FLAMING BESS

This is such a pleasant sounding album, kind of like NOVALIS or ANYONE'S DAUGHTER. And sure, this could be considered a guilty pleasure, but I'm impressed with this recording. Essentially this is a trio of multi-instrumentalists plus there is quite a few guests here filling out the sound. The drums are probably the weakest link with them even using a drum machine on the closer, and sadly you can hardly tell the difference. It's interesting that the bass/guitarist instead of the drummer adds drums on that closer along with the drum machine. Strange, but as I said before the drums are sedate or pedestrian all the way. I like the clavinet though and we get some brief violin and sax.

3.5 stars seems perfect for this one, but I'm bumping that up.

Here all the vocal tunes are in English to go with their only Anglo album title, with the centerpiece being the epic power ballad title track, augmented by other well sung numbers like "Distance" and "How I regret", and blazing instrumentals like "Cold Comes the NIght" and "Time Flies" which blend symphonic and jazz as is the band's strength. Unfortunately some of the softer offerings like "Wind of Hope" are rather dull, while closer "Universal Mind" should have been one of the more spiritually resonating moments but it's just a funk workout that stretches interminably.

Never among the most prolific continental bands, FLAMING BESS signs off as one of its longest lived and deserves a lot of respect for the 40 year almost unwrinkled legacy of entertaining products that never quite set the world on fire.

The album fairly explodes with a few rousing old style instrumentals that are not that dissimilar, although the theme of the first will reappear several times throughout the 77 minutes like a trusted friend. The ensemble approach illuminates the guitars and keys to best effect. It's true that the acoustic dimension remains perhaps forever buried, but some might not miss it. "Verzweifelt und Vergessen" is one of their best song oriented pieces, launching atmospherically before propelling forward rhythmically while retaining a spacey core.

From here the quality descends a notch for most of the duration, although most pieces are still entertaining, the best being the epic "Haravienna" which overlaps azz/funk/psych territories shamelessly. It's hard not to admire the ambition even if the GPS loses its signal here and there.

Whether or not FLAMING BESS is a rising star or even a star at all may be debatable, but this collective luminescence is anything but fallen.

Flaming Bess was always a heavily CAMEL-influenced band and with ''Verlorene welt'' they seem to walk parrallel ways with the British legends.The strong organ and the light symphonic flavors of their debut were replaced by a smoother and extremely melodic approach with a deep, jazzy sound, while the poppy sensibilities are present as well, they appear to do what CAMEL were creating during the same period.The tracks are now passing through Lounge Jazz aesthetics with soft piano lines to acoustic crescendos with a period sound and from melodic rockers with some sort of ANDY LATIMER-like sensitive guitar touch to 80's Fusion with piano, synths and guitar in evidence.Among or within the pieces there are plenty of narrations with German lyrics.Not among the tasteful works one should expect from a band, that created a nice, progressive album a couple of years ago.The atmosphere is dreamy and ethereal, the melodies are mostly nice but the lack of some adventurous twists or deep instrumentation make the album sound a bit pale.Of course there are also a pair of exceptions, the opening ''Mythos'' with the mellow electric piano and the beautiful acoustic/electric melodies hold some of the band's previous inspiration, while the 7-min. title-track is even better, a nice combination of melodic, jazzy and Fusion stylings with a couple of great melodies and notable work on clavinet, acoustic guitar and synthesizers.

The CD reissue contains only reworkings of the album's tracks, so there is no big deal of prefering it.''Verlorene welt'' ends up to be some sort of smooth Jazz Rock combined with CAMEL-esque melodies, not entirely convincing or satisfying, suffering from some bland 80's tunes.CAMEL fans are propably the ones to reach this album...2.5 stars.

Each track features a short intro with Neumann's spoken words with piano, harsichord and acoustic guitars supporting, quite close to NEUSCHWANSTEIN's ''Alice im Wunderland''.From the opening 10-min. ''Bedrohung'' the CAMEL influence on the group is more than evident, combining the melodic textures with sensitive solos, but the organ work is rather too soft comparable to CAMEL's approach, instead you get the typical Teutonic-styled atmospheric synthesizers in full mode.The following ''Kampf Und Vertreibung'' is a mix of instrumental Deutschrock with light Symphonic Rock, containing a repetitive funky beat on guitars with background electric solos and symphonic synths, closing with a more pronounced guitar-oriented style.Good track, but a bit too long for its own good.''Oasis'' is much closer to Jazz Rock with a definite FOCUS touch in the guitars and CAMEL-esque organ supporting, though the middle section is again a nice synth-drenched moment of symphonic grandieur.''Arkana'' follows more or less the same path, there is even some Canterbury vibe in the guitar/organ interplays beyond the constant CAMEL flavor and the style remains a jazzy-inspired Progressive Rock with loose textures and solos.The longer and more interesting track comes at the end, the title cut with the great intro built on clavinet, synthesizers and bass, emerging into a light Symphonic/Fusion piece with the guitars now reminding of Japanese bands like BELLAPHON and AIN SOPH, surrounded by tremendous orchestral keyboards, a nice sax solo around the middle and deeper organ moves, always in a lovely melodic enviroment, strengthened even more by the mellow piano lines at the closing minutes.

Delicate, smooth and professional instrumental Progressive Rock by an overlooked German group, that had its hard years before reaching its potential.Maybe not too personal of an album, but certainly good enough to fully enjoy it.Recommended.

The group's newest effort is quite a strong one. While the German narrative bits are mostly lost to me, the album gives of a mostly meditative and sometimes dreamy vibe that reminds me of Tales of Mystery and Imagination - perfect for a longer car ride or a relaxed evening at home - with the occasional rocker or ballad thrown in. There are some highly interesting tracks, many of which only unfold their full strength and details on repeat listen. The obvious highlight is the more adventurous, very cool and eclectic Haravienna, the English lyrics of which make me wish I knew more of the overall story.

With a rich, unique and well-defined sound that crosses the boundaries between symphonic and electronic aesthetics, and some inspired instrumentation, especially from Mindmovie, I feel this is what Alan Parsons might sound like if he were still making good music today.

That being said, the mesh of narrative and music has never been more accomplished than on the bands' newest effort, "Der Gefallene Stern" (The Fallen Star). The album continues the story of 2008s "Wächter des Lichts" (Guardians of the Light), and is apparently the second part in a trilogy entitled "Music of the Spheres." As always, the story is a journey narrative which in this case takes the shape of a descensus ad inferos, much in the vain of Dante's Divine Comedy. Its narrator and protagonist (spoken by Markus Wierschem, who also penned the story) is a nameless soul cast into a doomed world of darkness. Led by a shining star (Mirjam Wiesemann), he and and other lost souls go on a pilgrimage to evade their annihilation and uncover their identities. Thus unfolds a mysterious quest, that, at its best moments, is utterly beautiful, endowed with a lyricism that will unfortunately be lost to those not familiar with the German language.

The music on the other hand combines all of the various musical influences and experience the band has acquired throughout the four decades of its existence. And it is here that the true magic of this record is to be found. This is all too fitting, given that, as far as I can tell, the story is at some level about the nature of music itself. The mixture of ambient rock and modern electronica within the band's tried and true symphonic approach works to perfection here. It pleasantly reminds me of "Tanz der Götter" and "Verlorene Welt," without denying that the band has moved on.

The reunion with former member Hans Schweiss (drums) is truly beneficial, as the electronic drums of the past have never quite worked for me, as is the addition of Mike Hartmann, who joins FB veteran Jenny K. on vocals. Of all the various singers that have appeared on FB's albums in the past, he is the best by far, blending sensitivity and melody with rawness and power. This is best witnessed in "Die Kyberniten" - probably the most rock-driven song the band has ever put out and a welcome change of pace from the predominant mid-tempo. But the album's highlight is the twelve minute epic "Haravienna" which seamlessly blends all the band's talents and features some stunning experiments, unexpected twists and turns, and great guest performances. This may be the most complex piece of music the band has written. Certainly, it is one of their best.

Peter Figge's keyboards have never sounded better, Achim Wierschem's guitars are at their most melodious, and Hans Wende's laid-back bass lines provide a fitting foundation for the songs. The compositional material is consistently good, avoiding the painful experiments of the past (like the children's rap in Aklabeth on "Wächter des Lichts"). The music flows seamlessly, evoking its story's mystery and (mild) suspense without any particular urgency, and thus reflects the nature of the journey that its characters take. Variations of some central, symphonic leitmotifs punctuate the album to give the whole a very complete, well-rounded quality.

All in all, this is a very fine, atmospheric concept album, perhaps the band's best so far. Musically at least, if not commercially, the band's star is hardly falling, but ascends and shines on ever brightly. I can only hope we won't have to wait another five years for the conclusion of the trilogy. "Der Gefallene Stern" comes highly recommended: 8.5 out of 10.

Mel Halbauer is perhaps the best female singer the band has ever had, displaying both variety and a style that, in some stand-out moments, is decidedly her own, and Achim Wierschem's guitar playing has perhaps never been more daringly adventurous than here. The band's approach is progressive in the literal sense of the word: if you're adverse to modern beats, the heavy use of electronic sounds and samples, as well as the occasional gimmick, and the trip-rock of bands like Massive Attack or the newer The Gathering does nothing for you, this may simply not be your cup of prog.

That being said, composition or songwriting are decidedly scenic on this one, neither presenting much in the way of highs or lows, but instead going for cinemascopic routes that are well-suited to the band's storylines, which have always been journey narratives. On the other hand, there is a whole lot to discover on this one: slow and smooth jazz and grooves (Endloses Nichts) , accousticly driven rock-numbers, electronic extravaganzas of wildly shuffled beats, orientalisms and even some brief flirtations with heavy metal (Die Prüfung), all of which flow quite seamlessly into one another, making for three long track-like chapters.

The journey of Finstere Sonne, then, is not just that of Prince Arkana looking for a way to resurrect the eponymous princess. It is, in fact, the journey of a band firmly arriving in the new millenium - another kind of resurrection.

This is actually a somewhat entertaining disk in much the manner of most other FLAMING BESS output, even if the acoustic dimension remains suppressed and the narratives seem even more overwrought. The vocal work of Erika Naidenow is particularly compelling in a NINA HAGEN sort of way, even if she only appears on 2 tracks. Achim Wierschem's lead guitars express authoritative allure throughout. The rhythms do not overpower. "Der Verhüllte" is a mesmerizing blend of conventional keys, sound effects, and vocal ambushes by Rene Lentin, and the raucous instrumental "Der Dieb" is just as persuasive . "Ein Langer Weg" approximates the early CAMEL-esque sound for long time fans. "Erkenntnis" seems influenced by Leipzig based DICE specially in the synthesizers.

Apart from the overly industrious and metallic "Die Höhle Unter Dem Eis" and the narrative bits in general, most of the material here is enjoyable for what it is, and the group is to be commended not only for taking steps to right the ship but for simultaneously sidestepping categorization. 2.5 stars rounded up.