It’s been almost nine years and five albums that this sextet from Berlin has been closely tracking Rammstein without hiding that fact whatsoever. After all, why not? Particularly as they shamelessly picked from the musical heritage painstakingly amassed by Oomph!. And this “Eastern front” is much more productive and consistent than its Berlin neighbours, from whom we’ve all but lost hope to one day listen to their seventh album, as their last record dates back to 2009… More than a clone, Ost+Front is a sort of default programme both on stage and on the album. One may expect them to emancipate one day and record an album free of any Rammsteinian influence, but that’s not yet the case with Adrenalin. At most, it appears to be picking from tanz metal influences, with the eminently efficient Heavy Metal (which unlike its name suggests, consists of dance-electro keyboard lines) or the funny and contagious Disco Bukkake…
And like their four previous albums, they stray furthest from their model when they – sparingly – dabble in tzigane music or minimal punk rock like a gore version of Gogol Bordello or Manu Chao (Ich Will Alles, Rosenkavalier, 10 Jahre Ost+Front…). Despite not innovating in any way, the band is close to technical perfection. Furthermore the animal is gifted with a sense of humour in addition to its taste for provocation even more acute than (yes, it’s possible) Rammstein. Far from being just a simple anecdotal parody band, Ost+Front displays a very strong potential. But it’s still a long way to go before they overshadow the original… © Jean-Pierre Sabouret/Qobuz