These days, Unheilig is familiar to most German music listeners, but  before the release of Zelluloid they were still largely under the mainstream radar, and much of their current success can be attributed to this album.
They had previously put out two releases, the mediocre Phosphor and the well done but somewhat overly gloomy Das 2. Gebot, and Zelluloid definitely builds upon the sound of these albums. It starts out with the semi-instrumental Die Filmrolle (the only vocals are Der Graf chanting ‘Ich will liebe’ ‘ich will hoffnung’ and ‘ich will die schmerz’ before ending the track simply with ‘Willkommen in meinem leben’) before coming in with Zauberer. Now, I must say, Zauberer was the first real song I’d heard by Unheilig, and I was extremely impressed by it. While the overall sound is heavy, there is an extreme attention to melody inherent throughout, which is a major quality of Unheilig’s. Even in the heaviest tracks, they still pay careful attention to the melody, which makes them a superior band. This is evident throughout the remainder of Zelluloid, particularly on tracks like Auf zum Mond or Fabrik der Liebe.
The lyrics are essentially what anyone familiar with NDH would expect, albeit with a slightly greater gothic touch than some, but the real gem of this band is Der Graf. While the main force in studio for the band, he is also hands down one of the two best singers in the German music scene (the other, in my opinion, being Alexander Wesselsky from Megaherz and Eisbrecher) Despite having a deep voice, he is capable of reaching much higher notes in his singing than one might expect, and I have yet to hear any fumbles while performing. What’s even more impressive is that his skill carries over live (listen to any track from the live CD Goldene Zeiten for proof) This singing skill, combined with extremely catchy and melodic tracks, make Unheilig a real gem, and an absolute must listen for any German music fan. I would especially recommend this album, as it is hands down their best release.
Score:
Hompage: Unheilig.com
Reviewer: Paul Gifford
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