FIFTH DEAD

While Germany's Krautrock scene has yielded many prolific bands such as Embryo, Can and Amon Duul II, there were tons of bands that released a single album and called it a day but what is less known is that there were also a number of bands that didn't release an album at all and only recorded a handful of singles which more or less ended up on those Krautrock compilations that dug up all the lost relics of the past.

FIFTH DEAD was one such band that technically existed from 1971 to 1986 but only recorded a mere six songs, two of which, "Blue Sky" and "Devil King" having been released as a single in 1976. This band led by guitarist / vocalist Dirk Crecelius featured a group of teenagers following in the footsteps of early Black Sabbath and Uriah Heep and added the proper Kraut touches to keep it all in line with the current trends of Germany's Krautrock scene.

It took a number of years for the band to record any songs at all and it wouldn't be until 1975 when seasoned producer Hans Werner Kuntze took these guys into the studio to lay some songs down to tape. Of all these only the "Blue Sky / Devil King" single ever saw the light of day whereas other tracks such as "Long Way," "Bumblebee," "What We Can Do" and "Angel And God" would later appear on the 1997 CD Sampler "Psychedelic Germs 2."

It doesn't take long to figure out why this band never made it past releasing singles. They were simply just awful! And i'm actually quite a tolerant music lover putting up with many imperfections in the creative process to eke out any enjoyment possibilities whatsoever but sorry to say that in the case of FIFTH DEAD, there's really nothing going for them at least based on these two tracks.

Sounding more like a throwback to the heavy psych 60s, "Blue Sky" and "Devil King" both deliver a trippy mix of folky acoustic guitars, fuzzed out electric guitars, simple beat styled drums and bass and very, very awful vocals. While the music is tolerable it's also uninspiring and when played in tandem with the lackluster vocals, is enough to make me throw this to the bottom of the pile and declare this as some of the blandest music ever to spring forth from the Krautrock scene.

For some reason this band was quite successful as a live act so it puzzles me that the band's longevity hasn't been matched by any decent recordings. This is perhaps the least prolific band i've ever encountered with zero albums over a 15 year career and judging from these two songs doesn't make me want to dig for more. Oh well, they can't all be winners but unfortunately these two songs don't capture anything that makes Krautrock an interesting deviation from the rock genre. Generic, flat and bad even by garage rock standards.

FIFTH DEAD was founded in 1971 by very young musicians (less than twenty years) who were inspired by Black Sabbath and Uriah Heep. The band worked hard for a good reputation as a live attraction in the Kaiserlautern region and existed until 1982. Their first recorded song 'A Special Man' in 1973 became the B-side of a german Schlager vinyl single for what reason ever. Other four songs later appeared on the sampler 'Psychedelic Gems 2' which was released in 1997.

In 1976 they produced this single record including two songs - not following their initial inspiration because lacking in uniqueness and inspiration. Dirk Crecelius' vocals are not my cup of tea, others might say he can't sing. Blue Sky is bluesy balladesque and sounding amateurish. The lead guitar is the only glimmer of light. Devilking comes as the better one in a heavy rock vein. As for a conclusion this is not more than a mediocre rock sound referring to beat music - nothing which sounds experimental or innovative.