Good things take time, but now the wait is over! The last album “Frontiers” by “Solar fake". Reason enough for Sven Friedrich to retire to the studio and tinker with a new long player. The expectations of the new long player are likely to be huge after the previous album took the dance floors of the scene clubs by storm and stayed at the top of the DAC (German Alternative Charts) for a maximum of eight weeks. The new album is now called “Reasons To Kill”, is meanwhile the 3rd studio album and especially illuminates the dark side of human existence. When asked whether there really are so many reasons to kill, Sven only has one answer: “Yes”. In reality, behind this one word there is a strong sense of irony, because actually “the album should have been called 'Reasons Not To Kill', because that would be done sooner. But that would have sounded too harmonious to me and that's not how it feels right now, ”said the singer. The result is a consistently audible and danceable electro album with different influences and the distinctive voice of Sven Friedrich.
“Reasons To Kill” offers 11 tracks with varied electro, driving beats and these unmistakable melodies that are only available from the company “Solar fake" gives. Danceable and catchy without being clumsy. They consistently continue on the path they have chosen, whereby the Berlin duo neither repeats itself nor is unfaithful to its sound. Variety has been the dominant theme since the early days of “Solar Fake” and so you can also find some dubstep, industrial and EBM influences on “Reasons To Kill” in addition to trance influences, without slipping into clichés. And however Sven Friedrich does it, the individual fragments combine almost magically to form a well-structured overall concept that always follows a clear line without ever sounding boring or outdated. Songs like “I hate you more than my life”, “Face me” and “My Spaces” combine aggressiveness and beauty, as if it were the most normal thing in the world and will surely find their way in the shortest possible time and ensure full dance floors.
One could almost ascribe to “Change The View” light EBM bonds, but at least Future Pop. It is good that Sven Friedrich does not always rely on the charm of his voice, but also lets it sound pleasantly rough and threatening. For lovers of the melancholy streak, there are also a few quieter tracks, “Rise And Fall” inspires with a wonderful accompanying melody that fits Sven's vocals perfectly and the final song “The Pages” is an initial piano ballad that turns into a danceable electro track. There is also a cover version on this album. This time they took on Linkin Park's “One Step Closer”. A more than successful, powerful cover that is really convincing and has it all. In the original by Linkin Park, “Solar Fake” gave the song a much more electronic look and a lot of industrial flair. If the song already seemed quite aggressive in its original state, you will look around in amazement when you notice that Sven Friedrich has given the song an extra dose of aggressiveness with his vocals and the song that is pounded up by guitar amps. Sven: "I tried different synthesizers to get the sound that did justice to this song and in the end I just chased everything through guitar amps and recorded it."
With their third studio album, “Solar Fake” has blossomed into a permanent institution in the electronics universe and can certainly no longer be dismissed as a flash in the pan or “hobby production”. Sven Friedrich moves on this floor just as stylishly as on those of his two other projects “Zeraphine” and “Dreadful Shadows”. Even if you are not really into dark electro sounds, “Solar Fake” quickly pulls the listener under its spell. It is almost impossible to let your feet stand still convulsively, because at some point everyone will be caught! With “Reasons To Kill”, “Solar Fake” have a really good electro disc at the start almost in the usual manner - a small, sparkling electro diamond, which with its shine will definitely claim the top spots in the German alternative charts. All in all, “Reasons to Kill” is a more than successful album that is well worth listening to. It captivates with driving beats and is so varied that you are guaranteed not to get bored while listening! Ultimately, “Reasons To Kill” is a really good album that sounds round and coherent in all respects.
Tracklist:
- I Hate You More Than My Life
- Face me
- Change the view
- When I bite
- Reset to Default
- Rise and Fall
- I'd better break
- My spaces
- One step closer
- My bleeding heart
- The Pages
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