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TRAUMHAUS

Symphonic Prog • Germany


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Traumhaus biography
TRAUMHAUS is a German group that evolved out of a mid 90s outfit called ZWEEBACK. The group's name translates to "House of Dreams" and their music combines hard rock with a healthy helping of atmospherics. While the style looks back to many German bands of the 70s and 80s, their use of angular melodies and their native tongue draws valid comparisons to one in particular, ANYONE'S DAUGHTER. NOVALIS and GROBSCHNITT might be other reference points, although TRAUMHAUS is somewhat more rhythmic. The band consisted of Frank Woidich - Organ, Synthesizer, Backing Vocals, Bernhard Selbach - Guitars, Backing Vocals, Bass Pedals, Michael Dorniak - Backing Vocals, Bass, Drums, Alexander Weyland - Vocals, Synthesizer, Piano and Nina Weyland - Guest Vocals.


Up until now they have only one release, their self titled 2001 debut. It consists of 8 songs over 5 minutes long, one of which is an 18 minute epic.


With the understanding that the band's sound had not yet fully developed on their first album, and future releases seem more and more doubtful, TRAUMHAUS is recommended to those who like German progressive rock with heavy guitars and bass balanced by symphonic keyboards.

::: Ken Levine :::

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TRAUMHAUS discography


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TRAUMHAUS top albums (CD, LP, MC, SACD, DVD-A, Digital Media Download)

2.93 | 26 ratings
Traumhaus
2001
4.07 | 47 ratings
Die Andere Seite
2008
3.97 | 125 ratings
Das Geheimnis
2013
3.80 | 32 ratings
In Oculis Meis
2020

TRAUMHAUS Live Albums (CD, LP, MC, SACD, DVD-A, Digital Media Download)

TRAUMHAUS Videos (DVD, Blu-ray, VHS etc)

TRAUMHAUS Boxset & Compilations (CD, LP, MC, SACD, DVD-A, Digital Media Download)

4.12 | 14 ratings
Ausgeliefert
2014

TRAUMHAUS Official Singles, EPs, Fan Club & Promo (CD, EP/LP, MC, Digital Media Download)

3.32 | 6 ratings
Hinaus
2005

TRAUMHAUS Reviews


Showing last 10 reviews only
 Traumhaus by TRAUMHAUS album cover Studio Album, 2001
2.93 | 26 ratings

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Traumhaus
Traumhaus Symphonic Prog

Review by Mellotron Storm
Prog Reviewer

3 stars A low 3 stars for this one. TRAUMHAUS are a Neo Prog band out of Germany and here a four piece on this 2001 release. This is their debut and most feel they improved a lot after this album. The instrumental stuff isn't that bad in fact I like some of the heaviness that's on here but deciding to go with German vocals on a Neo Prog record is very disappointing. For me the vocals are crucial with Neo-Prog as this is often emotional music and understanding what is sung is critical in my opinion.

An interesting setup with the singer adding synths and piano while we also have a keyboardist adding synths and organ. The guitarist adds bass pedals while the drummer adds bass. I'm not going to talk mush about this one and I do feel it suffers from that opener being the worse song on here. Tough to recover from that but overall this is pretty good although I would never recommend it. The other two collaborators who reviewed this gave 2.5 and 2 stars respectively so I'm in good company with my feelings for this one.

 In Oculis Meis by TRAUMHAUS album cover Studio Album, 2020
3.80 | 32 ratings

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In Oculis Meis
Traumhaus Symphonic Prog

Review by kev rowland
Special Collaborator Honorary Reviewer

4 stars True to their career history to date, German band Traumhaus took seven years from the release of the third album to give us their fourth. There were also the customary line-up changes, with just founder Alexander Weyland (keyboards, vocals) and guitarist Tobias Hampl (who joined for the second) still there, with the line-up now completed by Ray Gattner (drums) and Till Ottinger (bass). The band have always been known for releasing their albums with German vocals, and that is again the case here, but this time we have a double CD set with Alexander also providing the lyrics in English. Personally, I do not see the need for this, but if it gets them across to a wider audience then that has to be a good thing.

It is interesting to play this against the reissue of the debut as one would not imagine there is nearly 20 years between as the two are very similar with the same mix of neo-progressive rock with some symphonic tendencies and metal here and there, plus they tend to keep to a darker place than many progressive bands. While the rhythm section keep it nailed down, they feel more restricted than others, with the guitars and keyboards really stretching. Here is an album where they have more embraced their inner Threshold, and it is this move into more progressive metal territory which is the most noticeable difference in the overall sound. However, they firmly keep their feet inside the neo prog territory as opposed to going full bored and the result is an album which is both polished and accomplished. I have been fortunate to now hear all four of their studio albums, and they are all incredibly enjoyable, and here is a band which definitely needs to be far wider known across the progressive community. Definitely worth seeking out.

 Ausgeliefert by TRAUMHAUS album cover Boxset/Compilation, 2014
4.12 | 14 ratings

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Ausgeliefert
Traumhaus Symphonic Prog

Review by kev rowland
Special Collaborator Honorary Reviewer

4 stars Although released in 2014, this is actually a reissue of the progressive band's self-titled debut album from 2001, here with new artwork, a new title, plus two bonus songs "Die Reise" and "Die andere Seite". These were originally recorded in 2005 and were intended to be released on an EP, but that did not happen and although they were included on the second album 'Die Andrere Seite', they are no longer available on the current version of that release. For whatever reason, this German band has never been the most prolific in the genre, with only four albums in the last 20 years, but signing to Progressive Promotion for their third, 'Das Geheimnis' in 2013, saw that label reissue the first two. Although I had heard the last two albums, this was the first time I had come across the debut so was interested to see how it stood up against the more recent material and the answer to that is very well indeed.

To my ears they are an incredibly consistent band, bringing together a very string mix of guitars, keyboards, vocals, and melodies which are instantly accessible and enjoyable. All the lyrics are in German but listening to songs in a foreign language has never worried me, and it is nice to hear a band performing in their native tongue. Given this album is now some 20 years old, it is perhaps surprising to hear just how relevant and fresh it feels today. There is no doubt they had been influenced by the 90's neo-prog scene, especially the bands coming out of the UK with a slightly heavier bent such as Galahad while also bringing in some of the more symphonic sounds beloved of IQ. If someone had told me this album had been released in 2021, I really would not have been surprised, as it is ageless in many ways, and all the better for it. They mostly stick away from the more Wagnerian styles that some German bands feel the need to deploy, and while they do flirt with some progressive metal tendencies, for the most part this is solid neo progressive rock with a heavy emphasis on guitars playing melodic lines as opposed to heavy riffs. It is definitely worth investigating for those who have not previous come across the band, as it certainly does not come across as a 20-year- old debut.

 In Oculis Meis by TRAUMHAUS album cover Studio Album, 2020
3.80 | 32 ratings

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In Oculis Meis
Traumhaus Symphonic Prog

Review by RelayerFr

3 stars After seven years of silence, TRAUMHAUS presents us his fourth album, four for a quartet of which only one representative of the first lin-up remains ..., the singer, keyboardist and composer ALEXANDER WEYLAND. This Germanic group sends us two versions, one in English and the other in German in order to vary the pleasures, to reach the world market eventually, and to show us that this guttural language can easily infiltrate the world of prog while keeping its inherent and authentic identity. The two versions are absolutely identical, and present no difficulty for the listener who would be looking for any accent. We can locate this formation in the royal road of prog metal, embodied by groups such as PAIN OF SALVATION, THRESHOLD or even DREAM THEATER but with a lower tone for technicality, and skillfully entangled in modern neo-prog like ARENA or GALAHAD . Compared to the previous pancakes, the music here appears harder, with a tendency to metallize, while retaining the sweet and harmonious side that the neo prog distils. The production will not be commented on. Let's see more closely if this Anglo-Saxon pancake will give me an appetite ... A gala piano opens "The Awakening", accompanied by a small choir without words in the style of the BEACH BOYS. A powerful voice suddenly cuts off this reverie to rise in intensity crescendo in the octaves as could the singer of the Swedish group ACT, the whole metallic armada then sets in motion and conditions us for the continuation of the hostilities by this short interlude of 2:13, but interesting nonetheless! With "Preserve & Understand" there is no longer any doubt, the orchestration comes as if to pound our eardrums with all the vehemence and force of steel, a pretty liberating melody will bring down this high magnitude by episode. It is linked by keeping the same line to become progressive and symphonic, some special effects will intersect this sustained rhythm, embellished by a vocoded mellotron and a successful guitar solo à la YNGWIE MALMSTEEN. "Walk On Yourself" begins slowly with synthetic keyboards and a slow voice, with a deep and articulate elocution, before the arrival of a simple and effective melody with the paces of fm rock, tempered keyboards and guitar solis with BRIAN MAY resonances will spice up this song resembling a well-crafted tube. "Escape" ushers us in through a door where space rock is inscribed, where a distant song will remind us of the Saharan desert and will be tuned to a round and rhythmic bass. The chorus will be melodic in harmony with the transcendent vocal of ALEXANDER WEYLAND which will offer us a whole panel of voices surfing superbly with PETER GABRIEL, a rise of organ at the end of the track will make more than one shiver ... very good, well-balanced piece! "So Many Ways" is another powerful hit whose chorus contains an air of already heard, without difficulty for the comprehension and a little redundant for my taste, just like the guitar with the sounds of GARY MOORE which will leave us on our hunger for the sensational and progressive side. "The New Morning" presents interesting mixtures of 70s-style keyboard solos, sometimes heavy metal and a few passages really well brought up but, lonely in this house with dark walls. "Understand & Preserve" is a well-composed entirely instrumental piece, a kind of demonstration of strength and know-how taking us into the colossal repertoire of said group, enhanced by some epic and metallic overtures ... there, we are not bad ! To conclude this opus "X-Ray The Darkness" we get from the start a movement "Zeppelin", an "Immigrant song" reworked for the circumstances DREAM THEATER style and repeated in several places in different variations, the chorus will take us into in contact with ARENA as much by the style as by the voice, this voice which is metamorphosed admirably and naturally, influenced once again by the leader of GENESIS first period. Let's come back to this double CD with multiple linguistic choice: after having listened carefully to the two proposals I do not have the impression that the German version brings the same consistency and the same impact as the one in English, I could be wrong, but I have the feeling that the compositions are thought out and produced in english. I picked up words and made comparisons to the same passages, for me it is obvious that English is essential, thanks to greater fluidity and a better targeted and more precise mathematical organization of the syllables. And to finish the subject, just like French, my mother tongue, singing in German is not a priority for me and does not have the same resonance in my ears, and that since I was little, surely a question of habit or alienation ...? This group has just openly taken the direction of metal and naturally aspires to the notoriety of a DREAM THEATER, and I think it would not take much to achieve that, but not everyone is lucky enough to have within it a JOHN PRETRUCCI or a MIKE PORTNOY ... Despite this, the prog is here with all the attributes and structures required to create the link that indicates belonging to this great family. I really liked the voice of ALEXANDER WEYLAND which I found deep, mutant, powerful and appropriately exploited in all compartments. Without mentioning all the instruments, the accompanists are not left out and show us a great professionalism for what is presented to us here, nothing to say about it! The melodies are simple but well born, the chords and harmonies are not of great complexity but are admirably composed and managed to catch my attention, the balanced mix of metal and neo-prog has a lot to do with it! Good listening
 In Oculis Meis by TRAUMHAUS album cover Studio Album, 2020
3.80 | 32 ratings

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In Oculis Meis
Traumhaus Symphonic Prog

Review by Windhawk
Special Collaborator Honorary Collaborator

4 stars German band TRAUMHAUS can trace their history back to the end of the 1990's, and they revealed themselves to the public in 2001 with the debut album "Traumhaus". Since then the band have delivered new studio albums every 6 years or so. "In Oculis Meis" is their fourth studio album, and was released in 2020 through German label Progressive Promotion Records.

Traumhaus isn't a band that will appeal to dedicated fans of niche segments within the progressive rock universe, and the focus on darker tones and darker moods may well alienate a few as well. But those who enjoy high quality progressive rock explored with a focus on darker moods, compositions that are more atmospheric laden and accessible and a band that exist somewhere inside the triangle of hard progressive rock, neo-progressive rock and progressive metal should find the latest album by Traumhaus to be something of a treat I'd imagine. From a personal point of view I'd describe this as a highly enjoyable creation.

 Das Geheimnis by TRAUMHAUS album cover Studio Album, 2013
3.97 | 125 ratings

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Das Geheimnis
Traumhaus Symphonic Prog

Review by Thierry

4 stars Ouch! What a thunder! What a lightning! I've never heard such a German gem since long. Traumhaus plays a symphonic prog in the way of Anyone's Daughter, Novalis. No less. Traumhaus (i.e. 'the House of Dreams') is a German group that evolved out of a mid 90s outfit called Zweeback. The line up changed since the very beginning in 2001. It now features Alexander Weyland (vocals, keyboards), Tobias Hampl (guitars), Sebastian Klein (bass), Stefan Hopf (additional drums loops) and Mr Jimmy Keegan of Spock's Beard and Santana fame, a terrific drummer. Third album already and it's a pure bliss. Fans of Genesis and Yes will enjoy this pearl and they are right. Fluid and lyrical guitars, vintage keyboards, ambitious and complex polyrhythmic compositions alternate with catchy melodies. No weak point except, perhaps, the energetic 'Frei'. The rest is a pure delight and makes this album a must really. Highly recommended.
 Die Andere Seite by TRAUMHAUS album cover Studio Album, 2008
4.07 | 47 ratings

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Die Andere Seite
Traumhaus Symphonic Prog

Review by Windhawk
Special Collaborator Honorary Collaborator

4 stars German band TRAUMHAUS was formed back in 1994 with vocalist and keyboardist Alexander Weyland as its central member. They released their self-titled debut album back in 2001, on the now defunct Angular Records label. Seven years later they released their second album "Die Andere Seite", this time on Saustark Records. When they reappeared in 2013 with their third full length album it was released through the German label Progressive Promotion Records. They have subsequently reissued the first two Traumhaus albums, adding bonus cuts to the new versions.

Like with their debut album, Traumhaus wanders through a landscape where they use elements from neo progressive and classic symphonic rock, with some metal oriented details added in. The end result is a compelling one, with frail passages and majestic sequences alternating in a smooth and logical manner. Fairly liberal use of the Mellotron is a strong mood provider, and a taste for that instrument will be needed, as will a certain affection for atmospheres bordering the melancholic and occasionally with a more ominous presence.

 Ausgeliefert by TRAUMHAUS album cover Boxset/Compilation, 2014
4.12 | 14 ratings

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Ausgeliefert
Traumhaus Symphonic Prog

Review by Windhawk
Special Collaborator Honorary Collaborator

4 stars German band TRAUMHAUS was formed back in 1994 with vocalist and keyboardist Alexander Weyland as its central member. They released their self-titled debut album back in 2001, on the now defunct Angular Records label. Seven years later they released their second album "Die Andere Seite", this time on Saustark Records. When they reappeared in 2013 with their third full length album it was released through the German label Progressive Promotion Records. They have subsequently reissued the first two Traumhaus albums, adding bonus cuts to the new versions and also opted to rename the band's debut album to "Ausgeliefert".

"Ausgeliefert" documents the skills of a promising band that tries to explore a fairly diverse musical landscape that ranges from atmospheric neo progressive rock to a tight and accessible variety of progressive metal, with several indications along the way that this is a band that is well aware of their classic symphonic progressive rock as well. While it is rather different in execution, I'd suggest that those who found the British band Galahad's 2007 album "Empires Never Last" to be an enjoyable effort, will also give this CD a spin, alongside those who find the notion of a band wandering between the aforementioned variations of progressive rock to be an interesting one.

 Das Geheimnis by TRAUMHAUS album cover Studio Album, 2013
3.97 | 125 ratings

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Das Geheimnis
Traumhaus Symphonic Prog

Review by Windhawk
Special Collaborator Honorary Collaborator

4 stars German band TRAUMHAUS has been around in one form or another since the start of the revival of progressive rock in the 90's, releasing their debut album back in 2001 with a second production following in 2008. "Das Geheiminis" is the third studio disc by the band, released through the German label Progressive Promotion Records in the fall of 2013.

"Das Geheimins" is an album that should see Traumhaus gain a lot of recognition. They have crafted an albums worth of symphonic progressive rock that blends details from the old school of this style with a more contemporary oriented variety of it, in a manner that should give the disc a fairly broad appeal amongst fans of progressive rock in general. First and foremost an album that comes with a firm recommendation to those who prefer their progressive rock to be of the symphonic variety obviously, alongside those who tend to enjoy bands commonly described as neo-progressive.

 Hinaus by TRAUMHAUS album cover Singles/EPs/Fan Club/Promo, 2005
3.32 | 6 ratings

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Hinaus
Traumhaus Symphonic Prog

Review by apps79
Special Collaborator Honorary Collaborator

3 stars Despite its questionable result, ''Traumhaus'' received a few positive reviews back in 2001, the same year new member Kuno Wagner joined the band on touch guitar.Frank Woidich appeared only as a guest on the band's debut, as a result Alexander Weyland soon took over again all keyboard duties.In 2003 original member Bernhard Selbach left the band due to his heavy schedule and he was replaced by Tobias Hampl.In order to please their fans Traumhaus wrote, recorded and released an EP in 2005, entitled ''Hinaus'', produced by themselves and mixed by Michael Dorniak and Weyland.

A suprising comeback, this one is a significant development over Tramuhaus' raw debut with the questionable songwriting and showcases the band offering a refined, elaborate Progressive Rock with a romantic symphonic sound similar to the 70's in four mid-length tracks, based on stretched instrumental themes and more careful vocal deliveries.They do remind me a lot of 70's DDR groups like STERN COMBO MEISSEN or LIFT, combining strong orchestral textures with more laid-back singing lines in lush, interesting arrangements.The sound is highlighted by the omnipresent Mellotron of Weyland with intense, orchestral waves and lovely flute strings around, surrounded by some beautiful light organ colors and the measured use of synthesizers.Guitars offer some nice, bombastic energy when needed and the rhythm section is absolutely efficient.Filled with changing climates, Traumhaus new effort shows a more mature band with more competent songwriting, while the album could have been easily a late-70's pressing due to its strong analog sound.

Maybe a new era begins for Traumhaus with this EP.In the vein of Classic Teutonic/Symphonic Rock groups of the 70's, ''Hinaus'' will fully satisfy all lovers of Mellotron-led Progressive Rock with nostalgic touches.Recommended.

Thanks to ProgLucky for the artist addition. and to Joolz for the last updates

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