Higher (Treponem Pal album)

Higher is the fourth studio album by French industrial metal band Treponem Pal, released on 26 August 1997 by Mercury Records. Being the band's major-label debut,[1] the album was produced by KMFDM frontman Sascha Konietzko. The tracks "Renegade", "Funk Me" and the cover of Lipps Inc.'s "Funky Town" were released as singles;[2] the remix EP Panorama Remixes was also released in 1998.[3]

Higher
Studio album by
Treponem Pal
Released26 August 1997 (1997-08-26)
StudioSoundhouse (Seattle, Washington)[1]
GenreIndustrial metal
Length51:41
LabelMercury
ProducerSascha Konietzko
Treponem Pal chronology
Excess & Overdrive
(1993)		 Higher
(1997)		 Weird Machine
(2008)
Singles from Higher
  1. "Renegade"
    Released: 1997
  2. "Funk Me"
    Released: 1997
  3. "Funky Town"
    Released: 1998

It is the band's last album before their 2001 hiatus, during which they formed the reggae band Elephant System. Treponem Pal resumed activity with a new line-up in 2006, releasing the follow-up record Weird Machine in 2008.[4]

Background and promotion

Sascha Konietzko was the band's first choice as a producer. Recording Higher in Seattle, the band sought to incorporate influences from reggae and dub, which they were fans of. In contrast to their previous album, Excess & Overdrive, the band simultaneously worked on samples and rock instrumentation instead of mixing in the samples later.[5] In a retrospective interview, vocalist Marco Neves stated that working with Konietzko was "a bit painful" and "tough" "because we had to make him clear he was not producing a new album of KMFDM." Nevertheless, the band was satisfied with the record, with Neves further remarking: "the final result was exactly what we had in mind."[6]

Compared to the band's previous albums on Roadrunner Records, the album was heavily promoted in France.[4] Their 1997 live performance on the French prime time show Nulle part ailleurs as a part of the promotion attracted an obscenity controversy due to a cross-dressing dancer, as well as nudity and simulated sex acts.[5][7]

Critical reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]

AllMusic critic Victor W. Valdivia wrote that the band and producer Sascha Konietzko "hedged their bets by conventionalizing their sound," resulting in "an album that adds nothing new to the industrial genre" and features usual "heavy guitars, the monotone vocals, the techno rhythms and samples." Nevertheless, Valdivia also thought that "occasional lapses into reggae rhythms" on tracks "Struggle" and "Panorama" were distinguishing factors and concluded: "There's not much that's truly terrible, but there is also not much that's original, and precious little to indicate why this band is considered so influential."[1] In a negative review, CMJ critic Ian Christie described the record as "a plodding barge of bawdy drum machine-rock wherein it plays the part of poor man's White Zombie."[8]

Track listing

All music by Treponem Pal and lyrics by Marco Neves, except where noted.[9]

No.TitleLyricsMusicLength
1."Cyberfreak"  5:05
2."Renegade"  3:16
3."Unchained"  4:07
4."The Struggle"  4:36
5."Lose Control"  3:30
6."Panorama"
  • Christel Lefebvre
  • Marco Neves
 4:47
7."Freetribe"  5:06
8."Funk Me"
  • Christel Lefebvre
  • Marco Neves
 5:58
9."Sick Train"  3:59
10."Belief"  3:19
11."Sweet Vibes"Christel Lefebvre 4:31
12."Psycho Rising"  3:30
13."Funky Town" Lipps Inc.5:07
Total length:51:41

Personnel

Album personnel as adapted from liner notes:[9]

Charts
Chart (1997) Peak
position
CMJ Loud Rock[10] 14

References
  1. Valdivia, Victor W. "Treponem Pal - Higher". AllMusic. Retrieved 17 March 2020.
  2. "Treponem Pal - Regenade". treponempal.com. Retrieved 18 March 2020.
  3. "Treponem Pal - Panorama Remixes". treponempal.com. Retrieved 18 March 2020.
  4. Sopor, Pierre (29 February 2008). "Interview de Treponem Pal: Weird Machine, c'est la guerre!". verdammnis.com. Retrieved 18 March 2020.
  5. "Interview: Treponem Pal". lastsigh.com. Archived from the original on 2 July 2001. Retrieved 10 March 2020.
  6. Coldheart, Stef (7 March 2018). "Interview: Treponem Pal, Sobriety, Power and Originality". peek-a-boo-magazine.be. Retrieved 18 March 2020.
  7. Poncet, Emmanuel (19 March 1997). ""Nulle Part Ailleurs" un poil débordé. Lundi,un strip-tease en direct a tourné trash lors du talk-show de Canal +". Libération (in French). Retrieved 17 March 2020.
  8. Christe, Ian (October 1997). "New Music: Metal". CMJ New Music Monthly. No. 50. p. 64.
  9. Higher (CD liner notes). Treponem Pal. Mercury Records. 1997.CS1 maint: others (link)
  10. Vendetti, Jackie (October 1997). "CMJ Loud Rock". CMJ New Music Report. Vol. 52 no. 50. p. 18.
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