It’d never easy with LAIBACH. Undountedly, it’s part of the game. And it’s necessary to point out – it’s always been their game.
 
And it’s nothing short of amazing that 34 years after the band’s initial conception in the Yugoslavian state, LAIBACH continue to be just as heavily conceptual, politically in correct, dead serious and laughing out loud at everyone and everything. LAIBACH control the game. LAIBACH are in top notch shape. To be honest, they have always been in perfect shape. And how many football teams that you can think of manage to stay in such great shape for three decades? That’s right – none.

'Spectre' is part of the game. First impression is of a polished, easy to use and enjoy electro album in which some positively pop stylistics meet classic German techno and EBM, while Fras’ characteristic narration gives it a more poetic edge. And although this is a fairly good description, 'Spectre' is more than that. What it isn’t is clear as well – it’s not simply pleasant, neither is it danceable, it’s not your soundtrack for a lazy Saturday afternoon and certainly not a positive vibe after your dreary working day. The game requires you to approach 'Spectre' like an Umberto Eco novel – reading between the lines and paying special attention to the notes at the end of the book.

Despite the seemingly cheery start with ‘The Whistleblowers’, 'Spectre' is an undeniably pessimistic album with a clear pro-European and anti-EU stance, true to totalitarian aesthetics and full of anti-totalitarian rhetoric, anti-utopian but dreamy and idealistic. Just a typical LAIBACH.

Stylistically, 'Spectre' is close to both ‘WAT’ (although not a s dark) and ‘Volk’ (minus the last one’s heavy concept). And although it leaves the initial impression of simplicity, further listens reveal more and more vocal harmonies, bass lines, keyboard melodies and even some industrial undercurrents.

Lyrics and song titles reveal a strong interest in (and somewhat controvercial position on) the socio-political crisis in the EU, Edward Snowden, Julian Asange, Yevgeny Zamyatin’s anti-utopian poetry, the immigrant question.

And though 'Spectre' is a step away from the maximum rating, it has already made it to our Albums of the year list.