PHALLUS DEI

This was the second Krautrock album I'd ever heard, and it hooked me on "Dem Guten, Schonen, Wahren" but unfortunately sort of lost me afterwards, only to regain my attention on some other parts. It's very unique and weird, but has some boring parts.

A description of the music: "Kanaan" works well as an intro to the and is a dark song that builds in intensity and contains spoken word vocals. "Dem Guten, Schonen, Wahren" is just plain odd (and a little funny at first), with vocals sounding like an introduction to some sort of freakshow. Probably my favourite on the album though, as the whole song sends chills up your spine. "Luzifer's Ghilom" contains some pretty odd vocals and has some repetitive beats, but has some fun parts. Still, it fails to catch my attention for more than a few moments. "Henriette Krotenschwanz" contains a marching drum beat with some female vocals over it, and is pretty much just a lead-in to the final track. The title track starts out with some freaky noises for 3 and a half minutes before emerging into a jazzy section with a guitar solo. This carries on for 7 and a half minutes before slowing down into a short string section which leads into a drum solo. After this is done, we have the final stretch which is a rocking section that slows down and we have a fading outro with wordless vocals.

PROS:

Drumming: I find the drumming really adds to the music here, especially with the marching beat in "Henriette Krotenschwanz" and the drum solo in the title track. He also has great beats scattered throughout.

Oddness: I love a little oddness in my music, especially in the falsetto in "Dem Guten, Schonen, Wahren" which really hooks you into the song.

Opening: "Kanaan" and "Dem Guten, Schonen, Wahren" both open the album with incredible effectiveness, and are both masterpiece tracks in my mind.

CONS:

Repetitiveness: Now I know this is a large part of krautrock, but while there are repetitive sections that absolutely capture me in krautrock (like those on the album "Future Days" by Can) the ones on this album just lose me at times.

The epic: The epic has it's moments, but many of the sections overstay their welcome, which is a pretty big flaw for an epic.

Song ratings: Kanaan: 9/10 Dem Guten, Schonen, Wahren: 10/10 Luzifers Ghilom: 6/10 Henriette Krotenschwanz: 8/10 Title track: 6/10

My rating: 3 stars reflects my exact thoughts. Good, but non-essential. It has good moments, some less than good moments, and is, all-and-all, a decent listen.

Share this AMON DÜÜL II review

Social review comments () BETA

---

---

Review related links

• Send comments to DisgruntledPorcupine
• Report this review (#337310)
• Buy AMON DÜÜL II music online with PA partners
• Show all AMON DÜÜL II MP3/Stream
• Go to AMON DÜÜL II page for videos, full discography with ratings, reviews and much more
• Go to Phallus Dei page for more details, where to buy and ratings/reviews
• Search the Forum for AMON DÜÜL II related discussions