Band : Der Fluch
Album title : Im Dorf der Verdammten
Label : Fiend Force
Distributor : Sonic Rendezvous
Release date : November 2008
Release : CD

Originally started in 1981 as a Psychobilly-geared side-project of singer Deutscher W. (who’d started the now legendary/ cult Punk act Ohl a year earlier) as a means to express the influences he took from Hammer movies and B-movies from the Universal Studios, Der Fluch brought its self-titled debut album on the Rock o Rama imprint (which was also be the label for his main band) in 1982. That same year also saw the release of the Die Gesandten des Grauens single, but after a contribution to the first Rock o Rama compilation Die Deutchen kommen the band was put on ice.

Meanwhile Deutscher W. concentrated on Ohl, until weary of the criticism of the scene the band moved in led to the singer putting a hold on thàt band as well! In those first years, the band had left 2 7-inch EPs, a split EP with Skeptix, and 5 full-length albums which became very wanted collectors items. In spite of fan demand and several labels offering deals, it would take until 1993 for Ohl to return (with the Die Auferstehung album). The band has since existed in several line-ups, the constant of which was only Deutscher W.!

On the side, the singer also re-started his side-project in 1994, the year sophomore album Für immer was released. The musical orientation had changed to a somewhat more heavy one coming close to that of the main band, but always played in a Psychobilly type of playing. With a contribution to the 1994 compilation Godfathers Of German Gothic, the band made its introduction into the German Gothic Rock scene, whence the band has found many loyal fans since. Attention was now given alternally to the main band and the side-project, which went on to release 5 more full-lengths to date (1996’s In Feuer der Liebe, 1998’s Verlorene Seelen, 2000’s Sünde, 2002’s Die Nacht des Jägers, and 2007’s Geschichten aus der Gruft – an album which contained only three new songs besides newly recorded versions of older songs by the band).

The cover of the new album is influenced by the 1960 British movie Village Of The Damned, made by German director Wolf Rilla(the story: in the English village of Midwich blond-haired, white-eyed children of uncertain parenthood appear to have uncanny, say frightening powers)…of which I happen to have seen a bit, many years ago…and the album is closed with the end scene of the book (The Midwich Cuckoos was written by celebrated Sci-Fi writer John Windham), where the boy warns off the main character (played in the original movie by George Sanders) to let them be in peace (I’m not sure that’s in accordance to the movie version though - I seem to remember the children being “destroyed” – their eyes glowing up in the rubble – by an atomic weapon).

But otherwize the album is certainly not conceptual, it’s songs being separate stories (usually told…sorry, sàng…with rather simple lyrical phrasing). Musically, the band describes itself as “take the best of Misfits, The Cramps, The Damned and Screaming Jay Hawkins plus the atmosphere of classic Universal and Hammer Horror movies, and you know what Der Fluch stands for! For an audio acquaintance with the band, surf to myspace.com/derfluch1981. You’ll find 3 songs off last year’s album, and two off the new one…enough to get to know what this band sounds like! Personally, while I like what the guys [Deutscher W. is accompanied by his Ohl mates Stalin (guitar) and Kalashnikov (drums), with bass played by Dark) do, I’m not espacially impressed!

80/100

Tony.