Hanzel und Gretyl - Scheizzmessiah

Hanzel Und Gretyl is an American band that has reached such heights of utter-uber-cheeze that they don't even bother explaining themselves anymore. Their last album was the highly offensive Über Alles; a third reich inspired space opera, and with this latest release, Scheizzmessiah (translation: shit messiah), they take on Dante's Inferno, Handel's Messiah, and the religious right in general; mocking them with this offensively brutal offering.

Hanzel und Gretyl's sound will appeal to those who still remember early 90s coldwave with fondness; with a heavy guitar driven beat and vocals that switch between the distortion of the male member, Loopy, to the raspy screams of Vas Kallas (the female member), it takes a while for most people to realize that Vas Kallas is indeed a woman (from listening to her vocals); and I have to wonder how much of a chain smoking habit she had to have to sing this way.

As with their previous releases, their aim is to offend. How much of their opinions are serious and how much are mockery lies in a blurry realm. Although unlike Über Alles, the mockery elements of Scheizzmessiah's isn't going to go over the heads of the religious right. They will gain no fans from that base. Über Alles, on the other hand, may appeal to right wing individuals who are too stupid to realize that its all a joke.

Squid @ January 2005