The composer and multi-instrumentalist Norbert Krüler and his companions Matthias Mehrtens and Anke Ullrich present a gigantic 22-track album.

This opulence of compositions is disarming at first glance, and it is necessary to dive into this double work in order to grasp not only its message, but also all the musical nuances contained in “Schizophrenia”.

What the title of the album does not suggest, we are not talking about madness, but about a socio-critical concept that rejects this principle with messages that basically say: “that we are confronted with social and ecological excesses, but we do not react and we prefer to remain ignorant – this is schizophrenic”.

Given the number of compositions, it’s impossible for me to present all the tracks here, but the album contains a dynamic and a surprising freshness. In this double album, the artist has succeeded in bringing together different musical styles found in the progressive world of the last 40 years, adding the nuances and timbres of today.

We can also observe a certain repetition of the rhythmic foundations, which of course gives a form of continuity between the individual tracks, but also an impression of “déjà entendu”. This is underlined by musical themes contained in some of the compositions on the album.

On the other hand, the album is very appealing in terms of mixes and arrangements. The voices, keyboards and guitars do an excellent job with a touch of animal tenderness. Even though I am still convinced that there is a reason to reduce the number of tracks in order to increase readability, it remains a pleasant album full of surprises to listen to. The album deserves it – so you have to take some time to taste it with the necessary depth. As for the Digipack, it is of excellent manufacturing with dark, clean artwork.