Review of the Albums "Anti-Human Therapy" & "Summer In Space" by German Thrash Metal Band Rodent (With Glasses)

Rodent or Rodent (With Glasses) as they are sometimes known by is a thrash metal band from Leipzig and Berlin, Germany. Here is a review of their 2019 mini album called Anti-Human Therapy. But before we go any further, let’s just say that this article will also review the band’s double album called Summer In Space. There is a reference to rodents in the double album so in that sense, this one man project is interesting. The double album has lots of songs so patience is necessary.

The first song called "I.O.D." starts with an announcement and the song then starts. Lyrically it is about experimenting with rats and also the song brings attention to the craziness of American politics and endless Twitter nonsense. The mini album is seen as a solo project of Tom Liebing. If we read the newspapers, there are countless stories having to do with war and other negative news stories. The only way to save ourselves from this onslaught of news is to reduce our exposure to them. “Firecry” lyrically is based upon the journal entries of Tom’s friend that has schizophrenia. Guess where I found out about this five song mini album? I found out from the YouTube channel New Wave of Old School Thrash Metal! “Crusade of the Sikkk” is a fast song about times in our lives when we get this sick feeling in our stomachs because various stressors are causing us to feel sick. Bloodback is a song about being infected by leeches that suck human blood but lyrically it can also refer to being infected in a sense by life’s demands and responsibilities. As adults we will have to pay bills whether we like it or not. I notice that Tom sounds somewhat like Mike Muir in that first song. The analysis tells me that the first song is about trying to experiment with rats. I also hear a similarity to the thrash metal band St. Hood in terms of the vocals.

“Vsauced” has that sort of blues style to it and even I am a little surprised hearing this kind of music from a German crossover thrash metal band. Barty Mice does the vocals for this song so even though Rodent (With Glasses) is considered a one man musical project there are contributions from other musicians. Even for the avid metal fan, it can be challenging to sit through an entire album at times because you want to listen to something else after a while. The days of Suicidal Tendencies dominating the crossover thrash metal scene are gone and it is time to say hello to Germany’s Rodent (With Glasses) as they are able to maintain that interesting musical quality instead of just relying on the same, rehashed crossover style of music filled with aggression and profanity. Wow, then out of the blue comes the acoustic filled song Ardilla Loca! These guys can play heavy music, they can play blues and they can also play soft songs such as this one even though the song gets heavy a little bit later then getting softer again. However, as we begin the 2^nd CD Rad Side of Life, the first song is kind of a rip-off of the band that I mentioned earlier. There is an incessant chanting about rodents in this song with the heavy guitar work. This band has creativity and it is unique in that aspect but to have a song that is over 10 minutes long and sounds too much like Mike Muir’s current band that is the weak side of this band. The second CD is an attempt by the band to mock Slayer and Metallica but I think that it is done as a parody. Overall, Germany’s Rodent (With Glasses) is a unique crossover thrash metal band that has soft music, heavy music, and they even do their own musical style of the Mission impossible theme song as well as including a few lines from the famous movie Mission Impossible 2. Those of you that are familiar with the movie will recognize which scene those words come from. Let’s welcome Germany’s Rodent (With Glasses) to the rich musical scene! This double CD isn’t perfect but it is a unique sort of listen.