LPCDreissues: Looking forward to the past

LP reissue, gatefold sleeve

Dies Irae’s First is one of the heavier and stranger records from the early German underground. Originally released on Pilz in 1971, the album moves between hard psychedelic rock, proto-metal weight and loose progressive improvisation, with a dark atmosphere that gives the music a more sinister edge than much of the Krautrock scene around it.

The record is full of sharp contrasts: heavy fuzz guitar and pounding rhythm sections give way to jazzier passages, eerie spoken or chanted moments and freewheeling acid-rock breaks. Tracks such as Lucifer, Another Room, Trip, Witches' Meeting and Red Lebanese make First a strong title for listeners interested in the darker side of German progressive and psychedelic rock. This Ohrwaschl LP reissue comes in a gatefold sleeve.

1. Lucifer – 4:42
2. Salve Oimel – 0:34
3. Another Room – 4:06
4. Trip – 7:56
5. Harmagedon Dragonlove – 5:07

1. Tired – 4:59
2. Witches' Meeting – 9:17
3. Red Lebanese – 5:12
4. Run Off – 0:33