Neuschwanstein - Battlement (1978)

Artista: Neuschwanstein
Álbum: Battlement
Año:1978
Género: Rock sinfónico
Duración: 46:37
Nacionalidad: Alemania

Lista de Temas:
1. Loafer Jack (4:42)
2. Ice with Dwale (6:21)
3. Intruders and the Punishment (7:34)
4. Beyond the Bugle (7:31)
5. Battlement (7:05)
6. Midsummer Day (7:42) *
7. Zärtlicher Abschied (5:42)
Total Time: 46:37
.. *Bonus track on cd release

Alineación:
 - Frederic Joos / guitar
- Uli Limpert / bass
- Klaus Mayer / flute, synthesizers
- Thomas Neuroth / keyboards
- Hans-Peter Schwarz / drums
- Roger Weiler / guitar
- Reiner Zimmer / bass, vocals


Con una más que marcada influencia de Genesis de la era Gabriel, el único disco de la banda, titulado "Battlement", vio la luz en 1978. Y en 1992, Musea Records lo editó en formato CD, agregándole un track adicional.
¿Qué podemos decir sobre esta verdadera joya perdida del progresivo setentero de la ex Alemania Occidental? Pues, que todo fan de Genesis debe escucharlo y disfrutarlo, pues combina hermosas composiciones, una fina y delicada muestra de guitarras eléctricas y acústicas, una sorprendente y casi lujuriosa artesanía de teclados (piano, string-ensemble, Mellotron, Fender Rhodes, sintetizadores y órgano), una bella flauta, una muy bien asentada sección rítmica y una voz con letras en inglés que suena como si se tratara del alumno más aventajado del Maestro Peter Gabriel.

Sin tener largas piezas épicas y sin estar las pistas totalmente conectadas entre sí, el disco toma un carácter conceptual debido a la temática de las canciones que las conectan como un todo. Tiene un aire pastoral y poético en muchos de los arreglos, otorgado por los sonidos cristalinos de la guitarra y de la flauta, en tanto la solemnidad nos llega en los pasajes más épicos llenados magistralmente por el Mellotron.

Esta no se trata de una banda clon de Genesis, sino que es más bien una evocación de cómo habría sido a lo mejor el sonido de los muchachos del Charterhouse College en una extrapolación de la onda más pastoral de su obra, identificada con "Trespass". Es una lástima que haya sido sólo debut y despedida, pues estos inspirados alemanes bien merecían continuar por este camino que tan bien comenzaron, en la búsqueda del sonido más propio.

This is one of those essential gems from the fine folks at Musea. NEUSCHWANSTEIN should appeal to all fans of early GENESIS (aka "Foxtrot" era). Although they borrow liberally from the fine output of GENESIS, they do not deliver a carbon copy by any stretch of the imagination. Sounds are deep and rich in texture with superb musicianship and song writing skills. The vocalist does sound a lot like young Peter GABRIEL at times and also has a great range. Speaker separation is quite dynamic and the fine folks at Musea have done an outstanding job and reproducing and re-mixing this music. This is very clever progressive rock deeply rooted in the underground 70's philosophy. Another essential purchase to show your mom and dad!

James Unger

NEUSCHWANSTEIN were a 70s German symphonic progressive rock band that released one album back in 1979. "Battlement" is a rather well-known album among prog fans due to its striking similarities with early GENESIS. Singer Frederic Joos is an absolute dead-ringer for Peter GABRIEL. In fact, most of the CD sounds like music GENESIS could have released between 1975-1980 if Peter GABRIEL and Steve HACKETT had stayed in the band. Compared to early GENESIS, NEUSCHWANSTEIN's instrumentation and recording capabilities were considerably higher, yet this German band got rather close to writing music that was equally as good as those early GENESIS classics. Even their lyric writing skills were okay (although I have to mention that some people don't care for them). The only flaw that I can point out is that once in a while certain melodies, riffs, and rhythms remind you of certain sections in classic GENESIS songs. Nothing is too blantant, but most GENESIS fans will hear the similarities. In all, ENGLAND's "Garden Shed" is still considerably better than "Battlement", yet "Battlement" will easily impress fans of GENESIS-sounding prog groups from the 70s.

Steve Hegede

A Lost Gem of late 70's (1978), from Germany. Sang in English. The comparison with Genesis is clear, especially when you start digging into the singer. Whom I definitively agree with James sounds like young Peter Gabriel!
The music has a Genesis aftertaste (early period). However, do not expect a Genesis clone. No guitar or synths ala Hacket/Banks, but the acoustic parts sound pretty much on that realm. Also I have to agree that Camel influence were there.....and, since their influences are 2 of my all time favs bands, I have put this CD in a very handy and special place on my collection.
A real winner, that capture the 70's sound one more time and delivers a lot of that fantastic Mellotron with a special acoustic charm!!! 5 Solid stars!!!

Jose Gabriel

NEUSCHWANSTEIN (the name is derived from King Ludwig II his castle in the Bavarian Alps) is an acclaimed German one-shot-band that made one outstanding, GENESIS inspired album ('78) entitled "Battlement". In the early Eighties I bought this LP during a 'prog rock pilgrimage' in the famous music store "Saturn" in Cologne (Germany), also the city where the album was recorded. The seven very melodic and harmonic compositions on the original LP feature a warm sound, pleasant shifting moods, some sensational breaks and lush keyboards (piano, string-ensemble, Mellotron, Fender Rhodes electric piano, synthesizers and organ), beautiful flute, sensitive electric guitar, twanging acoustic guitar, a decent rhythm-section and good English vocals (including a charming German accent). The Musea CD-release (from '92) contains a splendid bonus track entitled "Midsummer Day" (strong acoustic rhythm-guitar and great synthesizer play). A must for any serious '70-'77' GENESIS fan!

Erik Neuteboom

The lead singer has a voice between Peter Gabriel and Dave Cousins (The Strawbs). The tracks are very heroic, magic and beautiful. The omnipresent combination of electric, acoustic rhythmic guitar and many keyboards parts remind me the Gandalf's "Imaginary land" album. "Loafer Jack" and "Battlement" sound a bit like Canadian prog band FM (Black Noise). "Ice with Dwal" sounds a bit like prog band Iluvatar and Steve Hackett's "Voyage of the acolyte". "Intruders and the punishment" sounds like Camel of the 70's, especially the keyboards. "Zartlicher Abschied" sounds like Gryphon's Raindance and Steve Hacket's Voyage of the Acolyte. Some interseting flute parts give a pastoral touch to the whole. All the tracks are OUTSTANDING! Only one weak point: the sound could be more crystal clear.

greenback

Oh, how I love this album - Neuschwanstein's "Battlement" has got to be one of the most prominent German symphonic prog releases of the 70s, and definitely, it is one of my all-time German prog releases. This band started as an instrumental quintet in the mid 70s, under the heavy influence of early 70s Genesis and following a parallel trend to that of Novalis and Eloy (a recurrent tendency toward the display of ethereal keyboard layers ands ornaments), albeit developing a more complex repertoire and having some musicians exploring their own technical skills more proficiently. There are also noticeable influences from "Moon Madness"-era Camel and, to a smaller degree, Wakeman's early solo work. During their early years, the band had already written a prog suite based on the legendary literature classic "Alice in Wonderland", which only comes to show how deeply involved Neuschwanstein was with the artsy demands of prog. Keyboardist Neuroth and flutist Mayer founded the group and in many ways acted as the leading musicians, since their instruments are the most featured in the compositions, and eventually, their only recorded album. But let's not dismiss the other members: the rhythm duo of Zimmer and Schwarz proves to be very solid through the mood shifts and odd time signatures that appear in the repertoire; meanwhile, Weiler delivers lots of fine solos and textures on his electric lead guitar, appropriately complementing the synth and/or flute in many occasions. Vocalist/acoustic guitarist Frédéric Joos entered the band when it was decided that Neuschwanstein needed to emphasize the melodic aspect of their music, and with him on board, you can tell that the band effectively benefited from that: Joos' taste for folkish sounds and evocative vocal timber (something like Gabriel-meets-Bornemann) add a new element to join the somber ambiences and pompous orchestrations that are so crucial to the band's essential sound. 'Loafer Jack' kicks off the album with a minstrel-oriented high spirit (Hermann Rarebell guests on drum kit for this one) in a very catchy manner. 'Ice with Dwale' goes to more languid places, displaying a more introspective mood: the acoustic guitar chords and flute lines are this song's main anchors. In my opinion, it is from track 3 onwards that the band's musical genius is shown up and developed to its full potential. 'Intruders and the Punishment' and 'Beyond the Bugle' display a captivating epic sensitiveness without losing touch of the melodic richness. The band works as a perfectly oiled ensemble, full of majesty and energy in these two tracks and the namesake following one, which is, IMHO, the album's apex, with Neuroth serving as a most efficient master of ceremonies with his keyboard arsenal (Moog, string synth, grand and electric pianos, mellotron, organ). 'Battlement' comprises some of the most somber segments in the album, as well as some of the dreamiest passages, all of them matched together with immaculate fluency. The penultimate song is the bonus 'Midsummer Day', which brings back some of the romantic vibe of track 2, but with a slightly enhanced tension that is pretty much related to what we found in tracks 3-6. The guys of Musea were clever enough to leave the original closer 'Zärtlicher Abschied' as the CD's final track, since it works effectively as such. This is an amazingly beautiful instrumental that mixes the splendorous magnificence of standard symph prog and the joyful nuances of folk music: its celebratory spirit is undeniably irresistible, right from beginning until the ending fade-out. The delicious dialogues of flute and synth and the melodic elements occasionally provided by the lead guitar are perfectly sustained on the rhythm section and the harmonic basis laid by the acoustic guitar. Delicious!, really delicious! My overall rating for "Battlement" lies somewhere between 4 ½ and 5 stars: that is, much more than just excellent and pretty much close to the masterpiece level, so I'll round it up to 5.

Cesar Inca

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