PETER FROHMADER & RICHARD PINHAS: FOSSIL CULTURE

What can be expected in the meeting of such giants as Peter Frohmader and Richard Pinhas, especially knowing that they've been around for over 20 years at the time of release of this album? The attempt was definitely risqué, but it was worth a shot and the recording happened over two years. And to top it all of, the album was released on the excellent Cuneiform label, even if the general packaging/artwork (from Frohmader himself) is not the best they've done.

In some ways, this album could almost serve as a techno album, if there was not some almost-unnoticeable progression in some tracks, but it is all but too slow to capture the imagination or even tickle the listener's curiosity. Whether the album is closer to Frohmader or Pinhas is difficult to say, since I am not too familiar with both musician's late 90's careers, but you can see/hear some Heldon AND some Nekropolis. The seven pieces of Fossil Culture (just numbered differently) range from the lugubrious (the fourth part) to the sinister/gloomy (the fifth part) to the almost happy. This writer's best moment is the third movement with the recurring percussions.

Had these two geniuses met in the late 70's, I'm sure this meeting would've given something memorable, but unfortunately Fossil Culture might just go down as an all-too- prophetically-titled album, the fossils being those of two dinosaurs that might have retired a few years before. Not too bad an album, but certainly disappointing, partly due to the expectations one can have of such a meeting.

This collaboration between the two great musicians Peter Frohmader and Richard Pinhas leaves much to be desired. "Fossil Culture" is a 72-minute electronic prog venture with some interesting ideas and maybe a good vision, but things don't always work out as they seem. The basis of the album focuses on layers of guitars and many electronic devices forging dark and heavy compositions. They are often accompanied by many different sound samples, like jungle noises, bells, water, etc. Occasionally things will speed up and get quite heavy (for electronic music) with pulsating techno beats and heavy guitars. But even in the most frenzied moments, there's always restraint which keeps the album's status quo.

While Frohmader and Pinhas create some really great textural electronic music, the biggest problem is that the songs don't have any direction (or it at least feels that way). The type of music on here definitely feels like it's supposed to, but everything just kind of drones on and on. Also, the album really loses steam by about "Fossil Culture 4", and even then the album is not even halfway done yet. "Fossil Culture" is really a rather bloated work and listening to the whole thing is quite an arduous task.

The best moments of the album lie early in the album and are definitely the most enjoyable. "Fossil Culture 1" is a slow climax and culminates in some great axework back by some rather foreboding electronics. The drum beats actually sound quite scary. The sound samples at the beginning of "Fossil Culture 2" kind of break the flow of the album, but it's not really that bad. Repeated keyboard lines comprise the basis of the song into a kind of prehistoric drone. "Fossil Culture 3" is primarily a percussion-techno-electronic based piece, which is a welcome relief from the previous guitar-led pieces. At around this point in the album it takes a more atmospheric and less driven approach and everything just kind of meanders around until it ends.

Its really quite a shame because there are some pretty cool ideas and approaches to electronic music on this album, but they just aren't presented in a really constructive approach. In the end, "Fossil Culture" is much to busy to be reduced to background music as there is a lot going on. But when you start to pay attention to it more, it's turns to a lot of nothing. Such a cruel fate.

Standout songs: "Fossil Culture 3"