Okay. This very odd record from Germany's own German Oak has developed quite a buzz recently, so let's try to get things in focus here. Far as I know, this was recorded in 1972 in an underground air raid shelter, the band claiming no small part of involvement from the ghostly occupants of that tragic locale. The album was issued in a pressing of 213 through an unnamed label, and only sold 9 of those, the 202 balance ending up in the basement of one of the label's owners. Some sources tell us that the label name was Witch & Warlock, but that seems to be the label that issued a 1991 reissue. Musically it sounds like a power trio trying to make ambient doom two decades before anyone else had even thought of it. The sound, cavernous and echoing, actually works for this sort of odd project, and some of the moods are undeniably sinister. "Down In The Bunker" is a real monster, a slowly unfolding, crawling and slithering beast that sounds like Ash Ra Tempel's Amboss album as performed in slow motion. "Raid" is more uptempo and focused, visiting the same riffs and sections over it's length. Again, it's damn cool, and the windy, moss covered sound actually seems to help, rather than hurt matters.
Some listeners, myself included, seem to have purchased or downloaded a version with four extra tracks, all of which are a nice addition to the original package and follow in the same vein as the original four cuts. It's perhaps impossible to say what original vinyl copies are worth, and your estimation of this album's artistic worth will depend on how much you like kraut ambient doom stoner rock. And since that genre does not exist outside of this record, you've just got to hear it to know if it'll touch you or not. I really like it, but I can only speak for myself. And by the way, the second album is a disjointed, noisy mess compared to this. It tries to have continuity (replacing Norse mythology with World War II) but lacks this album's atmosphere, conviction and alchemy.
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