Metal music fans can be a fickle bunch, particularly those who consider themselves “metal purists.”  Leave it to Napalm Records to once again, think outside of this conventional wisdom, as they have had bands such as Naio Ssaion (remember them?) and Die Verbannten Kinder Evas (Summoning mastermind Richard Lederer’s experimental side project) on their roster at one point or another.  So, it should come as no surprise that the Austrian crossover act Kontrust was recently signed to Napalm Records.

I know the first question you have is, “Who is Kontrust?”  To describe their sound would be a reviewer’s nightmare (one that I take on anyway), but the basic sound of Kontrust centers around a male and female vocalist against a backdrop of various music styles such as reggae and German yodeling (no, I am not joking).  Sounds like a disaster, right?  Well, let’s find out on their latest album Second Hand Wonderland.

The album begins with a fun song in “Sock ‘n’ Doll,” which sets the table for what the listener should expect from Kontrust: music with no true set style.  Convention is thrown out the window here, as evidenced by “Monkey Boy” and “Rasputin.”  What is consistent throughout the album are the vocals, which alternate between the female vocalist Agata and the male vocalist Stefan.  Both bring their own unique styles and range, with Agata providing the pop-sounding vocals and Stefan providing a surprisingly good impersonation of a reggae singer at times.  As for the supporting music, there isn’t much in the way of being able to analyze the basics, as much of it is jumping from style to style, which can be reggae at one point, and then jump into polka and then on to circus music.  The best way to truly enjoy Second Hand Wonderland is to just not think about where the music is going at all and enjoy the ride.

The best way to describe the Kontrust sound as a whole is to imagine being in a fun house and being in a room such as the Wall of Mirrors, which is the best I can do for reference points for Kontrust.  The unorthodox style that they employ doesn’t promising for multiple spins in the long run, but Second Hand Wonderland is good if you’re looking for something far from the norm in any style of music.  The official rating will say 2.5/5, but it’s more for the reviewer in me than the actual music fan in me, which will likely bump it up a point or so due to it being a simply fun album.

TRACK LISTING

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*Comments:

1.  Sock ‘n’ Doll
2.  Falling
3.  Monkey Boy
4.  U Say What
5.  The Butterfly Defect
6.  Rasputin
7.  Bad Betrayer
8.  Adrenalin
9.  Hocus Pocus
10.  Raise Me Up
11.  Hey DJ!
12.  Police

Total playing time:  43:39

Release Date: April 27th, 2012
Label: Napalm Records

Kontrust - Second Hand Wonderland

Reviewer: Peter

April 30, 2012