NATURE

Tetragon was an obscure symphonic fusion from Germany that for the longest time had only one record in their catalogue. That record, being titled Nature, is a pretty strong one. Instead of making normal progressive rock, the album meticulously fuses classical music and jazz fusion into this more traditionally influenced and segregated album. The band members each have their own individual moments on the album, with plenty of room given for experimentation on their instruments. This is all woven together through bridges of the band joining together for exquisite moments of pure symphonic prog, balanced by a level of dynamics between low harmonic and loud yet minimalist dark playing. The main player on this album is their keyboardist, Hendrik Schaper, who leads most of the music on this album and has a clear high level of skill. While all this might sound good on paper, when actually played out, the band sort of lets me down. As much as I love some good keyboards, there's a little too much (especially on side one). On the other hand, though, it has some really good moments on side two.

The opening song, Fugue, has a much more classical influence, being around sixteen minutes long and being dominated by an organ. It's a very symphonic and melodic arrangement, and at points it sounds like something Maneige would make. I will admit, sometimes the rapid organ compositions and melodies can become a little too much, but they're still a charm to hear. You can hear influences in the keyboards mainly from Keith Emerson in terms of rock keyboardists, but classical pianists from old times can also be heard in here. For the most part, the rest of the song is composed of individual solos in varying quality. From these solos, I personally like the drum solo the best, mainly because it takes many technical directions and complex arrangements, but when the band is playing together, it becomes a lot better. There's a short interlude called Jokus, and the next song, Irgendwas, is just a repeat of Fugue but with more piano and keys. There is very little to say apart from the limited guitar work, but I think the band could've tried doing something at least a little different on this song.

Side two has more of the jazz fusion elements, especially when it comes to A Short Story. The relaxed yet powerfully focused and complex music creates a wonderful atmosphere that has arguably some of the best moments on the album. The passages played out here seriously seem like a legitimate and well-known progressive rock album rather than an obscure gem. I also really liked some of the sections on the title track, with it having more of a rock direction in its sound, including vocals and a strong and steady rhythm. This song also has the most influence from jazz fusion, which I really enjoyed. Now, I will say that I am not too sure why side one and side two have different directions in the tracks, but they each bring their own unique experiences to the table.

In conclusion, this album had a lot of potential. Unfortunately, most of it was sacrificed for extended keyboard solos. Some of Hendrik's solos go on for a little too long, and while they are still worth listening to, it can get a little bland. However, the other moments of actual rock music are actually really strong, and if the band had focused more on those elements, we could've seen a more structured and amazing progressive rock album. In the end, the website says it's 4/5, but my actual rating would probably be a 3.5/5.

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