NOVALIS

Novalis' second and self-titled effort is seen as their best by many and is rated accordingly. While this one is more animated and rocking to be sure symphonic prog bliss to me is as much about mood as anything, and for this reason I tend to prefer their next album "Sommerabend" to this one. The composition on Sommerabend blows this away. As great German prog goes I would also prefer the first Rousseau album to this one for the greater variety in sound and use of the flute, whereas this album relies almost exclusively on the keyboard element to wow you. It's not enough for me. With the exception of the magnificent 2nd track this album is just average.

"Sonnengeflecht" starts poorly in my opinion with some uninteresting and cheesy synth runs but does recover in the middle with some quiet guitar licks and brief piano before they are again squashed by the loud circus-clown synths and a return to the beginning part. The song feels like an introduction to the much more respectable second song but it should have been shortened to just the middle section. "Wer Schmetterlinge Lachen Hort" is really just an extraordinary symphonic masterpiece with about everything the romantic prog fan could want: sensitive vocals, acoustic guitars, fluid electric leads, delicate female vocals, crisp drum work and of course masterful keys. The mood and pace are generally quite upbeat. This is the kind of track that takes you straight to symphonic heaven. Every itch is scratched, one of Novalis' finest tracks if you forgive the obnoxious gong at the end, which I do. Unfortunately it is the peak of this album and is not sustained throughout. "Dronsz" is a cool, trippy assortment of experimental synth sounds set against a simple bass and drum beat. "Impressionen" has a long intro with a single cymbal and regimented bass line over synth before opening up into a bit to full grandeur. Mostly keyboards at work here but there are a few spicy guitar runs as well. "Es farbte sich die Wiese grun" is an effective harder symphonic gem with lots of excellent lead guitar runs. The pace is slow-medium with plenty of moody synth background and a few vocals but the rocking leads provide the money shot here. There is a bonus track on the Japanese reissue of "Impressionen" which was recorded live in Hagen in 1975. The sound quality obviously is not perfect but fans of Novalis will likely be thrilled at the chance to hear the group live in 1975.

The Japanese mini reissue is a gorgeous high-quality glossy gatefold of the wonderful cover art. It comes with a nice booklet of photos, bios, lyric sheet, and of course the live bonus track mentioned. The booklet notes that guitarist Carlo Karges passed away in 2001. 1970s Symphonic fans must sample Novalis and I would advise this: If you prefer upbeat and extravagant synth-dominated music start with this one. If you prefer moodier, spacier stuff start with Sommerabend but you should probably hear both as they are quite different in my opinion and represent the peak of Novalis.