There is a big difference in sound, style, and approach between Eroc's first and second solo LPs. His eponymous debut largely focused on instrumental synthesizer pieces -- and, though interesting, those pieces broke little new ground in terms of keyboard music, and bore no resemblance to Eroc's work with Grobschnitt, for which he was (and still is) best known. Zwei is a different story. This album is put together like a patchwork or collage, not unlike some of Frank Zappa's records, with short spoken word, comedy, or noise-based tracks acting as bridges between more elaborate compositions. Eroc's drumming is more to the fore, his peculiar sense of humor, too (so adamant to Grobschnitt's identity). Non-German-speaking listeners lose one of the album's important dimensions, as language plays a key role throughout, from the stirring if somewhat naïve recitation in "Der Traum vom Wald" to snippets of audio-vérité and jokes. Still, if you enjoy that kind of psychedelic and absurdist collage, there is plenty to like here, along with a few musical gems, including the opener "Nebelwelt" and "Das Irrsinnslied," in which the famous call "Do you hear solar music?" makes an unexpected appearance. Zwei is not an essential album, but if you enjoy the zanier side of Grobschnitt, go ahead and try.
© François Couture /TiVo