ALBUM REVIEW: Madworld – Kontrust

It could never be said that KONTRUST aren’t entertaining. Often clad in lederhosen and pulling influence from nu metal, folk, and Eurodance, they may be an odd bunch but there is no one else quite like them. In the nine years since their last record, they have intermittently played some summer festivals while weathering a couple of line-up changes, welcoming Julia Ivanova and Joey Sebald to their recording roster. Their solid library of party metal hits could see them thrive on the European tour circuit for years to come without releasing any new music, but they have returned with their fifth full-length Madworld.

With fuzzy riffs stomping all over the shop, there’s no doubt this new collection of songs could get a no-thoughts head-empty party popping off, but it is missing some of their trademark sense of fun. The daft Lederhosen Hatelove isn’t as charmingly disorientating as Bomba, and ultimately sounds like a RAMMSTEIN knockoff (even with some yodelling thrown in for good measure). Similarly, The End, with its “this is the end, there’s no doubt” chorus is calling out for DEVIN TOWNSEND and Ziltoid to come along and add some proficiency and some spice to the apocalyptic drama it’s aiming for.

For a band usually so in-your-face with their oddball quirkiness, Madworld is a surprisingly restrained album, like when AVENGED SEVENFOLD stripped away their bells and whistles for Hail To The King. But without the bombast, KONTRUST’s songs regularly sound unfinished or underwritten. Most feel too long despite only being three minutes because they have no direction or variation. Whether the lengthy gap between records has interrupted their flow or they are still adjusting to the new line-up, Madworld lacks the confidence of the snotty headbanger Hey DJ! and the soaring refrains in The Butterfly Defect.

It’s not all bad, and the record finds its footing as it goes on. Standout u.f.i.u. balances anger with celebration, contrasting rage-fuelled lyrics with euphoric hooks. When the double-bass drums kick in, it’s a welcome gear shift, but it only highlights how one-note much of the rest of the album is. It’s on this track they come closest to reigniting the wildness they are known for, combining hard-hitting power chords with a damn good time. Closer I Can’t Control It distinguishes itself from the pack with its heavy synth tones, bringing a splash of colour to the back half of the record, and it’s a song that reaches for something epic. Masterpiece Of A Monster showcases the band’s knack for some killer vocal phrasing; the “you’re a ma! ster! piece! of a monster!” refrain is an instant earworm. It’s moments like these that make KONTRUST so endearing, like when Stefan Lichtenberger sings the word “armageddon” by emphasising the wrong syllable on The End.

But the first half suffers from an increasingly annoying repetitiveness, as the nu metal guitar rhythms pummel without any sort of personality, and single ideas are recycled without ever being repackaged. For a band in a field of their own for so long, they seem to have lost what so easily set them apart.

Props to the band for keeping on after some time away and personnel changes, but let’s hope they find their mojo again. When firing on all cylinders, not many can compete with just how entertaining KONTRUST are. It takes more than this though to get everyone doing the Schuhplattler.

Rating: 5/10

Madworld is set for release on November 3rd via Napalm Records.

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