After fronting metal bands such as Zombie Joe and Baby Universal, at the turn of the century German singer-songwriter Conny Ochs – for whom the glass remains resolutely half-empty – struck out on his solo career.
But recently he’s taken up with fellow doom merchant Scott ‘Wino’ Weinrich (The Obsessed, St Vitus) for various projects which have rubbed off on his own third album.
He embraces a band sound once more on several tracks on Future Fables. And while the decibel count remains modest, the slashing electric-guitar chords on the opening Hole or the sonorous riffs on Spin echo his stark voice and lyrics.
Optimism for the future is in short supply. Instead, Ochs prefers to map out pessimistic connections with the past, and Wake Up is about as dismal as it gets – ‘The world is black/Hold my breath and count to ten/Never wake me up again’. Beautifully recorded, though.
