CAROL OF HARVEST

A complete German obscurity,Carol of Harvest came from the city of Furth in northern Bavaria and were formed in 1976,led by main composer and guitarist Axel Schmierer.The line-up was completed with female singer Beate Krause, bassist Heinz Reinschlüssel, keyboardist Jürgen Kolb and drummer Robert Högn.Their self-titled debut was released on Brutkasten,a label which have released a fair amount of German obscurities from late-70's to early-80's.The 2001 CD re-issue of Second Battle includes also three live tracks.

A 16-min.long suite on the first side along with a short ballad followed by three mid-length compositions on the flipside see Carol of Harvest blending some typical Acid Psych/Folk with synth-driven instrumental prog in an awesome way.Pastoral folk acoustic explorations and psych-influenced vocal-based trippy musicianship is supported by professional,highly dynamic instrumental parts with an energetic rhythm section and superb synthesizers.The compositions follow mainly a low tempo,often dominated by Schmierer's spacey guitar playing along with some orchesteral mellotron sounds.What however pushes the album to another level is the majestic voice of Beate Krause,one of the most amazing,expressive and psychedelic female voices ever with a dreamy and ethereal voice,who additionally sings in almost perfect English.The three live cuts back from the early days of the band indicate a bunch of musicians playing with high energy,Krause's voice in full shape and the synths replaced by some really great organ waves.

Carol of Harvest disbanded shortly after this release,propably due to the low interest of the public in their music and the upcoming wave of commercial music.However the band left behind a really masterful album of majestic Progressive Folk music,which produces unmet trippy soundscapes.Highly recommended far beyond the typical lovers of Hippie Folk or Acid Psych Folk,the album heads to any serious music lover.