ROCKPOMMEL'S LAND

After the disappointing Jumbo, Grobschnitt continued their Yes-gone-quirky-in-German-bunker approach and delivered a good album with theatrical vocals and fluently rocking Sympho. The vocals remain an acquired taste but the melodies are better developed then on Jumbo and the German crooner influences are toned down luckily.

The music sticks to the path laid out by Yes and Genesis in the preceding years and will fit most sympho fans like a glove, but I can't relate to the vocals which are too forced for me. Wildschwein deems it necessary to emphasize every syllable with an equal dose of artsy theatricality and makes things sound rather contrived to my ears. The crooner influences haven't disappeared neither, as testified by Anywhere.

If you can stomach the vocal histrionics, this album will add a nice slab of symphonic prog to your collection. Not entirely original but competent and willful enough to pass for more then just a Yes and Genesis clone. This sure is a remarkable band, but I can do with the debut and Solar Music.