Member:
Pnoom
Date:
9/25/2007
As far as symphonic rock bands go, Germany was never a leader, excelling instead in the psychedelic, hypnotic realms of krautrock. Amidst all the krautrock bands, however, were a few loners who made a significant contribution to the symphonic rock scene dominated by the U.K. and, to a lesser extent, France. Among these bands were Novalis and of course, Grobschnitt. Grobschnitt began their career closer to the krautrock side of the spectrum (from what I’ve read), but with Rockpommel’s Land, viewed by many as their studio opus, they released a stellar symphonic release rivaling those of Ange, Genesis, Yes, and Harmonium.
Simply looking at the music, I wouldn’t consider this album as highly as I do. While I enjoy the music on this album very much, symphonic prog is generally not my favorite style of music. Rockpommel’s Land is certainly above average musically for it’s genre, however, and every song is strong musically, with engaging guitar lines that recall Steve Hackett, but not painfully so, traditional symphonic keyboard work, and dynamic drumming. The songs build nicely over time without any of the painful transitions that often mar symphonic prog songs. There are no sudden starts and stops; rather, everything flows beautifully. Main themes are developed, but Grobschnitt manage to make each theme flow out of the last.
However, this is only a part of why this album ranks in the upper echelon of symphonic prog releases. Because my liking for this style of music only stretches so far, most releases in the genre need something extra to earn repeated listens. Usually, this comes in the form of the lyrics, whether these be the humorous and yet insightful lyrics of Genesis or the sacrilegious, inciteful satire of Ange. In the case of Grobschnitt, the lyrics are not particularly strong taken alone, but in the context of the music, they become much stronger. They tell the childish tale of Ernie, a little boy spirited away to a land where he befriends a dragon. The lyrics are heartwarming, and give the album an accessible warmth that is really what wins me over. The vocals that carry these lyrics, like with Genesis and Ange, are also very strong. They manage to tell the story dynamically without sounding forced.
That said, the album is not without its flaws. It is, to an extent, derivative of Genesis. While there are countless bands far more derivative of Genesis, it’s still noticeable here. In terms of the music, the only major flaw is that the ending of the title track goes on far too long and doesn’t do nearly enough to hold my interest (it doesn’t help that, despite being the epic on the album, it’s the weakest track). Lyrically, the concept can be hard to follow, which is usually okay by me, but still worth noting. The highlight tracks are “Severity Town” and “Anywhere,” but I also quite like “Ernie’s Reise.”
As I’ve said, I am not a huge symphonic prog fan, meaning that a symphonic prog release has to be particularly good in order to earn a good rating from me, as this one has. While Rockpommel’s Land is among the better symphonic prog albums I know, that still only places it slightly above the middle in my collection. I give it a B- (very good) rating. All in all, a good release, but far from a perfect one. I’ve read that their live document, Solar Music Live is their best, so check that one out first. After that, however, all symphonic prog fans should check out this release. A worthy addition to a progressive music collection.
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