If you’re like most people, you awoke this morning with one question on your mind: “If we can put a man on the moon, why hasn’t anyone created a German industrial band that draws heavily upon medieval music for their sound?” Well, fear not, good citizens of Winterfell, for Heimataerde has come to your rescue.
Anyone who may have picked up Heimataerde’s CD Gottgleich (released by Metropolis Records; really, who else would’ve green-lighted this project?) expecting to have a hearty chuckle at the expense of a bunch of Dark Ages Trekkies who dragged their synths to a Renaissance Faire — though they do, indeed, wear armor onstage — is in for a pretty fierce disappointment as the blend of flutes, pipe drones, pounding drums and slashing guitars makes for a surprisingly satisfying musical experience. Think Dead Can Dance meets Rammstein meets The Knights Who Say Ni from Monty Python and the Holy Grail. The fact that this experiment doesn’t blow up in the faces of all involved stands as a proud testament to mankind’s ability to take a batshit crazy concept and transform it into a batshit crazy reality: in this instance, a wonderfully batshit crazy band. And if you’re still not sold on the idea, find the song “Outremer” online.
Verdict: Yes, the fact that Heimataerde perform in Templar garb and cover “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” (which kicks a plague-cart load of ass, by the way) is a tough hur-dle to clear in the race toward fandom. But once you’ve managed to move past the gimmick, you’ll find some incredibly decent songs at the core of this project.
