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Album Reviews
# of "Main" reviews: 359 (mean score: 8.5)
# of additional "User" reviews: 547
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http://www.triumvirat.net/
Origin: Germany
(Cologne)
My knowledge on Triumvirat's style is limited to the one album I've heard from them. From this album I've deduced that this is what The Who would sound like if they were a progressive band along the lines of ELP. The band, which hails from Germany, is often thought of as one of more technical and talented bands of 1970's. Triumvirat is/was led by virtuoso keyboardist Jurgen Fritz, and features extraordinary musicianship at every position. The group released seven albums between 1972 and 1980. In 2002, the band recorded a new album, The Website Story, which somehow never materialized into an actual release.
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Spartacus (1974, 2002)
A- 9.0
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Spartacus was something of a breakthrough album for Triumvirat in the States, earning the band a spot in the Billboard Top 30. It's pretty easy to see why this concept album -- telling the tale of the eponymous Roman gladiator and the slave revolt he leads -- could catch on. While the band flashes copious amounts of ELP-style muscle, the album finds a way to hang on to fundamentally great song-writing. These melodies just stick with you. The band really has knack for contrasting grandiose landscapes of instrumental sound with melodic lyrical moments of sheer, simplistic beauty. (In fact, they do this much better than ELP ever did.) As a result, the album really sweeps you off your feet. From the highly entertaining instrumentals to the touching vocal soliloquies, this album just keeps your attention from start to finish. The lyrics aren't the most eloquent in the world, although they're fine on the whole for the story telling they do. I also wish the album had a little more punch to it, but I suppose that's the nature of 70's prog rock. In general, though, if you can picture the basic framework of ELP mixed with a little Van Der Graaf Generator, infused with loveable refrains a'la The Who, you can sum up this album. It's a killer combination. Also worth noting, the CD I have contains a couple of bonus tracks: a rather forgettable live recording of Sparticus' first song and an interesting previously unreleased track. (1/24/2006)
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