Germ – Wish

Releasedate: 12-03-2012; Label: Eisenwald
By: Martine Goffard

Tim Yatras took his time to release this album. Since he came with the idea to create the project “Germ” in 2003, the album has been regularly postponed. But now, here is the Australian little gem.

The album mix different sounds that you would never have imagined together. If it had to be described in a few words, I would come with terms like “space metal” or “electro death”. We have the genuine mix of old new-age electro (the fans of J.-M. Jarre will love it), a touch of retro rock and the dark sounds of death metal. The important point is that the whole combination doesn’t sound old fashioned at all. It’s closer to a soundtrack of a space movie or to an album of Long Distance Calling, with a lot more keyboard. The most powerful song is definitely the first one, An Overdose On Cosmic Galaxy. If you play it loud enough, you won’t have many brain cells left to enjoy the rest. All the ingredients are introduced step by step on this 10 minutes song. The synth of course, to lead you to the stars, the rhythmic electric guitar, the rocker voice and then, suddenly, bursts in your ears the death metal screams. It’s harrowing but beautiful at the same time. The high shrieks are in perfect contrast with the positive music. The intense emotion is exacerbated by a choir effect on the background and a long ending. The other tracks, though not as grandiloquent, are built with the same ingredients. There’s a good harmony between them, with a few very short ones that are used as interlude. Some are atmospheric, like Oxygen, where you can hear a real oxygen pump. Will it make you high ?
Breathe In The Sulphur, is a darker song. You can find the same kind of intro by Sceptic Flesh. If you wonder how can sound the mix between Sceptic Flesh and J.-M. Jarre, this is the answer. The main theme repeats itself again and again in a kind of trance to reach a cosmic explosion. The track Gravity is far too electro/retro to follow Breathe. It kills the atmosphere. Flowers … is clearly the happy song here. A lot of piano and romanticism. You can imagine the butterflies flying, pursued by a death metal fan screaming, on a guitar solo, in space… or all in all, too many layers of sound at once. Very complicated but still beautiful. Infinity could be the soundtrack of a movie like Sunshine. This song bears her name pretty well. You can feel the emptiness, the immensity of space around you, the lights of the stars. It would have deserved to be the last track. Your Smile… doesn’t bring much to the album. It’s too similar to Breathe In The Sulphur and it lacks a good tune. Wish, the last song, brings you back on earth with simple piano notes, calm and melancholic. Is it dawn or are the stars blown out ? Just the footsteps of the pianist leaving the hangar.

Line up :
Tim Yatras

Tracklist: 01. An Overdose On Cosmic Galaxy 02. Asteroid Of Sorrow 03. Oxygen 04. Breathe In The Sulphur/A Light Meteor Shower 05. Gravity 06. Flowers Bloom And Flowers Fall, But I’m Still Waiting For The Spring 07. Infinity 08. Your Smile Mirrors The Sun 09. Wish

Links:
Germ Facebook