RAVVIVANDO

In the 1970s, Faust proved themselves one of the most creative (and bizarre) bands of all time, and Ravvivando proves that, twenty-five years later, they've lost nothing, both in terms of musical quality and creativity. They are not repeating their classics with Ravvivando. Instead, they are doing something quite unique in music: playing music inspired by the advances they made with their early CDs. A multitude of bands have been inspired by Faust (for good reason), but of all these bands, it seems that Faust might well be the best. On Ravvivando, they take the techniques and sounds they pioneered in the 1970s and filter them into a different musical palette. The result is a CD that sounds like a Faust CD without sounding like a copy of themselves.

That's just one of Ravvivando's many successes. Also notable is the general awesomeness quotient of the music, and Ravvivando is undeniably awesome. Swirling electronics, krautrock jams, lots of distortion, and a healthy dose of noise rock, color this release, and the result is a fantastic CD that doesn't lend itself well to categorization but does invite much well-deserved praise. If I had to place a genre tag on this release, I would call it noise rock, but it is equally classifiable as industrial and krautrock.

Listening to Ravvivando is roughly equivalent to getting run over by a freight train at top speed, minus all the negative side effects. It carries itself on the back of unceasing intensity. Right from the opening moments "Ein Neuer Tag", it shows a strong sense of groove, building powerful melodies and noise around that, and it only gains in power from there. It never repeats itself, though, as each track explores new areas within the framework of noise rock built around krautrock grooves. "Carousel" even manages to be beautiful, albeit in a twisted, quirky, bizarre, Faustian manner.

As strong as these two opening tracks are, however, they aren't even close to being highlights of the CDs. Instead, the noisier, groovier tracks (such as "Wir Brauchen Dich #6", "Livin' Tokyo", and "T-Electronique") earn that honor. This simple factor, known as consistency, is what makes Ravvivando so good. Over it's twelve tracks, it never once gets boring for a minute, let alone a whole song. Instead, it contains twelve standout tracks with three that especially stand out. In addition, it's a very cohesive release; every song on Ravvivando feels like part of a complete whole.

That complete whole is a fantastic example of so-called "head music." This is music made for the dark, especially if you've a good set of headphones. It's the type of subtle masterpiece that needs to be listened to under the right conditions to reveal its true power, but once it clicks, never lets go. It may not ever prove as influential or groundbreaking as Faust's initial releases, but it's undeniably equally as good, and is perhaps second only to their debut in their discography. This is essential for fans of Faust and of noise rock. It's not quite a comeback CD, since it's the third release of Faust's comeback period, but for a band who was in their undisputed prime thirty-five years ago (twenty-five at the time of Ravvivando's release), Ravvivando is a remarkably fresh and refreshing release, and a masterpiece in its own right.

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