One must respect a band with 30 years of career because it is not for everyone, or better yet, it is such a difficult thing to accomplish these days. Against all the odds, Die Apokalyptischen Reiter are doing it with “Freie Republik Reitermania,” an album that celebrates the band’s 30th anniversary.
By the two albums we reviewed here it was possible to realize Die Apokalyptischen Reiter are that kind of unique band. I mean, they are really different, man. Not the kind of standard band we all know. 2022s “Wilde Kinder“ and 2021s “All You Need Is Love.“
Well, to my children of the night have a total understanding of what this album consists of, as the band says, four chapters. Each one comprehending an epoch of the band. And I’ve got to tell you, there are so many. Between you and me, when they do not get so weird their music is incomparable. The textures they create are some kind of marvelous thing as they did with the long and widing album opener “Der Freiheit Vaterland.“ The textures of acoustic guitars and keyboards are some kind of remarkable plus the great deal of plot twists in speed and heavyness. I liked very much the heartwarming mood the song passes. However, when all hell breaks loose, it is hard to listen. “Danke” and “Die Sonne scheint” are great examples.
“Freie Republik Reitermania” celebrates Die Apokalyptischen Reiter‘s 30th career anniversary in four distinct parts where each one homages the variety of sonancies the band embraced throughout those 30 years. And, again, there are so many. The band commenced as Death Metal in 1995, had a stroll as Folk Metal, Experimental Metal, Power Metal, Thrash Metal, – hey, wait, not there yet – Symphonic Metal and, finally, Neue Deutsche Härte – a thing I do not have the slightest clue. Well, pretty much almost all Metal subgenres there are around.
One thing though I am sure, their fans must be so fanatic. Take a look at the press release:
Become an honorary citizen of the Free Republic of Reitermania – with passport, constitution, official certificate and the only true currency in the world: the Reitermaniac. Valid at all headliner shows – no label. No compromise. This edition appears exclusively in the Bandshop – direct, independent, apocalyptic.
No, wait, there is more:
One republic. 100% Reiter. “Freie Republik Reitermania” is more than an anniversary – it’s a manifesto. With epic new anthems, lost archive gems, an intimate acoustic set and the longest track in their history, DIE APOKALYPTISCHEN REITER celebrate by storming through their created universe.
The strictly limited fan box (500 copies) is a total work of art: 4 LPs with fold-out XXL artwork that unfolds into a monumental board game – including handmade pewter figures of the biblical riders.
And finally:
30 years. One republic. A promise. be part of it – or stay a tourist. This is not a retrospective – it’s a departure! Become a citizen. Become a Reitermaniac. Become part of something bigger. Ride on. Be strong. In Reitermania we trust.
Uff…
Die Apokalyptischen Reiter “Freie Republik Reitermania” will be self-released on October 31st.
Track Listing:
I – DER FREIHEIT VATERLAND
II – RACHE AN DER WIRKLICHKEIT
02. Rache an der Wirklichkeit
03. Weiße Pferde
04. Ich bin dein Freund
05. Wir sind, weil ihr seid
III – DIE SCHATZINSEL
06. Danke
07. Die Sonne scheint (Remix)
08. Das kleine Spießerlein
09. Erhelle meine Seele (Acoustic)
10. Komm (Acoustic)
11. Es wird schlimmer (Live Hamburg)
IV – DIE WANDERER
12. Terra Nola (Live Acoustic)
13. Es wird schlimmer (Live Acoustic)
14. Wo es dich gibt (Live Acoustic)
15. Die Leidenschaft (Live Acoustic)
16. Ein liebes Lied (Live Acoustic)
17. Ein leichtes Mädchen (Live Acoustic)
18. Das Paradies (Live Acoustic)
19. Friede Sei Mit Dir (Live Acoustic)
20. Ghostriders In The Sky (Live Acoustic)
21. Dschinghis Khan (Live Acoustic)
Watch “Der Freiheit Vaterland” official music video here:
I’m just a lucky guy who has chosen metal to live with for a long time. Metal changed my life for good. It made me more confident and stronger. Metalheads are naturally far away from the mass mediocrity and don’t accept impostures from anybody else. Metal is more than music, it’s a life changing oportunity!