If you’re looking for a band that clearly doesn’t take itself too seriously, you’d be hard-pressed to find a better one than German electronicore unit, Electric Callboy! This is in no way a slight on them; they’ve been going strong for a good 14 years at this point, but when they brought in new vocalist Nico Sallach in 2020, they catapulted themselves to new heights.
His addition made Electric Callboy a massive hit in the rock and metal world. From his very first single with the band, the excellent HYPA HYPA, along with infectious dance moves and a hilarious video, the band’s intent was obvious: to enjoy themselves and deliver great music. So what would their seventh album TANZNEID offer? Pretty much more of the same, which is exactly what their fans would be expecting. More ridiculous outfits in their videos, choruses that will remain stuck in your head for days after a single listen. As well as the odd curveball here and there, such as the first half of The Way You Are, think late nineties boybands, before a complete switch-up to visceral screams and heavy guitars and drums. New drummer Frank Zummo, formerly of pop punk megastars Sum 41, shows off his ability throughout each track and he has truly found his new home amongst these crazy Germans!
There are unquestionable highlights, such as the 2024 collaboration RATATATA with BABYMETAL, an amazing combo that shouldn’t work, but absolutely does! So good in fact that even after more than two years since its initial release, it still hits hard. Zummo also gets to do a little reminiscing of a previous Sum 41 release, the fantastic cover of Still Waiting. My personal highlight on this album though has to be Elevator Operator, which is another example of how not taking yourself too seriously doesn’t have to inherently be a bad thing. Its video includes vocalists, the aforementioned Nico Sallach, and Kevin Ratajczak being obsessed with an elevator operator, making silly faces from the elevator’s g-force and just altogether having a great time.
One significant issue I have with this album, however, is that a vast majority of its songs had already been released as singles. From a 14-track album, only two were not previously released weeks, months, or for a few of them, years before the album. Then to top it off, four remixed versions of other songs, which I accept is simply a thing I’m not a fan of and other people might enjoy. Either way, to release a new album where eight of 14 tracks are already singles that you’ve heard beforehand, it doesn’t make me as excited as I would be if not for the remixes added on top of them. Given the change in how a lot of music is consumed, with the increasing use of streaming services, I understand wanting to get as many songs heard as possible before the full release. The album is great, don’t get me wrong, I just personally would’ve preferred it to be more new songs instead of the four remixes to close the record.
We here at Comic Book Clique give this album a 7.5/10, with standout tracks being Revery, Elevator Operator and RATATATA (featuring BABYMETAL) recommended for fans of Royal Republic and We Butter The Bread With Butter.