Von Angst & Rut, Hoffnung & Tat. That translates to Of Fear & Anger, Hope & Action, a fitting and evocative title for this industrial punk album from ph4nt. As you hit play on opener When They Come For You, you're met with an assault of distorted synth stabs and drum machines that slowly build up into a groove before a fairly bizarre vocal delivery and a somewhat weedy electric guitar. The magic of the track is how these things fit together, that guitar fades in and becomes a dominant force with eventually creating a cacophony of noise while ph4nt shouts "Hey you! What you gonna do? What you gonna do when they come for you?". It feels like a real statement of intent, and sets the stage for the 11 tracks that are going to follow it.
I'll admit that I do not speak German, but thankfully English translations of the lyrics are provided and I would recommend reading them while listening to this music. There's a lot going on here musically, for sure, but this is lyrical music and ph4nt has a lot to say about the world we're living in. As a result, while it's tempting to talk about how cool the music sounds (and it DOES), I think it's more valuable to speak about the real human stories that are told here.
Schüsse in den Rücken tells the story of Lorenz A, the a black man who was murdered by the police in Oldenberg, Germany. Sara Millerey González tells the story of a trans woman who was brutally tortured, raped, and murdered in Columbia. These are atrocities, and a symptom of a sick society, and ph4nt doesn't want us to forgive or forget. They are dark moments in an album that was produced in a dark time.
But as dark as they are, they represent the "fear and anger" of the album, not the "hope and action". These are protest songs. This album does not want us to accept Silicon Valley oligarchs, oppression of marginalised classes, or hypocritical politicians. For all the darkness, for all the noise and aggression, there is that sense of optimism shining through.
The end result is a really engaging listen. A little exhausting towards the end given how many of these songs are built around fast aggressive beats and distorted guitars and synths, but that's eclipsed by the message behind it. That's what art is for, after all.