MEDITERRANEAN TALES (ACROSS THE WATERS)

Triumvirat was formed in Cologne in 1969 by a young, talented keyboardist Jurgen Fritz, bassist Werner Frangenberg, and a drummer Hans Bathelt. The band strated out playing covers in local concert venues, but quickly developed their own material, which was to a high degree inspired by The Nice, Focus, and Emerson Lake & Palmer. In 1971, the trio sent demo tapes to EMI Records in Cologne and was soon offered to record their debut album, which they named Mediterranean Tales.

Mediterranean Tales is strongly shaped by classical music with influence of classic composers such as Mozart, Bach, Offenbach, and Beethoven being evident. Triumvirat is clearly inspired by the music of Emerson Lake & Palmer and leaves no doubt why the band was often referred to as "an ELP clone" or "Germany's Emerson Lake & Palmer". Despite the undeniable affinity, their sound goes beyond that. The band does have their own integrity, which is reflected mainly on melodic and sung parts.

Jurgen Fritz is an outstanding, versatile keyboardist with a fantastic feel. He is equally proficient in blues-inspired organ play, classical piano as well as more rocky passages on synthesizers. One of the more interesting sounds that he uses is a synthesized clavinet sound, which gives a distinct, bright, percussive timbre, well suited for his playing. Hans Bathelt's drum playing is rather jazz-inspired. He is capable of very skillful swing-style playing. Werner Frangenberg's bass guitar does not stand out in any way and is dominated by the bombastic keyboards. It does play an important role in the band's overall sound nonetheless. The band's lead vocals are nothing really special. The backing vocals are very high-pitched and sound a bit like someone was fooling around.

Mediterranean Tales comprises four pieces (plus another four on the 2002 EMI remaster). The most important track of the album is Triumvirat's side-long suite "Across The Waters". It highlights the band's most characteristic elements including classical influences, bombastic keyboard virtuosity with decent sung parts. The other three pieces also feature all of the basic ingredients. "E Minor 5/9 Minor" is also a very interesting track with ELP-like synthesizers.

All in all, Triumvirat's debut effort Mediterranean Tales is quite solid and consistent for their first work. However, the album is rather unremarkable, repetitive, and rather predictable. It lacks a bit diversity and variety. It does feature some nice moments, though. Considering this is the group's first album, I am able to tolerate some of the flaws. This work is recommended for fans of classically-influenced symphonic rock as well as those of Emerson Lake & Palmer. 3.5 stars!