Bonfire is back after their two year absence since their last album “Double X”. This new album ‘The Räuber” is taken from Friedrich Schiller theatrical play “Die Räuber”. Throughout Bonfire’s musical career they have proven over and over again what they can do and truly affect their crowd, positively, through their musical groove. This album doesn’t flatter them all that much and it’s made up fourteen tracks and three bonus mixes..

The first song, which is also the name of the album, starts off like a child’s play and you expect to hear a metal riff…Instead, we hear a man speaking, in a drunken German manner and it blends to the second song “Bells of Freedom”; a hard rock song with an explosion of energy and dynamism. Here we sense some roots of the band’s personality. It’s an interesting blend of their past to the present with an intense guitar solo that will rev up your engine. Other song’s that are good on this album are ‘Refugee of Fate”, “Love Don’t Lie” which is a ballad, “Lass Die Toten Schlafen”, and “Time”. Song’s which the album could do without are “The Oath” and “Hip Hip Hurray” which the title itself is the exact opposite of my reaction. The rest of the songs are relatively mediocre. There are some interesting Bonfire-elements like a guitar solo or an amiable chorus line but for some songs like “Let Me Be Your water” is it enough?

I regret to say that the rest of the album is average and unsatisfactory in comparison to their previous accomplishments. The bonus acoustic tracks of “Love Don’t Lie” and “Do You Still Love Me” are even better than the original…But that’s all a matter of taste. This album can be enjoyed if you skip a few songs here and there…Let all hope for a better album next time.