Trommelfell-records (LC 02040)

German Cologne-based Post-Prog project

Time: 41:41

Rating 75/100

 https://www.the-weever-sands.com/sources/

https://www.facebook.com/theweeversands

[email protected]

The brain(s) behind this outfit are a seemingly secretive bunch because there is a distinct lack of band information in respect to photos or any other straightforward information on the website. There is. I guess, one or two reasons for this:-

  1. a) I’m searching in the wrong place, in that case, please forgive me, or
  2. b) It is in fact the absolute desire of the band themselves to remain mysterious?

All I know (mostly from Bandcamp) that they are listed as a German, Cologne-based Post-Prog Project.  Also, this is the second album (the first album being from 2016 and entitled “Keep You Face Turned to the Light”). Once again merging Prog with Post-Rock into a classical 70s format. The album itself comprising an epic long-track and three shorter ones. With guests stunt guitar ace Armin Rave and ex-Guano Apes producer Geo Schaller on flute. One’s imagination is quite stretched into aligning the entirely instrumental music against the fun storyline of a very sophisticated bat searching for his sweetheart in ancient Greece.

The website itself, whilst adorned with a multitude of buttons, offers an abundance of good music and one indeed leads to umpteen pages of jumbled statements, not being critical but it could be more user friendly.

From a music perspective the very initial, but momentary thought, that came to mind was a distinct similarity to ‘Doctor and the Scientists’. It was something to do with the bass like backbone beat, I think, as of course, the whole affair is a million miles away from ‘Dub; Another more closer comparison might be  ‘The Dreamies – Auralgraphic Entertainment”.  However, the music especially on the so-called long track, Stylobat’s Travels, is an amazing hypotonic journey from start to finish, it is a wonderful and elaborate piecing together of instrumental segments that all flow together in luscious spellbinding harmony. The focal point throughout this track is the free-flowing keyboards which carry the melody lines and act as bridges between the other music segments. . The long guitar break is outstanding and dominates the central portion of the music.  The jumbled statement referred to earlier highlight the influence or indeed the format utilised by Mike Oldfield and indeed this is clearly obvious following a couple of plays.

Summary: A slightly unbalanced album with one long amazing track and three shorter tracks that do not quite reach the same highlights of musical interest.

1             Intro. The Breakout Session

2             And Aphrodite Took the Veil

3           .Stylobat’s Travels

4             Acropolis (The Big Wave)