21 October 2015

The Other – Fear Itself

Louise Swift 21 October 2015 Album Reviews

Fear Itself

album by:: The Other

Version:

Price:

£9.17

Reviewed by: Louise Swift

Rating:: 4

On 21 October 2015

Last modified:22 October 2015

Summary:

What I particularly liked about this album is the differing influences throughout, with sleazy sounds and hard rock blending nicely together to put the 'Fear Itself' into you. Recommended for fans of The Damned, Iron Maiden, Marilyn Manson and Iggy Pop.

More Details

Horror Punk Rock band The Other from Köln, Germany released their sixth album ‘Fear Itself‘ on 10th July via Steamhammer/SPV. The Other started in 2002 as a Misfits cover band, a lot has happened in the thirteen years since then, and a few line-up changes sees the remaining original members Rod Usher and Dr Caligari with new guitarists Pat Laveau and Ben Crowe and bass player making up the current line-up of The Other.

I was going to review but found that Vocalist Rod Usher has already done a video giving a track by track guide to each song! Do I need to? Well it would be reckless not to, it’s interesting viewing (see below) but I have a job to do so here goes. In general the album something like The Damned meets Iron Maiden. With thirteen tracks I’m not going to try and top Rod’s track by track guide, I’m just going to give a few observations and highlights.

Opening track and title track Fear Itself is a one minute long introduction, with ethereal, medieval type chanting and a gothic horror movie feel leading nicely into Nie Mehr, the only song in their native language which starts a bit Motley Crue, think Dancing on Glass then merges into something much harder hitting. Bloodsucker with the lyrics ‘She’s too young, too young to be a bloodsucker. She’s too young to drink blood’ has a Billy Idol flavour and by that I mean the song Bitter Pill, not the taste of! Doll Island – Isla De Las Mune more of a C.S.O.D, meets Metallica number. German Angst starts a bit Rage Against The Machine’s Killing In The Name with a punishing drumbeat in places. Funeral March reminded me of Real Wild Child (Wild One) by Iggy Pop. Animal Instint of Wolfbane’s Man Hunt. Finishing with Mephisto (one of the chief demons of German literature) with more Motley Crue style riffage. Whilst I can’t say the song specifically reminded my of Marilyn Manson’s The Mephistopheles Of Los Angeles I thought of it because of the title and I did think of Marilyn when listening to a few of the songs.

My highlight tracks have got to be Funeral March and Animal Instinct. What I particularly liked about this album is the differing influences throughout, with sleazy sounds and hard rock blending nicely together to put the ‘Fear Itself’ into you. Recommended for fans of The Damned, Iron Maiden, Marilyn Manson and Iggy Pop.

Track List:
1: Fear Itself
2: Nie Mehr
3: Bloodsucker
4: Black Sails Against a Midnight Sky
5: Dreaming of The Devil
6: Doll Island – Isla De Las Mune
7: German Angst
8: Screams in The Black House
9: In The Dark
10: The Price You Pay
11: Funeral March
12: Animal Instinct
13: Rise
14: Mephisto