Zymt – Hochstapeln in der Bückzone (Review)

Sometimes, you know it’s gonna get difficult right from the start. This time, we’re taking a closer look at a release that came via two labels that both get way too little attention at this blog. Way back when, I can still remember my first encounters with Spastic Fanstastic Records when having spent more time in Dortmund. It was probably that self-titled 7” by Die Eule im Bart des Judas that marked my first release off their catalogue. After that, most obviously, I got all hooked on Karibik by Mann kackt sich in die Hose and also enjoyed The Jim Tablowski Experience. Of course, the progression behind Die Eule im Bart des Judas and Mann kackt sich in die Hose can easily be traced as what can loosely be considered “follow-ups”. I highly enjoyed the sound of both of these projects, however I somehow lost track. It was only with the nice package that My Ruin’s Rosi sent me for my other project (Lower Rhine Underground) that I found out about the formation of Zymt with their debut release Das Privileg der Misanthropie from 2022 – and boy did I enjoy this album. So now, two years later (release in 2024), those nice boys returned with their sophomore full-length record Hochstapeln in der Bückzone and this album is – which leads back to the opening sentence about difficulty – even harder to grasp. Which is a good thing!

Enough talking. First looking at this track list, you might get the impression that we’re about to listen into a bona fide Grindcore album. With the average track length clocking in at about one and a half minutes, the first impression might suggest that you will rush through this album. To a certain extent, this assumption is right. However, apart from the overlapping aspect of fitting snippets on a lot of the tracks, this is not what is going to happen. Nevertheless, the length of the tracks impacts the songwriting at several spots.

Recapitulating the Grindcore assumption, the first actual track “Im Westen Was Neues” kicks off with blast beats and rather reminds of straightforward Black Metal for the first few seconds – before it abruptly slows down, introduces the synths that we loved about the debut release already – only to then kick back into the speed of the introductory sound. This track is only at 1 minute but I immediately felt that it already convinced me regarding the entire stuff that is to come. After the first blast-off with the introductory track of this album, the second and several following tracks follow a sound constellation that made us fall in love with Das Privileg der Misanthropie. Cutting guitar tones accompany the subtle synth melodies on a mid-tempo beat – all building a versatile foundation for the vocals that mark the recognition value on almost every track.

Of course, this is Punk Rock, and we get a high emphasis on the chorus. However, Zymt manage to do so differently. Just recapturing the opening explanation of the track lengths on this album might be a hint at the fact that it is difficult to construct anthemic character within the average one and a half minutes. Nevertheless, you’re facing an album that contains 22 tracks – which is quite a lot, I know – however after first listening through the entire album, there is a high probability that you will already remember two thirds of the choruses on this release. I’ll bet that your head is gonna go with “Tief im Zentrum der Macht” (Panzerkreuzer) or probably the repetitive “und ob” on “Und Ob Du Rennst.” It almost feels as if Hochstapeln in der Bückzone is supposed to be a straightforward mock at current pop music, where innumerable artists contribute to write one track at three minutes that bears at least some kind of recognition value. In the meantime, Zymt just throw out 22 tracks that almost all contain a chorus that will be gorilla-glued to your short-term-memory – on tracks that are on the edge of the 1.5 minutes marker. When not taking a look at my notes I really can’t come up with a single track that does not contain a sequence that will not stick with you for a few weeks. 

The possibility of a right-off mock at pop music might also be derived from the mere structuring of the songs. You might imagine that an album that so heavily relies on recognition value and earworm character follows the recurring structure of intro – verse – chorus and so forth. However, when taking into consideration that these tracks are – as mentioned – quite short, it might seem natural that there is no such thing as enough time for structures like these. This is also why many tracks instantly kick in with a first verse, then move towards the chorus and finish off already. Or the other way round. Or entirely different. And sometimes even in the pattern that most might anticipate when looking for “regular” structures. Especially when thinking about the fact that there are 22 tracks on this album, this aspect of songwriting certainly contributes to the fact that this release also does not bore you after the entire set of those tracks.

The sound that is present on this album is – as expected – quite versatile yet moving within the framework of what Zymt already displayed on their debut. Especially “Der Zwei Promille Viertelpfünder” is an attention grabber and one of the most versatile tracks on this album. However, apart from this drive towards tamer sound constellations, the chaotic combination of fast German Punk, a strong love for 80s synth plus NDW and the favor of furiously mixing these ingredients is still omnipresent. It feels as if the presence of the synths reveals bolder the deeper you get into the album. 

On a broader scale, Zymt still bear strong resemblance of the ashes of the band it emerged from. Way more evident on Das Privileg der Misanthropie, the close connection to Mann kackt sich in die Hose has stepped further into the background. While glorious tracks such as “Was kannst du für Armin Laschet tun” and “Mallorca ohne Andi ohne Stefan ohne Dirk” heavily reminded the listener of MKSIDH, the sound on Hochstapeln in der Bückzone has evolved into a more individual style that encompasses the initial idea of implementing the drive of NDW even further.

The lyrics are, as on the previous album, severely snappy yet quite subtle throughout the entire album. Numerous tracks on this album immediately show subtle criticism that is brought forward on this album. Allegedly funny Punk music with boobeeboobeep sounds in the background open the exact frame in your brain that has you anticipate funny lyrics and while listening and understanding the lyrics you’ll get a certain moment that will have you like – wait a second – until realizing what is actually dealt with on this album. The variety of different topics that are being discussed are way too broad yet it is highly probable that there will be at least one track that will exactly catch your persona. As I have often read, there is a recurring association with Die Ärzte and I probably can’t deny that. Although recent discussions about this band maybe suggest that it’d be better to find a different description and in this case I think going with a strongly subtled-down Dead Kennedys association works quite well – lyric-wise of course. 

This album is delivered in what could be considered “the whole package.” It was designed, recorded and released in Dortmund (…and Unna). This sounds absolutely beautiful. Hochstapeln in der Bückzone was recorded at Dortmund-based Raketenstudio that might already be a name to you from bands such as Possible Damage, Mist or Chronic Pissed. The visuals on this album also stem from Zymt vocalist Maz (Marcel Richard Design) and follow the path of the humanized smiley via surreal AI experiments. It was released via Spastic Fanstastic Records and My Ruin on a limited to 100 mint 12” vinyl and limited to 100 black 12” vinyl. 

Again, this band succeeds to bring forth music that takes you just a few seconds to immediately link it with Zymt. If bands pop up that are capable of crafting a sound that showcases unique character right from the start, this is always worth ongoing attention. Zymt managed to show that they are able to just throw out a huge amount of great tracks, which is reason enough why you should have this band on your scope. I’m very interested to see how the sound of this band will evolve on future releases.