Label: Look at Me (Broken Silence)
Release date: June 10, 2022
Production: Birth Control
Album length:
Genre: Progressive Rock
Rating: 9.5/10
Birth Control, the legends of German progressive rock, are back with “Open Up,” their second studio outing since reuniting in 2016. The cult band, best known for the internationally successful single “Gamma Ray” and a string of provocative album covers, now runs with a lineup that includes only two members from their seventies heyday: singer Peter Föller and drummer Manfred von Bohr. Their best-known and most ‘persistent’ member, the charismatic former drummer and singer Bernd Noske, died in 2014, and his death briefly brought the band to a halt.
With “Here and Now” (2016), the indestructible Berliners made a successful return among the ‘living’ without the beloved Noske, who was still present on that record, albeit posthumously. So it was only logical to expect that “Open Up,” the first move of their ‘new era,’ would be another step forward in a clever ‘airing out’ of their sound for modern times, without betraying their recognizable, mostly ‘heavier’ take on progressive rock. Compared to most of the seventies krautrockers, Birth Control leaned toward hard rock for the lion’s share of their output, so their music will appeal to anyone who swears by bands like Nektar, Eloy, Grobschnitt, Iron Buterfly, Atomic Rooster, Uriah Heep, Deep Purple and Wishobne Ash, with whom they share quite a few sonic relatives.
The new album opens with an ‘updated’ and surprisingly successful version of their aforementioned evergreen “Gamma Ray,” played in a more ‘compact’ way and at a faster tempo than the 1972 original, without losing any of the original’s atmospheric and lyrical ‘juiciness.’ It’s all still here: the hard-rocking guitar passages from Martin Ettrich’s fast fingers, the rustling Hammond organ runs courtesy of Sascha Kuhn, Föller’s superb vocal performance, and the same psychedelic effect that marked the original version of this unforgettable Birth Control classic. “The Last Word,” the first completely new track on “Open Up,” also comes off very well. It’s ‘built’ in classic Birth Control style and features an excellently executed instrumental finish.
“Wrestling Mama” also shifts successfully between punchy and more serene, atmospheric shades, and what wins you over here is Föller’s eclectic vocals, the playful Hammond organ runs and the shrewd guitar phrases. “Open Sesame” opens as a gentle ballad. That doesn’t last long, though, as it soon morphs into an extremely spirited creation, bursting at the seams with an enviable amount of massive Hammond organ passages, juicy vocal harmonies, carefully timed drum fills and guitar variety. “I Don’t Mind” is a completely unexpected experiment, since its opening section features a drum machine that sounds like it was ‘stolen’ from the eighties, while the opening rhythm of the track is a little reminiscent of the Queen standard “The Invisible Man.” The resemblance is over the moment the rustling Hammond organ runs kick in, along with the ‘organic’ drums, the punchy guitar passages and Föller’s always spirited vocals.
On “Wannabe,” too, Birth Control pull the tried-and-tested ‘trick’ of fooling the listener for a short while into thinking it’s going to be a ballad, as after its initial ‘restraint’ the song suddenly and quite unexpectedly transforms into an energetic catalyst in classic Birth Control style, meaning somewhere on the ‘golden border’ between progressive and hard rock, while the band never runs out of playfulness between the instrumental sections. Both the guitar and the organ solos will delight all the longtime fans. On the excellent “Plans Get Lost,” which has a whiff of space rock, the standout is the exceptionally well-executed, almost hypnotic chorus, proving that after all these years Birth Control still have an inexhaustible experimental streak and an outstanding sense for creating catchy melodies. “These Are the Days” is the closing prog-hardrock energy catalyst on which Birth Control shine from start to finish, reminding us once more that there are no ‘sleepy’ moments on this album.
With “Open Up,” Birth Control have made a thoroughly enjoyable album that will definitely make all the longtime fans happy. It feels like they’re going through a real renaissance after coming back from their temporary retirement, since “Open Up” is a noticeable step up in quality from its very solid predecessor “Here and Now.” At a time when the musicians of progressive rock’s golden age are departing for ‘eternity’ at an ever faster pace, or have completely run out of good musical ideas, Birth Control prove that great progressive rock can still be made in the second decade of the 21st century, no matter how many years individual musicians carry on their shoulders. The only weakness of “Open Up” is its pretty ugly and totally unimaginative cover, which is really no credit to a band with such a rich tradition of excellent and above all provocative covers, but that has nothing to do with the music itself, of course.
Author: Peter “Dr. ProgRock” Podbrežnik
Track list:
1. Gamma Ray 2.0 (4:30)
2. The Last Word (8:10)
3. Wrestling Mama (4:48)
4. Open Sesame (9:43)
5. I Don’t Mind (6:34)
6. Wannabe (7:15)
7. Plans Get Lost (7:01)
8. These Are the Days (5:09)
Lineup:
Peter Foller – bass guitar, vocals
Martin Ettrich – guitar, ‘talk box’
Sascha Kuhn – keyboards
Hannes Vesper – bass guitar, organ
Manfred von Bohr – drums
