SYMPHONIC PICTURES

Symphonic Picture is the debut album from german symphonic instrumental prog rock band Schicke Führs & Fröhling. With a name like that you´d expect them to play ELP like music but allthough there are a few influences from ELP this album doesn´t sound much like them ( Thankfully). I´ve never heard of this band before I started visiting Prog Archives so I don´t know if they were big in the seventies, but I doubt it as I´ve never heard of them. With music like this they should have been one of the biggest acts of the seventies IMO. This is an absolutely wonderful album, and had it been released 5 years before I´m sure they would have made it big.

The music is instrumental and generally very synth laden and very melodic. The music is coherent throughout the album even though there are influences from various genres. Symphonic prog rock is the main genre being played ( listen to the first couple of minutes of song number 3 called Dialog it could have been a Camel song). There is a dark zeuhlish mood in Pictures and the last part of Dialog is in melodic avant garde rock style. There are also lots of classical music influences in the music. The rythm section is really great and reeks of seventies charm. Very enjoyable.

The musicianship is outstanding throughout the whole album. These musicians display that they master a varity of different playing styles yet still maintaining a personal approach to the music.

The production is extremely well done. One of my new favorite sounds from the seventies. I especially enjoy the synth sounds and the drums which both have excellent quality sound.

Schicke Führs & Fröhling have really impressed me with Symphonic Picture and I really hope others will follow my example and try out this album. If you like instrumental symphonic prog rock you really shouldn´t pass this album by. I´ll dare say that it is an essential album in this particular genre. A big 4 star rating from me is very well deserved for this wonderful album.