FAUST WAKES NOSFERATU

In recent years there has been something of a trend for bands to play live 'underscores' to classic films, especially from the silent era. The choice of Faust to accompany the classic 1921 Nosferatu by FW Murnau was an inspired one, and they rose to the occasion admirably. They had already recorded an LP of music inspired by the film (which contains completely different material to this release) and their accompaniment was true to both the spirit of the original and their own wayward, anarchic reputation.

Although it comes from the same year as Live in Edinburgh, this album is very different beast indeed. It is probably the quietest album Faust have ever released, with long stretches of spooky ambience that sound more like Irmler solo than a group performance. Other members of the band make some significant contributions, especially guitarist Steven Wray Lobdell, but there is relatively little full ensemble playing. There are some passages that are more recognisably in the band's signature style, particularly on the opening and closing tracks, but it's mostly an exercise in atmosphere and texture. As such it works well - there's a genuinely dark, disturbing mood pervading the whole playing time - but some editing might have made for a stronger CD release.

As good as all this must have been at the time (a friend of mine saw the performance and was highly impressed) this album doesn't always work as a stand alone piece of music; without the accompanying visuals, some of the pieces seem to spend a lot of time going nowhere in particular. It's worth tracking down if you're a fan of Faust in particular or avant prog in general, (it's recently been made available as a download on emusic) but it's definitely non essential.

Apparently this was composed by FAUST as sort of a companion piece of music to go with the classic vampire movie from 1922 called "Nosferstu" which was a silent film. Interesting because ART ZOYD did the official score for the re-issue of that film back in 1989. And it should also be noted that FAUST did an LP under this title too which was inspired by the film but is completey different from the cd version. It is also interesting to compare this with ART ZOYD's version and for my taste ART ZOYD have the better version by far. It's 20 minute less in length compared to FAUST's but more importantly when you listen to ART ZOYD's release it really comes across as music for that film while FAUST's just seems so random most of the time without any connection at all in my opinion.

"Ausbruch Nach Rumanien" opens with samples of various sounds including horses trotting on the street. Atmosphere here too. Spoken words 1 1/2 minutes in. Dark music takes over as it trips along. A haunting calm after 7 1/2 minutes. Percussion and louder sounds follow. It's haunting again 16 minutes in. Sounds start to come and go and they get quite loud. Silence from 20 1/2 minutes straight through to 1 1/2 minutes into the next song "Verwirrung". I hate silence in an album. Anyway various sounds start to get louder before 4 minutes. A calm after 6 1/2 minutes. It's noisy again 8 minutes in then it settles as this continues throughout.

"Telepathia" opens with atmosphere then sounds start to pulsate. Silence 3 1/2 minutes in. Organ comes in before 4 minutes and builds. It settles back as other sounds start to come and go. "Kampf Der Machte" has these faint organ sounds then drums and other sounds take over around 1 1/2 minutes. The beat stops at 4 1/2 minutes as random sounds come and go to end it. "Das Unheil Breitet Sich Aus" has these banging sounds and more. A calm before 3 minutes. Guitar 4 1/2 minutes in with a beat and atmosphere to the end. "Die Entscheidung" is eventually led by pulsating noises that will lead the way.

Not a bad album but too long for what it is in my opinion. ART ZOYD did it much better.

Among Faust's 1997 releases we would find ourselves upon one of, if not the best Faust album ever made. After the disappointing song and dance that was You Know FaUSt, the group went into something quite new and certainly more enjoyable, which would spark a new Faust that was away from the olden krautrock of the 70s, and into directions that were certainly a lot more thrilling and experimental.

While technically a live album, I consider Faust Wakes Nosferatu to be so original and obtuse from the Faust lineage that it deserves to be recognized as an official 8th helping of Faust's glorious music. There are two versions of this album, a CD and vinyl version. I will be talking about the CD release that is on most streaming platforms, and the one most people know about.

I know it is quite an unpopular opinion, but I just absolutely love Faust Wakes Nosferatu. It showcases Faust at not only their most vigorous moments recorded, but also a level of delicacy that I savor a ton, crafting this practical suite live, soundtracking a movie that was released 102 years ago. If anyone could do it, it's Faust (and I guess Art Zoyd too but we don't talk about that album).

There are a lot of reasons I love this album, mainly the dynamics shown here. The band really plays into their more droney paces here, having more quieter moments that are very ambient; subdued with something to hide, a mystery within the expansive musical landscape. However, the band also finds time to play these very avant-garde krautrock numbers that are loud, bombastic, and even scary. Both moments I adore, as they just show who Faust really are without sacrificing their experimental ideals in favor of what had already been done. Essentially speaking this is the biggest glow up for Faust, going away from the dry feeling of You Know FaUSt, to something such as Faust Wakes Nosferatu. While it certainly isn't for everyone, you gotta admit this is a breath of fresh air for Faust's music.

I also really dig the production here. In my You Know FaUSt review I mentioned that the album suffered from a very strong loudness. The loudness does show up here too, however it's a lot less overbearing, and it actually works this time in my opinion. The noise this album can bring is a bit sparse and glitchy, but perfectly sets the mood for the creepy rock music the band is playing. You can really feel the krautrock jams here, the more intricate post rock textures, and the droning atmosphere, more so than probably any other album in their discography. For that, I think it all works so very well.

I think the star tracks here are the two big epics of Aufbruch nach Rumänien and Verwirrung. Aufbruch nach Rumänien is a bit less avant-garde, admittedly, but it does a great job at exploring the moods that the band wants to go for here, comprising pieces of steller jamming with intricate drones that I very much love. It ends also very wonderfully, having this beautiful rock outro to cap the song off.

Verwirrung, though, is where the band see themselves going full throttle, putting together pieces of noise, rock, ambience, and even some small doses of silence that all work together to create 18 minutes of pure catharsis. This is where they get their most horror focused as well, even having a bit of a jumpscare near the middle of the track. It all blends into this wall of staticy noise at the end, with light twiddling of rock music faintly playing in the back. It is as beautiful as it is mysterious, and so I believe this to be Faust's best epic.

The only real issue I have with the album is that I know this will not be for everyone, heck maybe not for most Faust fans. If you look at any score this has on music sites like RYM or ProgArchives it is rated quite low. I certainly can acknowledge that this record may not be for everyone around the bends, but I implore you too please check this one out if you are willing to see where Faust at their most daring can take you. I hope someday more people will see this album for its bonafide brilliance, like how I can see it as such. This is the overlooked Faust masterpiece.

Best tracks: Aufbruch nach Rumänien, Verwirrung

Worst tracks: N/A