| Artist |
| Samsas Traum |
| Title |
| Anleitung Zum Totsein |
| Format/Cat |
| CD TRI 427 CD |
| Label |
| Trisol |
| Style |
| Symphonic Metal |
| Date of review |
| 20th December 2011 |
| Reviewer |
| Carl Jenkinson |
| Rating |
| 7.5/10 |
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Samsas Traum are one of those bands who are massive in Germany, regularly headlining at even the biggest festivals & playing to huge & enthusiastic crowds but who seem to have hardly any following here in the UK. That means that a hell of a lot of people are missing out as their music is among the very best of the current crop of symphonic metal bands & they easily stand out from most of them, partly through having a male vocalist in the shape of Alexander Kaschte, whose voice is versatile enough to change from the rich vocalisations of the action-packed 'Das Ist Liebe' to the manic-sounding voices that add a more offbeat mood to 'Im Zeichen Des Wurms', but even more so through their compositional complexity that, on tracks such as the closing 'Das Laecheln Eines Toten' sees them rivaling the best progrock bands, constantly bringing in new melodic facets whilst changing moods & tempi but always maintaining that all-important cohesion & constantly scaling new heights in terms of power, dynamics & good old-fashioned pomp, the latter facet even extending to the titles, several of which easily equal anything Yes could come up with!!. All of which is aided by some excellent musicianship throughout with the instrumental sections of 'Mein Versprechen' & the initially poppy-sounding 'A-wie Antarktika' benefitting from some superb guitar licks courtesy of Kaschte & Michael Beck. Add to this some medieval elements on the opening 'Was Danach Kommt: Spinnen' & the air of mystery that, thanks to the kind of strings, guitar & piano combination that are so beloved by so many similar bands, underpins 'Gott Hat Kein Gesicht' & you have an absorbing, dynamic release that is bound to have wide appeal; oh, and don't forget to check out the cover booklet art, either!
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