Der Klinke is a Belgian Darkwave / New Wave band that started in 2009, with frontman, leadsinger Chesko (also keyboardplayer with The Bollock Brothers), Sam & Hazy (also both musicians with Red Zebra) , Marco, a man with passion, and Lollirot, a girl with balls. As you know a decade is 10 years, so yes this is a throwback in time. You also get new songs and remixes! This is not a best of but an anniversary cd produced and remixed by Jan De Wulf (Diskonnekted, Mildred and Your Life On Hold).
Jan and Chesko are neighbours, so that makes it easy to spent hours and hours on this pearl! They are both living in Oostende and that is also the reason why they could ask Serge Feys (TC Matic) for an exclusive remix on this one, as he is also from Oostende.
Now enough info for now, let us focus on the music and discover it together with you. First of all: I decided to listen to it as it all the songs are new ones and didn’t want to compare them with the older versions as they all feel like what Blutengel did with their reboot album: all the tracks are simple dipped into 2019 and thus sound most of the time simply better then in the past (it’s called evolution of the technical and auditive aspects)!
They start with a brand new song called Curtains. This one was also the track they used to promote the album. Generally it’s simply the best track of the album. It starts with an old ticking clock until the classic 80’s guitar sound and vocals sung with that typical sung from the grave feel. It’s cool to hear the different voices in it. My Frozen Heart has a cool guitar in it that seems to slide like forever. The bass plays an important role, just as the percussion. It’s clear that the lyrics are important here as the tempo is a bit slower and the effects on the vocals render the story in the best way. The sound is all in all pretty warm and fat if you listen to it with your headphone on. The more you listen to it the more details you discover. Clear Mind has a clear John Wolf influence in this remixed by him version: listen to the guitars and you’ll even expect his vocals. There is also a heavy and very fat synth sound in it. After that comes the original first version of The Doll. It sounds pretty harsh, doomed and yet a bit catchy.
The River White (Decade version) mixes a deep voice with a clean and clear voice whilst beats give it a shot on the dancefloor. It has a certain disco feeling too and pushes it into the direction of a possible dancefloor hit. I like it as it really sounds very smooth! Towards the end it’s even really hard not to start moving as your body screams out it wants to dance on it! Still Alone is the second new track on this album a track that mixes the 80’s sound with a modern touch. The vocals sound pretty deep, like coming from the grave, whilst the guitar brings in the sun but also hands out some sadness. Our Dance In Darkness is pretty catchy despite the darkness and that’s all thanks to the drums and the synth. The Facts of Life gets an exclusive remix by Serge Feys (TC Matic). This one also sounds pretty catchy despite the darkness: with a great electronic sound and percussions that heat it all up. Bridges is so hot that I feel it could make it on the dancefloor. I really adore the different kind of vocals in this song as it really changes it into a top notch track. It sounds a bit like the more electronical version of Joy Division versus Editors. We are Here in the Mildreda version gets indeed the harsher touch, industrialized with a gest of techno and sounds really cool in this upgraded version. Moving has no vocals in it and sounds a bit like how a certain demo band called Erato should have sounded like after their singer aka Boot left the band. Chasing Shadows sounds like as if part of an opera or a theatrical piece as it’s literally filled with pathos. The cello and violin are doing a great job and reminds me slightly of Deine Lakaien. Clear Mind comes back in it’s very first and original version and proves how good mister Wolff does his job and I clearly prefer his version (this one sounds too much like something you could play in a Pasta bar as background music. I also hear some influences from Attrition. Someone Who Smiles has this doomed feeling, a bit like that legendary band called The Brassers of whom they say they never smile. For the rest the sound is a bit like a reworked and modernized 80’s feeling. The drums and bass play a very important role here. In Flames has a higher tempo, with a cool bass and dreamy guitar slides. I like the little break halfway and the electronic bleeps. The Gathering of Hopes is the last official track on this one and is simply what the title says: a slow gathering of hopes. It sounds a bit softer and is more into melancholia then the other tracks. It’s a bit like the waves who hit rocks and are slowly dissecting and thus destroying the rocks.
The digital lovers get 2 extra tracks, starting with an excellent version of The Facts of Life (with excellent guitars and enforced synths). House of Belief kicks the balls of a saint house with a retro guitar style but sadly does not sound catchy enough to stay a long time in your head. It’s a missed opportunity.
Well as you all know: this is not a best off, it’s an anniversary cd and has been rebooted by Jan Dewulf (+ mastering by Martin Bowes) and deserves the credits for all the good things on this album. I have seen these guys on stage (loved it) and now I have reviewed one of their albums (liked it) for the first time and I hope it’s not going to be the last time! I know it’s not easy to survive the gothic scene (but hey they did already for 10 years) and with newcomers like A Slice of Lice and Your Life on Hold it’s going to be hard, but I wish them all the best!
See you at W-fest!
