By Ryan Falla
Since 2003, Gothminister has been blowing the music world away with their trippy sense of industrial metal. Now it’s time for the release of their new album ‘The Other Side’, and like all Gothminister albums before, this record drives a heavy industrial groove that carves out a strong identity rather than slip into the flow of overt familiarity. You wouldn’t be surprised to know they’re based out of Norway, given the familiar European industrial flow of the record.
An easy comparison to make would be likening ‘The Other Side’ to the sound of Rammstein, yet as the opening track ‘Ich Will Alles’ kicks in, you can’t help but notice the strengths shared between the two bands. The track carries a dark, harmonic tune that punches with a somber aggression. As is par for the course of industrial metal, ‘The Other Side’ takes a simplified musical approach and strengthens it with a powerful execution.
The album keeps the band’s approach focused, so you won’t find them exploring beyond the elements they introduce. This is a strong album that takes pride in the sound they have and pushes it to its fullest potential. There’s not much of experimentation present in the album, but at the same time there doesn’t need to be. Gothminister does stretch it out a bit with tracks like ‘Aegir’ by pushing their harmonic elements with a bit of a ballad track. It is a highlight to the album, and the emotional expression behind the vocal work is beyond fantastic.
Although Gothminister is a powerful band there is a bit of what feels like a mono-focus with certain prevailing elements. The lack of exploration doesn’t really hurt the band, but it doesn’t allow them to expand their potential either. The potential they’ve fulfilled for themselves is great, though there isn’t too much stretching themselves out.
‘The Other Sid’e is a good album, there’s no denying that, though it is a bit short of being great. If you’re not a fan of industrial metal you might find the record to be missing some punch. While the straightforward nature of the record doesn’t go beyond the initial impression, it still makes a strong impact.
Rating: 7.5/10
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Record Label: AFM
Release Date: October 13th 2017
Track Listing:
01. Ich Will Alles (3:50)
02. The Sun (3:03)
03. Der Fliegende Mann (3:38)
04. Aegir (3:33)
05. Red Christ (4:44)
06. We Are The Ones Who Rule The World (2:49)
07. All This Time (3:20)
08. Day Of Reckoning (4:10)
09. Taking Over (3:01)
10. Somewhere In Time (3:26)
Total Duration: 35:34
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