According to a press release, "Radical Peace" "presents a multitude of stylistic variations and effective surprises in a musical direction that is clearly and consciously not watered-down by pseudo-modern frippery. [MOB RULES'] tight interaction between deep melodic vocals, two powerful guitars, atmospheric keyboard passages and a driving basic rhythm is rare among European bands. Beyond that, MOB RULES have established an excellent reputation based on their five previous albums, which the band themselves consider to be outside the typical hard 'n' heavy pigeonhole: with critical lyrics about environmental pollution, the politics of the Catholic Church in medieval times and the alarming political situation in the Middle East on their early albums, MOB RULES shine again with fascinating and witty stories."
The press release continues: "Alongside the first single, Astral Hand, which was inspired by the well-known Michelangelo fresco 'The Creation of Adam' in the Vatican and already had its baptism of fire at the Wacken Rocks Seaside festival, the Bloodstock Open Air in Derby, England, and the Ginetarock festival in Spain, there are a number of tracks which deserve a mention. Musically as well as in terms of its content (the song is about death camp doctor Josef Mengele and his appalling experiments on concentration camp children), the opener 'Children Of The Flames' with its anthemic chorus and doom-laden guitar outro nonchalantly ventures into the realms of Bruce Dickinson (IRON MAIDEN). The two subsequent tracks, 'Trial By Fire' and 'Warchild' prove how intelligently MOB RULES connect their stories with epic musical structures and contemporary guitar riffs.
"The focal point of the album is the 18-minute epic 'The Oswald File'. This number is about the assassination of John F. Kennedy and raises the question whether the alleged killer Harvey Lee Oswald (who was later shot himself) really was responsible for Kennedy's death. With this song, MOB RULES continue their concept of memorable political moments in world history, which they started on 'Ethnolution A.D.' (2006)."
"We all know that Kennedy played an important role in the reconstruction of Germany," guitarist Matthias Mineur says of the track. Vocalist Klaus Dirks adds: "At the moment, this topic has gained new relevance through the new U.S. president Barack Obama, who is celebrated as Kennedy's quasi-heir. And as luck would have it, Obama will be coming to Berlin on a state visit four days before the release of 'Radical Peace'." This automatically brings to mind Kennedy's legendary speech featuring the unforgettable words "Ich bin ein Berliner," which were used as the intro to "The Oswald File".
Not only thematically but also musically, "Radical Peace" is MOB RULES' most uncompromising release to date. The direction of the new album is unmistakable, sounding much tougher compared to their previous offerings without compromising the essential features of the typical MOB RULES sound. "Even as we were writing the songs, it was clear that the new material would be more dynamic and haunting than our other releases, a fact that we allowed for during the studio production," says Dirks.
MOB RULES filmed a video for the song "Astral Hand" on April 18 at Jahnhalle in Nordenham, Germany. Directing the clip was Ronald Mattes from ROAX Film, who also worked with the band on the "Black Rain" and "Last Farewell" videos.
"Radical Peace" track listing:
01. Children Of The Flames
02. Trial By Fire
03. Warchild
04. Astral Hand
05. The Oswald File (Ethnolution II - A Matter Of Unnecessary Doubt)
06. Waiting For The Sun
07. The Glance Of Fame
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