Just twelve months ago, American Industrial Metal "Germanophile" duo 'Hanzel und Gretyl' released , 'Born To Be Heilied', an insane concoction of their eclectic blend of Death, Black and Doom Metal with aspects of Classic Rock along with Electronic and Industrial Punk elements, all with their much loved, strongly Germanic leaning . This latest offering 'Fur Immer' is the companion album; it has all the tracks from the last album, remixed by KyzrWolf (Kaiser Von Loopy), who has given it a much more electronic aspect. You still get some of the driving guitars and percussion and it still delivers the trademark machine-precise musical blitz of Kaiser Von Loopy and Vas Kallas, but what's been added is a fresh, stronger electronics oriented spin and many of the tracks have been considerably lengthened and the excellent 'Unterstutzung 87', 'Der Furor' which brings tears of laughter to my eyes,' Born to be Heiled', and 'Hanzel Und Gretyl Fur Immer' are all now double their original length.

The main idea behind this version is that it is more of a solo electronics project for KyzrWolf, in as much as he has been solely behind the remixing but the initial input from Vas Kallas is still evident. The original was grittier and I liked the stronger Metal edge of the original version which as a standalone album was excellent, awash with such a broad range of Metal influences all delivered in a tongue in cheek manner. This remix also has its qualities, I think it will have an even broader appeal because of the electronic leaning and the longer play on some tracks will make it perfect for nightclubs. I was initially concerned that the tongue in cheek humor might be lost but happily it is so deeply ingrained within the music, a Sherman Tank couldn't dislodge it.

So which is the better? That is such a difficult question. I like both. If, musically you have a stronger leaning towards electronics you might prefer this, in the same way that if you have a strong Metal leaning you may prefer the original but I suspect that you enjoyed the first you will enjoy this also because there is that certain heavily imbedded, inherent element that exists in both that goes beyond the humor making it such an enjoyable album and that it comes from deep within the delightfully twisted minds of the duo, something that therefore cannot, thankfully, be removed and certainly for me, is what gives their music its appeal.

Being born out of the original excellent album and remixed by one of the band members means that all the important core elements remain, resulting in an equally high standard new product, that has a strong bearing on the original making it truly a companion album and 'Fur Immer' demonstrates why 'Hanzel und Gretyl', everyone's favorite Ironstar Outlaws, are "Born to be Heiled! "

It certainly is more wiener than schnitzel!