Nuclear Blast – Out Now.

My introduction to the music of the German outfit Die Apokalyptischen Reiter took place when attending a renowned German summer festival many moons ago – a time when I was not quite ready to understand where these guys were coming from musically.

I mean, singing in German is something you can get away with when your native country just so happens to be the biggest metal market in the world but how do three minute pieces of music which combine Folk, Goth and Melodic Death Metal elements become attractive to someone like myself who’s not a native person and not prone to consume large amounts of alcohol while enjoying music?

I began listening to the band’s latest album “Tief.Tiefer” in hope of finding an answer to that very question.

Contrary to previous studio releases “Tief.Tiefer” is a two disc affair which finds the band grouping together compositions according to the style of music performed and the choice of instruments used.

What I soon realised, much to my surprise, is that notwithstanding the obvious linguistic barrier in existence, the twenty new compositions that the members of Die Apokalyptischen Reiter are presenting us with here are quite accessible and fairly enjoyable affairs.

Of course, in an album as musically diverse as this, it is one’s personal musical preferences which will determine which songs deserve an extra mention but there is enough flair and variety here to satisfy fans of every genre.

The first disc entitled “Tief” contains the band’s heaviest riff-driven material and opening modern metal piece “Freiheit Gleichheit Brüderlichkeit” offers enough clues in what you should expect from the band.

While I was not particularly blown away by either the Goth sounding “Wir” nor the rhythmical guitar chords of “Die Wahrheit” I did appreciate the funky bass tunes of “Was Bleibt Bin Ich” and particularly enjoyed the emotional piano melodies of “Ein Vöglein”.

In “Tiefer”, the second disc on offer, the band goes acoustic on us – a very good idea indeed as the combination of simple acoustic chords and soulful bass in songs like the opener “Die Zeit” works very well indeed.

Once again, variety is the key word here, as manifested by how well the simplistic guitar harmonies of a song like “Der Weg” combine with the piano and string instrumental arrangements of “Terra Nola” – a song which concludes the second part of this truly intriguing album.

I am quite please that I was given the chance to listen and review “Tief.Tiefer” because I feel that, through this experience, I have discovered a few things about myself and the way I perceive and enjoy music these days.

Though it will take a lot more effort on the part of the members of Die Apokalyptischen Reiter to get me to wear one of their t-shirts and declare myself a devoted fan, I will now find it much easier to listen to one of their albums when in the right mood.  A surprisingly enjoyable release.

John Stefanis

Rating: ***1/2 (3.5/5.0)

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Featured Artist: JOSH TAERK

Since early 2020 Josh has been entertaining us with exclusive monthly live sessions, streamed via Facebook.

In 2023 he signed a recording deal with Sony in Canada and released a new single on 15 September.

Next session: Sunday 1 December

Check out videos here: https://www.facebook.com/getreadytorockradio

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David Randall presents a weekly show on Get Ready to ROCK! Radio, Sundays at 22:00 GMT, repeated on Mondays and Fridays), when he invites listeners to ‘Assume The Position’. The show signposts forthcoming gigs and tours and latest additions at getreadytorock.com. First broadcast on 3 November 2024.

UK Blues Broadcaster of the Year (2020 and 2021 Finalist) Pete Feenstra presents his weekly Rock & Blues Show on Tuesday at 19:00 GMT as part of a five hour blues rock marathon “Tuesday is Bluesday at GRTR!”. The show is repeated on Wednesdays at 22:00, Fridays at 20:00). This show was first broadcast 29 October 2024.

How to Listen Live?

Click the programming image at the top of the page (top right of page if using desktop)

Listen via Windows Media Player. Click or tap here and “open file”
Listen via other media player (eg. VLC) Click or tap here and “open file”

Get Ready to ROCK! Radio is also in iTunes under Internet Radio/Classic Rock
Listen in via the Tunein app and search for “Get Ready to ROCK!” and save as favourite.

More information and links at our radio website where you can listen again to shows via the presenter pages: getreadytorockradio.com

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Power Plays w/c 11 November 2024

ARCANE MOON Hello Sun (indie)
S8NT ELEKTRIC XTC (Long Branch Records)
ARCANA KINGS Here We Go (Curtain Call Records)
KLOGR face The Unknown (Zeta Factory)
BEYOND UNBROKEN Dance With The Dead (FiXT)
REVENGIN Decadent Feeling (Wormholedeath)

Featured Albums w/c 11 November 2024

09:00-12:00 The Best of 2003-2023 (Melodic Rock)
12:00-13:00 The Best of 2003-2023 (Melodic Hard Rock)
14:00-16:00 The Best of 2003-2023 (Singer Songwriter)

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