If you’re a proghead and you don’t own this album then you need to correct that immediately and with due haste. ‘Nuff said. Oh rats, I probably need to write more than that. Okay, the band with a very strange name are not German at all but are Canadian, and this is their debut album. They have all known each other for a long period of time and finally got a band together four years ago and at their debut live show their first number was ‘Close To The Edge’. Yep, it’s a given that these guys can play. I mean they can really play. What they have done here is taken the classic influences (Gentle Giant, Yes, King Crimson, ELP and have brought in Colosseum, Allan Holdsworth, Hatfield & The North among others) and have then just had a blast.
The first number is “ELPO” and is a keyboard-led instrumental. I mean, given that this a band that had a great singer who does even opens an album like that? I was send this as a download so hadn’t read the booklet so when I started playing it I just presumed that it was an instrumental act. We move through the influences mentioned, plus more, as Druckfarben take us on a journey that contains great vocals and stunning musicianship. The only real question I have is how can I convince more people to investigate this? They are already recording their second album and are working on a live DVD release to boot. This is a brilliant album, well worth five stars, and one that I already love immensely. You need to visit their website and play some songs and then decide if you feel the same way.
www.druckfarben.ca
