Schnellertollermeier - 2020 - 5

(41:03; Cuneiform Records)






















As one may be able to guess from the title, Schnellertollermeier are back with their fifth album, following the musical path for which they have become known. Andi Schnellmann (electric bass, electric guitar on “Animate Become”), Manuel Troller (electric guitars) and David Meier (drums & percussion) are experimental musicians, who on this album are also using space as a deliberate instrument. There are times when it seems the musicians are recreating the sound of industrial machinery, taking themselves far away from what many people believe to be melodic music, instead taking the listener into places which allows them to think about what is happening in their ears, and asks them to go on a journey.

Each member of the band is tasked with driving the music at different times, always in harmony (or sometimes deliberate disharmony) with the others. Numbers such as “A.o.E.i.n.E.o.A” are immensely powerful, yet at the same time there is little in terms of note density as the guys allow our emotions and some metallic sounds to move us in different directions. This is not easy listening play in the background type of music, but rather it is something which needs to be played on headphones with close attention to everything that is going on. This is far more about the interaction of notes and what they are doing as they resonate as opposed to any individual musician showing off and expecting the listener to be impressed with the skill on show. At times they are highly percussive, at others it is far more languorous, but always there is that space being used as an additional instrument – this is so removed from compression as to be on a different musical planet altogether. There is room here for everything to breathe, even if that breathing sounds like it is taking place on a production line in a sterile factory somewhere. Highly experimental, definitely interesting.

Kev Rowland, September 2021

Links:
http://www.schnellertollermeier.ch/
http://www.cuneiformrecords.com/

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