Tuesday, April 24, 2012

SaturmZilde : BeVor [2012]




"BeVor" is German for 'before' - but just what does that mean in
respect to this album? In some ways, this CD is rather an
'after' - Hamburg's Alexander Marco finally releases a full-
length SATURMZLIDE album, after nearly two decades of musical
activities in various bands, genres and styles, and after a
well-received CD-R on Fich-Art in 2009. Anyway, Alex is an
atypical musician, following a late vocation to the call of
industrial and rhythm'n'noise, who brings along the experience
of his past musical endeavours - and lets them shine through in
his compositions.

"Bevor" is a somewhat enigmatic crossbreed of musical currents
that make for a strong blend. The overall essence is the rhythm,
no doubt about that, punchy and groove-infected, making this
album a tight-knit unit despite the many different ideas which
have been put into practice. "Rainlands" is a moody intro with
tribal downbeats and a steady build-up, followed by the rhythm
noise section of the album with the club recommendation "El Door
Rado Rmx" - a relentless noise groove and a commanding vocal
sample do the job proper! "Power Plant" and "Interceptor"
combine distorted rhythms with strong atmospheric breaks, while
inbetween the two tracks, "Bionic Ocean I" surprises with its
beatless, experimental atmosphere.

The album closes with a magnum opus, a nearly twenty-five minute
suite in seven movements entitled "The Sky" that revisits all
the styles and elements from the album and melts them with new
ideas even more out-of-bounds, with a psychedelic atmosphere
being the foundation stone upon which this monumental
composition is erected. It starts with a straight rhythm track,
plunges into atmospheric sounds; and then come in some guests:
the third part ("Drifting") features the guitar by a certain
Andreas Hellriegel, giving it a prog rock flavour, while the
fourth part ("Timerider") is a bouncing rhythm track, featuring
industrial veteran Philipp Münch. The following parts slow down
considerably, preparing the listener to bid farewell to this
musical trip.

So, "BeVor", before what? You get the strong impression, and you
may well hope, this 'before' is the first step before a lot more
to come - quality always comes out on top, and this debut (if
you may call it that) is surely a top pick!




01. Rainlands [6:33]
02. El Door Rado Rmx [5:21]
03. Powerplant [3:52]
04. Bionic Ocean I [Blue Engines] [5:48]
05. Interceptor [4:53]
06. Girl Under Glas [4:48]
07. World Time Crash [4:19]
08. Half Of The Planet [Spiritual Mix] [4:09]
09. The Sky [24:48]


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