De/Vision - Rockets & Swords

It's been a while since I tuned into the world of De/Vision, so I thought it was time to revisit my old favorites after many years of shallow listening. Their new album 'Rockets & Swords' seemed to be a good start.

There hasn't been so many changes in the big picture, I still recognize myself quite quickly. The vocals of Steffen are hard not to recognize and love. The Germanized Depeche Mode like synthpop sound is still somewhat present. What seems to be lacking is the strength of the tracks themselves.

It's hard to put your finger on what is missing. The production is top notch, it sounds great, but it does not stick for me. The tracks fly by without leaving a trace. It's an everyday album by such an experienced band as De/Vision.

A few songs make me wake up from my unconscious state. The very much later Depeche Mode sounding "Brotherhood of Man" has very strong and sad lyrics, it makes you feel something. Finally.

"Stargazer" is a slower track and lay somewhere in between of "Brotherhood of Man" and the true synthpop tunes "Binary Soldier" and "Mystified".

But, if you are looking for a true De/Vision track, the one you should take a closer look at is the amazing and beautiful "Bipolar". Here De/Vision show their true colors with their down tempo tune that stir up all kind of emotions.

De/Vision feel tired, part from some high lights, it feels like "oh, it's that time of the year again we are suppose to release an album, well, guess we have to get to it then". A good try, but falls short. Oct 10 2012