One thing you have got to hand it to BETHLEHEM: this time they have done a lot in the way different than on the previous releases. It already starts with the design, because SADAW comes up as a fat double cover DCD box, completely coloured in white and more plain. Moreover, in respect to its content it doesn’t offer the usual stuff. Because, BETHLEHEM has embeded the 9 tracks in a radio play, in which a (fictiticious?) person dives into a world behind his homey wallpaper, namely the Alexanderwelt. At first this person is fascinated by this world, but after a while starts looking for ways to escape back to the real life again. Along the way he meets a lot of other persons (from various archangels to his own father) and experiences different occurences with them or they are having discussions which are partly pretty confused ...

Those who think this sounds quite abstract now, aren’t entirely wrong. It must be admitted, though, that the band has truly exerted themselves for realizing their idea. They employ a lot of various speakers and not only work with dialogues but with tonal designs aswell. But unfortunately, not more than the well-meant beginng has come out of it. Too often the events and talkings seem as if they were taken from a schoolbook for hobby psychoanalysts. This don’t appear shocking and arousing any longer, but rather unintentionally comical, particularly because the performances of the speakers have different levels of quality. But the biggest disadvantage is the temporal scope this radio drama takes up on this double CD. It is too long, plain and simple! More would have been less, indeed!

So sometimes you almost get the impression, that the music is more the minor point on this release and who knows if Bethlehem didn’t secretly intend it this way. Which it is pretty sad, as there are drastical musical changes contrary to the previous albums. Not that the willing listener can expect cheerful party music now, BETHLEHEM are still a very depressive band. But the means to this end are significantly more plausible, less abrupt and unexpected. And surprisingly this fits these guys pretty well. Although the songs are definitely straighter (which doesn’t mean now that the band has adapted itself to the mainstream), so their morbid dark charisma has even increased in intensity, probably because they offer more space to the created images to develop and to reveal their effect. Distorted guitars do not stand in the foreground anymore anymore, at times you could call SADAW even quiet and slow, without loosing its abysmal fascination. As usual the lyrics are filled with a lot of metaphores and allusions and so they are not quite easy to understand. Here too, basic knowledges in Psychology are recommended ...

Exemplarily I could quote my personal favourite song Maschinensohn, that combines alernately moanful acoustic melodies with catchy heavy guitars and stirring, partly two-voiced hooks, but strictly speaking to manage that with just two riffs. By the way here I like the lyrics very much, which narrate the love between an artificial creature and its creator, with interesting wordpaintings and a very emotional and variable vocals. Other tracks that turn out well are: Rost, Wahn & tote Gleise and Mein Kuss erstickt im Imperativ. But exactly here is the point that makes me angry. The music is really great, there is just not enough on this album. So you will just find 6 proper songs, and I would have liked much more of them! In fact there is still a hidden bonus track on each CD, but these are just (well done) mixtures of ambient, dark industrial and soundtrack elements.

All things considered, this album is quite an ambivalent thing, which nevertheless is worth recommending though due to the impressing musical effort and development. Truly disappointing is the web performance. The official page hasn’t to offer anything else, except a forum and one contact link ...