CD review SLIME ‘Wem gehört die Angst’

Slime belongs to the spearhead of German punk. Founded in 1979 the band from Hamburg is known for easy to grasp Punk Rock songs and lyrics that are a statement. Slime is also an ‘on/off’-band with two periods of hibernation.

The first split happened in early ’80s with a reunion in the beginning ’90s, a time when xenophobic attitudes arose in Germany. Two records later Slime members parted ways again before the band returned in 2009. Since then the quintet releases longplayers with ‘Wem gehört die Angst’ being the newest one.

The current misbalance of planet earth seems to be extra fuel for Slime. Three years after ‘Hier und jetzt’ has been revealed, the five fellers are back with 13 excellent Punk Rock songs. Slime’s music isn’t complex and each of the tunes is easy approachable. The melodies stick to your mind right away, being a carrier for messages like in ‘Kein Mensch ist illegal’. The title of this uptempo punk rocker says it all. ‘Fette Jahre’ addresses the fact of exchanging ideals for commerciality from a retrospective view. Furthermore there’s ‘Die Masse’, thematizing the carelessness of the majority of society, lyrics that are a wake-up call as well as good base for discussion.

In days with a world that’s thrown out of kilter, bands like Slime are like musical call for action. Although commercially more successful than in the ’80s and in general more mature than in the early days, the band is still authentic, stick to their mindset and is never tired of holding up a mirror to society.