Richard Kruspe You no longer have to prove anything to anyone. After almost three decades touring around the world with Rammstein, has made clear its quality and importance within the world of rock and metal. However, Kruspe He has also made it clear that he has his own vision of music and that this does not always fit the German titan; that's why more than a decade ago he created Emigrate, his side project in which he can vent his ideas without having to put them to a vote and for this reason, he has released his third studio album, ‘A Million Degrees’.
In ‘A Million Degrees’, Kruspe recounts the collaboration in the studio of the bassist —and ex-partner— Margaux Bossieux, the drummer Joe Letz (known for his work in Combichrist), in addition to working again with the producer you trust, Olsen Involtini; Of course, the collaborations of famous friends of the German, such as that of Tobias Forge of Ghost and his partner in Rammstein, Till Lindemann.
The album begins with an industrial rumble closer to what Richard has had us accustomed throughout his career with ‘War’, un tema lleno de sintetizadores y guitarras, seguido del sonido “happy punk” de ‘1234’ —Pronounce in German, eins, zwo, drei, fri— accompanied by the singer of Billy TalentBenjamin Kowalewicz.
The truth must also be told: Richard Kruspe he is not a good singer and that is the weakest part of this and the previous works of Emigrate. Although it has been improving over the years, the weak voice of Kruspe He suffers a lot to reach different tones and depends too much on the arrangements in the studio, often abusing the effects, which we believe is the real reason why to this day he has refused to play live with his alternative project.
The highest point of the album comes with the song that gives the album its name, ‘A Million Degrees’Combining a simple yet satisfying touch of rock, electronic sounds and a more than catchy chorus, this is perhaps the high point of Richard's singing career. Collaboration with Till Lindemann en ‘Let’s Go’ un tema super alejado de lo que tendríamos pensado sería una colaboración entre estos dos, con Kruspe singing in english and Lindemann in German on a simple clue electropop and then join the chorus in the chorus. Rare? yes. works? surprisingly yes.
Richard Kruspe He decided to make this album sound much friendlier to radio stations and he did this by combining a lot of elements within the same work; from classic rock in themes like ‘Spitfire’going through a quasi-psycho / rockabilly in ‘Hide And Seek’ or the eighties reminiscences of ‘I´m not afraid’ in combination with the lead singer of Ghost, Tobias Forge.
As an integral work, the album is very well produced, it feels very solid, except in the part of - ironically - the voice of Richard Kruspe. Maybe I should consider getting a real singer to really exploit the potential that Emigrate has and what has it shown? Despite this, the album passes the test as a quite enjoyable work that you can repeat several times in your car while on the road thanks to its versatility and great mix of styles.
‘A Million Degrees’ It is already available through Vertigo / Universal since last November 30 in physical and digital format. Hear it now through Spotify.