Sure, there's definitely hardcore in German curiosity
Japanische Kampfhörspiele's 2004 album
Hardcore Aus der Ersten Welt (translation: "Hardcore from the First World"), but there's also metal, thrash, industrial, and especially grindcore. In fact, because its contents are amazingly fast and distorted yet recorded with such surprising clarity of sound, "progressive grindcore" may be the best description for this mind-bending but utterly fascinating 13-track opus. Vocals vary from ghastly shrieks to guttural roars, guitars and percussion are impossibly welded together in their light-speed complexity, and repetition of any sort is almost unheard of. Seriously, when it comes to
Japanische Kampfhörspiele, all rules are jettisoned and all bets are off. Witness as second track "Zimmer 2.407b" suddenly vanishes into thin air, or "Du Warst Mein Ritalin" ("You Were My Ritalin") breaks down for a hauntingly sparse piano-tinkled interlude, or "Koscher" splices mechanic dissonance with punk-like shouts, or the bizarre "Was Meinst Du?" closes with a impenetrable voice loop. If all of the above doesn't paint a clear enough picture (and, really, that's a tall order when it comes to this band), consider the notion that compared to
Japanische Kampfhörspiele, Teutonic countrymen
Rammstein sound like friggin'
Kraftwerk. As disorienting as it is unique, this is one album for true musical adventurers to explore. ~ Eduardo Rivadavia