right of your keyboard. You’re welcome.
12 ) Easy Jet
Awesome synth intro. Cool vibe, slightly dark. And finally, lyrics that are more than just a throwaway joke!
The first-person perspective in the lyrics is noteworthy because it doesn’t come across as ironic in this context, making it thought-provoking.
Please listen to this along with "Schöner Strand" when planning your vacation.
Why the song leans more toward electro-stomp-pop rather than becoming a snappy, fast-paced punk rock track, though, is probably known only to the band.
13 ) Krieg ist super
Irony with a steam hammer! The lyricists’ new method.
Never fails to make an impact... or does it?
You can tell that Mc Motherfucker has had a bit of exposure to hip-hop. Unfortunately, the chorus has a bit of a “tri tra trullala” vibe and takes the aggression out of it. Still, one of the better songs. Musically, the song brings something new!
14 ) Standing Together
These lines are fitting for the current times:
Standing together, we madmen, we must stand together.
Standing together and looking ahead
And what do we see there? Sadness? Nothing? Hopelessness?
Who is really mad? The patient or the doctor?
A song for these times—it sounds good at first, but then the laughter gets stuck in your throat.
The album wraps up with another great pogo-punk song.
Miserable social distancing. When will it be possible again to go wild at concerts?
Then there are the following bonus tracks:
Everything Will Be Alright
Nuclear Strike Against Climate Change
Boring
Healthy Public Sentiment
We don’t want to brush these songs aside, but since not everyone has access to them, we don’t want to give them too much space either—just a brief summary, so to speak, in the following lines:
"Everything Will Be Alright":
Finally, another TERROGRUPPE love song. This is a rather unknown strength of the band. A somewhat uncertain positive outlook: love against depression and stagnation. And everything is alright (...maybe). We like TERROGRUPPE’s simple relationship songs without hidden meanings or sarcasm.
“Nuclear Strike Against Climate Change”: An interesting thesis—a nuclear strike to stop climate change that we didn’t cause (or did we?). Naive thinking that annoys us every day. Musically, it’s very enjoyable punk rock that’s fun, but lyrically....
Definitely a B-side.
"Boring":
Everything I do, I do so I won’t be so bored.
Yeah, that’s probably true. It would be even better to do something that isn’t boring. Mc Motherfucker has a few ideas on that.
To stir things up a bit, there’s also sex in the lyrics.
Musically, it’s pleasant punk rock without any rough edges.
In other words: Boring.
“Healthy Public Sentiment”:
Don’t the first few bars sound like “Fat, drunk, stupid pig”?
The healthy public sentiment isn’t much better. Anyone who doesn’t fit in with us or was bad has to die, no matter how small the offense. Through the back door, criticism is expressed here of the masses’ call for a strong man. Let’s look at it this way: the criticism comes veiled, and before you have time to think about it any longer… the song slowly fades out and is over.
The song lingers in the back of your mind, making it a great choice as the very last track.
Now here’s our conclusion.
First up, FRANK:
In summary, Terrorgruppe’s purple album is a document meant to be a farewell. A farewell to the great, well-known TERRORGRUPPE. A band that has accompanied me and many others for years. A band that has given me strength and courage for years. A band that was punk rock.
The band has evolved; that’s clear to hear. An evolution heading in a direction I no longer want to associate with the TERRORGRUPPE I know. A band that can still record and release many songs, but please give the project a new name.
TERRORGRUPPE doesn’t deserve to go down like this.
Second up, KING KRAUT:
At this point, our opinions might diverge a bit. I’m not nearly as positively inspired by the music as I was in my teenage years, but I haven’t really been since around 2000. Especially since the comeback, every single release from the Terrorgruppe has left me cold. It’ll never be as awesome as that first night, to quote the band Die Elenden. That magic won’t come back.
I was reminded of Zip Schlitzer’s comment (https://www.ramtatta.de/s/interviews/f/details/id/6930/ ), that many listeners focus a lot on the lyrics and little on the music when the lyrics are in German. We did that here too, and why is that? I think lyrics in German aren’t as easy to ignore in terms of content as, say, English lyrics. That’s why, unfortunately, a mediocre German lyric can easily ruin a good song, and that’s what happened in some places on this album with attempts at humor. And when a lyric is supposed to carry a rather unspectacular song, it really demands strong content or a singer who outshines the rest of the band—and that doesn’t happen often. That’s a shame, because I’ve noticed that a handful of songs (“Fettes betrunkenes dummes Schwein,” “Zusammenstehen,” “Alles wird gut”) are constantly buzzing around in my head. There’s good songwriting in there, and the band has the musical chops. They’ve always been trying out new ideas. Instead of copying themselves, these punks are now playing the style they’re into, and that alone deserves recognition. Unfortunately, for the most part, it’s just not a style that appeals to me, nor is it close to what used to thrill me when I used to eagerly await a new Terrorgruppe record.
I don’t know if the band will ever be able to showcase their strengths the way they used to. In any case, it would sound different than before, and maybe I’ll eventually find a way to appreciate it more. Until then, I’ll be digging out “Melodien für Milliarden” a few more times whenever I’m in the mood for TERRORGRUPPE.
