ERWARTUNG

Huge band and one of the first Christian rock groups from Germany.They were found in 1977 in Lüdenscheid, Nordrhein-Westfalen by three members of an organization called ''Christian Youth Association Free Community''.From their first moments EDEN tried to blend Christian-inspired lyrics with folk/rick and classical music,a fact clearly taped on their first LP ''Erwartung'' from 1978.

STYLE: Actually the album is closer to symphonic rock than folk/rock.Folk-tinged symphonic rock would be a good description.''Erwartung'' works as a concept album with a story starting from God's creation and Jesus' life and miracles and ends up to the resurrection and humanity's salvation.Lots of magnificent flute,violin and piano parts flirting both with folk and classical music.Lyrics are sung in German with male and female singers delivering great gospel-like choirs and multi-vocal sections.Electric guitars are also awesome sounding close to bands like ELOY and ANYONE'S DAUGHTER.''Erwartung'' is a very melodic album with plenty of complex parts and a fair amount of professional interplays.

INFLUENCES/SOUNDS LIKE: Flute parts remind me a lot of CAMEL,guitars of ANYONE'S DAUGHTER,but the overall sound is closer to other German symph/folk bands like REBEKKA or HOELDERLIN.A touch of GENTLE GIANT's music is also evident.

PLUS: One of the best works on flutes and violins on the entire progressive rock spectrum! Constantly changing moods,from happy sounding tracks to grandiose and deep vocal-driven passages.Excellent delivery on keys and saxes,which make the sound even richer.Great vocal sections,despite the raw German language.Not cheesy at all,despite the Christian-based themes and year of release,on the opposite the musicinaship on ''Erwartung'' is a lot more than demanding.A huge amount of memorable melodies and well-executed interplays.

MINUS: Really hard to find...Just German lyrics aren't everybody's taste and are hard to be followed hy the mass of the prog community.

WILL APPEAL TO: Really to everyone!Both fans of folk rock and symphonic/classic progressive rock will have the time of their lives with this one...but anyone who takes music seriously should run and purchase ''Erwartung''!

CONCLUSION/RATING: 5 stars and my highest recommendations for an album flirting with prog rock's Hall of Fame for its original approach,balance and deep atmospheres!An unforgettable experience definetely!