Schatten Der Engel Shadow of Angels (1976)

The Broken Cloud is a true psychedelic experience.
This progressive-rock epic takes cues from bands such as Yes, King Crimson, and Pink Floyd. It grips you with music from both near and far, old and new, and from somewhere all-together different. From it's opening brigade of guitars, Hammond organ, and choral vocals, to its strange-even terrifying-marriages of Psychedelic Rock, Dark Ambience, Electronic Dance Music, Bluegrass, and Robert Johnson-esq Blues… You'll never be sure what's coming next! …and when the end is finally at hand you'll be lifted up into a thematic emotional high that you won't soon forget…

Released in the latter half of 1976 as a half-hearted attempt at some sort of commercial focus in the U.K. and U.S., World Record suffers from several ailments: there was much tension in the band at this point, particularly between leader Peter Hammill and keyboardist Hugh Banton. In the end, the band would split apart, with Banton and wind player David Jackson leaving, while Hammill and drummer Guy Evans recruited replacements…

VDGG's second step on the mid-'70s comeback trail saw Peter Hammill attempting to meld the introspective and the cosmic throughout, though this did not stop him from taking a dead run at a grandiose concept or two – the consequences of immortality on the title track, and the grand fate of humanity on the epic "Childlike Faith in Childhood's End."…

VDGG's second step on the mid-'70s comeback trail saw Peter Hammill attempting to meld the introspective and the cosmic throughout, though this did not stop him from taking a dead run at a grandiose concept or two - the consequences of immortality on the title track, and the grand fate of humanity on the epic "Childlike Faith in Childhood's End." The theme of humane cooperation informs the opening "Pilgrims," while "La Rossa" is an epic tale of desire fulfilled (a story that would be concluded on Hammill's solo album, Over). The true highlight, however, is the beautiful, pensive "My Room (Waiting for Wonderland)," with its echoes of imagination and loss. Hammill did not achieve such a level of painful beauty again until "This Side of the Looking Glass" on Over.

Great symphonic rock featuring mellotron and flute, excellent keyboard playing and a fine guitar, no weak passages. Three of the six tracks are instrumentals. In his book "Cosmic dreams at play" (Glasgow 1996), the Norwegian Dag Erik Asbjørnsen lists "Point of eruption" among the ten best Krautrock LPs of all time, and quite rightly so. The only drawback is its short playing time. It’s a pity that this is the only work the band from Werne an der Lippe, at the north-eastern edge of the Ruhr Area, has ever released. With 28-page coloured booklet.