Title: Tumult
Artist: Coppelius
Genre: Kammercore
Release Date: 30th January 2009
Label: F.A.M.E. Recordings
Album Review
The Berlin band COPPELIUS is a truly exceptional appearance. They didn’t only commit themselves to the era of the German Romanticism, but also set a high value on being authentic concerning appearance and language. The band’s name comes from a character in the novel “Der Sandmann” (“The Sandman”) by German author E.T.A. Hoffmann (1776-1822). The band already released several EPs followed by two full length albums. Their most recent one ‘Tumult’ is our topic in this review.
A spoken prelude in ancient German opens the album before ‘Habgier’ takes over being the first proper track - and it gets straight to the point presenting “Kammercore” or “Heavy Wood” in best tradition. For those who don’t know what the hell I’m talking about I will give a little explanation now: COPPELIUS employ cello, clarinet and double-bass instead of the traditional guitar/bass/drum setup for their music. The instruments are often processed so they’re still sounding like guitars. One good example is when the guys play one of their virtuoso clarinet sections like they do on up-tempo tunes like the already mentioned ‘Habgier’ or ‘Lilienthal’. COPPELIUS, however, do have a calmer side as well getting particularly revealed on such tracks as ‘Mondeslicht’, which is a short a cappella intermezzo, and ‘Das Amulett’ whose vocals are only carried by mellow clarinet and cello.
Live, and this is decided, COPPELIUS are a rousing force. But the stuff doesn’t have the same effect on me coming from a CD, and that’s actually the point. In my opinion, this is a style that works best on a stage with a dedicated audience.
Tracklist
01. Vorwort - 0:41
02. Habgier - 3:34
03. Rightful King - 3:07
04. Zu Dir - 3:18
05. Komposition - 3:05
06. Der Advokat - 3:07
07. Schoene Augen - 3:33
08. Die Glocke - 3:52
09. Mondeslicht - 0:36
10. Coppelia - 3:51
11. Lilienthal - 2:47
12. Charlotte The Harlot - 4:22
13. Das Amulett - 2:17
14. Viel Zu Viel - 3:44
15. Spring Doch - 3:00
16. Gedicht - 3:42
17. Nachwort - 0:42
Line-up
Max Coppella - Vocals, Clarinet
Graf Lindorf - Vocals, Cello
Comte Caspar - Clarinet, Vocals
Sissy Voss - Double-Bass
Nobusama - Drums
Bastille - Butler, Vocals, Drums, Refreshments etc.
Website
http://www.coppelius-band.de/ / http://www.myspace.com/coppeliushilft
Cover Picture
Rating
Music: 6
Sound: 7
Extras: -
Total: 6.5 / 10
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