If you follow the German/Austrian dark and heavy alt-rock scene, you may be familiar with the name Amandas Nadel from his work in Roterfeld and Lolita Komplex. Here, the guitarist/vocalist strikes out on his own for the first time with his debut album, 'Sticht' with bassist Thomas Pfaller. Being somewhat unfamiliar with the current NDH genre (Neue Deutsche Härte or New German Hardness - think Oomph!, Rammstein, Stahlhammer, Megaherz, etc.) I had no idea what I was in for on 'Sticht'. Judging by the cover (which Nadel created by the way) I thought it might be a black-metal death-noise kind of thing. Definitely not that though. What we have here is German (or Austrian, if you want to be precise) melodic metal with a little bit of darkness woven in for an edge. Nadel's vocals are definitely melodic and not gruff, often harmonizing with himself. A couple of different drummers are employed on this album on different tracks - Alex Kerbl and Stefan Niklas, and they're both well up to the task. As with many albums (and especially debut albums), the best tracks come first. "Grinsekatze" ("Cheshire Cat") opens with a memorable guitar riff, a bit dark and mysterious on the verses, but on the chorus, very commercial sounding. Nadel's intense soloing ups the ante a notch, something that saves later so-so tracks from being ho-hum. "Vampir" begins with a little gothic organ, and then a guitar groove not dissimilar to Sister's of Mercy's "Vision Thing". It's a smokin' number that really grabs you even if you don't understand the lyrics (which if you don't know German, you won't). Nadel's harmonies are particularly good on this track. Things simmer down on "Mein Herz Sagt" ("My Heart Says"), a power ballad of sorts, beginning with a woman's voice saying "Blah, blah, blah, blah..., and that's exactly what I thought of this kind of power ballad. I suppose you have to change it up a little but a rather weak track in my estimation. We're back in regular rock mode for "Hei, Danke!", a song with a good hook and commercial sound, and of course Nadel's intense soloing which keeps this song from sounding ordinary. You know, it's not part of the NDH ethic to sing in English, but if this one had English lyrics, it could have American hit potential. "Die Warheit" ("The Truth") begins the descent into the ordinary, sounding like any other rock band, just in German. "Von Ewigkeit Zu Ewigkeit" ("Forever and Ever") doesn't impress much, and Amandas seems to be recycling some of his guitar chords on this one. "Männertränen" ("Tears of Men") seems like one of those songs that you really have to understand German to appreciate. "Der Schwarze Mann" is uptempo rocker but nothing special in the songwriting department, and ironically, the least dark thing on the album. "Sensucht" ("Longing") closes the album prior to the remixes, and might just be the heaviest thing on 'Sticht', or at least most of it.

Now we get to the remixes, both done by Nadel and labeled "Dance Remix; first "Vampir" then "Der Schwarze Mann". "Vampir" is given the burbling sequenced synth and programmed beats treatment and it works to a degree, but it won't eclipse the original. Might make its way into selected dance clubs though, with an open-minded dj. "Der Schwarze Mann" takes a similar path, albeit more experimental. I sort of liked this one better than the original just because it's kind of odd. Last track is "Fritz, der Maus", a kind of silly number that must have been done tongue-in-cheek. It's light on the verses and much heavier on the choruses. I'm sure that Deutsche-speaking folks probably find the song a hoot, but I'm just left scratching my head.

In conclusion, Amandas Nadel's 'Sticht' only barely squeaks by satisfying Chain D.L.K. genre requirements for review; it isn't necessarily gothic or industrial, but just dark enough to garner interest of our readers, and those familiar with Nadel's involvement in other projects more in line with what we cover might want to check it out. My advice to Herr Nadel- write darker songs and sing in English. I don't think your German fans will be put out, and you'll be likely to gain many more American ones