SOMMERABEND

I should've tried NOVALIS much sooner, "Sommerabend" has became my first dive in to one of Germany's top prog rock bands. The band was smart to sing in their native tongue, avoiding many of the criticisms of other German bands singing in English, such as GROBSCHNITT or ELOY. They only sung in English on one album, and that was "Banished Bridge", their debut, and they figured out real quick that the English language wasn't suited for them.

Anyway, "Sommerabend", German for "Summer Evenings", which is their third album, is generally regarded as their high point. The album consists of three lengthy cuts (side two is the side length title cut). The album opens with the instrumental "Aufbruch", which is almost fusion-y in places, thanks to the inclusion of electric piano. The second cut, "Wunderschätze" uses text from NOVALIS (that is, the German poet who used that name and that the band got their name from), but the album's real winner is the sting synth heavy side length title track. Half the cut tends to be drenched in string synths, with that "Dark Side of the Moon" pace. I really dig the second movement, "Am Strand", where keyboardist Lutz Rahn created some spooky sounds off his string synths. Things picks ip on "Ein neuer Tag", then the beginning theme of the album repeats at the final movement called "Ins licht".

Regardless, "Sommerabend" is a nice addition to your German prog rock collection, and even more so if you like bands like ELOY or GROBSCHNITT, but don't fancy the English vocals from German guys who barely have the grasp of the English language.