Unheilig - von Mensch zu Mensch

After the official release of the MTV unplugged shows of October 2015 on the album Unter Dampf, Ohne Strom in November 2015, Der Graf surprised his fans earlier this year with the last live album Danke! Ein letztes Mal - Live!, which was only available for a special price during the 2016 farewell concerts.



Like all other artist der Graf wrote much more songs for Gipfelstürmer, then he was able to fit on the album. Somehow I had expected they would show up on the physical cd single versions of the Gipfelstürmer era singles. But they didn't. Einer von Millionen was presented during the first leg of the 2015/2016 farewell concerts (and is on the album Danke! ein letstes Mal). When Unheilig opened their second leg of farewell concerts in Mai 2016 they presented the new songs Auf ein letztes Mal and Mein Leben ist die Freiheit.

And finally weeks before the final concert at Cologne the word came out that on the fourth of november a last, and ninth, studio album would see the light of day. During the 2015/16 touring period the band had been spending time in the studio to record a complete new album. Although this personal album is a last tribute to the fans, from the lyrics you learn that several songs were intended for the Gipfelstürmer album, but somehow failed to end up on the final release. Listen to the lyrics of Legenden and Heimatlos and you know what I mean. Again the songs range from ballads to Rammstein alike songs, and are presented well balanced. When I listened to the album for the first time on the day of release Funkenschlag turned out to be a favourite at once. This song deals about the upcoming negative critics on the internet. People who are only there to spouting negative criticism on everything and everyone, without overseeing the consequences.


But the album growed on me and has become, as you already learned from my 2016 list of favourites, a top 3 favourite over 2016. It is strange to listen to an album, certainly after visiting Unheilig concerts for five years, that never will be performed live. Still this album is the upmost gift an artist can deliver to his fans. No wonder the album became number one in Germany within a week.

Wondering now is how long Der Graf can keep his farewell intact and live without the attention of the fans and the adrenaline of upcoming concerts? How long will he be able to block his artistic ability of writing new material? how long can he stay away from a studio?

For now for all the fans these are the questions only Der Graf can answer somewhere and sometime in the future. Von Mensch zu Mensch is the final chapter in a legacy of an artist who became the biggest German artist in this era but failed to force a breakthrough in the not German speaking countries of Europe. Will the knowledge continue to simmer or will he be able to resign and really close the book? We wait and wonder.

Tracklist: CD:

01. Auf ein letztes Mal – Intro
02. Egoist
03. Von Mensch zu Mensch
04. Einer von Millionen
05. Mein Leben ist die Freiheit
06. Funkenschlag
07. Ich würd' dich gern besuchen
08. Ein wahres Glück
09. Legenden
10. Heimatlos
11. Der Sturm
12. Tausend Rosen
13. Walfänger
14. Krieger
15. Ein letztes Lied
16. Für alle Zeit – Outro

Tracklist: Bonus DVD

01 Ein letztes Mal von Mensch zu Mensch (behind the scenes)
02 Hinunter bis auf Eins (Live vom Abschiedskonzert in Köln)
03 Ein letztes Mal – Die Impressionen (behind the scenes)
04 Zeit zu gehen (Live aus Hamburg / 20.11.2015)
05. Echo (Live aus Hamburg / 20.11.2015)
06. Unter deiner Flagge (Live aus Frankfurt a.M. / 30.01.2016)
07. Für Immer (Live aus Frankfurt a. M. / 30.01.2016)
08. Ein letztes Mal – Ich würd´ dich gern besuchen (behind the scenes)
09. Wie in guten alten Zeiten (Live aus Berlin / 16.07.2016)
10. Maschine (Live aus Berlin / 16.07.2016)
11. An deiner Seite (Live vom Abschiedskonzert in Köln)
12. Geboren um zu leben (Live vom Abschiedskonzert in Köln)
13. Ein letztes Mal und für alle Zeit (behind the scenes)

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