THE DAWN ANEW IS COMING

Legendary English-German band with some very strange roots.Message were originally formed in 1968 in Dusseldorf by bassist Horst Stachelhaus,but the main man Tom McGuigan and guitarist Allan Murdoch entered the scene later.Tom and Allan were members of the Scottish band The Waysiders in the 60's.After they disbanded Allan formed MI5 and moved to Germany,the band became close friends with Message,eventually MI5 became the prog monster Nektar,but Murdoch decided to join Message and bring along McGuigan along with guitarist Billy Tabbert.As a five-piece with also German drummer Gunther Klinger Message released the album ''The Dawn Anew Is Coming'' in 1972 on Bacillus.The album succeeded several vinyl and CD re-issues in the future.

With the powerful voice of Tom McGuigan on the front,Message played somekind of Psychedelic/Hard/Kraut-Rock mix with plenty of breaks between aggresive parts and smooth passages,with long tracks balanced between vocal performance and fiery instrumental playing.With only a touch of additional instruments,the band was heavily based on the classic guitar/bass/drums combination with heavy guitar playing and sometimes groovy sax parts delivered by McGuigan.Message incorporated elements found in the music of DEEP PURPLE, WIND, early ELOY (particularly in the guitar solos) and NEKTAR as well as hints of VAN DER GRAAF GENERATOR.Very good work by McGuigan on vocals,the album lacks a bit in diversity,being a Psych/Hard Rock monster for its time,but it haven't grown really well through time.The adsence of additional instruments make the sound less rich compared to bands of the time like NEKTAR or ELOY,but Message definitely played well the specific style they had chosen.

A good and energetic album,''The Dawn Anew Is Coming'' will be propably a long-time favorite for fans of Hard/Kraut-Rock with psychedelic touches and should appeal also to lovers of the aforementioned historical groups.Generally recommended.