Instinct of Survival : "Call of the Blue Distance"

This German band's sound is so impressive it kicks you past points of contention such as song writing. The opener ends rather abruptly . They seem to want the death-rock and the melody to the riff in "Salvation" comes the closest to being death-rock. Not unlike Cemetery, they do not relent on the more bombastic elements of punk, yet these guys are not as creepy as Cemetery. The crusty punk vocals punch their way out from the metallic riffs. Sure Killing Joke is one influence that stands out and the band comes from that forgotten purgatory where punk and goth met. They carry much more Exploited than Bauhaus. A darker version of Hotwater Music is how it hits me at other times, with dashes of Motorhead and Hawkwind are scattered about like ashes along the way. On "Walls" is obvious the guitars carry some great dissonance to them and these guys have a knack for coming up with good heavy riffs.

"To Forget" is almost like old Voi Vod, but without the prog leanings. Imagine an angrier take on "Nothing Face". The songs are very straight forward despite some of the sonic innovation found in the way the chords are sprawled out with the eerie tone of the guitar that like Atriarch can flip from overt metal to something closer to death rock with a click of the drum sticks."Violence Silence"carries some moodiness in with it's full frontal assault. At it's heart it still hits me like punk rock. "Lapsed in Absurdity" tests the bounds of how much punk I can endure. The vocals begin to sound like the late Oderus from Gwar.

They find a better balance on "Drown in Sorrow". I can hear how this sort of thing relates to old "Pain of Mind" Neurosis. Some of the sing song chants of course carry a more drunken punk cadence. To my joy they step into the more shadowy nature of the now defunct Alaric on "What will you Do?". Even then their punk roots are not going any where. I think it's fortunate that they play a thrashy metal infused brand of punk. At times sonic throb alternates with the chug to make the most of their darker leanings. The thrashier elements are highlighted on "Fading Footsteps". It almost touches on Cro-mag's like hard core. But you would still be hard pressed to call them a hard core band. They have more metal moments, but that tag doesn't really apply either.

They take the album out on a more dismal note with "Endzeit". The song has a stomp to it, but is still down trodden in it's contemplation. I'm am not sure how this can be lumped in with positive punk, as these guys seemed morbidly pissed. I will give this one an 8.5, I like where they are headed, it just is a little too straight forward when it reverts back into the more punk rock moments of this album, and with all the hype it had gathered before hearing this I was hoping for something much darker. Not that it's not darker than most punk out there that doesn't rightly earn the goth title. So give these guys a listen.