Fusspils 11 – Halbwegs Verpeilt (Album – RepoRecords)
Genre/Influences: EBM, Body-Pop, Cinematic, Punk.
Format: Digital, CD.
Background/Info: Fusspils 11 is a project driven by Gerrit Thomas (Funker Vogt, Eisfabrik, Ravenous, Fictional). Two previous albums were released by Fusspils 11 while this is the first new work since 2005. The work features three original songs and a majority of surprising cover versions featuring guest singers/artists. The contributors are Bastian Polak (Intent:Outtake), Andreas Engleitner (Intent:Outtake), Charly Barth-Ricklefs (Eisfabrik), Tim Schulschenk (Alienare), Dirk Scheuber (Scheuber, Project Pitchfork), Jan Bertram (Eisfabrik), Alexander ‘Fischy’ Fischer (Tourmanagement, Yeti), Stefan Winkel (Gecko Sector), René Dornbusch (Funker Vogt, Eisfabrik) and Stephan Herrmann (J-SOC, Scheuber).
Content: Soundwise this work has less in common with previous Fusspils 11 albums except Gerrit Thomas is the steersman. The cover versions are pretty diversified ranging from Rammstein to Kraftwerk to Bots to Torfrock. Most of those bands are pretty popular in Germany and inspired Gerrit Thomas to achieve an own interpretation. The original songs by Fusspils 11 are easier to recognize. Gerrit Thomas’ typical sound arrangements reminding Funker Vogt but still his other projects are coming through while these songs are more powerful as well. He sings on two of these songs.
+ + + : This work was for sure pure fun; working on some funny- and other unexpected German covers while joined by some mates. I however prefer the original Fusspils 11 songs which are probably not as fun but definitely more powerful. It’s however cool to hear Gerrit Thomas transposing “Haifisch” (Rammstein) and “Das Modell” (Kraftwerk) into his own sound and approach. One of the most funny cuts might become a hit. I’m referring to the legendary “Sieben Tage Lang” originally written by Bots. If you remember the free adaptation of this song by Scooter (cf. “How Much Is The Fish?”) which became a famous hit you never know where the Fusspils 11-cover will end.
– – – : This album is fun and featuring some cool dancefloor cuts but it’s the less convincing work I ever heard from Gerrit Thomas -who I still consider as one of the greatest artists from this scene.
Conclusion: Definitely fun and something different from Gerrit Thomas’ studio but not totally convincing!
Best songs: “Die Drei Säulen Des Wahnsinns”, “Zombiewelt”, “Bambule In Kindergarten”, “Schwartz Zu Blau”, “Sieben Tage Lang”.
Rate: 7.
Artist: www.facebook.com/Fusspils11
Label: www.reporecords.de / www.facebook.com/pages/Repo-Records/119590774857404
“Halbwegs verpeilt” was released on 29 April 2022 by RepoRecords as a digital album and a CD, running sixteen tracks and just over an hour. The video for the album track “Die drei Säulen des Wahnsinns” is on YouTube.
About Fusspils 11
Fusspils 11 is the German side-project of Gerrit Thomas, who is also active in Funker Vogt, Eisfabrik, Ravenous and Fictional. The project has a thin discography: “Gib ihr einen Namen” appeared in 1998 and “Elektro-Polizei” in 2005, after which Thomas left the name dormant for seventeen years.
“Halbwegs verpeilt” is the third Fusspils 11 release. It was announced through the pre-single “Haifisch”, a Rammstein cover sung by guest vocalist Bastian Polak of Intent:Outtake, with a video produced by Gerrit Thomas. The album pairs three original Fusspils 11 songs with covers drawn from Rammstein, Kraftwerk, Bots and Torfrock, and lines up guest singers from Eisfabrik, Intent:Outtake, Alienare, Scheuber, Gecko Sector, Funker Vogt, J-SOC and Yeti.
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