CD Reviews
Schonwald - Abstraction | Review
Schonwald - Abstraction
November 2020
Manic Depression Records
From post-punk, minimal synths to psychedelic and doom influences, in Shonwald's, "Abstaraction"!
With Schonwald everything is focused on atmospheres. Minimalist, synthetic and hypnotic atmospheres gaze on New Order, The Cure, Suicide. The guitars echo the blades of My Bloody Valentine, Curve. Despite it's German name, Schonwald is an Italian duo. With Schonwald the European Post Punk is at its peak.
Alessandra and Luca create a pulsation, an electronic vibration, atmospheric, black, so cold, which crashes on shiny, hypnotic and melancholic guitars. The perfect match for our modern world, frozen, for ever, and with an obvious effectiveness. Transforming dark into psychedelic drone made of shimmering ethereal movements.
"Abstraction" is the latest Schonwald’s work where the theme itself is inspired by esoteric hymns, aesthetic mantras, echoes of savage human nature. A voyage through introspection of the 21th century’s utopian hopes. "Abstraction", released November 20, 2020.
Their sound in previous albums was more electronic, with a minimal approach and a dark atmosphere influenced by the guitar parts of The Cure and other bands. They started in 2008 with their first album "Amplified nature", followed by "Dream for the Fall" (2014), "Between Parallel Eyes" (2015) and "Night Idyll" (2017).
"Between Parallel Eyes" sounds darker and eerie with clean guitars and shoegaze rhythm and, as always, with darkwave influences. "Night Idyll" has pure post punk sound and electro rhythm.
Following faithfully their minimalist approach, they present their new album entitled "Abstraction", I would say quite different from what they have released so far. Abstraction has mysterious and dark profile, its atmosphere sometimes brings you to melancholy and other times to mental uplift. Schonwald become even more eerie by adding more doom but also gothic elements which we find especially in "Fall Apart" with slow drums and vocals like "Lycia" in "Snowdrop".
"Desert" is an extremely lonely and nostalgic song with a melancholy echo in its instrumental version. With a post punk character in its complete structure, it reminds me the sound of The Cure. Full of mystery, I also find "No Return", with rhythmic drums in its post punk electro form. "Polar" has a series with shoegaze rhythm and vocals with retro aesthetic. In"Fall Apart" the Italian duo has an electronic post punk sound that maintains its retro aesthetic on vocals. Listen to it at the link below.
I can not miss "Inner Sin" is a sensual piece, at first nostalgic and romantic then ecstatic, full of impulse just like a sweet silent sin. It starts with a post punk atmosphere that a little later breaks out in explosive post rock rhythms. I find the "Passion of Lover" a very beautiful performance and extremely passionate and romantic, created from the images you will see in the video below.
The Schonwald duo seem to be an inexhaustible source of energy and devotion to their genre, inspired by their experiences and guided by their emotions. Τhey show melancholy, loneliness but in the end they show us their optimistic and bright side to emerge through the darkness.
Info:
https://schonwald.bandcamp.com/
