The chanted German lyrics and pulsing, throbbing rhythms of Teutonic industrial duo
Das Ich are certainly foreboding, but on
Anti' Christ, Bruno Kramm's symphonic washes and almost new wavey synth touches add a surprising touch of melodicism to some of the tracks. That's not to say that many of the numbers aren't still relentlessly spooky -- the driving "Grund Der Seele" is as ominous as anything the duo has produced. The album-opener, "Engel," however, is reminiscent of '80s new wavey techno. "Keimzeit," meanwhile, is rounded out by symphonic, almost regal programming touches. ("Keimzeit" also shows up here in another version, a remix.) "Sodom Und Gomorra" unleashes all of the searing malice one would expect from such a title, while "Das Dunkle Land" is a throbbing goth-club number sprinkled with
Depeche Mode-like synth touches. Over ten years on,
Das Ich's original dark muse is unwavering. ~ Erik Hage