Accordingly curious I was on the current album "Sun", which I now hold in my hands and finally have completely heard twice. The expectations were not too high: Again a double album with a total of 29 titles (in the advertising sticker is claimed there would be 30 new songs, which is utter nonsense, unless one accepts the exclusive titles for Amazon and iTunes still with added). Since there had to back numerous stopgap and give half-baked compositions!
And yet, now that I can play the album at last I have to say that the said filler, might be limited to three four pieces. The remaining 25 songs are in my opinion, without exception, from very good to excellent quality. Sung and instrumental pieces are as always available and quite balanced alternate steadily.
Normally I would rate each song individually, but in a double album that would of course be beyond the scope of each review, so I'll just leave it at a short held cross-section. As we have for example quite calm-sounding singing songs like "Hallucinating Beauty", "Oasis" or "Pale Blue Eyes". There are driving club tracks like "Epic Shores" or "Alive". And of course there are instrumentals, and this time are characterized by the fact that they go through across the board as full compositions with a clear melodic and rhythmic guide. This was not always so, in the last albums were often pieces that sounded more like any sound surfaces such as proper music. Even elements of world music can be found at last on the CDs, for example, the instrumental "The Third Eye".
Christopher von Deylen invents quite sure with his new album the wheel. He has found his style, his music is unmistakable. And yes, if one thinks evil with it, you can also say that the music always "mainstreamiger" is where I would like with a question mark the term. Because what is mainstream? Is mainstream - at least for me - music that is trimmed to 3 minutes, so that they will indeed be played by the radio stations and mainstream always follows the same pattern. Both can not be criticized for Schiller the best of intentions. There are on the whole album, only three or four pieces that do not come close to the 4-minute mark, the most titles actually go about five minutes, especially the vocal pieces. Such title lengths are certainly not a quality characteristic, but they show one thing very clear: Schiller makes his compositions time to develop and fully develop, so that the music can also act. And that in turn means that Schiller has also obtained with the seventh studio album enough artistic freedom in order not to sink into the same old typical "artist radio". And that's what I expect from a professionally arranged and produced album.
I for one am with "sun" very pleased and I think Deylen here has his most rundestes work delivered.
A few downer course there anyway. On the one hand I find it very unfortunate that fewer and fewer real percussion and guitars are used. Certainly sounds Schiller's music also purely electronic very good, but on the earlier works, these two elements were yet important features for making Schiller from the crowd. Even the obligatory "Reprise" I think this time completely off the mark. The song "The Silence" had shown a perfect finish and instead to stick to it, CVD has just afterwards throw the only piece that is it really just a stopgap in pure culture is without highlights or features. But that is now bleating at a high level.
Also, the total amount (for the Super Deluxe Edition) fits again in my opinion. Where other artists just sell a concert on a single DVD at full price, there is not only a double album, but also two concerts with different focuses on two DVDs. Respect, something has now really rare.
From me completely deserved five stars.
