“New album to protect your children from a politically-correct and non-smoking existence.” this is the advertising slogan for the new album of The Cosa Nostra Klub.
‘The Cosa Nostra Klub’ is the new name for the same band that was called ‘The Count Nosferatu Kommando’ before and before that was known as ‘Count Nosferatu’. It consists of (ex-)members of French black metal overlords ‘Anorexia Nervosa’, a member of electro rebellions ‘Tamtrum’ and the fashion designer Jean-Emmanuel Artfield-Lautrec on bass. These gentlemen have released their second album called L'Hymne à la Joie, or anthem of joy.

‘The Cosa Nostra Klub’ (CNK) describe this album as follows: “L'Hymne à la Joie sounds like Carl Orff drinking Martini with Rammstein and Alec Empire, sitting together on a heap of human corpses, rambling on the death of our modern world.” This is a fairly accurate description when it comes to summarizing their music, but I would like to add bands like ‘Hollenthon’ and ‘Gothminister’ for a more accurate comparison to this description.
Just like these bands, CNK uses heavy bombastic sounds like orchestral music, vast choirs and industrialized metal with some hints to black metal. The titlesong incorporates for example the well-known choirsong from Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony: ‘An die Freude’ as well as samples of a vast crowd cheering at the music. All of their songs include sounds like this, making the sound of this album grand, decadent and sometimes over the top.

This is music meant to be played in stadiums, arenas, big outdoor festivals like the big rock bands of the 70’s. Everything breathes decadence on this album: the music, the use of samples, the spectacular black metal voice of Hreidmarr, the artwork and the band photos in their antique military uniforms. Hreidmarr sounds like Shagrath (Dimmu Borgir) and Abbath (Immortal) together with the grandeur of a nineteenth century general leading it’s troops into war. With titles like: “Total Eclipse of Dead Europa”, “Vote for Winners” and “Inexorable Parade” there is no need to question the motifs of this highly modern death machine called ‘The Cosa Nostra Klub’.

I would definitely recommend this album to any ‘Hollenthon’, ‘Gothminister’, ‘Ministry’ fan right away. Rammsteinians with interest in something more heavy, and electro-industrial adepts willing to blend some metal into their mix should also check this album out.
This is as heavy as decadent industrialized death orchestras like these can get right now. I’m waiting with much anticipation for the new ‘Hollenthon’ and ‘Gothminister’ albums, but until then, this is the best you can get.