I got a package in the mail today from Kai Hornung, the singer of Sonic Front. In it was their new album Pieces. My first impression was the album cover, naturally, and I have to say it’s really awesome. Dirk Rudolph came up with the theme and layout, and the photography was done by Harald Hoffmann. The image on the cover is a special “sculpture” consiting of all kinds of old pieces of metal stuck together, hanging from the ceiling by wires. Old bicycle wheels, big springs, fans, a rusty saw, just a bunch of old junk thrown together. But it all looks really cool floating in the air. That’s not something you see every day.

I got that familiar “new CD smell” when I opened up the case to look inside. The booklet is tastefully done, in Dirk’s minimalist style. I put the CD into my player and began to listen. I know these songs were mostly written already before Christoph died, but it almost seems like they were all written about him, in his memory. I guess if you didn’t know what happened, you might not get this feeling, but I really envision that the lyrics are about him as I listen.

There are three tracks on this album that stand out above all the others for me. The first is “36 Below” which starts out with a great riff and alternates between that and the verses which are backed only by a drum beat. The second is “Underground”. This is one of the faster songs on the album, sporting contrasting high and low-tuned guitars and a bit of screaming grunt behind the vocals. And finally, I can’t forget the most memorable song on the album, “Wave Goodbye”. You can interpret this song in many ways: as a message to Christoph from the band, from the band to their fans, or from Christoph himself to everyone else. But any way you look at it, this is a very meaningful song and a fitting closer for Sonic Front’s final album.

Overall, this is a great album and is definitely worth checking out. If you want to hear a few songs, head on over to Sonic Front’s MySpace page. If you still want more, you can get the album exclusively from the band by emailing Kai at kai@sonicfront.de. It costs just 10 Euros, and I’m sure he will be glad to send the CD anywhere in the world you are located.

As you learn more and more about German music on the internet, you will soon discover that there are many websites about the topic. One of the best is DeutscheMusik.net which has many useful features to help you explore the best German bands. The site is perhaps best known for their forums where fans around the world come to discuss all kinds of German music topics, but I would like to point out another special feature of the site: the album reviews.

DeutscheMusik.net offers a number of great album reviews on a variety of bands, from ASP to Richthofen, and from Eisbrecher to Heimataerde. But beyond the wide range of reviews that are available, I think the best aspect of DM’s review page is that it is fan driven. By this, I mean that German music fans (that’s you) are encouraged to write and submit reviews for the site. Don’t see your favorite German album reviewed? Write one. Disagree with someone else’s review? Write another one. This review page puts you in control, which I think is really great.

So go check out DeutscheMusik.net’s review page. Read some for yourself. Write some for others. Everybody wins.