Homo homini lupus. Man is wolf to man, that's how that little proverb goes. It's all rubbish, of course: A wolf could never do to us what we do to our own kin day in, day out. Consequently, we should much rather say: Man is man to man. Homo homini homo. It is us ourselves who tear us apart, who mangle us, who are hostile to each other and who segregate us on a daily basis, a vicious circle nobody seems to be able to escape from. That's not exactly nice, to be sure. Even more so, however, it's not exactly news to Lian Exfeind, the enigmatic solitaire behind the uprising industrial rock heavyweight EXFEIND. On “Zwei Punkt Null” he again makes use of that tilt within the fabric of society, that grievance of our time, to turn it into highly explosive, cunning and demasking anthems to a cataclysmic time. And no matter how many good reasons for despair he finds: He refuses to be utterly bereft of hope. And thus always graces his music with the faintest glimmer of hope.
Of course, he'd much rather the world we live him would not force him to create songs like these. We, on the other hand, can almost rejoice in a rather perverted kind of way that our society is sick as it is. Otherwise, we would not have had the pleasure to dive into his impressive debut “Exfeind Nummer Eins”, a work of genius marrying opposites, a stealthy fireworks display of clever German rock music, brimful with dark trenches and whispering seductions. What's even more important, though, is the fact that we would not get our hands onto “Zwei Punkt Null” now, leaving the first big impression on the German rock scene 2020 with its condensed sound, its massive production and its essential themes. In fact, the album overtakes the strong debut so effortlessly, you can only stare at it with outright disbelief.
Still, better get used to it quickly: While other cognate artists from the wide field of Neue Deutsche Härte seem to be overly satisfied with being mere copycats of the triumphant originals, EXFEIND is all about integrity, about a very personal struggle with inner demons since day one. Love and hate, society and religion, the mundane and the magic - “Zwei Punkt Null” is a tour de force through intimate relationships and universal questions, walking the tightrope between diary of its creator and a very disturbing glance into our own heads.
Musically socialized by the trailblazing likes of OOMPH!, DIE KRUPPS, D.A.F. or EISBRECHER, EXFEIND is a far cry from the epigones of aforesaid artists. More than ever before, he walks his own path, true to his roots and uncannily at home in this nightmarish world between rock, electro, metal and monumental pop. Sure enough, that's what everybody says about their music and of course you can't blame them. This, however, is something different entirely. A league, a sound, almost a genre of its own, steadily coming into its own right.
EXFEIND is a sanctum, a highly intimate and thus all the more precious gem in a genre full of profanity. EXFEIND is not here to be casually consumed. EXFEIND wants to bite you, hurt you, wake you up. Alright, alright, now and then, “Zwei Punkt Null” simply wants to make you forget the world, dance, drink and have sex. Still, that never happens at the expense of artistic integrity. EXFEIND is not afraid to make the Neue Deutsche Härte go soft from time to time or to make pop go dark and murderous here and there. You simply have to brace yourselves for something you didn't expect. But we're pretty sure you have long stopped reading if you weren't. His time has come! EXFEIND ex machina.
Tracklisting:
| No. |
Track |
Time |
| 1 |
Wie ein Boss |
-- |
| 2 |
Tief in der Nacht |
-- |
| 3 |
Keyboardkrieger |
-- |
| 4 |
Unleash me |
-- |
| 5 |
Viel zu spät |
-- |
| 6 |
Auch ohne dich |
-- |
| 7 |
Exzess |
-- |
| 8 |
In Dunkelheit vereint |
-- |
| 9 |
Sternenmeer |
-- |
| 10 |
Graue Sonne |
-- |
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