I remember rocking to DIE APOKALYPTISCHEN REITER's classics such as "Have a Nice Trip", "Riders on the Storm" and "Samurai" when I was in middle school. As I grew up this band has kind of left my field of interest without any particular reason for that. I dare to say I even forgot that they existed for a while. Now, many years later this band managed to find me again. I was going into this record without any particular expectations. The band has always had a certain halo of unpredictability and versatility but I allowed myself to think that perhaps there's nothing left that this band may surprise me with. And I got to say, I was wrong. They kicked me in the butt just like way back and I willingly went into it unprepared.

Well, what's up with this band in its recent incarnation anyway? "Wilde Kinder" is DIE APOKALYPTISCHEN REITER's 12^th album. Released via Nuclear Blast, it showcases 43 minutes of German Heavy Metal with the whole sea of different influences. It's featuring a variety of interesting guests, including former DEADLOCK singer Sabine Scherer on tracks "Wilde Kinder", "Leinen los" and "Euer Gott ist der Tod" and even Chris "Lord" of LORD OF THE LOST responsible for spoken word on tracks "Nur frohen Mutes" and "Blau". Some other guests are unknown to me but are known in Germany, so let's keep the rest of the guests a secret to keep the intrigue for people who know their German.

Musically, "Wilde Kinder" is akin to a wild pendulum: its roots seem to be tied to the melodic and epic Heavy Metal (the opening track "Von Freiheit will Ich singen" is a great example of that), but the direction it will take the next moment is unknown. There are lots of RAMMSTEIN homages (tracks "Volle Kraft", "Der Eisenhans", and more!), so many that it becomes obvious the band is self-aware in what it is doing. There are some other interesting additions, such as Black Metal-ish passages in "Euer Gott ist der Tod", or DRAGONFORCE-inspired guitars and keys in the title track.

"Wilde Kinder" returned DIE APOKALYPTISCHEN REITER to my life and I'm glad for that. It's packed with appealing story-telling, interesting sound decisions, great guest vocals, and lots of drive and energy. It's quite amusing to think this band went such a long way from a local Grindcore outlet to one of the most versatile and ever-evolving bands out there. For a person to say "I listen to DIE APOKALYPTISCHEN REITER" would mean that there's a need to always keep up with the band's recent vibe. Otherwise, you'll end up like me, shocked but satisfied.