Blitzkrieg

About

One of Germany’s longer lasting bands had first started as Blitzkrieg (until they found out a British band used the name as well) and changed their name to Wallenstein and kept their former name for the album, gracing it with a war-themed gatefold cover. Produced by the unavoidable Dieter Dierks and released on the ultra collectible Pilz label in early 1972, this debut album is stunning effort that transformed the 200 MPH speed notion into music. Keyboardist Jürgen Dollasse’s very international group comprised of a Dutch bassist Berker, an American guitarist Barone and fellow German drummer Großkopf (big head), but clearly Jürgen is the star of the show with his battery of key, mainly piano, but harpsichord and mellotron, but surprisingly no organ. Just four tracks on this corking red-hot album, all well above the 7-minute, and not one weaker than the other. The 12-min instrumental Lunetic starts on harpsichord arpeggio, before the group is adopting a binary rhythm, until they break free of it and stroll on through constantly shifting pattern, with Barone pulling one or two solos over Dollasse’s harpsichord. Less than halfway through the track, the track dies down, letting Dollasse (sole songwriter) slowly rebuild it back, but the man is taking his sweet time for our pure enchantment. What a performance, even if the track overstays its welcome by roughly one minute!! The 10-mins Theme is a no-less impressive slow starter, with Dollasse singing (3 minutes into the song) from behind his piano (but plays synth and mellotron as well), almost a one man show, but so well supported by Grosskopf’s excellent drumming and Barone’s discreet but efficient guitar. The track is a succession of seesaw moods that takes from exaltation to sadness to reflection inside the half-minute. On the flipside, the 14-mins instrumental Manhattan Project is obviously the “pièce de resistance” (main course) in the Wallenstein menu; whatever they managed so wall on the A-side is here multiplied by four, the group shrewdly tearing spine chills and tears of joy from you, as it moves through the constantly evolving web of moods they spin around your dizzied brain. Closing the album is the almost 8-mins Audience, Dollasse’s singing (lacking the perfection of The Theme’s vocals) giving way to a mellotron and the band picking their usual tricks and twist. A stunning debut symphonic prog album, one of Germany’s very best, Blitzkrieg is a must-belong in every proghead’s collection, for fear that it wouldn’t be worth a penny without it. What a corker this album is!! -- progarchives review -- – Bill Barone / Gibson 335 guitar, acoustic guitar, vocals – Jerry Berkers / ba, lead vocals – Jürgen Dollase / keyboard, Mellotron, lead vocal, words – Harald Großkopf / drum, percussion Companies etc. Phonographic Copyright (p) – ZYX Music Copyright (c) – ZYX Music Credits: Cover – GIL* Performer – Dieter Dierks (tracks: A1) Producer – Dieter Dierk, Wallenstein Written-By – Dollase* Notes: Track A1 recorded Sept. 1971 Track A2 and B1 recorded Dec. 1971 Track B2 recorded 1971 This reissue ℗ ZYX Music © 2013 ZYX Music Made in the E.E.C. Barcode and Other Identifiers Barcode: 090204639939 Matrix / Runout (A-side, etched): 115364 A1 JP Matrix / Runout (B-side, etched): 115364 B1 JP Rights Society: Austromechana Rights Society: BIEM / AUME Label Code: LC 02641 .

via Last.fm

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