Music really is a special medium, isn't it? Especially the Progressive music genre. Because it is so dynamic, and there is an infinite amount of chords and notes that you can put together, you can never run out of something completely new and different to listen to. Bear this in mind when you hear this album, because the sound is totally unique. Hailing from Germany and formed in 1998, the word "Klabautamann" is a way of writing the word "Klabautermann," which is a goblin that predicts shipwrecks. It's been six years since the band's last release entitled "The Old Chamber." This new release, "Smaragd," contains ten tracks, and a total running length of about 52 minutes. "Into Depression" is the opening song. Soft guitars create at first a soothing landscape that soon falls to ruin and despair with the combination of sad clean vocals and anguished Black vocals. But don't fall asleep on the instrumentation, as it paints a picture of solace and beauty. For me, the Progressive elements come in the unusual way they connect the warmer passages with the more sterile. It's really quite uncanny and very pleasing to listen to. "In My Shadow" opens with and earthy and folky sound, and I picture a songwriting duo performing in the hazy smoke of a small club. It has so little presence that you might miss the sweet center if you are not paying attention.

"Under Feral Skies" is an amalgam of various sounds in a unique sounding track. The Black Metal vocals are somewhat subdued at times, while the instrumentation varies between positive sounding major chords and attacking, dissonant minor chords. "As The Snow Melted" has a haunting organ melody to go along with the hushed vocals and bright guitar chords. It's a lovely sound in the vein of something like RIVERSIDE, with a little 70's throwback swirling around. The Black Metal vocals return in "The Murdered," combined with more cleans, but the trippy Prog sound is supple and delicate. The guitar melodies are absolutely beautiful, in a sometimes depressing way, and the contrast from the blackened sound is stark, which is what makes it so alive. "Enemies' Blood" is much darker and more mysterious. The sound give me the feeling of a circus processional, but not a normal one. This is a circus where the clowns kill and eat you alive, and the creatures on display are from the deep recesses of the netherworld.

"Saturn" is one of the gas giant planets of our solar system, and their enigmatic rings have always been an intriguing feature. This is akin to the feeling and interest you have while listening to the song. Forgoing the peaceful and feathery opening, the chord patterns here are distinct and exotic, and the rhythm hypnotizing. The title track, "Smaragd," is heavy and furious at first, before settling into a cozy ethereal sound that reminds you of something nostalgic that you keep around to make you feel better. "Frozen Time" closes out the album with a jovial little sound and, for the first time, solo clean female vocals. Something about the way that the key of the vocals doesn't always match the key of the guitars is oddly pleasing. I think the stamp it puts on the closing of the album is wonderful.

This very peculiar and extraordinary album is unique in so many ways. Don't get caught up in trying to label it however, as that would be an exercise in futility. Do give it several listens to catch all the deep layers and textures that flow throughout, and marvel in the unorthodox patterns and strangely memorizing effect the album has on the listener.