OLD LOVES DIE HARD

With the departure of Helmut Köllen and the coming of two different people on the singing and bass playing roles, Triumvirat was ready to move on through its second musical chapter. It is evident from the writing credits printed in the album that Jürgen Fritz was becoming the absolute master of the band's direction, which specifically translated into a trend of sophisticated melodic rock that was, naturally, keyboard-centered. In some ways, the sonic strategy delivered in this album is a continuation of the musical results displayed in the successful "Spartacus" concept album, but there are also clear signs of transformation from core symphonic prog to melodic rock with progressive tendencies. Well, to speak in PA language, the band was becoming more crossover and less essentially symphonic. I guess that there was much of the "sign of the times" factor influencing Fritz's artistic mind, but you can also tell that drummer Bathelt was letting go of the sort of energy and muscle that he had delivered in all previous albums as a source of architecture for Fritz's compositions. While the tapestry of keyboards and the powerful tenor timber of Barry Palmer were, indeed, vehicles for the manifestation of exquisite progressive environments, the rhythm section falls a bit short at it because of Bathelt (no way to blame Dick Frangenberg, whose precision is always made evident). All in all, the ballads 'A cold old worried lady' and 'Old loves die hard' are symptoms of the band's transformation. While they present pretty ideas and progressively stylish ornaments, they also sound like forgotten pieces from Elton John's "Captain Fantastic" or Jesus Christ Superstar's OST: not bad albums at all, but definitely far from that special greatness that Fritz & co. used to instill to the softer tracks from any of the previous albums. More accomplished is the inspired opener, 'I believe', a manifestation of the symphonic grandeur that the band still had in store for the listener. The string synth orchestrations and electric piano flourishes really state the foundation of this track's greatness. The instrumental 'A day in a life' is even bigger regarding the progressive merits: part 1 is eerie, part 2 is reflective and part 3 is enthusiastic (maybe it should have been a bit longer, just a bit?). The album's suite 'The history of mystery' is abundantly akin to the spirit of "Spartacus", and that includes the subtle references to ELP's "Trilogy" and "Brain" albums: now it is not the Hammond organ, but the piano which incarnates the medium for Fritz's Emersonian exorcisms. 'Panic on 5th Avenue' completes the progressive factor in the shape of a psychedelic jam alternated with passages of architectonical orchestrations: once more, the irresistible (not so ever-present anymore) ELP factor emerges as a big source of inspiration. So, as a conclusion, I grant 3.3 stars to this album, the last consistent release by Triumvirat.