I won't hide it -- I was ready for an endless wave of positivity, quality humor, beautiful and catchy music even before starting to listen to the 6th album from one of the most unique and extraordinary bands on the modern heavy scene. The music of DIE APOKALYPTISCHEN REITER is music without a genre: melodic death, heavy metal, epic folk -- poor critics have already racked their brains trying to name the band's genre, but is that really the point? In my opinion, band leader Fuchs couldn't care less. He simply creates magnificent albums and doesn't forget to poke fun at his colleagues in the heavy music trade.
The album opens with the high-speed "Friede sei mit dir," epic in direction with an instantly memorable melody. Having had their fun with the USSR (be sure to watch the music video for this song), we move on. "Riders on the Storm" -- the song's opening would have been a perfect fit for KMFDM in their modern incarnation, but unexpectedly the harsh industrial riffs are interrupted by acoustics played on what might be a mandolin or a balalaika, and the most pompous chorus imaginable; the entire song proceeds in this rhythm. "Seemann" is built on the principle of a folk song, with the main section broken up by a lyrical chorus done in waltz time, and we also hear a violin. "Der Adler" -- at this point it simply becomes funny, because the song starts in the spirit of SONATA ARCTICA. The little tune is extraordinarily beautiful and very poppy... "Revolution" just pins you to the ground, because the acoustic passage is written in 100% IRON MAIDEN spirit -- but that's not all; pompous keyboard interludes await you too. The swift "Wenn Ich Traume" gives way to "Soldaten Dieser Erde," which resembles an anthem. "In the Land of White Horses" is a short and very beautiful keyboard composition, and what a gorgeous landscape in the album booklet -- only outdone by the next one, for the song "Liebe" (separate respect to the artist who designed the album) -- brace yourself for a monumental ballad. Let's skip ahead one song. In "Himmelskind" we hear female vocals, meaning these Germans have also poked fun at the countless "Beauty and the Beast" acts. Then comes a battle track, even two if we're talking about the limited edition (and the disc released by IROND is exactly that). And here it is, the last track of the album. Wow, Michel Cretu is now working with DIE APOKALYPTISCHEN REITER, really?.. Funny, but true -- "Mmmh" is written in the spirit of early Enigma. However, a final acceleration with a very dark conclusion awaits us and... one more bonus track in the form of the very first song from the album, but in its English-language version. And that's the whole album.
The conclusion is simple -- a masterpiece from start to finish, brilliantly recorded and excellently designed, it will be a jewel in the collection of any heavy music connoisseur with a good sense of humor.