WRINKLE OF TIME

Despite the 10 year wait for this 2023 release, the core of FLAMING BESS remains intact. Incredibly, they were formed in 1969, though it took a full decade to produce their first album, "Tanz der Gotter". Despite the band's claims that accompanied "A Wrinkle in Time", that debut remains their high water mark. With their native language narration of a story of the fictional namesake character, FLAMING BESS and the better known ANYONE'S DAUGHTER formed a mutual influential society, and both attempted to adapt to the trends rolled out by each new decade. Once could certainly argue that BESS were more successful in this regard, even if the peak period ANYONE's DAUGHTER was more trimphant. Apparently here stands their final release, and it's refreshing to witness a band make this difficult decision rather than have it made for them.

Here all the vocal tunes are in English to go with their only Anglo album title, with the centerpiece being the epic power ballad title track, augmented by other well sung numbers like "Distance" and "How I regret", and blazing instrumentals like "Cold Comes the NIght" and "Time Flies" which blend symphonic and jazz as is the band's strength. Unfortunately some of the softer offerings like "Wind of Hope" are rather dull, while closer "Universal Mind" should have been one of the more spiritually resonating moments but it's just a funk workout that stretches interminably.

Never among the most prolific continental bands, FLAMING BESS signs off as one of its longest lived and deserves a lot of respect for the 40 year almost unwrinkled legacy of entertaining products that never quite set the world on fire.