MELANIE MAU AND MARTIN SCHNELLA

I have long been a fan of Melanie and Martin, who not only work together in multiple progressive rock bands but have also been producing wonderful albums where they take well-known songs and turn them into something quite different indeed. I have never been a fan of bands attempting to reproduce note for note, especially in a studio, a song which has been already been a hit. One of my very favourite covers is "Hotel California" by Alabama 3 who took the classic and made it something far darker and twisted ? it is the taking of something and making it their own which makes the art of doing so totally worthwhile, and that is always the case with Melanie and Martin.

When the CD arrived, I was immediately taken by the bright artwork and opened up the digipak to discover a business card and a QR code which I immediately scanned and was delighted to find that as well as the original 14 songs there were another 11 alternate versions which could be downloaded free of charge, one of which was a song not included on the main release. The core band for this album is Martin Schnella (vocals, acoustic guitars, additional percussion), Melanie Mau (vocals), Mathias Ruck (vocals), Lars Lehmann (bass, fretless bass) and Simon Schröder (percussion) plus they have assorted guests (including none other than Dave Meros). What makes this such an insanely enjoyable album is that they have put their own stamp onto it so much that if one did not know any of the songs then one would think this was an album of originals as they all fit seamlessly into the same pattern. This is prog folk, mostly acoustic with an electric bass and built around wonderful vocals, which sometimes are singular, and others are wonderful three-part harmonies. Given the background of those involved it will be no surprise to find covers of the likes of Gentle Giant, Neal Morse, Peter Gabriel, but they move all over the place musically so Massive Attack sits happily alongside Porcupine Tree and Nightwish, but Iron Maiden? I have been a fan of Maiden since 1980 and was fortunate enough to see them on the 'Beast on the Road' tour in 1982, which is where I first heard "Hallowed Be Thy Name", but it never sounded like this, and it has been paired with "For The Greater Good of God" from 2006's 'A Matter of Life and Death', which works very well indeed. This is aggressive acoustic music which takes the original and drives new beauty into a subject which has always been emotional, taking it to new levels.

Starting with Gentle Giant and ending with a traditional number which has been performed by the likes of Clannad, this album is a thing of beauty and joy. That we then get to hear different versions of many of the songs again before ending now with Damn Yankees really is the icing on the cake. Whatever you may think of cover versions, take it from me this is no Guns 'n' Roses doing "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" but instead is taking songs we know and turning them into something which now belongs to Melanie Mau and Martin Schnella ? truly superb, and totally essential.

Melanie and Martin are well-known for Flaming Row and other bands, but over the years they have also been releasing albums under their own name, some of which were of original material and others which contain acoustic cover versions. I enjoy pretty much everything they release, as they have a wonderful way with arrangements, Martin is a superb multi-instrumentalist while Melanie is an incredible singer, and somehow, they always make these covers sound like their own, so when I realised there was a new one, I was bound to be excited. Drummer Simon Schröder and bassist Lars Lehmann are involved, as they were on the excellent 'Pieces To Remember', but this time they have also brought in additional singer Mathias Ruck to provide harmonies, plus a few guests.

While "Dancing With The Moonlit Knight" and "Running Up That Hill" may be fairly obvious choices, I was somewhat surprised to hear "Creeping Death"! Somehow, they have taken one of Metallica's most iconic songs, always guaranteed to get a mosh going, and have turned it into a folk duet with picked guitars which is majestic and somehow even more powerful than the original. That relies on volume, energy and angry, but here the band have shown that when the song is good enough then it can be deconstructed and performed in a totally different manner while somehow also staying true to the original. It is not the only heavy number to get this treatment, as "I Am Above" (In Flames) and "Harvest Of Sorrow" (Blind Guardian) are also transformed, but the guys do have history in that bands such as Judas Priest and Iron Maiden have also been targets in the past. This is what makes their albums so interesting, in that they arrange songs from bands which others would not dare approach, as well as heading for songs which one would like to have undertaken in this manner, but rarely are, such as "Miracles Out of Nowhere" (Kansas) where the twin lead vocals work incredibly well. "Don't Stop Me Now" (Queen) is beautiful, with Mathias again given a lead role in the duets, and overall, this is an album where the listener plays it with a smile. It is one which just keeps getting better the more it is played and is definitely one worth seeking out.

This double disc DVD/CD set is the second release from the guys in 2020, taken primarily from two different sessions, neither of which had an audience, so hence the title. The first of these is from January 2019 when they recorded some originals in a TV Studio, and the second is from 18 months later, directly after the first COVID lockdown and was recorded at the Abbey Bursfelde. Both of these have electric bass, while the guitar is acoustic, and performed with a full band. They also made the decision to include a 26-minute-long medley of the latest Flaming Row album, 'The Pure Shine', even though Marek Arnold and Niklas Kahl were not involved with these sets.

Only one song is duplicated across the two sessions of the DVD, and there are songs on the CD which are not on the DVD, and it was this which I played first. The line-up on the latest set is the same as on the 'Through The Decades' album, while Fabian Gödecke is the drummer on the older set, and Matthias Ruck is only involved with the more recent one. I have long been a fan of Melanie's vocals and Martin's arrangements, both on their full-blown progressive numbers and also on the acoustic cover albums they have been releasing, and this combines both of those elements really nicely. Flaming Row rightly have been gaining a great deal of praise for 'The Pure Shine', but Marek's keyboards and saxophones are always key elements of any of his songs (for a great example, check out The Artwork Project and "Stay", which features Marek, Melanie and Martin plus many guests including Gary Chandler ? sheer brilliance), so to hear it stripped back like this is fascinating. The percussion provides a much more important element, but it is the acoustic guitar alongside melodic bass and the wonderful vocals of Melanie, Martin and Matthias which really make this "shine".

I would have more than happy with the 77 minutes of the CD, but to have video as well is something special. Good camerawork lets the viewer really enjoy the sessions, both of high quality, and I enjoyed them both immensely. But there are also some bonus features to be enjoyed, with six official music videos, as well as an interview. It was the interview I went to first and was initially intrigued that it was being conducted in German. Obviously the band are German, but all their vocals are in English and I would have expected it to have been conducted in that language for a wider audience, but at least there were subtitles. However, after just a few minutes it was apparent there was a great deal more being said in German than was being provided in English, and it very much felt that non-German speakers were only getting part of the conversation, and I could not bring myself to watch it all the way through. But to be fair that is just a minor niggle, and this is a lovely set with some nice photos in the booklet as well.

This is a great introduction to the wonderful world of Melanie Mau & Martin Schnella for those yet to come across them. This is available on Bandcamp, so try it out there and then buy the physical set.

I could start this review by mentioning all the bands these guys are in, or by saying that Melanie provided lead vocals on my favourite song from 2018 (The Artwork Project's 'Stay' seeing as how you asked, and yes Martin played on it as well), or even detail the musicians involved on this (there are many, but bassist Lars Lehmann deserves special mention), but instead I feel I should ask the pertinent question, which is why on earth did they have a flour fight? OK, so what we have here is an independent release with a nice digipak and booklet, containing fifteen acoustic cover versions of well-known songs. When I say well-known it will be interesting to see how many a 'normal' punter will recognise as alongside the likes of REO Speedwagon, Peter Gabriel and The Police we have Threshold, Transatlantic, Spock's Beard and Ayreon. Some of these songs have been transported far and away from what they were originally, probably none more so than 'A Touch Of Evil' (Judas Priest), which of course now includes cello, Uilleann Pipes, whistle, violin and cajon. Melanie is one of the finest singers around, always in full control, and Martin harmonises perfectly with her, and combined with the arrangements it creates a very special experience indeed. Every Maiden fan should get this just to hear what 'Wasted Years' can sound like with a very different arrangement indeed: the first verse is just Melanie with Martin providing some harmonics, not one would normally experience when the guys are at full bore. I am generally not a huge fan of cover versions, to me it only works if the artist takes the material and turns it into something quite different, and this album definitely achieves that on every level. Highlight is hard to choose, but near the end of the album is 'We All Need Some Light' (Transatlantic), which has been stripped back to just voices and acoustic guitar. It is delicate yet powerful, beautiful and transcendent. This album is a real find, something that fans of the originals and fans of acoustic music really do need to seek out.

The arrival of an album featuring either Melanie or Martin is always a cause for celebration, when it features both even more so, and although this is their fifth album together, in many ways it is actually their second as like 2017's 'Oblivion Tales' it contains only originals as opposed to their delightful albums of rearranged covers. Melanie (lead and backing vocals), Martin (acoustic, electric and baritone guitars, vocals), Mathias Ruck (vocals), Lars Lehmann (bass, fretless bass) and Simon Schröder (percussion, bodhrán, drums, vocals) have also been joined by a few guests, most notably multi- instrumentalist Jens Kommnick (uilleann pipes, low whistle, tin whistle, cello, acoustic guitar). Most of the material is based around the acoustic guitar, yet is always highly complex and complicated, with the rest of the instruments joining in a way which often has much in common with folk as it does with prog, but the vocals are far more rock based which is why they should be thought of as prog folk as opposed to the other way around.

Melanie has one of the nicest female vocals in prog, one which encourages listeners to join in, and she can be gentle and quiet or loud and ripping, while the many years of singing with Martin means they have an instinctive feeling on how to get the best out of any arrangement. "Where's My Name" starts with just the two of them, with the rest of the band coming in to provide more support yet always being delicate and is sheer delight. As the song develops it becomes more complex, with real breadth, but never losing the innocence and naivety of the beginning, until it gets halfway through and then takes on an Arabic feel in the instrumental section, showing just how these guys can be leading the listener down one path and then jumping into another, so when it finally rocks out no-one should be really surprised.

We also get two numbers which are more than nine minutes in length, with "Of Witches and a Pure Heart" being a real showstopper as the band shifts and changes throughout, yet always with those wonderful vocals front and centre. This is a track to investigate if one has not previously come across this band as this contains all that make these such a vital outfit. The guitar playing is simply insane, at times bringing in the complexity of Roy Harper, yet it can switch into a simple ballad, be a belter, allow the listener to sit back and bathe in the wonderful singing, or be driven to join in as there is no other choice. Yet another superb album, which all progheads and folkies need to seek out.

Four years ago I received this album for reviewing it on the Finnish prog site. Now as I read that review again, I feel quite differently about the music. Would I still mention Blackmore's Night as a reference? Hardly so. I did underline back then, that the Renaissance music flavour is pretty absent here, in addition to the huge difference between the female vocalists, but in fact I now see the whole album being further from pure folk-rock than back then. Yes, it's relying a lot to the acoustic guitar, you hear tin whistles (perhaps the folkiest ingredient of all), and the wide set of percussive instruments can be thought of as folk. There are no electric keyboards at all (even piano appears on one song only). But in the end the overall atmosphere is in my opinion closer to pop-rock with hints of country, Americana and hard rock -- in addition to folk. I mentioned acoustic guitars but electric guitars are involved too. The music and its arrangement is guitar oriented as much as the songs themselves are vocal oriented.

We're dealing with a real life couple from Germany: Melanie Mau is the lead vocalist and Martin Schnella the guitarist, and the two write the songs together. This is their self-released but rather well produced debut album containing eleven tracks in 67 minutes. Accompanying them on this album are a hand percussionist, a drummer and a bass player, plus a wide selection of guests on individual tracks. Melanie has a strong, penetrating voice which I'd rather compare to pop/rock vocalists such as Alanis Morrisette than to anything heard within the folk rock realms. I personally don't like a piercing voice like hers.

I was pretty kind to the album four years ago but I wasn't much impressed by any single song this time, I'm afraid. My least fave is easily 'Wild West' for being a pure country rocker. Sadly it's the only piece to feature piano, what a waste. The nicest piece for me is the acoustic guitar instrumental 'Melanie's Theme' that ends the album. There are no notable prog elements, to be honest. There are two songs sung in German: the longest track 'Die Zwerge Vom Iberg' (8:16) is also the heaviest and features rather ridiculous spoken word parts, while 'Erinnerungen' is a decent ballad.

If we weren't on a prog site, I might rate this album with friendly three stars. This is not a bad album if you happen to like this kind of rock. I don't. Sadly the band (or duo) haven't yet made another album of original material, instead they have released a couple of covers albums drawing from various kinds of rock and pop (some prog included) with an acoustic approach.