ASP – “Weltunter” (20-year classic)

ASP
“Weltunter”
CD (Trisol/EFA)

Finally it’s in front of me, the new CD from ASP. After my visit to the studio and the promising audio samples that came with it, the suspense was killing me. Now I’m sitting there with my mouth open on the first listen through, absolutely thrilled and already singing along fervently to all the tracks on the album on the next run-through. “Weltunter” is anthemic, punky, mercilessly hard, caressingly tender, compelling, honest in an almost painfully intense way, sad, (self-)ironic, full of love and also anger. ASP burst upon the listener with a firework of emotions and sounds, leaving him no chance to escape and instead offering him the opportunity to (re)discover the band in its most beautiful guise. Sprechgesang, bagpipes, bells, harp sounds are perhaps small but unmistakable signs that the formation has found fresh courage in dealing with music and has climbed to a level where it can freely experiment without losing the previous characteristics of its sound, where it has found a new, almost lavish diversity in sound and song. Whether the hymn-like dragging “Welcome”, the despite rocky sounds sad “Stille der Nacht” or the all clubs conquering “She Wore Shadows”, whether “Demon Love” with goosebumps guarantee, the uncompromising “Ich will brennen” (absolutely! UNCONDITIONALLY!!!) or the “Ruhe vor dem Sturm” characterized by inimitable figurative speech – no matter what you hear first, you will fall for this music and want to explore “Weltunter” from now on. Again and again. (10)

Axel Schön

(The review was first published in the Orkus! issue September 2003)

In our current issue as well as in the July/August issue we have a detailed interview with ASP. Click here to go to our store:

The work is now also breathtaking super edition published and available at Amazon, among others:

Listen to “Weltunter” on Spotify: