2.5

Release data:

Berlin Heritage – Phoenix
DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Private Release, 2014

Berlin Heritage is Berlin-based musician Robert Sigmuntowski, who some may know from his 2012 cd-release “Land of the Rising Sun”.
The download only album “Phoenix” features three long tracks of which the still Berlin School-flavored music came about after lots of travels by train between Hannover and Berlin, eventually leading to relocation in the latter city.

Already on the 24-minute opener, the composer gets carried away too much in the speed of events on his melodic, sequencer-driven outcome. This unfortunately leads to some out of control, quite freaky/screaming solos that go on and on and return, deranging the tracks balance and harmony severely. In that respect, the slight trancy bits thrown in there suit the music better.

“Somewhere in Between” ventures out much milder and less hectic with a combo of choir pads and soaring textures complementing each other during the 14-minute ride. A bit light-weight and (again) thin sounding solo voice shows up halfway. I for one would have left this solo out as it doesn’t add anything substantial.
The sequencers introduced after a couple of minutes on the 25-minute closing track is nice, but of course it’s not for long before a solo pops up again in this “Moondawn”-ish piece. The sonic knot just lacks depth and a pleasing flow of elements, something that resurfaces only in the last few minutes.

The music of “Phoenix” wants to push the boundaries, but the composer attempts too much at a time. May I suggest mid-tempo and more concise, constructed tracks to make things work better along proper drums, layering of sounds and mastering?