First, a brief history lesson: The eclectic Puerto Rican band Astrid Pröll takes its name from one of the survivors of the Red Army Faction, a German student protest movement of the 1970s that declared war on a fascist government with ex-Nazi Party members in Parliament. The movement took radical action against social conformity and state-sponsored oppression, and this quartet's volatile music shares that revolutionary ideal. Predominantly an instrumental outfit that incorporates elements of progressive rock, kraut rock, rock in opposition, space rock and stoner rock, Astrid Pröll wastes no time in forging an identity. The band's website recommends the band's self-titled debut CD to fans of Porcupine Tree, King Crimson, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, and Neu!, but none of those reference points are entirely accurate. Astrid Pröll doesn't seem to excel in one particular style, infusing its heady arrangements with thick riffs, epic aspirations and the occasional atonal arrangement. It's easy to imagine these players on stage, hunkered over their instruments and focusing intensely on their musical output as if the future of the free world depended on their ability to perform a dark 15-minute monster like "88MHz." Yet on vocal tracks (such as "Perro Negro" and "Pröll II"), the band comes close to playing traditional rock songs. Hence, despite its avant-garde leanings and political posturing — Astrid Pröll's live performances, not surprisingly, are augmented by incisive visual images projected overhead — this 10-track CD reveals itself as an approachable release, a rousing call to arms for independent listeners everywhere who believe in the conquering power of music.
Track Listing:
1) Pröll I
2) Catastrofe
3) Perro Negro
4) Disidente
5) Orígenes del Movimiento
6) Resistencia
7) 88MHz
8) Pröll II
9) Torso
10) Laboratorio Grotowsky
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