| Unfortunately I have not been to the
above-mentioned concert, but anyway I would like to take the opportunity
to comment on the general point of Simon concerning the rather "hardrock/metal"-like
appearance of LAIBACH in connection with the "Jesus Christ Superstars"-album
during the last few years. Maybe this could lead to an interesting discussion
about the conceptions of LAIBACH in the past, present and future.
Let me first tell you that -inspite of the harsh criticism
that will follow up now- I am an absolute true LAIBACH-fan(atic) and far
be it from me to criticise the band and/or their original artistic concept
on the whole. Nevertheless, my first feelings and thoughts towards the
"Jesus Christ Superstars"-album were quite similiar to Simon's,
I just could not get along with the transformation of LAIBACH into what
I considered to be a "normal" rock/metal-band. And, in accordance
to Simon's rewiew, I have to admit that with "Jesus Christ Superstars",
LAIBACH produced a great rock-album, but:
In fact, I do not want to criticize the musical approach
of the album at all, for LAIBACH has always made use of different styles
of all kinds of music from the industrial/noise sound and classical hymns
of the early 80ies over rocklike guitar-riffs to the disco- and technosounds
of the 90ies, and in my opinion the musical style of "Jesus Christ
Superstars" could be seen as a further development of the rock-elements
already existing on the "Opus dei"- and "Let it be"-album
(i.e. "How the west was won" or "Get Back"). So this
is not my point.
The (in my eyes) "negative" development of LAIBACH
from "NATO" to "Jesus Christ Superstars" was not the
change from the more typical LAIBACH-soundstructures of "Opus dei",
"Kapital" or "NATO" to the more or less pure rock-/metal
sound of "Jesus Christ Superstars" but the change from the original
artistic conception of LAIBACH to nothing more but usual provocative metal-/gothic
elements. Although they contain a great deal of interesting and progressive
philosophical, ethical, social and religious subjects and perspectives,
the lyrics of the album could (maybe with some exceptions) as well be
found on a CD of any other metal-/gothic band. In contrast to the previous
LAIBACH-albums, these lyrics are -that's what I think- too open and direct.
If the earlier LAIBACH-works mostly worked with hidden meanings, geniously
balanced irony and abstract symbolics (which sometimes robbed the audience
any possibility of a "sure" interpretation of the meaning) the
lyrics on "Jesus Christ Superstars" afford nothing more than
to directly transport philosophical questions to the listener.
In accordance with this development on the lyrics-level,
LAIBACH also changed the visual concept of their appearances quite a lot:
While the concerts of the "Occupied Europe NATO Tour" in 1994/95
presented LAIBACH in an accurate modern adaption of their timeless original
stage-performance with elements of banners, uniforms, absolute order,
etc. ("ritualized demonstration of political power"), their
stage-performances since 1997 were (with the exception of the NSK-films
in backdrop) nothing better than standard metal-/gothic stuff that any
other band could have performed as well. The whole logic of the live-performances
lacked the totalitarian and powerful atmosphere that LAIBACH have always
been known for. In fact, the details of this audiovisual concept have
always been under influence of the "zeitgeist" from the real
fascistic/communist military stlye of the early days over the traditional/alpinist
forms of "Opus dei"-times to the clean and technocratic blue
of "Kapital" and "NATO", but the underlying concept
(outlined in the 10 items of the covenant) was -in my eyes- never changed.
This does not apply to the performances after "Jesus Christ Superstars":
LAIBACH then replaced their powerful and collective appearance with a
superficial meaningless rock-show, unable to create the genuine LAIBACH-typical
atmosphere that constitutes "an ambivalance between fear and fascination"
which is -again:in my eyes- the crucial audio-visual aspect of a LAIBACH-concert
on the background of the principles of NSK. After 1997 I just could not
see anymore the lightyears of advance that LAIBACH had always been in
front of other groups like i.e. RAMMSTEIN, who -as Simon already pointed
out- owe a lot to their musical and conceptional idols: LAIBACH. Up to
1997 I would have come to the conclusion that if a band like RAMMSTEIN
was seen as a pocket calculator, LAIBACH would be a spaceship. I do not
know, if I would keep this comparison up. Or, to speak in Simon/s terms:
I accept, that, as a rock-band, LAIBACH "kicks ass", but for
me LAIBACH has always been a band that "kicked mind" and "kicked
systems".
Maybe I am wrong with my interpretations and conclusions,
and there
might be more behind "Jesus Christ Superstars" that I have not
yet seen. But if I should be right, I would have to ask me the following
question:
What is (or could be) the reason for the above-described evelopment?
To this question, I have found two different possible answers.
a) LAIBACH have, after more than two decades of great artist work in the
framework of NSK come to the simple conclusion that most "normal"
artists come to sometime, that music is a business and an industry and
that you have got to work for a living. Maybe -and I could (and want)
not even accuse them of that, because it seems to be the way things work-
they just recognized that they had a large number of fans in the gothic-scene
and that they had a great opportunity to sell lots of CDs by adapting
to the wishes of that particular scene: metal and synthesizer elements
composed do a dark and bombastic musicmix with religious and provocative
lyrics. As I already said, I am a true LAIBACH-fan(atic) and thus I hope
that this is not the answer...
b) It was (by any reason that I cannot know) the artistic will of LAIBACH
to represent exactly this rock-/metal style in connection with their lyrics
to transport a certain hidden idea. Maybe the reasons and deeper meanings
of that might become visible only in the future, just like the hidden
meanings of "Opus dei" also revealed their true impact only
after history had shown what LAIBACH had forseen.
The future will tell. Anyway, the new album "WAT"
will show where the spaceship LAIBACH is heading to for the next decade.
LEBEN HEISST LEBEN!
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