DIE ANDERE SEITE

I recently received a copy of Traumhaus's third album, which reminded me that I really ought to get my ass into gear and review their second, which was released in 2008 (I haven't had it since then, honest!). At the time they were a trio of Tobias Hampl (guitars), Alexander Weyland (vocals, keyboards), Hans Jrg Schmitz (drums, percussion) with guest bassist Jordan H. Gazall. The album is sung in German, a somewhat unusual approach given that most German prog bands use English, but it really works. It reminds me at times of one of my favourite German prog acts, Grobschnitt, especially with their use of mellotron as they have a very Seventies feel to the music. Also, the vocals are very much sung in a register where Alexander can concentrate on emotion, and only goes higher when there is a need instead of trying to sing higher all the time.

The guitars have a strident edge, while the keyboards provide the layering, and Hans knows when to pummel the kit or when to just gently tap on a cymbal here and there. The result is a band who clearly understand the need for space within the music and while at times it can be almost overpowering in its' intensity, there are others when it is quite calming and soothing. The layers can be wound into and across each other so that they have strength, or unwrapped and loose to that there is room for it all to flow and breathe.

It is an album of grace and passion, one that brings a smile to the face of this proghead every time I play it. If you missed this when it came out back in '08 then you owe it to your ears to get hold of it now.

German band TRAUMHAUS was formed back in 1994 with vocalist and keyboardist Alexander Weyland as its central member. They released their self-titled debut album back in 2001, on the now defunct Angular Records label. Seven years later they released their second album "Die Andere Seite", this time on Saustark Records. When they reappeared in 2013 with their third full length album it was released through the German label Progressive Promotion Records. They have subsequently reissued the first two Traumhaus albums, adding bonus cuts to the new versions.

Like with their debut album, Traumhaus wanders through a landscape where they use elements from neo progressive and classic symphonic rock, with some metal oriented details added in. The end result is a compelling one, with frail passages and majestic sequences alternating in a smooth and logical manner. Fairly liberal use of the Mellotron is a strong mood provider, and a taste for that instrument will be needed, as will a certain affection for atmospheres bordering the melancholic and occasionally with a more ominous presence.