Almost every band within the metalgenre starts because they want to have fun,
are a fan of the music and perhaps to score some chicks and get some free beer. The
German band The Prophecy23 must be one of them for sure. They sure don't take
themselves too serious if you look at the titles and the lyrics. Take for
example the song "Bass Player" in which self-mockery is the key word. It is
party time and although I haven't seen them live, there will be a big crowd
moshing around and creating a big pit. Luckily the band takes the music rather
serious and has some nice songs. Like in the eighties they have lyrics about
partying and hating posers and that kind of stuff, but always with a sense of
humor.
The band uses two singing styles, Hannes Kloppprogge takes care of the
aggressive hardcore/thrash vocals and Philipp Heckel produces the death grunting
parts. The songs are very variable, but stay within the hardcore and thrash
borders, with lots of gang shouting and some death growls. You have to think of
a mix of bands like SOD, Municipal Waste, Sick of It All, Nuclear Assault,
Madball, Austrian Death Machine, Suicidal Tendencies and bands like that. Yet
they have some nice twists in their songs, church organs in "Pit Laserbeam",
creating a kind of Mercyful Fate touch, a bit folk in "Video Games Ain't No
Shame" and electronic noise in "Fuck the Dub". The track "The Ballad of SOD"
says it all if you know the SOD version with Jimmy and shows that these Germans
are funny guys.
If you just want to own an album to party to, have a good time or get drunk to
with some friends with big eighties roots, buy it and party like it is 1984. Oi
Oi Oi!
