Epidermis was considered, in the end of the 70's, like the German Gentle Giant, but in regard with the group's total discography, this might be quite reductive. They created a moving sonic dreamscape with keys, bass, acoustic and electric guitar, winds, percussion and cannon vocals. Their first album was progressive music of the very dense and complex type, with multi-layered vocal arrangements comparable to Gentle Giant and dynamic instrumental arrangements like Yes and King Crimson. The four tracks often had sudden shifts of tempo and mood, resulting in exciting music, which was at times disjointed. Often unfairly dissed as a clone band, Epidermis managed to render the Gentle Giant realm being only a quartet. They recorded second album in the early 80's called "Muster-Burger"…
Epidermis were founded in Idstein, Hesse, in 1971, but they soon moved to the regional capital, Wiesbaden. They played some complex sophisticated rock music, with frequent changes of rhythm and pace, and polyphonic vocal harmonies. They were often compared with Gentle Giant, Yes, and the Canterbury scene. Their first LP, recorded in Fred Kersten’s studio in June 1975, remained unreleased back then because they didn’t find a label for it. Only their second album, “Genius of original force”, was released (on Kerston Records in 1977). “June 1975” was as yet only available as download in MP3 quality. The work is now for the first time available as LP as well as CD, both drawn from the master tapes. The 20-page booklet in LP size contains a long band history in German and English, the song lyrics, a detailed discography, many photographs, etc.