When it comes to avant garde, few hold a candle to long running these Germans. OK, bassist Ralph Hubert is the only holdover from the eponymous ’87 debut, but his musical brainwaves are as schizophrenic as ever (thankfully!). After the opening 2:17 electrified acoustic instrumental solo ‘Intro – Concert Guitar’, it’s nearly three more minutes of voiceless material, performed by the full band ‘Ouverture’ (sic). The first proper song, ‘A Certain Fool’ remains subtle throughout. It’s only on track #4, ‘Interlude 1 – Group’ (instrumental) where the frenetic/bizarre patterns take hold, leading right into a likeminded (insane?) ‘The 5th Element’. Predictably unpredictable. The interludes string together the more coherent (?) pieces, thus the CD plays like one long song (no dead air), or a symphony, with various tempo/intensity changes. While also a lengthy instrumental passage ‘Intermezzo’ might just be the most rocking inclusion. ‘Mistaken Truth’ has a Symphony X (circa “Paradise Lost”) feel.

Intriguing (as always) mix of symphonic structures within rock/metal context and hats off for having the good sense to minimize vocals.