COR from Rügen have released a new album.
This is the first album with two new musicians. Guitarist Pilse and Matze on bass have left the band in recent years, as many may know. Pilse's departure was some time ago, but this, especially now with Matze, has not left the band unaffected. After all, Matze had also handled a large part of the bookings in recent years and was involved organizationally in many areas. Besides this role, the personal bond was deep, and one must say that the band has changed. The brothers Hanse and Friedemann have been there from the beginning and have shaped the band. Thus, it was not only exciting to see what musical and lyrical changes the band would show, but also whether the band would continue in this form. After all, Friedemann has also stood out in recent years as someone who can deliver the quiet tones on stage with his guitar and voice very intensely.
COR have released eleven songs on “Weary of Peace”.
Even on first listen, it is clear that it is still COR!
And yet, something is different. Something that is called development.
The band has overall taken a bit of the tempo out, which does not mean that the songs have become poppier or more palatable. The sound has become heavier. Influences from doom and drone can be heard, as well as stoner rock. All of this with the distinctive, unique sound that COR has created. Heavier, darker guitar sound, a drum set that may be even more powerful than before, and Friedemann's vocals, sometimes loud, sometimes quiet, sometimes strong, sometimes angry, sometimes desperate, sometimes resigned, but always — and I want to emphasize this — always with full force and passion. In that sense, nothing has changed.
The songs are even more intense and captivating due to the reduction in tempo, drawing you in. The lyrics are, as one is used to from COR, direct and address themes that are close to the band's heart, and should be to all of ours.
Just the first song of the album, with its heavy, slow, dark sound, is a track that completely captivates you. It is hard not to be drawn in. A text full of life, longing, and also courage to live. Here is a truly great text that has emerged, and with over 4 minutes of playtime, the song is one of the longest on the album. Now, the length of a song does not determine its quality, but it does indicate what is coming your way. The band also has some songs over five minutes on the album.
These might be the strongest songs on the album. It is not like with many bands that inflate a song to just under four minutes with little text, best taken from a phrase catalog. Here, the band really has something to say. This is indeed what one expects from COR. The band does not stand for empty phrases; they clash with them, consciously, unconsciously, but never unjustifiably. With their lyrics on “Weary of Peace”, they hit right in the heart again.
The lyrics may have even improved, becoming finer, more direct, linguistically more sophisticated, yet never overly cerebral.
Of course, there are also songs that go forward head-on and with the usual hardness; here, the three songs “Everyone Wants to Get Off”, “Caress and Poison the Soul”, or “Demolition” are exemplary.
The band from Rügen has raised the bar even higher with “Weary of Peace”, three years after “Leitkultur”, which at the time was perhaps the best album of the band (review at ramtatta.de can be read under the link: https://www.ramtatta.de/s/reviews/f/details/id/8098/), and with “Weary of Peace” has released perhaps the best, because most refined album in their history. Those who know COR know that they do not just sing about it; they mean it.
And for those who may have forgotten, for whatever hard-to-understand reasons, COR has the “Middle Finger Salute”!
