Bagger 258 – Ode An Die Arbeit (Album – Bagger 258)
Genre/Influences: EBM.
Format: Digital, CD.
Background/Info: Bagger 258 is a German duo featuring members of the familiar EBM-band Projekt 26 – which released the album “Violets And Violence” in 2017 by EK Product. Bagger 258 released by the end of 2023 the debut album “Ode An Die Arbeit”. Notice by the way the album has been mixed by Daniel Hallhuber (involved with different projects and founder of Young & Cold Records) and mastered by Stefan Poiss (Mind.In.A.Box).
Content: The album is meant as an ode to the ‘pulsating rhythm of work’ but also to old-school EBM. The main sources of influences aren’t that different from their previous project but the global writing- and production process has been seriously boosted and improved. The songs are driven by solid bass lines, 4×4 kicks, metallic sound treatments and German ‘body’ vocals. Both last songs are remixes by Oldschool Union (who already did a remix on the Projekt 26-album) and Projekt 26.
+ + + : Bagger 258 doesn’t innovate but shares with us a mature, professional and fully accomplished production. This is top-notch EBM featuring all essential ingredients to get people into tough dancing. I especially enjoy the impressive, menacing, bass lines mixed with metallic percussion sounds and the few little extra noises and melodic sequences they’re adding on top of the work. Bagger 258 makes me think of an imaginary hybrid between Tyske Lüdder, Pouppéée Fabrikk and Orange Sector. The work features multiple outstanding songs. The album last year reached the highest place in the famous DAC which says enough about this band’s potential -and especially for a self-released album. I would be not surprised they’ll very soon get a label deal.
– – – : Some would say ‘nothing new’ but who cares; this is pure, authentic, old-school EBM.
Conclusion: There’s no doubt about it, Bagger 258 will be the next great big thing in EBM land.
Best songs: “Muskeln Und Maschinen”, “Stalhwerk, Jetzt!”, “Glück Auf”, “Geschafft!”, “Maschinentakt”, “Schlagwetter”.
Rate: 9.
Artist: www.facebook.com/bagger.258
About Bagger 258
Bagger 258 is a German EBM duo of Nico von der Eisenmühle and Tim Schmelzer, both also active in Projekt 26. The pair set up Bagger 258 after struggling for years to finish material together as Projekt 26, whose singer had relocated. “Ode An Die Arbeit” was released independently on 24 November 2023, mixed by Daniel Hallhuber at Young and Cold Studio in Augsburg and mastered by Stefan Poiss at Nicelabs in Vienna. The self-released album reached number one in the Deutsche Alternative Charts. A single, “Körperkommando”, followed in 2024.
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