Feuerschwanz: Todsünden

January 3, 2023

For the love of all that is holy, Feuerschwanz’s latest album Todsünden contains 16 covers that I didn’t know I needed in my life.

Feuerschwanz treats their fans to covers of ABBA, Bloodhound Gang, Ed Sheeran, Ghost, Rammstein, The Weekend, Europe, Sabaton, Manowar and so so many more.

Can a German metal folk band really pull this off?

You bet your sweet bippy they can and THEY DID.

If you’re not familiar with the massive line of up Feuerschwanz, the players of the band are:

Hans – guitar
Hauptmann – vocals, guitar
Hodi – flutes, bagpipes, guitars, vocals
Johanna – violin, hurdy-gurdy
Jarne – bass
Rollo – drums
Musch Musch – dance & performance
Myu – dance & performance

With each track Feuerschwanz takes the song of choice and absolutely annihilates the original version. They replace any essence of the song with their own sound of heroic bagpipes, melodic harmonies, bone crushing guitars, drum, and bass and haunting violins.

There’s also spine tingling metal wails that would make Rob Halford proud, but Hauptmann and Hodi also show off their clean and harsh vocals and their rap skills. The duo are accompanied with Melissa Bonny of Ad Infinitum for two songs plus Thomas Winkler formerly of Gloryhammer and Alea der Bescheidene of Saltatio Mortis.

The stand out track for me is “Engel”. As a huge fan of Rammstein, replacing the whistles in the original with bagpipes gave me chills. I always found the original to be haunting and heartbreaking, and Feuerschwanz have created a beautiful heartbreaking battle song with thunderous drums, deep reverberating strings, and a holy chorus. This is the kind of track that plays over an epic bloody battle scene where the hero wins at the loss and destruction of everything. This is absolutely one of the best covers of all time.

Bassy and heavy, “Limit” is a melodic jam and the band does a banger of a job on “Square Hammer”. Giving the already bass heavy original even more, and by more, I mean the song has bass for days, and I am loving it. I also enjoy the lower and heavier vocals that are partnered with the metal wails but what really shines in the song is the use of the bagpipes, violin, and hurdy gurdy. They add a depth to the song and make it even heavier. This Ghost fan is impressed.

Todsünden is a dizzying and fun ride. Just when you think, how can Feuerschwanz get any better the next track out does the one before it. Feuerschwanz have brilliantly nailed each cover with a fresh and innovative touch that only they can do.

MUST LISTEN TRACKS: “Blinding Lights”, “Ding”, “Warriors of the World United”, “Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!”

FAVOURITE TRACKS: “Engel”, “Ghost Hammer”, “Limit”

Todsünden track list:
Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (ABBA)
Twilight of the Thunder God (Amon Amarth)
The Bad Touch (Bloodhound Gang)
Limit (Deichkind)
Der Graf (Die Ärzte)
Hier kommt Alex (Die Toten Hosen)
I See Fire (Ed Sheeran)
Square Hammer (Ghost)
Warriors of the World United featuring Thomas Winkler, Saltatio Mortis & Melissa Bonny (Manowar)
Dragostea Din Tei (O-Zone)
Amen & Attack (Powerwolf)
Engel (Rammstein)
Gott Mit Uns (Sabaton)
Ding featuring Melissa Bonny (Seeed)
Blinding Lights (The Weeknd)
The Final Countdown (Europe)