By Keith Walsh
Though the title of the excellent new Suzi soprano album, Weltschmerz, is an English word borrowed from the German language, six of the seven songs on the set are sung in Slovenian.
That doesn’t matter much – the message is apparent in the music, and the title. Weltschmerz describes a mental state of anxiety, depression, or apathy brought on by experiencing too much of reality, particularly in comparison to an ideal world. More concisely, Weltschmerz translates to “world pain,’ and that’s a pretty apt summation of the sound and meaning on the album. Don’t get me wrong, there’s lots of kickass music here, and it feels good.
Vocalist/guitarist Enej Mavsar delivers a blistering attack on three fronts: his voice (he sings along with front man Matic Koritnic), his guitar (running simultaneously through a guitar amp and a bass amp) and the lyrics. The drummer is Uroš Kovač, pounding out badass rhythms.
I plugged the lyrics into a translation app, and the titles alone that translate into phrases such as “The Instant Machine,” “The Parade Of Lies,” “Good Waste Of Time,” “Fever II,” and “Hell.” Along with the raging torrent of sound, it’s a safe bet that the titles can be taken at face value as perennial themes of punk rock – betrayal by colonization and automation, celebrity culture, fate, hope and resignation, child labor and the torments of hell.
I wanted more info, so I reached out to Mavsar about the challenging sounds ands messages on the set.
Punk Rock Beat: Is the crisis you rebel against spiritual or economic, or both?
Enej Mavsar: More about how we are deprived of common sense, drowning in consumerism I think.
Punk Rock Beat: Was this album painful to write? The themes are so dark.
Enej Mavsar: No, not at all. I mean, not that it would be painful. It was a bit difficult at moments because I wanted to achieve certain things vocally and lyrically. The themes are dark, yes, I wanted it (to) be a dark record, slower.
Punk Rock Beat: Referring to the song “Džehenem,” who is Janet? That’s my mom’s name. I found the song distressing –particularly after translating the lyrics.
Mavsar: It’s from Arabic: Džehenem = Hell, Dženet = Janet = Heaven. Yes, it should be distressing, although it keeps the verse chorus verse form 😉 .
Weltschmerz, was recorded by Robi Bulešić, and by Matej Humar with mixing by Humar and mastered by Michal Kupicz.
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