Starting back in 1999 as a German based Misfits cover-band near Cologne, today they are the most popular and well-known European Horror-Punk band. They are known as The Other. Inspired by a B Horror movie the band adopted the name The Other in 2002, and soon enough, they received attention after releasing their 2004 debut album, They’re Alive, by playing support-shows for the likes of Misfits, The 69 Eyes, and Wednesday 13. The band has seen continuous growth and change. With the release of their fourth album, New Blood, in 2010, they switched from their own label, Fiend Force, to German major, Steamhammer/SPV. As a result, The Other received a great deal of attention including the release of two comic series that tell the story of the band’s characters, permanent appearances on the biggest European festival-stages, tours in the US, and support shows for one of their biggest influences, Alice Cooper.
Despite the band’s constant evolution and success, The Other also had to struggle with the adversity of losing members on the band carousel, which left founding members Rod Usher (vocals) and Dr. Caligari (drums) in a difficult situation. After their most successful album to date, The Devils You Know (2012), the two had to figure out how to compensate for the retirement of the rest of the band. Stepping up to the plate were guitarists Pat Laveau and Ben Crowe, and bassist Aaron Torn. The three joined the band in 2014, completing the line-up, assuring their reign of dominance. Thus revitalized, the band brings a wider range of style and a fresh sound on their newest effort, Fear Itself, which taps into that inexplicable dread of the unknown with which many of us are familiar. Released on June 23rd in North America, Fear Itself was produced by German guru Waldemar Sorychta (Grip Inc., Tiamat, Moonspell).
The traditional Metal inspired opening song,”Nie mehr,” is the band’s first track in the German language. It starts with a riff best compared to Accept’s 1982 album Restless and Wild before turning into a “Together we are strong and will survive” anthem. The following song, “Bloodsucker,” clearly demonstrates The Other’s Misfits-roots and influence. The absolutely wonderful sing-along chorus is like Mötley Crüe’s “Too Young to Fall in Love” in Horror-Punk garb. “Bloodsucker” could become one of the band’s coolest and intense live hits, along with the rocking “The Price You Pay.” In this spirit, the album goes on with the first single and video “Dreaming of the Devil,” which describes the force of attraction bad guys have on women. “Screams in the Black House” follows in that familiar Horror-Punk sing-along mood from which the listener hardly can escape. “In the Dark” features a slightly cheesy chorus, but it makes up for that with its creepy impact. Fear Itself also has its heavier moments with the slower and darker “Doll Island – Island de las Munecas” and the album closer “Mephisto.” With the typical Horror-Punk tempo and drum-beat, both tracks only crack the four-minute barrier.
Fear Itself will give fans of The Other and Horror-Punk fans in general exactly what they need, but it has the potential to enthuse new listeners as well. Many a time, the band cracks the deadlocked structures of the Horror-Punk genre, which makes for a very entertaining thirteen-track album. Anyone who’s waiting for groundbreaking changes in the sound of the Horror-Punk genre will be disappointed, but for fans, this is very good news. Faithful to its identity, Fear Itself is packed with the three minute, three chord schemata of the genre, “Woooohooo!” choruses, and angst-inducing, but very entertaining, horror stories set to music. Nevertheless, The Other comes up with some surprises. So hang those rubber bats on your car’s rear-view mirror and haul the dusty Halloween decorations out of the forgotten boxes in the basement corner. But be prepared: The Other will get you anyway. CrypticRock gives Fear Itself 4 out of 5 stars.
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