Beton Kopf Media (1995)

Reviewed by: Darklight

This is fast paced aggressive German industrial music with a dark and moody side to it. The electronic rhythms and beats are very upbeat, and the synths are haunting. The vocals are distorted, and scream in a rage. All of the songs are very catchy, and have a unique sound. But not every song is extremely fast and aggressive. There are some extremely well done slow and melodic songs found here, too. Not to mention some of the best instrumentals that I have ever heard before. There is a lot of variety on this album. If you are a fan of German industrial bands such as Leæther Strip, you will like :wumpscut: a lot.

Metropolis Records (1997)

Reviewed by: Darklight

This is the domestic release of Bunkertor 7 given a new name, a new track layout and bonus remixes. Most fans will agree, including myself, that this is the best :w: recording. This album starts off strong, and never disappoints throughout its entire playing course. Some of the best dark electro-industrial songs ever recorded are offered on this release. The variety and diversity delivered here is simply astonishing. There is a good helping of pure angry and aggressive dark EBM assaults-cold and somber darkwave compositions-and beautifully haunting instrumentals. The electronic programming/sequencing/sampling is noisy and chaotic with slamming beats over chilling melodies while Rudy Ratzinger unleashes his powerful angry distorted growling vocals.

While I do like the new track layout for the most part, I don’t agree with having the bonus remixes added before all of the original songs have been heard. It is my belief that remixes should always be put at the end of an album after all of the original songs have been heard. Unfortunately, that is not the case here. While the album still does flow smoothly from beginning to end, it would have probably worked even better if the remixes were saved as the last tracks.

The bottom line is that this is a must have CD for all :w: fans and dark EBM enthusiasts.

The album Bunkertor 7 is a very special :W:-album, maybe the best release of Rudy ever. It contains 12 songs (intro and outro included) and has no real weakness.

It starts with the bunker-gate opening and the club-hit "Torn skin". The sample at the beginning of the song is the mourning of (according to Rudy R.) his girlfriend. The refrain is powered by the synth-melodie and the hard beats.

The title of the CD, "Bunkertor 7" comes with German Lyrics and is about a serial killer who feasts in a forgotten bunker. The dark atmosphere is transported by the music and the drawn picture is evil and intense.

My real fav on the album is "Capital Punishment", a song that is still played in the clubs and a real hit. It begins calmly with soft but distorted vocals. The it becomes more and more intense and bombastic and with a really great break it changes into a :W:-typical smasher with cool drums and basslines and great synths. The song is the most evil and dark song of :W: ever and my absolute favorite one.

A special on the CD is "Thorns", an instrumental version. (On Born Again is the distant-voices version with female vocals.) This song is calm and drifting, carried by the drums and the melody.

Besides this highlights mentioned above are songs like "Corroded Breed" or "Mortal Highway". They are also good but no real hits. The weakest track on the CD in my opinion is "Tell me why", he last song on "Bunkertor 7".

After all the album is worth the listening and it is still cool after you did it a thousand times. If you like dark electronic music, if you are a fan of hard and aggressive sounds combined with frightening melody, then check it out. A real master-piece of what we call EBM.

Reviewed by Toxin of NewEmpire

Rating 5 of 6, Coolness 10

BUNKER GATE SEVEN [1997 USA reissue]

This is the second :wumpscut: release to be made available in the states and it is equally as strong. Bunker Gate 7 (originally titled Bunkertor 7) maintains the same level of quality and freshness as Rudy's previous releases. All the tracks from the original are presented here with two bonus mixes to boot. Thorns is an amazing instrumental that begins as a baroque type piece, but quickly turns into a tribal / industrial track with a mild techno beat. Haujobb give an alternate mix of Die in Winter with subdued percussion and whispery vocals. The tile track is supplied in three forms; the German Texture, the SCFM Texture, and a Reprised version.

These are swiftly paced tracks with numerous breaks and tempo changes. As a whole, Bunker Gate 7 shows some musical progression in Rudy's work, especially in song structure. The songs are still mainly percussion based and heavily orientated in the early sounds of EBM. With the advancements thus far, I can only wait and see what his next album will be like.

Review 1

Hard-hitting songs, laid-back songs and everything in between. This disk delivers it all and more. If the rest of the world had any taste :Wumpscut would out sell Michael Jackson.

(Dave)

Review 2

This record could only have come out of Europe, dark rhythms permeated by a rich classical vein itself running rich in aggression and equal measures of tenderness, set against a background of centuries of suffering. The previous full length "Music For The Slaughtering Tribe", whilst having its own moments of excellence is nothing in comparison to the flawless perfection of this release. Of course the Leaether Strip similarities are still evident, but Rudy R. has really found his own dark corner to call his own. From the metal aggression of "Mortal Highway" to the mournful "Die In Winter" this disc weeps class. "Capital Punishment" is possibly my favorite track, a wonderfully written track which never really has any formal structure as such, it also has some of his greatest vocals and changes fairly regularly before exploding in a fury of released energy and just keeps on building! Also of note are the instrumental tracks, the alternative version of "Bunkertow 7" based loosely on a Led Zepplin sample and the track "Thorns", which takes techno down an altogether darker route. Utterly essential!!

(Al)

Incredible is the very first word that comes to mind when listening to this release. Many of tracks are very intense and aggressive as well as being very emotionally charged. The song 'Dying Culture' will leave you drained physically and probably mentally as well just from listening to it. Some of the songs include some brutal and intense rhythms, and still maintain that dance club-friendly beat. The band seems to give me the vague impression of incorporating some medieval flavor to some of their tracks, especially the instrumental track 'Bunker Gate 7', that i've gotten from earlier releases, but sometimes it is so subtly woven in that it is hard to pick out. In fact, the only thing about this album that really bothered me was the similar vocal stylings/effects to Claus Larsen's style, at least on the earlier Leaetherstrip releases. The track 'Capital Punishment' starts out with some minimalistic stylings similar to Dive, and then evolves into older Leaetherstrip leanings (similar to Adrenalin Rush); but all the while, the song never comes across as an imitator of either of the two. The track 'Thorns' starts out with some medieval-sounding stringed instrument, then goes into a smooth techno style, with some ambient elements thrown in as well. The track 'Mortal Highway' includes some sampled guitar and could have easily been placed on a Klute album. The song 'Die in Winter' comes across as a very beautiful and sad song, with the vocals coming across as being almost on the verge of tears, and the interweaving of slow, methodical percussive elements, high-pitched "poppy" sounding notes up front and the deeper flowing synths in the background.

(Kevin Congdon)

Bunkertor 7 BOX

:wumpscut: = Rummst gut! Daß diese Gleichung aufgeht, dürfte nun langsam auch der letzte Depp gemerkt haben. Der Inhalt dieser Box sieht so aus wie der Anrufbeantworter van Mastermins Rudi R. klingt: Irritierend finde ich zum Beispiel diese Ansammlung von merkwüurdige Postkarten und der darauf befindlichen Motive. Ich persönlich stehe ja eigentlich nicht so auf Knochen und Leichenteile, aber daran mu man sich wohl bei :wumpscut: gewöhnen. Abgesehen also von den Motiven (die trotzdem irgendwie gewissen Reiz besitzen ...), ist die Box sehr schön gestaltet. Ok, von außen identisch mit der Klinik- (Gott habe sie selig!) und der Dive-Box, nix besonderes, aber wie gesagt: auf den Inhalt kommt es an: T-Shirt (gut), Poster hängt achon an meiner Wand), Postkarten (die schicke ich meiner erzkatholischen Oma in Bayern zum Geburtstag), Aufkleber (nett) un natürlich Tonträger, zwei in der Zahl. Zum ersten: die CD des neuen Albums "Bunkertor 7" und zum zweiten, eine Platte (im klaren Vinyl) mit unveröffentlichten Tracks aus der Anfangszeit des süddeutschen Finsterlings, Kunst und Wahnsinn, Krach und Genialität geben sich hier die Hand. Im Gegensatz zum Vorgänger "Music for a Slaughtering Tribe" ist "Bunkertor 7" nur noch hart. Leaetherstrip und Dive hören sich dagegen an, als ob sie Musik für Kindergeburtstage machten. Melodien sind noch vorhanden, aber die verzerrten Drumloops dominieren das Album - und das ist gut so: ist hart, ist laut, kommst schnell und macht garantiert kein Gefangenen. Meine Lieblingstracks sind: der "Dying Culture-Mix" und das instrumentale "Thorns". Der Rest ist halt typisch W. Für mich ist und bleibt "Mother" (Auf dem We Came To Dance 6") ihr bestes Stück. Und das ist hier nicht drauf. Trotzdem: geprüft und für gut befunden. Das Wetter ...

(Thorsten 'Rudi rules' Generyx)

Getreu dem Motto: Was bei den vorherigen CD’s gezogen hat, wird auch bei meiner neuen CD Erfolg haben. Dieses muß sich Rudy Ratzinger offensichtlich gedacht haben - zumindestens bei der ersten Hälfte seines neuen Werkes. .Irgendwie bekommt man bei den ersten 4 Stücken ständig den gleichen Grundrhythmus in den Gehörgang geschoben. Auch, wenn der erste Teil einfach nur geil klingt, handelt es sich bei ihm jedenfalls schon mal nicht um eine Weiterentwicklung. Dieses ändert sich jedoch ab dem 5. Track ("Mortal Highay") urplötzlich. Höre ich da tatsächlich so etwas wie Melodie in Song Nr. 7 ("Die in winter")? Tatsächlich! Sogar richtiggehend ruhig (für die Verhältnisse des "Endzeit-Techno"-Macher) schwingen die Töne aus den Boxen in meine Ohren. Nach wie vor handelt es sich um schweißtreibende, kraftvolle Sounds, die offensichtlich kein anderer zu kreieren fähig ist. Ich kann trotz der ersten Stücke diese CD allen :wumpscut:-Fans getrost ans Herz legen; ich glaube nicht, daß sie enttäuscht sein werden. Übrigens, nicht nur :wumpscut:-Fans sollten sich diese CD zu Gemüt führen.

M.B.

:WUMPSCUT: n'est pas le genre de groupe à composer des comptines, ce serait plutôt du style à faire pleurer les petits enfants, un peu à la manière du Père Noël dans le superbe "la cité des enfants perdus" Film réalisé par Caro & Jeunet, ces derniers ayant déjà accouché du "bunker de la dernière rafale", leur premier court métrage, inspirant justement monsieur :WUMPSCUT: pour le livret de "bunkertor 7". Mais ne nous y trompons pas : sous des dehors parfois assez violents avec une électro dure et un chant déshumanisé ("dying culture", "bunkertor 7" et surtout "mortal highway"), se cachent des compositions bien plus sensibles. En effet, même si l'on évolue toujours dans une ambiance pas franchement rose, des nappes mélodieuses viennent se glisser dans ces visions cauchemardesques ; certains morceaux sont même mélancoliques, voire joyeux ("thorns") ! C'est donc un disque électro admirablement dosé et entièrement réussi. Indispensable !

[CG] - hiver 1995/96

Diverse Single-Appetithäppchen im Vorfeld der Veröffentlichung von „Bunkertor 7" haben ja bereits angedeutet, daß das Landshuter Endzeit-EBM-Projekt von Rudy R. offensichtlich die düsteren Soundtrackatmosphären, die das Debüt „Music For A Slaughtering Tribe" wenigstens noch partiell prägten, gänzlich aufgeben würde. Vielleicht als bewußter Gegenpol zum letzten Leaether-Strip-Album „Serenade For The Dead" konzipiert, auf dem das große :Wumpscut:-Leitbild Claus Larsen seine Vorliebe für Horrorszenarien ä la John Carpenter („The Prince Of Darkness") auslebte, konzentriert sich :Wumpscut: auf seinem zweiten Album ganz auf den harten EBM, der das Projekt letztlich etabliert hat: melodiös orientierte Tanznummern mit dreckigen Gitarren, vielschichtigen Percussion-Arrangements, aggressiv-verzerrtem Gesang, schalkhaft eingesetzten Sampies und oft in intromäßiger Weise spielende SynthieSounds. Jeder Song ist dabei ein tanzbodenfüllender Knaller, der zwar Parallelen zu Leather Strip und Dive nicht leugnet, aber in seiner Konzeption doch eigenständig genug ist, um „Bunkertor 7" zu einem herausragenden Hardcore-EBM-Album zu machen.

Dirk Hoffmann

by Laura B.

Bunker Gate Seven deals with the topic of death; there’s no doubt about that. The inside liner is filled with images of what appears to be the executioner, the prisoner, and what must undoubtedly occur in this chamber, the prisoner’s death, and is seen finalized on the last image – complete with the puff of smoke.

The songs seem to travel lyrically from various perspectives surrounding the topic of capital punishment, voices from society, the prisoner, the executioner and potentially God. I could easily be reading too much into this disc, but I can only tell you what thoughts and feelings I experienced while listening.

The first track, “Opening Gate”, sounds the opening of the scene and sets the stage for the songs to follow.

“Dying Culture (Second Movement)” brings a sense of crisis with its siren wails. The song is highly aggressive with static beats and intensely coarse vocals. I tend to see the lyrics as coming from the perspective of the executioner, the man who must kill because he is told to, not necessarily because he wants to. Because capital punishment is still seen as the proper way to deal with some prisoners, someone must be the one to kill the killer, causing the executioner’s hands to become blood-stained. He is the one responsible for killing the unwanted, the one who must “squirt the poison of truth” into the veins of the condemned.

“Bunkertor 7 (German Texture)” was honestly a bit harder for me to grasp since I don’t understand German. The translators I used did an awful job, producing little more than vocabulary soup and I was unable to locate an English translation of the lyrics. From what I was somewhat able to derive is regardless of how much a person fears death, and cries for help, what must be done will be done, and the executioner sits with dried blood on his hands ready to do his job. This is also a very intense track, with strong beats and alarming electronics.

The fourth track, “Capital Punishment”, shifts to the perspective of the condemned. The music takes on a much slower pace with mild textures and subtle melody. It evokes a sense of finality and hopelessness. This fits well with the lyrics that seem to be a commentary on capital punishment, how it is used, and whether or not it is a rightful means of dealing with those who we have sent to death. The question that surfaces in my mind when listening to the lyrics is by dealing with the condemned in this manner have we turned away from God so completely that we have killed him with our own dreadful actions? The character of this song seems to be saying, while he knows he is to die for his actions, he knows those who are responsible for sending him to die have also condemned themselves.

Keeping with the slower rhythm, “Die in Winter (Extended Remix)” takes on a funeral march style beat with grim melodies layered through. This song deals with death and its imminence. Winter is seen as a dying season, where nature has shed its leaves and flowers no longer bloom. Snow falls and blankets everything in such sterile white, skies are grey, and there are few signs of life. It’s quite the thought of one’s death occurring in the winter season, where you’ll be remembered for a time, but come spring, when life renews, you’ll be forgotten. The lyrics are quite repetitive, but when people really want to believe in or accept something, don’t they have a tendency to say it over and over again like a manta in order to absorb it? How would you react if you knew you had exactly 1 year to live, 6 months to live, or even 3 hours? What would you feel if you knew it would be by electrocution, poison gas, or lethal injection?

“Mortal Highway” does not have the lyrics in the insert, so I couldn’t really sit down to read them and some of those lyrics are really hard to catch. The song moves back into the highly aggressive sound, with harsh electronics, angry beat and heavy guitars. I could see this song appealing to some die-hard metal heads I know for the guitars alone. There is an overwhelming sense of rage in this track toward the person or persons who have upset the peoples’ lives, the peoples of society.

An uneasy melody plunks through the beginning of “Torn Skin”, with subtler harmonic waves underneath the heavy beats. The lyrics seem to touch on the death of a woman, and a “masochist’s guilt” (again, no lyrics for this one on this insert). Darkening quickly, we hear samples of a woman. It is unclear if her sounds are of pleasure or of suffering, but I am under the impression it is intended to be both. The song builds intensity, but the ominous harmonies continue, and the vocals become more aggressive.

Eighth on the disc is “Corroded Breed”, yet another song with no lyrics on the inside. This song seems to cover killing in general, and some of the horrible things humankind has done to its own both in the present and in the past. Mentions of the skin of children being sold illegally bring to mind a time in history when Jews were skinned and items such as lampshades, soap and buttons were made from their flesh and bones. Mankind has done some awful things to other human beings through time, things that were once seen as socially acceptable. Look at how we view some of those things now, ethnic cleansing, slavery, the ruination of religion and cultures around the globe. And sadly, some of this still continues today. It’s another highly aggressive track that inspires tense sensations in addition to those the lyrics induce themselves.

“Bunkertor 7 (SCFM Texture)” follows, bringing for a more powerful and angry sounding remix with choral bits. I can’t really say I cared for this version too much. The song is followed by “Die in Winter (Haujobb Edit 2)”, another unusual remix. In this version, the song’s beat seems to be made of a “pop” much like those that can be heard when a vinyl record reaches its end. The music is quieter, and includes the sounds of strings as its melody throughout with little tinkles of piano here and there.

“Thorns” is probably the second of several gems on this disc, but for many this tends to be the main favorite. This instrumental piece quietly includes the crackles and static you can hear on a dirty or well used record. The melody that begins the piece sounds nearly medieval. As the song progresses, it moves into a synthetic melody with a mellow but busy beat. This track is very well put together, enfolding various synth elements and stylized textures. The detail in this piece is truly excellent, the subtly divine. “Thorns” is very dance-floor friendly, sure to stir any crowd. I really enjoyed this track a lot, but I adored “Bunkerator 7 (Reprised)” even more.

“Bunkerator 7 (Reprised)” is my absolute favorite on the disc, and that says a lot considering I don’t typically favor instrumental tracks. The beat here is very mechanical, with a strong marching quality, sure to stir the folks who like stompy tracks. The rhythm is comprised of multiple elements, a strong thuddy beat, pipe clangs, and static bits. Some of the harmonies remind me of a music box, and elicits visions of a haunted childhood. Just as I developed those thoughts, the sample of children reciting “Never talk to strangers” repeats a few times, emphasizing the feeling even more. Remembering the context of the disc causes the mind to wander, perhaps something happened to one of those children, that they made the fatal mistake of talking to a stranger. The song builds at times, and each build is a little bigger, gaining more of a military style beat with static. I can’t say enough about this piece and do it any justice. I like it; I like it; I like it. It is that simple.

“Tell Me Why” is another good track; I’d swear this album only gets better as it moves along. Stuttering beat, flute-like sounds, piano bits and underlying harmonics give this song a big feel. A sample in this song really stood up and said “hello” to me, kind of bringing me back to my thoughts earlier in the disc. “Without mistakes, there is no forgiving. Without forgiving, there is no love.”

“Close Gate” takes the disc into a melodic exit, and is quiet pretty and haunting. Deep piano kicks in, as the sound of steam is released. The music stops suddenly as we hear the gate close, and we are left with the sound of humming machinery once more.

There is a fifteenth track on the CD not listed on the cover. It is not at all what I would expect from a :Wumpscut:” song, but I should know now never to know what to expect. It’s very synthetic and melodic, with lots of icy cold atmospheres and quiet rhythm.

I’ve probably listened to this disc more than a dozen times trying to write this review. Each time I listen, I find myself seeing something new in the lyrics, something else hidden in the music I didn’t notice before, different ways I could look at the entire release. Bunker Gate Seven leaves me reflecting on its words and sound upon each listening and it has kept me coming back. It’s a release that between its imagery, sound, and words refuses to be abandoned. It will not be forgotten come spring.

Rather than pour the :W: back catalogue into the US chronologically, Metropolis gave us the first and (what was at the time) latest :W: releases. Bukertor 7 (the original album name) marked a point in Rudy's career when (most of) the Lether Strip comparisons ended, and when :W: became the standard by which others were judged. Sure, you could still hear some Dirk and Claus in the mix, but :W:'s sound had matured into thick and textural pieces, with excellent, tortured vocals and poundingdrums. "Mortal Highway" followed in the path laid by "Black Death," utilizing sampled guitars, while tracks like "Corroded Breed, Dying Culture, and Capitol Punishment " used heavy, Dive-like, rhythmic noises. Hauntingly beautiful tracks like "Thorns" laid waste to gothic and industrial dancefloors alike, while Rudy experimented outside of 4/4 timing with "Die In Winter". I know I said this in regards to MFAST, too but if you don't have this already, you really should. What are you waiting for? (James C.)

by Jonny EOL
EOL Rating: 7/10

The second full-length :Wumpscut: album is a more ‘balanced’ affair than anything Rudy has released previously, but it’s still every bit as corrupt and vitriolic as ‘MFAST’. There are still a number of no-holds-barred beat-diven stomp-a-thons on offer, including ‘Dying Culture’ (a new mix of the track previously heard on the ‘Dried Blood’ EP), ‘Mortal Highway’ and the title track, all of built round hammering percussion loops and Rudy’s savage vocals, with ‘Mortal Highway’ the strongest of these due to the clever inclusion of a sampled guitar riff (or at least a noise that has the same effect as one). There’s still a tendency for some of the songs to bash away without any real direction, but most of the songs are at least listenable if not eternally memorable.

The real appeal of ‘Bunkertor 7′ lies in the slower tracks, however, all of which are stronger conceptually that the somewhat abstract keyboard experiments heard on previous works. ‘Capital Punishment’ is slow-building epic whose ominous whispers eventually build into a towering climax, a truly moving account of state-sponsored termination. ‘Die In Winter’ is as morbid and resigned as you’d expect from a song with a title like that, although the real highlight is the instrumental ‘Thorns’, a medieval-sounding plucked-string intro giving way to vast keyboard textures and a solid but still restrained techno beat. It’s tracks like this that reflect the project advancement, and are the primary reason for purchase.

NOTE: The US version of this album are entitled ‘Bunker Gate 7′ (different title, but the songs are in the same language). These version feature an extended version of ‘Die In Winter’ and remixes of ‘Bunkertor 7′ and ‘Die In Winter’ (the latter by Haujobb) which are both OKish but don’t really advance the originals in any real sense.

Bewertung: 9 von 10 Punkten

Nach dem Debütalbum “Music for a slaughtering tribe“ (1993) und der Veröffentlichung ganz früher und rarer Single-Tracks, die auf der EP “Dried blood of Gomorrah“ (1994) zusammengefasst wurden, war es im Jahre 1995 an der Zeit für das offizielle, zweite Album aus dem Hause Rudy Ratzingers, welches bis einschließlich heute wohl mit die größten Kontroversen rund um dieses Dark Electro und Industrial Projekt hervorbrachte. Hört es doch schließlich nicht zu unrecht auf den recht morbiden und düsteren Titel “Bunkertor 7“, mit welchem in diesem Zusammenhang oft das damalige KZ in Dachau in Verbindung gebracht wurde.

Demzufolge dauerte es nicht lange, bis schon alleine der Albumtitel und das dazugehörige (beklemmend-atmosphärische) Coverartwork für einen handfesten Skandal innerhalb der Dark Electro und Gothic-Szene sorgte: Sollte hinter dieser CD etwa nun Neonazi Propaganda stecken? Oder wollte man eher von Hause aus provozieren und sogleich die Grenzen des guten Geschmackes ausloten und (über-)strapazieren? Die Wahrheit ist aus heutiger Sichtweise so zu Formulieren:

:Wumpscut: war, ist und bleibt ein intelligent kalkuliertes Skandalprojekt, das jenseits aller gängigen Normen agiert und handelt! Rudy Ratzinger rechtsextreme Tendenzen vorzuwerfen wäre vermutlich ebenso Zeitverschwendung, wie wenn man jetzt z.B. versuchen würde, einem George W. Bush die Todesstrafe abspenstig zu machen. Es funktioniert nämlich schlicht und einfach nicht.

Fakt ist, dass es thematisch auf “Bunkertor 7“ um einen Kriegsschauplatz geht. Aber nicht um einen im dritten Reich oder sonst wo in vergangener und naher Zeit. Genauer gesagt befindet sich der besagte Kriegsschauplatz völlig unbemerkt mitten unter uns: Symbolisch wird hier aber als Identifikationsfigur die Geschichte eines Mannes erzählt, der gebeutelt vom Leben noch immer weiter und tiefer in sein eigenes Moloch aus Frust, Hass und Paranoia versinkt. Ausgenutzt und getreten vom Leben. Gedemütigt und erniedrigt im innersten seines Herzes, von Menschen, denen er einst meinte vertrauen oder sie gar lieben zu können.

Dementsprechend ist auch die inhaltliche Aufteilung auf “Bunkertor 7“ gestaltet: Mit einem recht mulmigen und rein mechanischen öffnen des Bunkertores (“Open gate“), begeben wir uns direkt hinab in eine menschliche Hölle aus Leid, Zorn, selbst auferlegter Isolationshaft und dem Sinnen auf Rache und Vergeltung.

“Torn skin“ ist augenscheinlich geprägt von purer Hingabe, Erregung und Ekstase auf sexueller Ebene. Sex als Verschmelzung zweier Leiber zu einem einzigen Wesen. Doch was passiert, wenn mit einem Male aus einem beiderseitig gewollten Akt nur noch einseitiger wird? Aber der Gegenpart nicht ablassen kann und will? Das Ende der Geschichte ist hier schon abzusehen und endgültig. Zeugen darf es keine geben und so nimmt der Wahnsinn seinen weiteren und unaufhaltsamen Lauf.

“Torn skin“ ist eine recht eingängige, düstere und melodiös-treibende Elektronummer der Sonderklasse und vermittelt schon bereits zum Einstieg ein recht beklemmendes und klaustrophobisches Gefühl aus Angst- und Unwohlsein.

“Capital punishment“ hingegen überzeugt von der musikalischen Seite her durch einen sehr geschickten Aufbau und Melodiebogen: Sehr ruhig und unauffällig beginnend, steigert sich innerlich nach und nach der Wahnsinn seines Protagonisten, was sich auch an der Steigerung der Musikgeschwindigkeit nachvollziehen lässt. Ab dem Mittelteil ist “Capital punishment“ nämlich mit einer der schnellsten und zornigsten :Wumpscut: Tracks aller Zeiten und lässt einen wortwörtlich zu einem apokalyptischen Endzeitszenario die Beine zum (Todes-)Tanz schwingen.

Das Gegenstück dazu ist das recht frostige und schleppende “Die in winter“. Den Text sollte man allerdings nicht allzu ernst nehmen, da sich hier einmal mehr perfekt Rudy Ratzingers sarkastischer und schwarzer Sinn für Humor widerspiegelt...

Titelgebender “Bunkertor 7“ ist nicht nur die einzige, deutschsprachige Nummer auf diesem Album, sondern rein inhaltlich auch noch die provokanteste und konsequenteste: So wird hier zwar doch recht morbid, aber geschickt mit dem Thema „verschämte Liebe“ und deren endgültige „Endlösung“ ein Brocken vor den geneigten Hörer geworfen, den er erst mal in seiner dargebotenen Radikalität verarbeiten muss. Und das, obwohl im Grunde eigentlich „nicht viel passiert“ (sprich, es werden inhaltlich gerade mal einige Andeutungen im weitesten Sinne gemacht. Mehr aber auch nicht!).

“Bunkertor 7“ ist eine wahrlich böse und zynische Angelegenheit, bei welcher aber bei genauerer Betrachtung der unbedarfte Hörer automatisch mehr hinein interpretiert als eigentlich (offensichtlich) vorhanden ist.

“Thorns“ ist ein reines Instrumentalstück, das sich von einer sehr sanften und fast schon versöhnlichen Seite zeigt, bevor es dann aber mit “Mortal highway“ musikalisch nochmals richtig abgeht: Jener Titel ist eine extrem rüde, rotzige und knallige Elektro-Punksymbiose, die ihres gleichen sucht, was die (musikalische) Zerstörungswut und ihre Brachialität anbelangt. In dieselbe Kerbe schlagen auch “Dying culture“ und “Corrodead breed“, welche im übertragenen Sinne einen persönlichen Abgesang an die Menschheit darstellen. Einen Abgesang, den man in letztendlicher Konsequenz aber selber mit ins Leben gerufen hat. Musikalisch ebenfalls, wie gerade schon erwähnt, zwei recht radikale und aggressive Nummern, die man wahrlich nicht mehr so schnell aus dem Gehörgang bekommen wird.

Doch was letztendlich am Ende bleibt, wenn einen dieser ganze persönliche Hass, Zorn und Neid endgültig zerfressen hat (in Form von unzähligen (und unheilbaren) Krebsmetastasen und Geschwüren) ist die Tatsache, dass alles umsonst war und sein bisher gelebtes Leben nur einem alten, vergammelten und stinkenden Müllhaufen gleicht: Die finale Erkenntnis, dass dieses (das eigene Leben) nichts und zu keinem Zeitpunkt etwas Wert war und man nur noch qualvoll auf sein endgültiges Sterben wartet ("Tell me why?"). Und somit schließt sich wieder der Kreis (bzw. das Tor im gleichnamigen Outro “Close gate“).

Das Album “Bunkertor 7“ gehört für viele neben “Embryodead“ (1997) zu den besten Werken aus dem Hause :Wumpscut: und hat wahrlich bis heute nichts von seiner Faszination, Brisanz und Klasse verloren! Ein Dark Electro und Industrial Hammer der Sonderklasse, der wahrlich noch viele in seinen morbiden (und nicht unintelligenten!) Bann ziehen wird...