I still clearly remember a very bleak show on a rainy Graspop festival a few years ago. Farmer Boys were doing their alternative metal slash rock slash pathos sjtick for a strictly old school metal crowd and failed.

With The Other Side in my hands I feared the worst. Again with the tiresome attempt of being rockstars? Again with the spineless sound? Fortunately Farmer Boys captured their essence in 12 partly captivating tracks. More rock than metal, more drama than pastiche and all wrapped conveniently in a modern catchy sound. Bowie-esque vocals carried by the groove of down tuned guitars and spiced up with nice samples and synth sounds, turning it all into a well assessed, a well planned charme offence on Rammstein fans.

I doubt whether Farmer Boys will ever reach that status. No need to. One Rammstein will suffice (although this is a version non-Germans can actually understand). The Other Side should however appeal to fans of staccato heavy riffing, simple march forward drumming and a certain dose of drama. High lights: “Where The Sun Never Shines” and “The Other Side”.