GARUDA

Moving forward, Release Music Orchestra suffered the departure of bassist Bernd Kiefer, but were glad to welcome two more members, his replacement on Holger Dunkel and the unique female singer, guitarist and percussionist Margit Maya Haberland (aka Ma Gita).The second album ''Garuda'' was again released on Brain, recorded at Cony Plank's Studio with guest performances by Jochen Petersen (whom Norbert Jacobsen already knew from A.R. & Machines and formerly of Ikarus) and Kraan's Johannes Pappert on saxes.

Three long compositions along with a bunch of shorter pieces point out the new direction of the band, who now leans toward more Kraut Rock realms with less focus on tight interplays and more space for looser material.The British influences though are still apparent with the band having however a more Horn Rock approach akin to IF with three sax player in the line-up.KRAAN remain an obvious influence, moreover with the presence of Pappert around.The very short tracks even have a slight Avant-Garde and more experintal edge.However the base of the album are the three long arrangements, taking over 3/4 of the album.The talent is always there, however the material has lost much of the fresh orientation of the debut.Still Release Music Orchestra tend to propose a sound of their own, changing from powerful jamming parts, typical of the German Kraut Rock movement, to lighter passages with a strong Canterbury edge and characterized by some melodic saxes, nervous organs and delicate electric piano, not to mention some sporadic synthesizers.What makes ''Garuda'' a bit different though is the mass of improvised passages over the structured arrangements, but even these are played with passion, featuring very strong individual performances and an overall dense musicianship.

Compared to ''Life'', ''Garuda'' sounds like a step towards a more compatible Kraut/Jazz Rock form.The moments of great music are however still present, performed by a solid group of musicians, that could do much better.Recommended.