German metallers ATROCITY are counting down to the release their new cover album, Werk 80 II, due out on February 8th in Europe and March 4th in North America via Napalm Records. Click here to hear a sample of their cover of IDEAL's 'Keine Heimat'.

Frontman Alex Krull comments: "During the eighties we had as you might know this so called 'Neue Deutsche Welle' (German New Wave) which was very important for the development of the German-speaking music. If you take a closer look, you can see influences of this for bands like RAMMSTEIN, OOMPH and partly some of the German-speaking titles from Atrocity, especially on the Gemini album. It was actually a great thing coming up in these days. Almost everybody in this time liked some of these NDW tune wedgies even if you were from totally different musical directions. Those songs were mostly performed in a very bald, German language. Last time we did some tunes from the NDW cultband DAF which did something together again in the meantime. So this time we did something from the queer fellows of IDEAL, a very important band from that time. Dissonant music and sloping lyrics caused much turmoil inside the prudish musical landscape, that’s what I liked a lot (laughs). Tosso is still a big fan from Ideal. The title 'Keine Heimat' comes from the final stage of the band, as their star was already declining. Nevertheless we were desperate to do that title even now, because of its explosive, political lyrics where few words carry much meaning. It was a song from the Cold War times, as Germany was still separated, where the Satellite states of the world powers were facing each other in East and West to get their knives out. It is unbelievable how such a song hasn’t lost its up-to-dateness until now.”

Q: Aren’t you afraid that this song could be interpret as anti-American?

Alex:: "This song isn’t anti-American for me, it is the articulation of the fears and worries of the people who are afraid to loose their own identity by the so-called 'globalization'. Just take a look at the world manipulated by the media to see what happens today. We have many American friends and fans who don’t like it either to be a pawn in the game, to be juggled on the chessboard. We aren’t a political band, finger-pointing at others and upholding moral standards, but saying critical comments should be allowed, too. After all we are living in democracy with freedom of opinion, right? I just can say that we like it very much to be in the US, to meet people and see the country. But this doesn’t mean that we share the political views of the current American president.”

The tracklist for Werk 80 II is as follows: 'People Are People' (DEPECHE MODE), 'Smalltown Boy' (BRONSKI BEAT), 'Relax' (FRANKIE GOES TO HOLLYWOOD), 'Don't You (Forget About Me)' (SIMPLE MINDS), 'The Sun Always Shines On TV' (A-Ha), 'Hey Little Girl' (ICEHOUSE), 'Fade To Grey' (VISAGE), 'Such A Shame' (TALK TALK), 'Keine Heimat' (IDEAL), 'Here Comes The Rain Again' (EURYTHMICS), 'Forever Young' (ALPHAVILLE), Special Edition bonus track: 'Feels Like Heaven' (FICTION FACTORY).