In Extremo is back with Sünder Ohne Zügel, which is the follower of the fantastic Verehrt Und Angespien. Even though In Extremo comes from Germany and sing in German, this band cannot be compared to Rammstein as In Extremo add many folks instruments and is far away from Rammstein dance-metal sound ... or was should I say. While not as techno-dance-driven as Rammstein, In Extremo - on their previous record - utilize a kind of pounding folk beat that one could dance to. Heavy, original, folk and beers .... this is how I like to describe In Extremo. Being myself a huge fan of Verehrt Und Angespien, you can easily imagine how enthusiast I was when I get that one.

Well, let's break immediately the "charm" as Sünder Ohne Zügel is very far away from the quality of its predecessor. In fact, all the magic of Verehrt Und Angespien has disappeared, leaving a commercial music ... which will remind you this time Rammstein. However, trying to follow the path of the German Big Brother has almost killed In Extremo. What happen ? Money ? Success ? New label ? I can't explain, but In Extremo sound too much like Rammstein and their original sound has been "killed" in studio. What a shame !!!

Of course, the overall is not bad at all ... but the risks taken previously by the band have been replaced by the conformity. Songs are good - melodic and sometimes heavy - but while I was listening to the previous album many times in a row, I can hardly enjoy this one and I listen to it for a short period of time. The "folk" elements have been put in the back and replaced by these samples that Rammstein use perfectly ... and that In Extremo don't. I can't blame these guys to follow the trend, but In Extremo was special, a kind of rebel, and today they decided to become more conventional. I hope they will have the courage to come back with their old sound and leave the new sound techniques where it should be ... because technology and folk hardly "collaborate" together.

If you can get past the language barrier and the issues about samples & folk, you might really like this one, especially if you haven't discovered this band previously. I definitely prefer Verehrt Und Angespien, but that's a question of taste.