JUMBO

I do love the band GROBSCHNITT for its spontaneous ''Kraut'' jams, weird songs, monumental space oddysseys, brilliant musicianship! I do love listening to symphonic rock like in ''Hamburger Concerto'', ''Novalis'' ''itcotck'' or other ''Yessongs''.

So grobschnitt playing symphnonic rock, is it a match in heaven? Will i reach my Nirvana? ...Not quite!!

JUMBO is the third GROBSCHNITT album and the first that is rightly classified as a symphonic prog album on PA.I still think GROBSCHNITT excelled in some more ''German'' sounding music leaving room for improvisations, weird and fun songs and long spacey jams. When GROBSCHNITT decided to take the Genesis road, i think they lost a lot of freshness and spontaneity.

Don't get me wrong, JUMBO is still a GOOD album but for me GROBSCHNITT lost a little bit its own personality and craziness of the past. In one word GROBSCHNITT got serious, very serious. This is pleasant music Genesis fans surely may enjoy as everything is planned, well crafted, all instruments are under control but nothing is really sparking.

VOLKER KAHRS ''Mist'' the keyboardist was the main architect on this album and obviously has listened to a lot of TONY BANKS. The same goes for LUPO the guitarist who thinks he is HACKETT now . Just listen to the intro of the 11mns SUNNY SUNDAY SUNSET with its little guitar arpeggios noodling helped by a organ soundscape, that sounds like the Genese for me.Everything is sweet, WILDSCHWEIN tries to sing with emotion , ''feeling'' the song, the guitarist tries hard to reach the majestic notes with MIST doing its BANKS coating in the back, but nothing takes really off. Maybe as i am not a die-hard Genesis fan, that's my problem.

Another issue i may have is the WILDSCHWEIN vocal abilities at singing this kind of music. As i said in another review, his vocals sound something like CHRIS FARLOWE or DAVID CLAYTON THOMAS, a strong deep voice maybe not very suited for this kind of symphonic adventures.

THE EXCURSION OF FATHER SMITH is another mini-epic full of nice orchestrations, nice guitar breaks,nice melody, everything is clean but the musicians are playing with a leash on their necks, especially LUPO the guitarist who forgets to play like the powerful LUPO from the first 2 albums. THE CLOWN and DREAM AND REALITY are the 2 other cute numbers, once again well arranged full of delicate arrangements. There is nothing bad on JUMBO, believe me. Everything is well coordinated, but is it GROBSCHNITT, the real GROBSCHNITT??.

Maybe ardent GENESIS fans like ZOWIE ZIGGY will prefer this Grobschnitt period but i do still prefer GROBSCHNITT playing GROBSCHNITT music , not the music of some other bands. I do like when LUPO plays like himself and try not emulating HACKETT or HOWE. He doesn't need to as he is so good when he plays with its own style and personality.

3 STARS.

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