Only interesting on paper - A review of Die Apokalyptischen Reiter's The Divine Horsemen

There are numerous terms that can be used to describe German quintet Die Apokalyptischen Reiter but boring certainly isn't one of them. The band has explored numerous gernes from extreme metal to acoustic folk rock and everything in between. Some results were memorable hits while others were weird misses. To celebrate its twenty-fifth anniversary, the band recorded roughly five hundred minutes of improvised music over two days without any preparations and rehearsals. The final result was put together on fifteen songs with a running time of just below eighty minutes on two separate discs that are limited to three thousand physical copies.

The final result is obviously quite experimental, even by the band's adventurous standards. The music mostly meanders from psychdelic rock to stoner rock and is largely instrumental. Especially the longer songs feel like aimless drug trips and are tough to sit through. ''Duir'' for instance goes nowhere in its sound collages for six and a half minutes before some coherent rhythms and short vocal sections kick in but it's too little too late to save the tune. ''Simbi Makya'' is another example for an improvised song that doesn't have any chemistry and is based upon psychedelic atmosphere alone that stretches for seven plodding minutes.

The shorter tunes are a little bit better to digest but ironically lack development. The heavy opener ''Tiki'' makes you nod your head and move your feet but is already over after two and a half minutes and leaves you wanting more. ''Wa He Gu Ru'' convinces with mantra-like chants, powerful drums and distorted guitar riffs but those elements aren't developed anywhere further and make even three and a half minutes sound repetitive.

At the end of the day, Die Apokalyptischen Reiter's The Divine Horsemen only sounds interesting on paper. The final result is only interesting for fans of experimental psychedelic rock and stoner metal. The band might have had lots of fun recording these songs but most people won't enjoy listening to this painfully meandering pretentious oddball.

Final rating: 35%