Die Kreuzen: Big Bad Days/Gone Away (Acoustic) 7-inch

Die Kreuzen: Big Bad Days/Gone Away (Acoustic)

1991

Touch & Go Records

Format I Own it on: Vinyl

Track Listing: 1. Big Bad Days  2.Gone Away (Acoustic)


Oh man, more Kreuzen...I think I have to come to the conclusion these guys weren't very good...Maybe I'm listening to the wrong stuff, who knows...If they were a good band they wouldn't put bad shit out, so...

The A-Side reminds me of the kind of thing that hair metal bands started doing after grunge came out, but this was released slightly before grunge hit...So I guess if you're being extremely charitable you could call this slightly ahead of its time, but again, that's being extreeeeemely charitable...Still, I can't shake a distinctly Candlebox/I Mother Earth vibe...Churning, howling,  alt-metal balladry...Bleh, I forgot about this kind of music...

"Gone Away (Acoustic)" is a little better, I guess...It's more low key at least...Some nice acoustic guitar playing and quiet, low-crooned vocals...It sounds like the kind of thing a local band would toss on as the last track of their demo to demonstrate their "range"...It has a "this one's for the ladiesss..." feel...Super forgettable, but still tons better than the shrieking full-band version I just subjected myself too...I'm giving this song the "okay-ish" label...Yes, you can play open-mic night...How's that...

Here's "Gone Away (Acoustic)" by Die Kreuzen...Enjoy...

Die Kreuzen: Pink Flag/Land of Treason

 Die Kreuzen: Pink Flag/Land of Treason 7-inch

1990

Touch & Go Records

Format I Own it on: Vinyl

Track Listing: 1. Pink Flag  2. Land of Treason

I'm not especially familiar with this band...I remember reading a lot of reviews in old heavy metal magazines and as a result, Die Kreuzen had long been on my "to check out" list but I never really got around to it...Then one day I ran across a small pile of cheap Die Kreuzen 7-inches so I randomly grabbed a couple just to hear something different...

This is some mildly interesting stuff...I'd classify it as punk/metal but with a different metal-to-punk ratio than most bands of this ilk...To me, this is straight punk music with screeching heavy metal vocals...This isn't quite as apparent on the A-Side, which is pretty understated, straight-forward cover of Wire's trudging "Pink Flag...It just sounds like a slicker version with maybe a slightly metal-ish string-bend here and there, but near the end Dan Kubinski lets loose a Rob Halford style "WAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!"  Still, if you can summon both Wire and Judas Priest in one song, then you're pretty much on my good side...

The B-Side however is much more perplexing...It's a cover of the Germs' proto-hardcore classic "Land of Treason" where again the instrumentation is faithful (blasting hardcore) but the vocalist gives the song the full Axl Rose treatment...I can't say I greatly enjoyed it, but I feel like it was important that I heard it, if that makes sense...If someone told me a hair-metal version of "Land of Treason" existed, I'd have to hear it, y'know?

Think of it as a curiosity and you might be somewhat entertained...As versions of "Pink Flag" or "Land of Treason" that you would choose over the original? Uhhh, no way...Ever!

Here's "Land of Treason" by Die Kreuzen