Force of Truth & Lies

Force of Truth & Lies
Label: Nero
Category: Music


Average customer rating: 3 out of 5 stars
Media: Audio CD
EAN: 5021958130620
ASIN: B000005940


Release Date: 1995-07-06

Force of Truth & Lies


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Categories | Rock | Styles | Music
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Categories | Pop | Styles | Music

Customer Reviews:

3 out of 5 stars Cold, sterile neofolk........2005-12-13

"The Force Of Truth And Lies" is the first of two official albums by the apocalyptic folk band called Strength Through Joy before that band changed its name to Ostara. The name "Strength Through Joy" is a reference to the Kraft durch Freude program of Germany from 1933-39 that served as something of a government-sponsored travel/leisure service for German workers. The title of the album is, I believe, a reference to a line spoken by Socrates to his accusers and jury in Plato's famous dialogue "the Apology of Socrates."

Like all neofolk bands, the main source of melodic progression for Strength Through Joy is a strummed acoustic guitar with precise rhythmic upstrokes. Unlike most neofolk bands, however, Strength Through Joy relies quite heavily on their synthesizers. This creates an interesting contrast that adds variety to what would otherwise be a wholly bland series of obvious chord progressions. Strength Through Joy gets experimental with keyboards on "the Blonde Beast," presumably a reference to the archetypal figure described by Friedrich Nietzsche or SS-Reichsprotektor Reinhard Heydrich who received that epithet for his actions in suppressing rebellion in German-occupied Bohemia and Moravia during the Second World War. Maybe both? Unfortunately, this song is more boring than unique and leaves the listener hitting the skip button.

This album reminds me of what Kraftwerk would sound like if they picked up acoustic guitars; everything is clinically arranged and the production coupled with the emphasis on the synths gives this album a distant, cold feeling that seems devoid of warmth or independent personality. The lyrics reflect this malaise with the title track (just as one example) being essentially every angsty teenage suicide poem ever written thrown together. It's still a nice song, however. "Rosin Dubh," which is probably the best song on the album, reminds me of the extremely traditional aesthetic of Fire + Ice brought screaming into the 23rd century. As a sure sign that Strength Through Joy has in fact made it in the neofolk world, Death In June's Douglas Pearce makes an appearance on the track "A Grave For Burning Wings," which sounds like an outtake from "Rose Clouds Of Holocaust."

Music Album:

  1. Decade of Australian Hits: the 90's ~ Various Artists
  2. Play Ball ~ Various Artists
  3. Our Enemies Are Invisible ~ The Chase Theory
  4. Let Her Sleep No More ~ Each Passing Moment
  5. Winning Combinations ~ Humble Pie , and Nazareth
  6. On a Bridge Atop the Heap of Friends Who Jumped ~ Forensics
  7. Rock 'N' Roll Party Time ~ Various Artists
  8. Drull ~ Goatsblood
  9. Jukebox Rock ~ Various Artists
  10. Turn Up the Rock! ~ Various Artists

Music Album

Music Album

Music

The Rodeo Eroded ~ Tin Hat Trio

Things Ain't What They Used to Be ~ McCoy Tyner, John Scofield, George Adams

At the Heart of Winter ~ Immortal

Black Vanity ~ Cemetary

The Ethereal Mirror ~ Cathedral

Samba Demais ~ Marcos Valle

Flammes ~ Mam

Romantic Rhapsody ~ Richie (Trio) Beirach

Play It in the Afternoon ~ Etienne

Funauta ~ Aki Yashiro