The war will soon begin
-- Funker Vogt
(Gerrit Thomas, Jens Kastel)
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| History repeats itself The war will soon begin -- Funker Vogt |
Funker Vogt (Gerrit Thomas, Jens Kastel) |
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"(...)
Funker Vogt has become the staple and most accessable German EBM (Electro Body
Music) outfit in the realm of industrial music. (...) Punk rock reacts to current events with acrimonious diatribes aimed at society's values or the tyrannical nature of G7 nations. Others chime in with scathing Jello Biafra / Michael Moore-esque rants about how better off the world would be without industrialization or wealthy white people. Funker Vogt is without opinion. Funker Vogt has a different agenda. Their electro-baroque German war ballads are an artifact. Their music has been left for the space aliens to find 1000 years from now. And perhaps with the aid of Funker Vogt they will understand, at least on a normative level, why we marched so enthusiastically towards oblivion. "
Zoe Necrosis, kuci.org, 10/02
"There seems to be two factions on the funkervogt team: the first is Gerrit Thomas who seems to be the musical brains of this operation, writing, programming, remixing and even writing some of the lyrics. The opposing faction is Jens Kastel, whose primary function is to grate on the listener's nerves with his monotonic and monosyllabic lyrical style. Naturally his vocals continue in the great tradition of industrial growls, but after a period, you can't help but think, 'Wow, if that bastard would just shut the hell up, I might be able to concentrate on the music.' "
Hannah Guy, chartattack.com
1996: Thanks For Nothing  "Just when you thought that you had seen all of the musically electronic derivative projects seep into America, here stumbles a European copycat known as Funker Vogt. Riding high in the wave of popularity spawned by the likes of Evil's Toy, Leaetherstrip, and :wumpscut:, Funker Vogt bring us a rather cookie cutter approach to German electro. Now don't get me wrong, it isn't that the music isn't catchy, and well constructed, it just screams of a blatant lack of originality. As a result it is very difficult to dislike Funker Vogt because they have arranged a very solid release that contains all of the right elements for success regardless of obvious musical influences. They seem to be able to combine strong bass lines accentuated with choral like string structures and catchy lyrics that just scream to be played in a club. It's just a pity that Funker Vogt doesn't have enough originality of it's own to keep this album from being anything more than a poor knock-off of what has been been overdone to death in Germany this past decade.".
-- Sonic Boom, aracnet.com/~jester/
1997: We Came to Kill just click here! to send us your review of this album 1998: Killing Time Again (double EP) Remixes of Funker Vogt tracks from their first two albums + a few extras. 1998: Execution Tracks "There are many things that could be said about Funker Vogt. They know how to turn out elektro/industrial stompers. This is what they do best, and this is, for the most part, what you'll find on Execution Tracks. Tracks like Civil War, Tragic Hero, and The International Killer are all great examples of this. However, there isn't much variation from an old, tired theme. (...) Overall, the creativity is not there, but Funker Vogt are just doing what they do best -- hard, dancefloor stompers. With the exception of Schizophrenia and Seelenwanderung, the songs are all heavy and beat-driven. If that's what you're looking for, go buy this CD. If you're looking for more varied songs, and maybe more introspective lyrics, then quite possibly, you're looking in the wrong place. ".
-- murknet.com
 ¾ 2000: Maschine Zeit"The music on this fourth Funker Vogt release, as expected, is loud with a strong club appeal along harsh vocals and war theme lyrics. But, we can feel a slightly change in the treatment of electronics and vocals; which are less basic than the act's previous efforts. Maschine Zeit is fueled by the most important Funker Vogt's element: the staple pounding rhythm, and the majority of new songs found on the album contains this beat standard. The titled track is the Funkies at its best, thick electronics, orchestral synth lines supported by a loud rhythm and aggressive vocals. Here, the incorporation of noisy electronics and the appearance of Gerrit Thomas on the backvocals add much more character to the act's usual sound. ".
-- Noctem, amazon.com, 6/01
½ 2001: TA double CD divided in four sections: - 'NeuZeit' offers four new tracks and hence labeled 'The New Time' - 'MaschinenZeit' offers Funker Vogt heavier remixes of their own material (4 songs) from their latest Maschine Zeit CD - 'TraumZeit' is a section including the darker remixes of 3 songs from Maschine Zeit - 'EndZeit' consists of remixes by other artists of yet again Maschine Zeit tracks. Remixers are prominent acts: L'ame Immortelle, Beborn Beton and Das Ich. ¾
2002: Survivor"The album begins with nearly two minutes of ominous, ambient rhythms before launching head-first into Date of Expiration, a club-ready track that attempts (vaguely) to parallel the nature of humanity's impending doom and the futility of human affection. One of the more stunning songs on the album, History, is remarkably simplistic and catchy - yet the chorus of German voices singing about the inexorable nature by which humanity embarks upon enterprises to end all biological life sends shivers down my spine each time it plays. You won't find this knives-out poetry in the chorus's lyrics themselves: 'History repeats itself / The war will soon begin / It's already ten to twelve / We are almost within'. Not only does Funker Vogt never go out of their way to create a rhyme (if at all) but the content is, in written form, simple to the point of inanity. The terrifying magic of it can only be gleamed from allowing oneself to be enveloped by the song itself without distractions or expectations. As for the sound of the album as a whole, Funker Vogt has been on a steady but slow descent from the subgenre of "Harsh EBM" towards simply "EBM." In lay terms this means two krauts and a keyboard. No complaints will be voiced from this reviewer...".
-- Zoe Necrosis, kuci.org, 10/02
2003: Revivor Tracklisting: 1.Final Thrill (Contest Winner) 2. History (Timeless Decay Mix by Icon of Coil) 3.Lügner (Aghast View-Remix) 4. Prisoners of War (Dance or Die-Remix) 5. Faster Life (XPQ 21-Remix) 6.Obscure Pictures (Welcome Acid Kids Mix by Noisex) 7. Compulsions (re|worked) 8. Stolen Thoughts (Given Memories Mix by Haujobb) 9. This World (NVK-Remix by Vernon B.) 10. Red Queen (T.O.Y.-Remix) 11. Date of Expiration (Unit's Bad Eggs Mix by Unit 187) 12. Lügner (rearranged) 13.Lügner (Erzähl' mir doch mix) . ½ 2005:
Navigator "Funker Vogt inevitably sounds like Funker Vogt. They have a definitive aggressive EBM sound and the themes of war and suffering never change. Even the artwork is instantly identifiable. In many respects this has led fans and critics to conclude that the band has been in a creative rut. The leading assumption is that the German duo (formerly a trio) would have to do something drastically different in order to stay relevant. Navigator provides a solid test to that theory. One look at the cover featuring a military submarine gives you the impression that little has changed. The song titles reaffirm that the war themes are back in full force. At first blush, all of the apparent sameness has me disappointed. However, the disappointment fades upon listening. Oddly enough, it isn’t that Funker Vogt has made any major changes to freshen things up. In fact, on the surface everything is pretty much the same. Why is it better then? Really it’s a testament to good songwriting and the implementation of strategic subtle changes. The formula hasn’t been overhauled, but for whatever the reason the writing is more inspired. Jens is no longer screaming at us or shouting orders like a drill sergeant; it actually seems like he’s singing and maybe even pouring his heart out. The musical structure is still linear and beat-heavy, but there’s more texture and superior layering when compared to past efforts. The least impressive track for me is the single Fallen Hero, which displays too little progress. The remaining tracks show a growth beneath the surface, especially the intimate Reject, and pounding House of Sorrows."
-- Vince Sander, ReGen Magazine, 3/06
2007:
Aviator Tracklisting: 01. Welcome To Destruction 02. Paralyzed 03. Child Soldier 04. City Of Darkness 05. My Fortune 06. Hostile Waters 07. Thanatophobia 08. Frozen In Time 09. One 10. Darwin's Nightmare 11. Blind Rage 12. Babylon "Little over a year since Funker Vogt's last release ('Navigator'), they are back in the cockpit with their follow-up full length album 'Aviator'. Again conceptualising their war-obsessed themes (throughout the cover artwork, booklet and band photos) "Aviator" follows the new direction began with 'Navigator' with 12 Brand New tracks set to pulvarise and bombard the dance-floor. Undertaking to diversify sound structures overall "Aviator" still relies on the fast beat-driven rhythms and sequences Funker Vogt are renown for... (...) The Limited Edition of the new Funker Vogt album 'Aviator' comes with two Exclusive tracks on the CD plus a Bonus DVD which includes 5 songs in 5.1 dolby digital surround-sound, videoclips, interview, a making of feature, Picture Gallery and a Trailer for the PC Game 'Grabenkrieg In Europa' for which Funker Vogt contributed some music." 2009: Warzone K17 Tracklisting: CD1: 01. Intro 02. Date of Expiration 03. Child Soldier 04. Final Thrill 05. Thanks for Nothing 06. Take Care 07. Killing Ground 08. City Of Darkness 09. Black Hole 10. Themes From Fallen Hero 11. Fallen hero 12. Fortunes of War CD2: 01. Subspace 02. White Trash 03. Thanatophobia 04. Tragic Hero 05. Words of Power 06. History 07. Maschine Zeit 08. Killing Fields 09. gunman 10. Funker Vogt 2nd unit Release date: April 21, 2009 ½ 2010:
Blutzoll Tracklisting: 01. Arising Hero 02. Genozid 03. The State Within 04. Fire and Forget 05. Robots 06. Hold My Ground 07. Terroristen 08. Krieger 09. My Innermost 10. Bloodthirst 11. Black Waters 12. Arising Hero - Forgiven 'Blutzoll' features several variations in terms of speed and sound design. Without the typical long sound passages, these songs are much more focussed, which gives them a lot more intensity. Funker Vogt are paying attention to the changes of the new decade, they're starting a new and more casual era here. The lyrical side of 'Blutzoll' also reflects this change of outlook. Although, war and its consequences are present again, there are a lot of songs that don't cover this theme and are about personal experiences and fictional scenarios. Arising Hero, the current single release (available digitally only), presents the final part of the "Hero" trilogy. This single, being the conclusion of the previous singles Tragic Hero and Fallen Hero, completes the trilogy in a graceful way. The chapter is now closed.
-- press release
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