Bitume – Die Entscheidung CD (Rookie Records)

I was digging through a review batch and stumbled upon recent submissions by Rookie Records. I remember how I looked forward to reviewing this one when I stumbled on Rookie Records posts across social media. Bitume is a longevous German punk rock group that started its career in the early 00s. Since its beginnings, Bitume has released an impressive amount of recordings, such as k.o.k.a.i.d.o. CD, Für eine Handvoll Zeitgeist EP, ? Wahlwiederholung ? LP/CD, Elizabeth Dane EP/MCD, Punkrock Motorcity LP/CD, Split-MCD with No Shame, Ein schöner Tag am Hafen, Gut im Trend LP/CD, Proberaumgewitter Download, Lolch LP/CD, Zeichen CD, Aku LP/CD, and Kaputt. Recently, Rookie Records released their most advanced full-length material named Die Entscheidung.

Considering the number of brilliant ideas and tremendous musicianship invested in Die Entscheidung, this album is unquestionably the one you don’t want to miss if you’re deeply into melodic and energetic punk rock. From the start of this outstanding recording, Bitume will assure you that you picked a perfect album for yourself. These guys are not joking at all, and they’re proving that fact by emitting powerful, anthemic, melodic punk rock tunes from scratch to finish. From sonic thematics over dynamic verses to singalongish choruses, Bitume is following every possible formula to overwhelm your listening apparatus with a flawlessly executed punk rock sound. Even if your knowledge of the German language isn’t quite good, you won’t find any difficulties while listening to Die Entscheidung. I dare you to listen to the entire record and try to find any bad number, because you won’t find any. 

Bitume bases its sound on thoughtfully assembled guitar dualities. You will hear various melodic themes, harmonies, octaves, and other sonic delicacies on one side and stable riffs and chord progressions on the other side. The cleverly arranged basslines are coming right beneath these guitar dualities, but you’ll notice each low-end tone delivered by the bass guitar. Energetic drumming performance keeps the entire band in line with dynamic rhythms, various accentuations, and appropriate fills. The semi-distorted lead vocals range from shoutouts to more calmy chants, while the remainder of the band provides powerful singalongs. Bitume sounds like unstoppable punk rock machinery, and you’ll notice it as soon as you press play on your turntable. Die Entscheidung comes on vinyl, compact disc, and digital platforms. Pick up your weapon of choice and enjoy. Head over to Rookie Records for more detailed information about ordering.