''E.I.N.S.'' (German for "O.N.E.") is the twelfth album by German rock band
Böhse Onkelz . It was released in 1996. The album title is not an abbreviation: the dots between the letters should be seen to strengthen and emphasise the word ''eins'' ("one").
"E.I.N.S." was voted several times into the Top 10 of the column "Best metal album of all time" from several German magazines like Rock Hard or
Metal Hammer
''Metal Hammer'' is a heavy metal music magazine and website founded in 1983, published in the United Kingdom by Future, with other language editions published by different companies available in numerous other countries. ''Metal Hammer'' featu ...
.
The cover shows a morphed face with one ear (Kevin Russell), one eye (Matthias "Gonzo" Röhr), nose (Peter "Pe" Schorowsky) and mouth (Stephan Weidner). The followed tour had the name "Unter dem Auge des Gonz" ''(Under the eyes of Gonz)'', and at the back of the stage was to see a huge eye.
Track listing
# Danket dem Herrn ''(Thank the Lord)''
# Nichts ist so hart wie das Leben ''(Nothing is as tough as life)''
# Wie tief willst Du noch sinken ''(How deep do you want to sink)''
# Ihr sollt den Tag nicht vor dem Abend loben ''(Don't praise the day before the evening)''
# Zu nah an der Wahrheit ''(Too close to the truth)''
# Meister der Lügen ''(Master of lies)''
# Kirche ''(Church)''
# Flammen ''(Flames)''
# Koma - Eine Nacht, die niemals endet ''(Coma - A night that never ends)''
# Auf gute Freunde ''(To good friends)''
# Regen ''(Rain)''
# Zeit zu gehn ''(Time to go)''
# Enie Tfahcstob rüf Ediona-RAP ''(A egassem rof sdiona-RAP)''
Track notes
Danket dem Herrn
:In this typical opener song, where the band celebrates itself and their fans, there are bible quotes at some lines. "Duftende Blumen in Feldern voll Scheiße" ''(Smelling flowers in fields full of shit)'' can be found in the
Book of Isaiah
The Book of Isaiah ( ) is the first of the Latter Prophets in the Hebrew Bible and the first of the Major Prophets in the Christian Old Testament. It is identified by a superscription as the words of the 8th-century BC prophet Isaiah ben Amo ...
as "All meat is grass, and all his goodness is like a tree at a field". Through the bible writers view, the fields had to be fertilized. The quote "Perlen vor die Säue" ''(Pearls before the sows)'' comes from the
Gospel of Matthew
The Gospel of Matthew is the first book of the New Testament of the Bible and one of the three synoptic Gospels. It tells the story of who the author believes is Israel's messiah (Christ (title), Christ), Jesus, resurrection of Jesus, his res ...
. The line "Uns liegt das Herz auf der Zunge" ''(Our hearts are lying at our tongues)'' is a changed quote from
Job
Work, labor (labour in Commonwealth English), occupation or job is the intentional activity people perform to support the needs and desires of themselves, other people, or organizations. In the context of economics, work can be seen as the huma ...
, "My heart is telling the sincere words". The self designation "die fantastischen Vier" ''(The fantastic four)'' comes from the song "Onkelz wie wir" from the
same-named album.
Ihr sollt den Tag nicht vor dem Abend loben
:This song is written for two bands, which saying or singing every time they can something against the Onkelz:
Die Ärzte
(; ) is a German rock band from Berlin. It consists of guitarist Farin Urlaub, drummer Bela B and bass player Rodrigo González (musician), Rodrigo González. All three write and perform their songs. The band has released 14 studio albums.
...
and
Die Toten Hosen
Die Toten Hosen are a German punk rock band from Düsseldorf. The name is taken from the German slang idiom ''tote Hose'' (literally "dead trousers"), which means "nothing happening"; "boring". The band has had an important success through th ...
. The Ärzte sang "zwischen Störkraft und den Onkelz steht ne Kuschelrock-LP" ''(between Störkraft and the Onkelz stands a Kuschelrock-CD)'' (From: "Schrei nach Liebe", 1993). Campino of the Tote Hosen compared the Onkelz with "Landser booklet lyrics". Störkraft and Landser are two neonazi bands from Germany.
:"Ihr sollt den Tag nicht vor dem Abend loben" rather means "Don't count your chickens before they are hatched", though the translation in this title is more or less a one-to-one translation, showing the real meanings of the words used.
Meister der Lügen
: Meister der Lügen (Masters of lies) is a song against the press.
Kirche
:In opinion of the band, this song is addressed only to the
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
and not against the Christians. Stephan Weidner has the opinion, that the church "should distribute their money to the poor and not their compassion" and that "the organized religion is the biggest obstacle at the way to peace." The song itself requests to not use the church as a sprag. The sentence "Wer keine Angst vor dem Teufel hat, braucht auch keinen Gott" ''(Who doesn't fear the devil, doesn't need a god)'' comes from the novel "
The Name of the Rose
''The Name of the Rose'' ( ) is the 1980 debut novel by Italian author Umberto Eco. It is a historical fiction, historical murder mystery set in an Italian monastery in the year 1327, and an intellectual mystery combining semiotics in fiction, ...
" (
Umberto Eco
Umberto Eco (5 January 1932 – 19 February 2016) was an Italian Medieval studies, medievalist, philosopher, Semiotics, semiotician, novelist, cultural critic, and political and social commentator. In English, he is best known for his popular ...
, 1980).
Enie Tfahcstob rüf Ediona-RAP
:A journalist from the daily newspaper "
Darmstädter Echo" believed they had found a scandal, when they saw that title of one of the Onkelz' songs, which (in their opinion) was read backwards as "Arier On". In fact, the song title isn't ''Noreira'' but ''
Noreia
Noreia is an ancient lost city in the Eastern Alps, most likely in southern Austria. While according to Julius Caesar it is known to have been the capital of the Celtic kingdom of Noricum, it was already referred to as a lost city by Pliny the ...
'', the name of a
Celtic god
The gods and goddesses of the pre-Christian Celtic peoples are known from a variety of sources, including ancient places of worship, statues, engravings, cult objects, and place or personal names. The ancient Celts appear to have had a pantheon ...
. In reaction to this and other
witch hunt
A witch hunt, or a witch purge, is a search for people who have been labeled witches or a search for evidence of witchcraft. Practicing evil spells or Incantation, incantations was proscribed and punishable in early human civilizations in the ...
s, the band released a song on the "E.I.N.S." album called "Enie Tfahcstob rüf ediona-RAP" - backwards "Eine Botschaft für Paranoide" (A message for the paranoid). This features Stephan Weidner delivering a message backwards, which can be heard if the song is played in reverse:
:(translated) ''Congratulations. Must've been a lot of work playing this song backwards. Either you are one of the paranoid assholes we've created this song for, or you're simply curious. For the former, let me say: Anyone expecting satanic or fascist messages to be played backwards on our records must be downright silly and, what's more, probably has a persecution complex. You poor creature, we really feel sorry for you! Better lock yourself up and throw away the key.''
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
References
{{Authority control
Böhse Onkelz albums
1996 albums
1990s German-language albums
Virgin Records albums
Works based on the Book of Isaiah
Works based on the Gospel of Matthew