9MM – Volle Kraft Voraus

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Germans were always stereotypically described as a nation with no sense of humor. In spite of that, fun metal bands like Tankwart, Onkel Tom and many others with the same tongue-in-cheek attitude are most frequent in Germany, and whether it is to prove the evil tongues wrong or not, these bands are always welcome to any metal party. 9MM’s latest release will surely finds its way to the hearts of drunken metalheads as well.

Volle Kraft Voraus features nearly 40 minutes of party metal songs, heavily inspired by thrash metal acts like Tankard and Sodom, punk and classic rock and roll. The songs are upbeat and catchy, with great melodic parts and a lot of drunken sailor-style choruses. The average duration of the tracks is around 3:50 minutes, and during that time you are not likely to hear anything spectacular or out or the ordinary, just the same old verse/chorus/verse/chorus formula. Given that 9MM solely aims to be the first thing that you’ll play while having this type of party, you probably shouldn’t expect anything more to begin with. Even so, tracks like Grave Digger and Running Wild inspired “Libertad o Muerte,” “Dem Freund die Hand – Dem Feind die Stirn” or the title track are really pleasant surprises and showcase the talent that this band undoubtedly possesses. The other tracks are also good if you are into melodic heavy metal, but they all sound the same as they only rely upon the element of alcohol to keep them interesting. In other words, if you are drunk you’ll probably have a good time jumping around to tunes like “Jetzt feiern wir mit Freunden” or “Im Namen des Herrn,” but in a sober setting the album would just probably be played in the background, with no one noticing it at all. The production is well-done to say the least: the riffs sound heavy, the melodic guitar parts are heavily accented and the rhythm section is impeccable and clear.

Although you will have a lot of fun listening to this record, it is not challenging at all and it will surely be forgotten as soon as these guys release their next one. However, I am sure that people seeing 9MM live, or having a party while listening to Volle Kraft Voraus, will absolutely have a great, fun time.