''Über alles'' is the third studio album by American

industrial metal Industrial metal is the fusion of heavy metal and industrial music, typically employing repeating metal guitar riffs, sampling, synthesizer or sequencer lines, and distorted vocals. Prominent industrial metal acts include Ministry, Nine In ...

band Hanzel und Gretyl, released on May 20, 2003 via

Metropolis Records Metropolis Records is a record label founded in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1993 by the late Dave Heckman. The label's all-electronic format closely tracked with European contemporaries, such as Off Beat, and, since 1995, has been instrumenta ...

. The album was critically well-received and is generally regarded as the group's most prominent and identifiable work to date. The album is the first of a highly conceptualized trilogy of

DIY "Do it yourself" ("DIY") is the method of building, modifying, or repairing things by oneself without the direct aid of professionals or certified experts. Academic research has described DIY as behaviors where "individuals use raw and semi ...

operas that denote a distinct change in style for the group marked by aggressive metal style guitar

riff A riff is a repeated chord progression or refrain in music (also known as an ostinato figure in classical music); it is a pattern, or melody, often played by the rhythm section instruments or solo instrument, that forms the basis or accompani ...

s, gritty orchestral sampling and

guttural Guttural speech sounds are those with a primary place of articulation near the back of the oral cavity, especially where it's difficult to distinguish a sound's place of articulation and its phonation. In popular usage it is an imprecise term for s ...

German spoken vocals.

Track listing

Credits

*Vas Kallas & Kaizer von Loopy: vocals and instrumentals *Mixed by Bryce Goggin at Trout Studios, New York City *Mastered by Fred Kavorkian at Absolute Audio, New York City

Critical reception

Rick Anderson of ''

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

'' said that in spite of the nazi imagery, the album is a "genuinely well-thought-out fusion of techno and industrial sounds with lots of guitars and tight, crunchy beats." Rick Sanchez of ''

IGN ''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa distri ...

'' said the band "mastered the pounding guitar and sample sound and lifted the genre to an interesting level" and compared the tracks on the album to ''

Motörhead Motörhead () were an English rock band formed in London in 1975 by Lemmy (lead vocals, bass), Larry Wallis (guitar) and Lucas Fox (drums). Lemmy was also the primary songwriter and only constant member. The band are often considered a precu ...

'', ''

Megadeth Megadeth is an American thrash metal band formed in Los Angeles in 1983 by vocalist/guitarist Dave Mustaine. Known for their technically complex guitar work and musicianship, Megadeth is one of the "big four" of American thrash metal along wit ...

'' and ''

Rammstein Rammstein (, "ramming stone") is a German Neue Deutsche Härte band formed in Berlin in 1994. The band's lineup—consisting of lead vocalist Till Lindemann, lead guitarist Richard Kruspe, rhythm guitarist Paul Landers, bassist Oliver Riedel, ...

'' among other acts. Ewan Wadharmi of ''Hybrid Magazine'' said of the album that the band "has left a trail of

Kraftwerk Kraftwerk (, "power station") is a German band formed in Düsseldorf in 1970 by Ralf Hütter and Florian Schneider. Widely considered innovators and pioneers of electronic music, Kraftwerk were among the first successful acts to popularize the ...

samples, hardcore riffing and synth buzzing. The booty-shaking beats are creative, and plenty of sirens blast the compound for death-ravers to make the Great X-scape." In a more critical review, Coreen Wolanski of ''

Exclaim! ''Exclaim!'' is a Canadian music and entertainment publisher based in Toronto, which features in-depth coverage of new music across all genres with a special focus on Canadian and emerging artists. The monthly Exclaim! print magazine publishes 7 ...

'' called the band a "shtick act" and that the album had "nothing more to offer than Rammstein on a bad, bad day."

References

External links

*https://hanzelundgretyl.com/ *http://www.metropolis-records.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Uber Alles Hanzel und Gretyl albums 2003 albums Metropolis Records albums Concept albums Industrial albums