EL SHALOM

El Shalom biography
Hailing from Rheinhausen, El Shalom were an obscure one-off krautrock quintet. In opposition to Germany's conscription policy (Wehrpflicht, established in 1956) the five conscientious objectors pointedly adopted the Hebrew word for "peace" as their band name, forming El Shalom in late 1970. The group began as the vision of bassist Helmut Meier and drummer Wolfgang Merkens, with guitarists Karlheinz Schmitz and Gunter Christ joining sometime thereafter along with keyboardist Joachim Brands (all five provided vocals).

El Shalom's sound melded symphonic prog, acid folk and heavy psychedelic rock tendencies that earned them comparisons to Novalis, Sahara, Wind, Prof. Wolfff and Minotaurus. Recorded at Neubauer Studios, El Shalom's sole album Frost was released on vinyl via the independent Duisburg label Attacca in 1976, with lyrics in German and English. The group issued a two-song 7" single in 1978 before ultimately disbanding in early 1980.

In 2001, ten years before Germany abolished mandatory military service, Frost was reissued by Garden of Delights on compact disc, which appended their single and two unreleased tracks as bonus material.


- Gordy, April 2023