“A Million Degrees”
Emigrate
Spinefarm Records
Tracks: 11
Our Score: 4.5 out of 5 stars
“A Million Degrees” is the latest offering from Rammstein guitarist Richard Z. Kruspe’s side project Emigrate. The band which released its self titled debut in 2007 and, the follow up “Silent So Long” in 2014 features with Kruspe, Olsen Involtini, Arnaud Giroux, Mikko Sirén, Margaux Bossieux and drummer Joe Letz . Released via Spinefarm Records “A Million Degrees” is an industrial tinged rocker consisting of 11 tracks with guest performances from the likes of Rammstein’s Till Lindemann & Billy Talent’s Benjamin Kowalewicz.
The latest offering from Emigrate is a mixture of familiar industrial textures and freshly infused rock rhythms which produce an album worthy of repeated listening. Much like its predecessors “A Million Degrees” follows suit with catchy vocal hooks, crunchy guitars and bombastic beats that will rattle your inner most core from start to finish. Tracks like the fast paced, thumping “1234” which features Billy Talent vocalist Benjamin Kowalewicz and the synth filled ballad esque “You Are So Beautiful” were personal favorites of mine as was pinch harmonic filled opener “War” and the call and response filled “Spitfire”. Over the albums eleven track, forty five minute run-time Kruspe and company give listeners a wide range of sound scapes and instrumentation that is familiar enough to draw you in and new enough to keep you listening. Die hard Rammstein fans will be happy to know that you even get a guest appearance by Kruspe’s cohort Till Lindemann on the anthemic “Let’s Go” which has the two trading vocals lines back and forth before joining in together later on in the song. Having been a fan since the mid-nineties this fact alone was enough to peak my initial interest.
Fans of Richard Z’s previous works will clearly already have this on their radar however, if you are just more of a casual listener of either Rammstein or Emigrate I strongly urge you to give “A Million Degrees” a listen. Kruspe appears to have really settled into his dual role in the group and together they have crafted an album that provides listeners with an album that runs the gamut of musical styles which can be listened to time and time again.
Track Listing:
1.) War
2.) 1234 feat. Benjamin Kowalewicz
3.) A Million Degrees
4.) Lead You On feat. Margaux Bossieux
5.) You Are OS Beautiful
6.) Hide and Seek
7.) We Are Together
8.) Let’s Go feat. Till Lindemann
9.) I’m Not Afraid
10.) Spitfire
11.) Eyes Fade Away