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Goethes Erben | Nichts Bleibt Wie Es War

Goethes Erben remains one of the most orginal, and theatrical, bands in the goth scene.
CD, Indigo/Amu Alster

Tekst: Martijn van Gessel

Publicatiedatum: 17 april 2002

Goethes Erben is an exceptional band in the gothic genre. Once their music was called 'Deutsche Todeskunst,' along with other acts like Das Ich, Sopor Aeternus, and Lacrimosa. Although these bands make different kinds of music, the atmosphere (dark) and thematics (the big issues "being" and "time") are the same. Additionally, the music of all these acts is very theatrical and Goethes Erben is no exception.
Goethes Erben has always been more in the tradition of the music theatre than of pop music. Since 1990 they have released more than ten albums, among them a trilogy. They went on a theatre tour for their previous album 'Kondition: Macht!' which was released in both a normal music version and a theatre version.
'Nichts Bleibt Wie Es War' is built around three parts, like a theatre play. The first part is called 'Zeit Nachzudenken' and consists mostly of quiet tracks in the typical Goethes Erben tradition of narrative, theatrical, and emotional songs. 'Der Eissturm,' the first single, opens the album in a very danceable way, having a sort of wave/synth/electro crossover style. Other outstanding tracks in this first part are 'Vermisster Traum' and 'Glassgarten' (the second single). The latter is a duet with the singer of German synthpop group Wolfsheim, Peter Heppner.
The second part is called 'Zornige Utopien' and introduces a new element to the music of Goethes Erben, namely metal guitars. Their last album ('Kondition: Macht!') was already more rock-oriented than prior releases, but they never had used metal influences before. Most songs in this second part are much harder than in the first, thanks to the metal guitars. They make the songs at times even more emotional because they give the vocal parts more power. Good examples of such songs are 'Nichts Bleibt Wie Es War' and 'Himmelgrau.' Another excellent song is 'Zimmer 34,' which consists of two parts: The first is reminiscent of the old Goethes Erben approach (vocals with minimal background music); the second is more in the industrial vein, and includes metal percussion in the style of old Test Dept. and Einstürzende Neubauten.
Part three of the album is called 'Resümee' and it is just that. After two more very theatrical songs and a sort of synth pop tune ('Schreiheit'), the album comes to a conclusion with one of the best songs featured on this record: 'Mensch Sein.' It combines a good electronic beat with some excellent metal guitar. The result could have been a Rammstein song, but instead it is a very dramatic and emotional song in the best Goethes Erben tradition.
They've proven their ability to keep writing good songs, and thus, to produce a great album. The new element of the metal guitar is done in a careful way so that it adds something to the whole. 'Nichts Bleibt Wie Es War' features a varied song selection of songs, but still is a coherent album. Goethes Erben remains one of the most orginal, and theatrical, bands in the goth scene.

http://www.kindamuzik.net/recensie/goethes-erben/nichts-bleibt-wie-es-war/1472/
Meer Goethes Erben op KindaMuzik: http://www.kindamuzik.net/artiest/goethes-erben