Kirlian Camera
Schmerz

“Schmerz” is another short album, like many in the endless discography of Kirlian Camera, dotted with a myriad of EPs and singles, more or less significant.

However, "Schmerz," despite its brevity, represents an extremely important step in the courageous journey of Angelo Bergamini, as it marks the beginning of the second era of the band, born at the dawn of the eighties characterized by predominantly electro, industrial, and EBM sounds.

“Schmerz” was released in 1992 and followed by just one year the equally essential “Todesengel – The Fall of Life,” where Bergamini reinvented his project by allying with two valuable collaborators: Simon Balestrazzi, a skilled multi-instrumentalist already part of T.A.C., and the divine singer Emilia Lo Iacono, destined to become the image and symbol of this second incarnation of KC.

In “Schmerz,” what was attempted in the previous effort is finally achieved: in a sense, the KC sound becomes less indebted to the harsh electronic tradition of the eighties and opens further to a symphonic airiness and the dictates of a dark folk, even though the signs of such a change were perceptible in the progressive tendencies found in the masterpiece of the eighties and symbol piece of the first period “Eclipse (Das Schwarze Denkmal).”

“Schmerz,” in setting new stylistic standards, is one of the most homogeneous works of KC, and reveals the qualities of Bergamini as a fine composer, whom until then we had known exclusively as a genius of electronics.

The organ arrangements of the introductory track, the intense title track with its sumptuous sacred moves, introduce us to this new ritual made of intimate spirituality and evocative inner landscapes, placing KC on the same level as the Modenese, almost compatriot Ataraxia. The track also shines for a beautiful and cinematic recitation in Italian, called to retrace a significant passage of the “Liber De Passioni Christi” by Bernardo Da Chiaravalle.

Real chills will run down your spine with the subsequent “Helden Platz,” one of the most beautiful tracks signed by Bergamini and rightly become an immortal classic of the band: the cinematic keyboard evolutions skillfully woven by the musician from Parma are elevated to heavenly heights thanks to Lo Iacono’s voice, certainly not an impeccable singer from a technical point of view, but nonetheless not lacking in the ability to move the listener with every vocalization.

Following the unsettling “Der Tote Liebknecht,” imbued with arcane flavors and alluring in its intertwining of percussion and male and female voices, and the folk-inspired “Raindome,” sung by Bergamini, where the acoustic guitar and Lo Iacono’s ethereal counterpoints take the group close to the territories explored by Death in June at the end of the eighties, demonstrating how the thread between the Italian band and the apocalyptic scene remains strong and indissoluble.

The instrumental “Krematorium” 1 and 2 provide a suggestive symphonic interlude, before Lo Iacono’s voice resumes the interrupted discourse in the concluding “Twilight Fields”: in short, it will be understood that in “Schmerz” there is no EBM even if searched for with a magnifying glass. Rather, astonished and enraptured, we will observe the majestic progression of pompous synthetic plots that reflect the most erudite cosmic avant-garde or the deeds of authors like Vangelis, who certainly know their way around soundtracks.

Valid in itself and for its revolutionary content (for the band), “Schmerz” finally constitutes the necessary premise for the gestation of the masterpieces of the nineties, identifiable in the unmissable triptych “Erinnerung,” “Solaris – The Last Corridor,” and “Pictures from Eternity,” albums that will definitively establish KC among the greats of the dark word, not only in Italy but also and especially internationally, given the numerous accolades from other esteemed artists in the industrial scene and beyond. Even though, and this is a shame, such demonstrations of esteem will unfortunately not be followed by true public success.

But this is an aspect that will matter little to those who care little about sales indices and popularity to determine the intrinsic value of a work.

Recommended therefore only and exclusively to the latter...