Opium Furs Volk

by Jim Harper 1996's Opium Furs Volk ("opiate of the people") saw Die Toten Hosen moving away from their punk roots and venturing into dub-reggae and industrial territory. It doesn't always work, since the band fails to mix any of these styles together; they go for punk on one song, dub on another, and so on. The basic punk tracks work best, with "Und Wir Leben" and "Bonnie & Clyde" being the best efforts on the album. "Zehn Kleine Jagermeister" -- a cod-reggae tribute to the joys of Schnapps -- is mildly amusing, but you can't help wishing they'd bring back the pouding drums and the rousing anthems.