Drawn largely from the Dresden scene with a cross-genre sound that fuses east and west, jazz and arab-Andalusian sounds, Masaa now sans pianist Clemens Pötzsch, guitarist Reentko Dirks instead alters the harmonic textures to mesmerising effect.
Complete with haunting, devotional, vocals from Lebanon-born Rabih Lahoud, Markus Rust's trumpet decorating the higher reaches of the sound and drummer Demian Kappenstein delivering an open environment, if you like another Rabih, the oudist Rabih Abou-Khalil's soundworld, then step into the Masaa originals of ''Irade''.
The album title draws on the sense of ''willpower'' in its meaning and there certainly is the feeling that this band is on a mission motivated by something inside so strong on the stirring 'Herzlicht'. The album, will be released by Traumton, next month. SG
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