Nachtmahr - Can You Feel The Beat?

I feel this review might be one of those reviews that might stir up a shit storm, never mind what grade I put on release. Let's start right away, shall we? Isn't Nachtmahr a bit overrated? Seriously, it's not bad, but it's far from the blessing of the scene either, right? I was hoping his concert here in Gothenburg last winter would take this away feeling away, that Nachtmahr would prove themselves to be one kick ass band live. I don't know, a piss drunk Thomas Reiner, barely able to keep upright bragging about surrounding himself with naked girls, only because he can, did not impress me. I left early that evening.

The same thing goes for the latest EP 'Can You Feel The Beat?'. It's not bad, it's well produced (should be after all those years with L'Ame Imortelle), but it's so unsurprising that it almost hurts inside. What is given is exactly what is expected from Nachtmahr and follow the path that is wide as a highway. "(Wo ist) Dein Gott?", "Geraeuschplatten", "Verraeter an Gott" and "Can You Feel The Beat?" is on spot of what is needed to keep the dance floor maxed out at one a clock in the night. And by all right, they are upbeat, rhythmical and with catchy melodies and choruses. 'Can You Feel The Beat' EP is the safe card for all the DJ's, no effort, go straight to happy crowd without passing "Go".

And I listen to it, and I like it, but I will and can never form an emotional bound to this, there no exchange between me and this EP, it's a monolog and not a dialogue. And maybe it should not be anything else; maybe it's simply dance floor music, maybe I am too sober? 'Mädschen in Uniform' was a great EP, surprising by incorporating a nice old school beat, experimenting a bit, smashing heads against the box, trying to get outside of it. Here, most attempts to escape it are born dead.

I might have looked upon this a bit differently if some of the 8(!!) remixes where cut down slightly, putting more focus on the four original tracks from the 'Semper Fidelis' album and the remixes that are making an effort. Especially painful out of place is the metal version of "Rise and Fall". Also worth to mention is that the "Rioters Anthem" version by Population of "Can You Feel The Beat?" is far better than the bigger names like Suicide Commando or Grendel.

Simply put, 'Can You Feel The Beat' is the Die Hard 4 of the EBM scene. Its action filled, explosive, but at the end of the day, it does not leave a mark. Apr 17 2012