NOSFERATU

Back in Germany, in the late 60s and early 70s, while a host of bands were headlong for the evolution and enforcement of a peculiar sort of progressive psychedelia, Nosferatu felt quite comfortable setting a trend inspired by Great Britain's jazz-rock and North America's R'n'B, the result being a hard jazz-rock sound with a starring role for the organ. It is also noticeable that the dynamics delivered by the rhythm duo turns out to be very featured in the mix. The sax/flute and guitar leads add effective colors in many passages, but definitely the latter instruments are the elements that conform the overall sonic core. Michael Thierfelder's range and style very properly fit the band's style, sounding like a mixture between Jack Bruce and Chris Farlowe. The listener should not be fooled by the Bauhaus inspiration drawn in the album cover, nor even by the band's own name: the guys of Nosferatu flaunt their penchant for freshness and extrovertiveness in their material. In progressive terms, the most interesting aspect of Nosferatu's music is the clever and tasteful manner in which the musicians display their skills during the jams and expansions. The opener 'Highway' is a very catchy song conceived in the vein of James Brown-meets-Cream, perhaps with a nice touch of early The Nice. The following two tracks are more ambitious regarding both duration and arrangement. Indeed, 'Willie the Fox' and 'Found My Home' are examples of how well the sources of R'n'B, funky and jazz rock can be fluidly fused with the raw tension of psychedelia. The excursions created alternatedly by the organ the guitar and the sax show a taste for freedom without slipping out of the scheme solidly defined by the rhythm duo. 'Willie the Fox' comprises some of the most vibrating moments in the album during its center section, while 'Found My Home' reveals a closer leaning toward the jazz thing. Even though the flute is especially featured in the latter, I must say that what calls most of my attention is teh guitar lead, arguably the best one in the entire album. Track 4 is titled 'No. 4', being a robust exercise on psychedelic prog: the tribal, ceremonius drumming at the beginning is complemented by bizarre adornments on piano, after which comes a cross between jazz-rock and early symphonic prog. This highlight shows Nosferatu at their most bizarre. The last two pieces find the band getting back deeply into the R'n'B thing, with 'Vanity Fair' including some African-Latin elements. This exotic factor helps the album meet a proper exciting closure. My personal rating for this album is a bit less than excellent, but definitely, more than just good. It's a very good item for any good prog collection with a particular tendency toward jazz - Nosferatu is well worth checking out.