Alpinist – Minus.Mensch (2009) [Alerta Antifascista] // Grade: B+

Münster, Germany. Man. What the fuck are they putting in your drinking water? Whatever it is, has sure created one of the better crust / doom / core / whatever albums I’ve heard in a while. Alpinist’s new album Minus.Mensch plays like an homage to Tragedy in almost every way. The intense beginnings, to slower endings with the vocals not too overbearing and a healthy dose of snare and riffage. Unfortunately, I feel like the album lacks that special something that Tragedy’s albums all had.

The lead singer’s voice is definitely one of the shining characteristics of the band. Personally, I think the vocals add to the explosive energy and anything more overbearing or less distinct would dissolve immediately in the density and speed. The breaks in each track build up and explode, in a riot of upheaval. Too much of one thing would make Minus.Mensch almost unbearable to listen to, which is my gripe with a lot of crust. Luckily, that’s not the case because this album is a fast listen and the sound meshes well.

“Nighttime Poet Daytime Dead” starts off with some razor sharp riffs, heavy as shit bass and drums and blood-curdling growls with intense and melodic vocals. Right away you begin to hear the familiar sounds of the crust genre. The track ends and immediately “Schalterhygiene” begins. Another brutal track. The pace of the album has been laid down firm. This isn’t any emo shit, it’s just fast-paced crust at its finest. “A is for Army of Slaves” slows the album down momentarily, but here the backup vocals have more presence, adding to a much heavier sound than the previous tracks.

“Rost” is where the doom kicks in. So heavy. I really think Alpinist nailed it. I could listen to a full 45 minutes of this track alone. Once again, it’s a nice breaking point, or recollection moment because the bass notes kick in and immediately the double kick picks up, thrusting the album back into a circle pit of chaos. “The Charme of Dominating” and “This Song Will Not Save Your Life” are the last two tracks of note, which is my only complaint. So many of the tracks are formulaic and essentially repeating the previous track’s energy. I almost feel like if the album were an EP with 6 tracks, instead of 12, it would be a much tighter listen. Maybe if there were a few more doom-inspired tracks it would help.

I can sit here and nitpick at repetitive nature of the songs, but I think that’s more of a commentary on the genre and not the album. Overall, Alpinist have a really well composed crust album, complete with a nice poster, cover art and a limited clear vinyl pressing. I’ve never heard their previous work, but it definitely makes me want to hear it now.

- Prolly