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FBI Radio in Australia had "Tot", from "Wings Of Desire" on B-List rotation for a while!

Drowned In Sound, online:

"The writer of this review is not a member of Einstellung, does not know Einstellung and has never knowingly met any of the members of Einstellung. As such, the only evidence he has to hand for accusing the Birmingham quartet’s German-language name and exclusively German-language songtitles of being an affectation is that the members are called Si Rider, Steve Hough, Andrew Smart and Andrew Moscardo-Parker. True, they could have grown up in an army base in Mannheim or something. Still, ‘Tot’, the opening track of six on Wings Of Desire features extensive use of the voice from a ‘teach yourself German’ cassette. Conceivably, it came in handy for more than mere sampling purposes.

Initially released on CD in 2007, and not as widely available as it might have been, Wings Of Desire is being released on vinyl for the first time by Capsule, the Brum-based promotional entity who are responsible for the best music festival in the UK, the just-gone Supersonic. Einstellung came together in 2003 but have a greater depth of experience: Hough’s involvement in bands goes back more than two decades, having previously made an industrialised din with Godflesh contemporaries Cable Regime. Other members have done time in – among others – early-millennium post-rockers Grover and bellbottomed stoner types Sally, one of those bands on the Rise Above label who didn’t exactly turn out to be Electric Wizard.

It’s easy enough to pick out threads of all the ‘ex-’ bands above during Wings…’ 65 minutes, but Einstellung’s foundation is Krautrock. Songs tend to be lengthy and hypnotically repetitive but clearly the product of people who love rock, just as Neu! or La Dusseldorf had their roots in rock’n’roll. ‘Schwester’ is probably the sort of thing people have been thinking of in the past when they’ve ventured similarities between Einstellung and My Bloody Valentine; that is to say that much of its duration is spent picking the listener up, carrying him to the runway and letting him admire the turbined bellow of the jet engines. This mode of searing feedback relies less on texture than MBV, though, and more on just being loud and constant. ‘Konstant’ (ooh, a segue) finds the riffs growing fatter to the point of almost-doominess; ‘Ungeeignet’ maintains the heavy and pumps up the distortion until it’s glutinous, tarry and enveloping, worthy of the crypto-Sabbathian sludgefuzz of Bardo Pond.

‘Ich Auch’ has a similar feel to what Mogwai were poking at as youngsters circa Ten Rapid and Young Team: propulsive, vaguely funky cruise-control instrumentals that casually kick into whirlpools of distortion. It would have found a very comfortable home in the independent UK scene of 1997 or ’98, where a plentiful array of bands released an often prolific amount of records on a shedload of largely bedroom-based and now mainly defunct labels. Realistically, five years down the line Einstellung might be as dimly remembered as 90 per cent of these bands, rather than enjoying the career opportunities and relative luxury afforded Mogwai. And Wings Of Desire will still be a good – if never quite leaping to ‘excellent’ – record made with, and embodying, an admirable independent spirit".

Drum Media, Sydney:

"If Klaus Dinger and Michael Rother had undergone their musical educations in 1990s Birmingham instead of 1960s Berlin, the music they would have made together under the Neu! banner probably would have sounded a lot like Einstellung's debut, Wings Of Desire. Featuring ex-members of sludge merchants Sally and Grover, this quartet combines the motorik rythms of Krautrock with massive locked-groove riffs, creating something akin to a Taking Drugs To Make Music To Take Drugs To for doom metal fans.

Throughout the six lengthy tracks that comprise Wings Of Desire, Einstellung display a deft understanding of the fact that while volume itself wields immense power, its absence can often be as potent. Thus while Ungeeignet spends most if its fifteen minutes pummeling the listener with the fuzz bass and a low-slung riff most post-Kyuss stoner groups would kill for, Tot favours a slower, more blissed out approach.

Einstellung's greatest strength, however, the thing that sets them apart from all the other fucked up children of the world chasing the endless riff - is their inspired combination of repetition and variation. With perhaps a nod to minimal composers such as Steve Reich, the band work subtle changes (and sometimes not so subtle ones) into the music that keeps its natural velocity from turning into mere inertia.

While they do wear their influences on their sleeve, Einstellung still manage to bring something fresh to the world of instrumental rock and for that they deserve praise"

"The 6 tracks on Wings of Desire (which clock in at between 7 and 18 minutes) capture this enormous soul enveloping sound to perfection. This record introduces a band who are expert in the sonic architecture of monster fuzz pop gems aka Power-Kraut. The album holds its own with "Psycho Candy" & "Loveless", records that have stood the acid test of time and influenced those who seek to push the boundaries in pursuit of a perfect fusion of overdrive and melody.

Wings of Desire is the finest rush of fuzz drenched adrenaline fuelled noise pop to come out of the UK underground in at least a decade."

"Wings Of Desire blends hypnotic Krautrock tones with industrial slabs of riffage. Audiences at Birmingham gigs over the past year or so have been treated to sets of trance-like beauty, power, noise and glorious melodic simplicity. The songs lull listeners with mesmerising repetition and an addictive pop sensibility before taking off and climbing towards the highest of sonic highs. This band and their Power-Kraut sound will take you higher!"

The Sunday Experience:

"...think of an almighty Hawkwind at their peak bitten by the groove bug - ruddy awesome."

Yellow Plastic:

"Einstellung's records will soon rightfully reside amongst the scuffed spines of the sonic pop experimentation cannon"

Noise Assassin:

"...the pounding bass and deafening, hypnotic guitars make Einstellung a truly explosive and uncompromising act. Ones to watch, no question"

Blunt Magazine:

"The intricate guitars bring to mind the best of the Smashing Pumpkins. Throw in some Mogwai inspired build ups and the occasional ball-crushing Sabbath riff, and the result is a varied, atmospheric journey."

Rave (Street Press, Brisbane):

"If the members of Mogwai took more amphetamines than barbituates they would sound like Einstellung. Big, big guitars, with a complete disregard for trendiness or superfluous innovation. The swirling guitar freak-out during Schwester is reminiscent of Ride's Nowhere and really impresses. The 17-minute punishing krautrock-on-steroids of Ungeeignet is worth the trip"

Metal4Life:

"Minimalist metal? Psychokraut? Industrial fuzz? You could have a whale of a time coming up with a new genre for the pummeling beat that is Brummie band Einstellung. Yes, despite a tracklisting that goes Tot / Ich Auch / Schwester / Konstant / Ungeeignet / Liedy Kann Meinen Hintern Kussen, the Birmingham four piece (featuring former members of Godflesh and Kat Bjelland's Katastrophy Wife) have taken their native metal, mixed it up with some prime time Krautrock, added in some classical minimalism, and come up with a cracker of a CD. Which somehow ended up being released by an Australian record label. That's global kultur for you.

It's a pounding beast of a record, the type of thing My Bloody Valentine might have come up with if they hadn't been such a bunch of indie no-marks, with nary a Black Sabbath record to their name. Although I'm not sure I can forgive them for 'Ich Auch' which had me scatting 'Japanese Boy' by Anneka all the way through. But apart from that, it's utter bliss all the way through, although sadly there is no room for their debut, 28 minute single, 'Sleep Easy Mr Parker'.

Sonic abuse done in a righteous style, this is the kind of thing that should be encouraged, to avert the dullness of modern music.

Twisted, twisted, twisted, twisted / 4 out of 5.