NOVALIS

After an English-sung debut album full of predominant pleasant, eerie ambiences, Novalis refurbished itself and went for a more solid symphonic sound to create their second namesake album, a real gem of German progressive history. The band's sound is more patently robust, which is due in no small degree to the fact that the renewed line-up included two guitarists, Detleb Job and carlo Karges, with the former adding some additional synth input. So, both the guitar and keyboard departments are quantitatively augmented, but that's not the whole story. The compositions are more focused, combining subtle and bombastic ideas in a very fluid manner. Keyboardist Lutz Rahn can now tell that his musical vision finds a most adequate bridge linking his mind and the real world. "Novalis" is a manifesto of maturity, even anticipating the symphoinc line of work that their more celebrated compatriot band Eloy were yet to develop in their own time. The opener 'Sonnengeflecht' is a very enthusiastic instrumental whose playful spirit is clearly reflected on the synth driven melodic lines and layers. On the other hand, 'Dronz' is focused on a more somber spirit, bearing a somewhat opaque spirituality, although the ensmble never sounds to oppressive:dark nostalgia, not neurosis is what the listener has to expect from this evocative song. The guitar riffs and the rhythm section sure help things to keep a sort of constrained sound, very much in accordance with the song's overall mood. Now that we have described these two attractive pieces, it's time to check out the most majestic section of the album, that is, tracks 2, 4 & 5. Each of them is expanded across an 8 or 9 minute span, a factor that surely helps the musician to work deeper on their progressive sophistication. 'Wer Schmetterlinge lachen Hört' and 'Impressionen' comprise a very strong academic feel: the former has a cadence very related to Bach and Haendel, while the latter includes a portion of Bruckner's Fifth Symphony. The bombastic essence of the keyboard parts never gets exaggerated: Rahn (sometimes joined by Karges) knows how to keep some subtlety among the inherent pomposity of this sort of composition. 'Es färbte sich die Wiese grün' closes down the record exploring the most explicit side of Novalis. Its increasing energy is well controlled, leading to an elegant climax. A great closure for a great album - this is the album in which Novalis really starts to deserve their good reputation among prog collectors all over the world.

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