Beatsteaks – Limbo Messiah
Warner Bros.
myspace.com/beatsteaks
The Beatsteaks’ Limbo Messiah finally gets its UK release this week and boy is it worth the wait! The German punks have been doing their thing for 15 years now and have built up a hardcore fanbase – they sold out London’s ULU in June. More than just a fine punk album, Limbo Messiah incorporates nuances of many types and styles of music resulting in a varied record that mixes up the pace to satisfying effect. There are hints of the King Blues in there but also a more classic straight-up punk backbone akin to the likes of Rancid and Bad Religion. Lead single ‘Jane Became Insane’ (the music video can be seen below) is only the tip of the iceberg as tracks like ‘Demons Galore’ dig a lot deeper with an uneasy driving offbeat that opens up to the most simple yet wonderfully melodic refrain to the lyrics “This is mine, it will never be yours”. I challenge you not to have that little snippet in your head for days after listening!
The Beatsteaks are good at what they do. Very good. Over their years in existence they’ve honed their craft to perfection and here they’ve produced a collection of catchy punk songs that incorporate their own unique outlook and have a twist of originality about them. Driving punk beats and ever-so-slightly-gruff but wholly melodic vocals coupled with the knack to write a good tune and a catchy chorus mean that Limbo Messiah is a winner.
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