Caspar Br: Mute Massaker

Brötzmann formed Massaker in the late-1980s with two friends and went on to record Koksofen and tour extensively. He has since recorded solo projects. For this date he has reformed a trio with new members Robert Damming, drums and Ottmar Seum, bass. His music can be described as post-Hendrix meditations (as in John Coltrane's Meditations). Mute Massaker is a series of six lengthy guitar feedback pieces, heavy on mood, paced for an overcast setting. Brötzmann reminds me at time of Jimmy Page and the power that Led Zeppelin held over their fans. Brötzmann doesn't indulge us in Led Zeppelin's rock beats, but stretches the times out for effect.

Like his famous father, Caspar knows how to build tension over a lengthy improvisation by shear volume and endurance. With bass slowly thumping and the slow beat of the drum, you can envision Caspar as an Albert Ayler figure leading his apocalyptic march. The Ayler image reoccurs throughout this recording, with Brötzmann readjusting your ears through the simplest of progressions. "Indians" starts innocently with beautiful (quiet) notes, only to be displaced by the boom-boom-boom of the drums and a noisy feedback of a Hendrix kneeling solo.

Years after giving up on the possibilities of the electric guitar, I find Caspar Brötzmann to be a spark of much need creative dissonance.