NECRONOMICON — Tips Zum Selbstmord (review)

NECRONOMICON — Tips Zum Selbstmord album cover

Album · 1972 · Proto-Metal

4.5/5 · 2021-03-17
siLLy puPPy

While some early Krautrock bands were aiming for tripper’s paradise and seeking the ultimate escapism to a distant destination far removed from the trials and tribulations of 20th century Earth, others opted to embrace the tortuous pain and expel the rage through a heavy rock form of progressive rock that cast the vitriol out as pure acceptance of the doom and gloom that was plaguing the fast-paced society of the 1960s that had just ceded into the 1970s. NECRONOMICON which took its name form the H.P. Lovecraft novel was the epitome of taking the tripped out kosmische world of Krautrock into a heavier garage rock, even proto-punk style fueled by despair and dismay.

This band emerged from the city of Aachen perched next to both the Dutch and Belgian borders and was formed in 1970 by Walter Sturm (guitar, vocals), Norbert Breuer (guitar, vocals), Gerd Libber (bass), Harald Bernhard (drums) and Fistus Dickmann (organ, synthesizer, vocals). Although the band stuck it out to 1981 albeit with a rotating lineup, NECRONOMICON only managed to release one sole album titled TIPS ZUM SELBSTMORD which lugubriously translates as “Tips For Suicide.” Laced with heavy downer guitar riffing, stone cold vocal angst and eerie droning frosted over exquisite bass grooves, punk fueled guitar heft and bluesy solos, NECRONOMICON took the newfound nihilism of bands like Black Sabbath and added the more appropriate Krautish accoutrements with folky interludes and heavy psych organ runs.

With lyrics exclusively in German, it may be impossible to tell for non-speakers but this band was all about getting real with lyrics that ranged from ecological degradation to nuclear disasters. The album title is a dead giveaway that rather than drifting off into la-la land that this band was more interested in looking the atrocities of the world dead on and releasing the pent up rage in bouts of guitar-fueled heft with all kinds of extra touches including Bach inspired organ majesty, unpredictable tempo and mood changes and a sense of melancholy more common in modern day metal genre such as funeral doom or depressive black metal. In addition to the rich array of instrumental sounds, the band displayed a clever mix of angsty hard rock vocals mixed with eerie and spooky wordless vocals that evoked the haunting of the death and destruction which symbolized the global destruction that was becoming all too familiar.

This confrontational stylistic approach makes TIPS ZUM SELBSTMORD one of the most unique albums to emerge in the entire Krautrock scene and with an original pressing of only 500 copies has also become one of the most sought after gems in the collector’s underground. Luckily the album has been reissued on numerous occasion with the most obtainable on the 2004 edition from Garden of Delights which features a whopping four unreleased bonus tracks that nearly double the album running time. The dynamics of the album are perfectly paced as punk fueled garage rock gives way to lush pastoral folk and keyboard dueling yields to sizzling guitar solos and forward thinking 80s style keyboard electronica. Add to that nice flowing songs that give way to frenzied time signature freak outs. The lead vocalist often sounds like the German version of David Bowie just to give a comparison.

While the album cover art may seem a little hokey and primitive, the music contained within is anything but. This is some seriously well-thought out Krautrock that nurtures hook laden melodies and then dresses it all up with punk-fueled angst and depressive organ-drenched despair. The compositions are quite sophisticated with intricate changes that never feel forced and how the band managed to squeeze in all the stylistic shifts is a testament to the band’s creative genius. This is an excellent little obscurity and should be on top of Krautrock lists far and wide but like many underground gems, still remains unknown to the masses. I love everything about this album however there are moments when the vocals are a bit goofy especially when dude suddenly breaks into falsetto (think King Diamond) and reaching the high notes. Luckily this is rare and the strengths of the album far outnumber any minor gripes. TIPS ZUM SELBSTMORD is just shy of making a perfect masterpiece.