• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• 5

Germany's Rebellion has been around for 20 years, dutifully cranking out a new album every couple of years and are a model of consistency, both in productivity and sound. If you've heard any of their albums in the past, album number 9, We Are the People is going to sound familiar right away. If you haven't, imagine pounding traditional heavy metal with throaty, gritty vocals and you'll be off to an excellent start.

Never afraid of tackling big topics (Macbeth, a three-album cycle covering the Vikings, King Lear, etc.), on We Are the People, it is the inherent racism of society from the French Revolution up through World War II that is getting the Rebellion treatment. It's dark material, but the idea was to bring these topics out into the open and end with a positive message about a united Europe. Politics aside, songs like "Risorgimento (Tear Down the Walls)", "Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité" and "Ashes of Light" move along with the speed and power Rebellion have built a lot of their sound around over their career. There are slower songs, befitting some of the more somber subjects ("Verdun" "Shoa [It Could Have Been Me]"), which I find less interesting and more preachy, but that is just me. All told, it is a thunderous album from start to finish.

Rebellion have stayed true to their core sound so fans of the band should have no fear picking this one up, nor should any fan of crunchy, European heavy metal. It will be interesting to see if the subject matter resonates in today's social climate.