The four friends who make up Kärbholz hail from the tranquil town of Ruppichteroth, Germany and will be turning 18 years old this year.

Some people will think that at some point the wear and tear on a band must become noticeable. Not at all in the case of Kärbholz because the forced break of the past two years was by no means a stroke of bad luck for Torben (vocals), Adrian (guitar), Stefan (bass) and Henning (drums). True to the motto "Even the break belongs to the music," the down time was used to catch their breath, refuel and creatively come together and reunite in the rehearsal room. Once again, the four guys were supported by the producer team Eike Freese (Chameleon Studios) and Alexander Dietz (Heaven Shall Burn, Chemical Burn Studios).

On Kapitel 11: Barrikaden you can hear 11 songs that tell stories from life sometimes in a small, sometimes in a big way. There’s the album opener and namesake "Barrikaden” for example, which challenges entrenched social structures and interpersonal beliefs with a hard-hitting metal edge. The song "Unter Ferner Liefen," is an ode to one's own unreasonableness. While the brute "Eins Gegen Eins," which longs for peace within itself, comes to the conclusion that in the fight with itself, unfortunately, there is usually no winner before it betrays its true, all-embracing intention at the end. These are some examples that make clear where Kärbholz have their musical influences - Killswitch Engage being one. That makes it hard to pigeonhole the songs.

But of course, not all that glitters is metal. The musical range of the album is proven by tracks like the poem "Der Zug" set to music, the "almost crossover" brawler "Mut Gegen Perspektive," and "Gar Nichts" which alternates between bittersweet harmonies and rigorous reckoning with false friends.