MAY 1, 2008 - HuG in Side-Line
Hanzel Und Gretyl - 2012: Zwanzig Zwölf (cd Metropolis)
Posted on 01 May, 2008
“Zwanzig Zwölf” is the brand new album from American most outrageous duo Hanzel Und Gretyl. The band did not put aside the ingredients that made their two previous albums so relentless. “Über Alles”, the very ironic “Scheissmessiah” and now “Zwanzig Zwölf” turns out to be very hard hitting and angry delivering of pounding beats, frantic metal riffs and distorted and twisted synths. Add to this the typical brutal German chants and you get Hanzel Und Gretyl, a band which appears to be one of the most interesting act in its category. And of course songs like “Loud Und Proud” or “Fukken Uber Death Party” immediately evoke Rammstein (an influence they cannot deny) but they integrate heavy doses of humour in their lyrics and samples. Close to this you get tracks that sound a bit more like black metal like the possessed “Kaizerreich”, the powerfull “Hail To The Dark Side” or the frantic up-paced “Heil Hizzle Mein Nizzle”. “Zwanzig Zwölf” (Based on the Mayan prediction that the world will end in 2012) is undoubtedly their most brutal, uncompromising and heavy output so far and will keep them on the right track for a long time.
(CF:8)CF.
Band: www.hanzelundgretyl.com / www.myspace.com/hanzelundgretyl
Label: www.metropolis-records.com / www.myspace.com/metropolisrecords
MAY 22, 2007 - HuG UK Live Review in Kerrang!
CRADLE OF FILTH
PLUS: HANZEL UND GRETYL
BROOKES UNIVERSITY, OXFORD
26.04.07
KKKK
"Breeding Ministry's industrial shitstorm with White Zombie's hard rock stomp New York's Hanzel und Gretyl make for an intriguing and ultimately kick-ass prelude. Led by goggle-sporting maniac Kaiser Von Loopy (an early indication of their unrestrained lunacy) they simply demand attention, high-fiving the front rows while blasting out some of the catchiest yet hardest-hitting anthems around successfully pitting both sides of somebody else's crowd against each other in an impromptu screaming contest is quite a feat, but when you can do so on your first ever visit to the UK it's damn near incredible."
-Ryan Bird/ Kerrang!
 |
 |
 |
OCT 2005 - REVOLVER "Profiles Bands to Watch"
Hanzel und Gretyl, the musical offspring of vocalist/guitarist Vas Kallas and guitarist/programmer/vocalist Loopy, crawled out of the New York City's underground industrial-music scene 1993. They released two albums on Energy Records and opened for acts like Rammstein and Marilyn Manson before the label's eventual bankruptcy that left the band wandering in the woods of legal red tape. HuG returned in 2002, signed with industrial powerhouse Metropolis Records, and released the guitar-driven UBER ALLES a year later. They followed that up with SCHEISSMESSIAH in 2004.
Sounds LIke: Shuddering metal thunder that's frequently punctuated by lightening bolts of synthy electronics. Loopy's foundation of guitars competes with Kallas' vocals-in both English and German-for the title of Most Aggressive Sound on the Album. The band mitigates the malevolence, however, by planting its tongue firmly in cheek on such songs as "Disco Fire Sheiss Messiah" and "Scheissway to Hell". And then there's HuG's battle cry: "Fukken ¸ber!" shouts Loopy, laughing. "We're high art mixed with low camp. It's rock and roll! You can't be too full of yourself."
-Brian Stillman
 |
 |
JUNE 2005 - THE REVOLVER RECORD COLLECTION
HANZEL UND GRETYL
Scheissmessiah (Metropolis 2004) Blitzkrieg guitars, psychotic percussion, lyrics screamed in German by rock's angriest sounding woman-what's not to like? On 'Scheissmessiah', the band dispenses with industrial's oh-so-serious facade, delivering tongue-in-cheek anthems like "Disko Fire Scheiss Messiah" and "Blut! Zex! Fire! " without ever taking a break from it's brutal delivery.
- Brain Stillman
 |
 |
NOVEMBER 2005 - APRIL 2006 - VIRUS MAGAZINE FIRST ISSUE
Faster Louder HUG!
- Breda
Formed in 1993, Hanzel und Gretyl's electronic-meets-guitar music has always been given to you in a very special way. Founding members Kaizer Von Loopy (lead guitar, programming, vox) and Vas Kallas(lead vox, guitar) took some time to chat with VIRUS! about past, present and future.
Virus: Provocative, freaky, ironic, powerful, strange, individual, catchy; that's how I described your music and band in my latest review. What's your comment about this?
Vas: Sounds good to me, I especially like the "strange" reference. That, to me, is quite a compliment!
Loopy: I would say it's more herausfordernd, grillenhaft, ironisch, kraftig, fremd, individuell, und einschmeichelnd!
Virus: In your early days, with your demo "Kindermusik" (1994) and your official debut "Ausgeflippt" (1995), you were already fond of juggling with the German language. This evolved as a trademark of HUG, as you're flirting with this language still today. What's the fascinating point for you about this language?
Vas: I love languages. They're, just let's say "strange" forms of communication. Why does everything have to be in English? How typical. The sound of German words fit perfectly with aggressive music, the sounds of French or even Greek sound mystical. Languages are yet another art form and I always look forward to using them. I also like to hide my feelings behind words and I like to make the listener work hard to understand what it is I'm trying to say.
Loopy: If you've seen Chaplin's "The Great Dictator", then you have a good idea of how I approach writing and singing in German. It's cathartic and retarded at the same time!
 |
 |
2005 - MODERN FIX - issue #50 Interview
"Ich Wanna Rock und Roll all nacht und party every tag"
by Cosmo Lee
The Title of Hanzel und Gretyl's latest album "Scheissmesiah" translates to "Shit Messiah." Of course, that sounds better in German- and that could be HUG's motto: "Sounds better in Germanô". A New York based duo with a penchant for Teutonic lyrics, HUG bring a sorely-needed sense of humor to industrial music. While "Scheissmessiah" is full of headbanging riffs a la KMFDM or Ministry, classical music samples and general cheekiness abound, culminating in an awesomely cheesy cover of Handel's "Messiah." If all those German lyrics (and the random song in Greek) throw you, check out HUG's website (www.hanzelundgretyl.com) for translations. There's something immensely satisfying about a song with "Fuck you with fire" as a chorus.
Loopy and Vas Kallas answer some questions about fire, glowsticks, and other scheisse.
The first five songs on 'Scheissmessiah' either have "fire" in the title or are about fire. What's with the fire fetish?
Vas Kallas: Since we were falling into the bowels of Hell, we might as well describe our immediate environment. Fire! Fire! Fire!
Loopy: The first five songs also have the "scheisse" or "shit" in it too! Fire and shit! Maybe it's just our crap diet.
Nice, And since humor is so important to Hanzel und Gretyl, how ironic is the metal element? That "Into the Fire" chorus in "Kaizer von Shizer" is straight out of Metallica.
Vas: Didn't even realize that was from Metallica, come to think of it, how uberlly metal of us.
Loopy: Yeah, that riff is so "and scheiss for all"...or was it the brown album?
 |
 |
APRIL 2006 - SPIN MAGAZINE - MIDDLE AMERICAN GOTHIC
--author Jonathan Ames asks Gothicfest attendee...
"What's your take on Gothicfest?" I ask
"Well, I'm here for the headliner, Hanzel und Gretyl."
 |
VILLAGE VOICE - December 3-9, 2003
Fake Germans patriotically tie their boots in little knotsies
Young und Reich
by George Smith
December 3 - 9, 2003
No oven jokes, at least
(photo: Kristin Callahan)
Hanzel und Gretyl
‹ber Alles
Metropolis
Young, fast, and scientific, Hanzel und Gretyl's ersatz Kraut-rock makes dance-metal out of the goose step and sieg heil. ‹ber Alles is a rock opera aimed at our SS troops on the stairway to the stars; the Baron von Strucker comic-book-Deutsch lyrics make everything ganz klar to even those without a Cassell's German-English dictionary.
There are mach schnells and jawohls delivered with fervor, and drum sequences rock-ribbed enough to satisfy an ¸bergruppenf¸hrer. Halfway through there's an intermission so you can pour yourself a schnapps or grab some marzipan before returning to the rally. "Transplutonian Annihilation" is the catchiest mantra of the bunch, its title beat-synced to an electronic riff. The greatest appeal of the act is in its krankóthat's illótalent for making Teutonic exhortation into a rhythm instrument.
Hanzel und Gretyl cater to the inner desire Americans have to be dressed in German militaria and curtly ordered around by functionaries of the Bund. As for themselves, H und G seem to have a preference for lederhosen and clumsy-looking boots, but would probably make allowances for anyone with fetishes ranging from Stahlhelms to riding crops.
It's too bad stuff like ‹ber Alles can't get played on classic rock radio. It would be poetry to hear a greasy announcer cackle, "And that was 'Third Reich From the Sun' "ójust the thing for the homeward drive or happy hour in the United Fatherland of America.
 |
Fall 2003 - OUTBURN ISSUE # 22 - INTERVIEW W/ REV MOOSE.
Hanzel und Gretyl "We will always be Twisted"
Much like the nursery tale they acquired their name from, the band Hanzel und Gretyl are sickly humourous. After a five-year legally forced sabbatical, Hanzel und Gretyl have finally released their third album to mark their triumphant return. A large amount of their previous success came from touring with Marilyn Manson and, more recently, Rammstein, and those influences are evident on their latest techno metal epic, "Uber Alles". Vas Kallas and Loopy arranged a jaunt at the local German beer garden down in Alphabet City where they told the tales of getting sued for (now say it like Dr. Evil would) one...million...dollars...and their possible tour with Justin Timberlake. I told you they had a sense of humor...(4 page double spread article, text available upon request).
 |
 |
 |