Within first tones of the opening track called Pink Panther it comes to your mind „somebody got a goddamn good idea“. The instrumental band led by guitarist Jan Zehrfeld took various favourite pop-cultural songs and began to play with their particles. Coming out from this point, the listener can come up with diverse strategies about what to do with such a compositional approach: a) create specific covers of generally well-known songs b) make out of them a postmodern hotch-potch that eventually means glueing other and other references to the core c) play the renowned riffs in your own way. Panzerballett chose d) let the accidental speak, as it is possible to mix all the mentioned approaches together; fantasy has no boundaries.
Panzerballett did not embark on a problematic overdone medley, there is another thing that distinguishes this band. Significantly, they watch all the motifs, riffs, structures, moods, play modes and genres from distance. They are outside the favourite styles and, in effect,
they thoroughly avoid being pigeon-holed (fusion-metal mentioned above serves just as an illustration). In association with Panzerballett it is necessary to bring in the link with seriously meant slapstick Yeah!Yeah!Die!Die! of Finnish band Waltari. You ask why? Both groups are linked with one basic feature – playfullness. This means they can make fun of whoever and whatever, they can cope with everything. This implicates larksome spirit of the whole album, which is true without any question, however, all the compositions are intentioned as being utterly serious and not any simple collage.The guys from Panzerballett are capable of playing everything, then modify it, adjust it, take it from the original context and put it into a new one afterwards: a film melody from Pink Panther is broken up, Smoke on the Water (Deep Purple) is rhythmically punctuated, Wind of Change (Scorpions) is played in an easy jazzy way and what about to have AC/DC at last? Impossible? Come on, Thunderstruck is meshuggised bison, insane and polyrhythmical soulful hardrock. The greatest shock represents a football tune in Friede, Freude, Fussball: in saltatory melody a rhythm changes three times and then comes a polyrhythmical madness again. Absolutely brilliant moment! Involvement of a saxophone is another winning point of this record; Gregor Bürger playing this distinctive instrument asks for attention with his staccato attacks and funky richness. Also thanks to him Starke Stücke has balls!
For Panzerballett will be quite difficult to reach a target listener group even though a connection link should be open-mindedness. The Germans can attract both 70’s jazzrock connoisseurs who desperately cry over present state of this musical style and metal listeners adoring the innovators of the polyrhythmical constructions Meshuggah. Surely they can catch the progfreaks who love such bands like Planet X and Spastic Ink. Despite all these technical qualities, Panzerballett are not a snobbish delicacy for a few devoted fans. This group from Munich (city of renowned ECM), despite its very intriguing playfulness, keeps its singer-songwriter approach where the melodies and straightforwardness play the main role. So there is no doubt they can catch a mainstream audience which will recognize its own favourites. And, I add, even the jazzmen can be grabbed because Panzerballet - despite its progressive approach – plays jazz standards quite often (let the last Sabbath’s Paranoid song be a proper example).
So, the result is a unique record that can not be eroded by too frequent listening.
PANZERBALLETT:
Jan Zehrfeld - guit, bass (6), zpěv (9)
Andreas Dombert – guit (except 4, 5, 6 & 9)
Gregor Bürger - saxophone (except 9 & 10)
Florian Schmidt - bass (except 5, 6 & 10)
Sebastian Lanser - drum (except 10)
hosté:
Ulf Wakenius – guit solo (5)
Nguyên Lê - guit solo (6)
Peter O'Mara - guit solo (1)
Alexander v. Hagke - saxophone solo (4)
Jan Vacik – guit solo (7)
Heiko Jung - bass (5)
Conny Kreitmeier - vocs (9)
Andy Lind – vocs (2 & 4)
Naomi Isaacs - vocs (2)
10 / 47:45
starke stucke:
1. Pink Panter
2. M.w.M.i.O.f.R.
3. Smoke on the Water
4. Friede, Freude, Fußball
5. Wind of Change
6. Birdland
7. Dreamology
8. Thunderstruck
9. Zickenterror
10. Paranoid
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