On some level I suppose this qualifies as folk metal, since at times, it does fuse Volksmusik together with metal. Considering all the weird fusion microgenres and musical hybrids around, it's surprising that I've never heard of any bands mixing heavier music and oompah before. While it works alright, the tuba-laden oompah stuff is definitely at the forefront. I was quite disappointed by the amount of metal here, especially considering the name of the band. Many of the songs have a much stronger punk or crossover feel to them. There is some thrashiness, but most of the metal influences manifest as contemporary groove metal. "Küss Die Hand Herr Kerkermeister" kicks off with an intro that feels like it could be the beginning of a tuba cover of "Electric Funeral," but never further capitalizes on it. Ironically, the only part of the album that truly sounds like classic metal is the intro to the cover of Original Alpenland Quintett's "Mausig Schaut Mei Alte Aus," and this ends up being the best track on the disc.
As someone with no deep connection with with Alpine folk music, anything more than a few tracks as a fun diversion quickly becomes tedious, and I suspect anyone really into this style would prefer experiencing it at a Biergarten rather than on a full-length CD. I was not surprised they played the German festival circuit a lot in their day, as it's got a strong party band/festival-fodder feel. Certainly a unique style, but not very satisfying as a metal release.
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