RASPUTEEN "DAS LEBERWURSTBROT" (INV025)

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SIDE-LINE (7/10)

This German project stands for industrial fun! This is not meant to be a sarcastic definition of their sound, but it just stands for what I’ve listened here! The influences are pure electro-industrial minded while the vocals are quite surprising. If you expect the usual hard and distorted way of singing, you’ll be shocked! The vocals parts are quite clear, but the very special timber of voice creates a cool effect. You don’t always need to understand German to perceive some funny, sexy lyrics... the "Sexx"-cut being the funniest one! The electro-industrial writing also moves back to the 80s, which comes back on the excellent "Kleiner gigolo" and the more into Kraftwerk inspired "Der Mann von der Eisenbahn". Other cuts like "Liebeslieth" and "Schluss mit der Burokratie" are a little bit more elaborated into electronic sounds, creating excellent danceable parts. Next to the 12 "regular" songs, we also get 7 remixes by bands like Ambassador21, Asche, CTRLer, Iszoloscope, Punch Inc and 2 remixes by Hell-G. Well, I’ve to recognize that most of the remixes are pretty well done, adding different new ideas to this album. I especially love the harsh industrial approach of Asche, the jungle like influences of CTRLer and the danceable industrial vibes of Punch Inc. I’m afraid this is an album that will not please to all lovers of the genre, but I experienced it as refreshing, varied and kicking!

by Side-Line

CHAIN DLK (5/5)

RASPUTIN's first album DAS LEBERWURSTBROT has been a surprise for me, because it gathers old and new techno/electro influences by sounding like a crossover of old and new D.A.F. passing through John Foxx and Kraftwerk. RASPUTIN wants to keep his personality hidden and I don't know if the name has been chosen because of Grigorij Rasputin, the mad monk which coming from a modest family ended by being one of the most influential man of the Russian throne. I can't tell what the lyrics are about, because they are all sung in German but I assure you that RASPUTIN's music is rough and tense. Even if it contains a lot of melody, there's always a sense of controlled violence on the eleven tracks of the CD (the twelfth is only a eleven seconds noise track which divide the two parts of the album). The violence explodes into all its beauty thanks to the remixes made by Ambassador21, Asche, CTRLer, Iszoloscope, Punch Inc and Hell G. Definitely this is one of the best records of this early 2005!!!

by Maurizio Pustianaz for Chain DLK

ELEGY

AMBASSADOR21 "I Wanna Kill U.COM" EP
RASPUTIN "Das Leberwurstbrot"

Il a bien longtemps que les petits prodiges du digital-hardcore bielorusses ont detrone le dieu Alec Empire (Atari Teenage Riot) avec une maitrise du sampling inegalee a ce jour. Le duo Ambassador21 evoluant, le label maison Invasion Wreck Chords nous livre de meilleures productions en qualite, meme si le D.I.Y et l'attitude electro-punk en sont encore les fondements. Ce nouvel EP dechaine un " I Wanna Kill U.com " dantesque et hargneux au possible. 3 autres inedits dont le ultra-speede " Anarchy " et la sado-rigolo lecon d'anglais " The English Lessons (who suck fuck ?) ". Place ensuite a 3 remixes du single en titre signes Beinhaus, Lament Configuration et DJ J.Christ (alias Alexey leader de A21). Preuve egalement que Invasion Wreck acquiere une renommee certaine: le debut album de Rasputin. Ce n'est ni plus ni moins que l'allemand Philip Muench (Synapscape) qui se cache derriere le masque du sorcier Tsariste, a la recherche d'un defouloir plus anarcho-punk. Mais Das Leberwurstbrot est bien loin de la tendance hardcore de ses comperes, nous offrant plutot une ceuvre de revival minimaliste-wave des annees 80 croisee avec une harsh-indus tres teknoide. " Mein Herz Schlaegt " pourrait passer pour un tube d'easy new-wave si un background power-rythmic ne venait pas la pervertir. Au total, une douzaine d'experimentations du genre qui donnent un tout coherent et tres novateur. Asche, Ambassador21, CTRLer, Iszoloscope, Punch Inc et Hell-G venant completer la tracklist de leurs remixes respectifs.

by Olivier Camus for Elegy

FUNPROX MAGAZINE

It is hard to come up with something really new nowadays when it comes to contemporary popmusic. Most of the time new means nothing more then the mix of genres, styles or elements from different types of music. And, most of the time that is not even new at all. Rasputin has also blended elements of old genres, and it may not be revolutionary but it is done very well and the result is an excellent collection of tracks.
The combination of rhythmic industrial and minimal electronics on Leberwurstbrot is really convincing. Especially the songs that are more on the minimal electronic side are very good. You will also hear some NDW influences in these once.
Just listen to ‘Insektenmenschen’, ‘Luegen des Alltags’ and ‘Liebeslieth’ and be surprised how the genres are blended like it was made to be this way (well, some people did this also in the past and it worked then so why not now?).
Also the more industrial minded fans will not be dissapointed. Tracks like ‘Mein Herz Schlaegt’ and Maschinenmenschen’ are harsh rhythmic pieces in the style of Synapscape (Phillip Muench produced this record, so it is not suprising).
After twelve excellent tracks in the style described above there are seven more remixes on this cd, which is really too bad. These remixes push the record too much into an industrial direction. The first twelve songs made up for a really good album on its own. Hopefully we hear more of these from Rasputin soon. Great stuff!

by Martijn van Gessel for Funprox

REGEN MAGAZINE

Just when you thought it was safe to turn your stereo on and perhaps crank the volume a little past eleven, Invasion Wreck Chords hits you again with another stereo blasting release that is sure to get you to turn that stereo down or risk ruining the speakers! This time around comes the release from Rasputin titled Das Leberwurstbrot which is a strange amalgamation of noise, electro-pop, and madness. Unlike other Invasion releases where the vocals are screamed at the harshest level possible or drowned out by the heavy as hell bass poundings, Rasputin actually utitlizes vocals that are more harmonic and discernable... although they are in German... hey you can't win em all. Not that the vocals really matter all that much as with any Invasion release a listener is going to focus more on the composition of the sounds. The sounds are varied and attention grabbing. Each track has something different from the last which lends itself perfectly to a non-monotonous album that keeps you guessing at each track change. A good example of this varied track to track sound can be heard rather well on “Das Leberwurstbrot” and “Kleiner Gigolo,” where the former concentrates on heavy bass drums tinged with some break beat flair and the latter is mellower and almost old school sounding in its simplistic chord progressions and basic drum structure. The album moves through its 20 tracks at a quick pace with an average track time of three minutes. On the whole this disc contains some very different sounds that meld with one another fairly well, but it may not be for those that are looking for a more organized and uniform sound, but then again none of Invasion Wreck Chords releases would appeal to that person as they just wouldn't get it. Invasion says it best on one of their album promo business cards: “People Outside-You Suck!”

by Stephen Sodergren for Regen Magazine