Die Nerven. Die Nerven

Die Nerven are not newcomers to this blog. You can find at least one album and one live show here. With its self-titled album the Stuttgart based band does go next level. Single 'Europa' already signified as much and at least seven of the ten new songs on 'Die Nerven' match that thought and expectation.

It is four years since 'Fake' was released. You could have found band members in others bands and projects over the past few years. So, it was time for the mothership to emerge. Kevin Kuhn (drums), Julian Knoth (bass, vocals) and Max Rieger (guitar, vocals) got back together and very likely have made their best album to date. The power, the inventiveness, the melodic prowess all go way beyond what they've create together before.

Looking at the record's artwork the association with a "black album" is easily made. The band refers to it in the accompanying bio for obvious reasons. Such information is all nice, it is about the music and this went down well with me before I truly noticed the artwork, which, yes, is strong and instantly noticeable.

The music is there, staring you straight in the face, something the dog is avoiding. The beast within Die Nerven is released alright, as the band cooks up multiple storms, all equally impressive and fearsome. All alternative rock in some form or other, with a band close to the boiling point all the time and boiling over regularly.

Let me start at the end, with '180 Grad'. It's almost a rock ballad, one with light sounding guitars and no load of soft (synthesised) strings. Slowly the song builds up towards "der Anfang vom Ende", the end of the beginning. The synths and strings do enter but not to produce a sugarcoated ballad but for estranging the listener from the beginning of the song. It ends with just a piano, just like the latest The Black Angels album, that plays some Beethoven. '180 Grad' reminds me of BAP's 'Kristallnach' and that's a huge compliment in my book.

'Die Nerven' has come full circle at the end of the album. Single 'Europa' opens 'Die Nerven' with an acoustic guitar, also a ballad, soft and modest. Enter some feedback and here we go. The calm before the storm only brought us to the top of a rollercoaster. Going down. Drums pounding, guitars shredding and bass supporting. 'Europa' sets the stage for things to come. 'Europa' is an epic song deserving a lot of attention. Without getting to the level of bombast Guns 'N' Roses produced, this is a song of 'November Rain' proportions, but so much more direct. 'Europa' has several different moods, I'm swinging the whole song long, and they all convince.

It is a starting point past more alternative rock songs or more punkrock songs and everything in between. 'Die Nerven' is an album that allows itself to be explored by the song and Die Nerven deliver in each song. There are so many highlights to discover! In 'Keine Bewegung' the melody prevails, in 'Alles Reguliert Sich Selbst' the anger and power, in 'Ein Influencer Weint Sich In Schlaf' the song itself. 'Die Nerven' is very well balanced.

With 'Die Nerven' Die Nerven truly surprised me. Sure, I liked the band but it was not special in my ears. This changed with its new album. Rock from Germany exists and 'Die Nerven' is another proof of point.

Wout de Natris

You can order 'Die Nerven' here:

https://mailorder.glitterhouse.com/album/5/rock--metal/5210925/die-nerven.html