Together we can wander back into history and re-experience ASP’s beginning of a journey, as now also the second part of the ‘Fremder’ cycle appears in an anniversary edition. ‘Maskenhaft’ – the album which, upon its release in 2013, reached number 2 in the German charts, putting the fans on tenterhooks, delivering a cliffhanger of the like not previously seen in the band’s history. In their usual authentic manner, the musicians presented their combination of rock sounds, delicate wave moments, poetic narrative lyrics and a profound message. Hardly any other band succeeds in creating material so entertaining, yet at the same time critical of society, in this virtuoso manner, as they have successfully interwoven within the framework of this album’s atmospheric cosmos. Too often, we all wear masks, so much too often, we only encounter one another as strangers. And it is just this sombreness and mischievously Fremd-like nature that Asp refers to in his songs. He holds the mirror up to us, which shows him as the strangest of all the aliens in this world.
Whether the masked creature, the roving wanderer, the lovers in the snowfall or the protagonist staggering along stony paths – over the past decade, many of the images have gone on to become familiar, sought-after companions, which also when performed at concerts again whip the audience into storms of enthusiasm. The gripping story, the fragments of the individual chapters which merge together to form the bigger picture, the different levels of meaning – Asp is and remains the master of ambiguity. Whether as a monumental piece or earworm (or both), even after ten years, the songs still captivate, immediately catapulting the listener back to the beginnings of the ‘Fremder’ cycle!
'SMOKE & MIRRORS' Version. Every copy is unique! Limited to 300 only!
Multicoloured vinyl
Colours wash into one another, like dense wafts of mist
Pressing with ‘A-side/B-side effect’ (both sides of the vinyl look different)
Each record individually made by hand
Differences in pattern shapes and colours are therefore possible
Every copy is unique
2x180g 12” vinyl
Audiophile vinyl – German pressing
Gatefold sleeve
Printed inner sleeve and containing all lyrics
Printed vinyl labels
Foldout poster (60 x 90 cm approx)
Strictly limited to 300 copies
Released Late April 2023 by Trisol Music Group.
Tracks Listing:
A1. Augenaufschlag
A2. Die Kreatur mit der stählernen Maske
A3. Aufbruchstimmung
B1. Wanderer
B2. Schneefall in der Hölle
B3. Die Löcher in der Menge
C1. Reflexionen
C2. Das Märchen vom Wildfang-Windfang (Schlüpftanz)
C3. Panzerhaus
D1. Per aspera ad aspera
D2. Die Klippe Teil 1 – Stimmen im Nebel
D3. Die Klippe Teil 2 – Hang
English