by Stephan Schelle, music circus magazine

Shamall, that is the multi-instrumentalist Norbert Krüler. For a more than 27 years he has been releasing his music, which is a mixture of melodic, progressive, art, krautrock and electronic. Aiming at the fact that his last work “Is this human behavior” was released back in 2009, one might think that his output is not very considerable. However, Shamall has been releasing several full-length double CDs for years, which are of very high quality.

The productions that Norbert Krüler has been releasing single-handedly for years are quite amazing. Not only the music of Shamall is remarkable, also the artwork is impressive and does not have to hide behind big productions. This is also the case with the latest release.

His latest work is called “Turn Off” and deals on the one hand again with the mankind’s greed for money, which ruins our planet, and on the other hand with the indifference of many comrades who accept it all. No wonder he put the slogan “Ignorance kills” on the booklet page.

In addition to Norbert, who again plays numerous instruments, sings and is responsible for programming, Matthias Mehrtens on lead guitar and Anke Ullrich (vocals and background vocals) also took part.

His conceptual work is again spread over two CDs with full capacity. The individual pieces merge into each other, so that both CDs consist of a single long track of more than 70 minutes each. This time is filled with wonderful melodies, powerful rhythms and wonderful solos (guitar and keyboards). Those who know Shamall’s music will feel at home in these sound worlds after only a few moments. Norbert Krüler alias Shamall has created his very own style, which is quickly recognizable. In doing so, he sprinkles reminiscences of big names like Pink Floyd, Eloy and many others from time to time. If you don’t know the music yet, you should change this immediately and get the new work.

The CD appeared in a great eight-page digipak and also contains a 16-page booklet with all the lyrics, information and atmospheric pictures that reflect the theme.

As with the previous albums, Shamall’s latest output also impresses with its quality. Working on his own (with the help of Matthias Mehrtens and Anke Ullrich), Norbert Krüler has once again recorded an album that captivates with its melodies and the intensity of the music. A great rock album, which has a lot of addictive potential again and provides plenty of goosebumps, even if Shamall does not fundamentally reinvent himself.

c/o Stephan Schelle, music circus magazine, November 2013