Toundra – Das Cabinet des Dr. Caligari (Recommendation)

Artist: Toundra
Album: Das Cabinet des Dr. Caligari
Genre: Post-Rock, Post-Metal, Alternative
Country: Spain
Release Date: February 28. 2020
Released via Inside Out Music

The Roaring Twenties wasn’t only a famous and influential period in the USA , Post-War Germany experienced a time of social and cultural change, not only politically and economically. German cinema maybe was the most expressionist and influential cinema in the world with movies such as Fritz Lang’s “Dr. Mabue the Gambler” (1922), “Metropolis” (1927) and F.W. Murnau’s “Nosferatu” (1922). After the rise of the Nazi regime, a lot of German actors, filmmakers and artists migrated to Hollywood. Some historians said that this artistic influence was one of the most crucial regarding the history of the movie and cinema culture in the USA.

One of the first influential and most important movies was the silent horror movie “Das Cabinet des Dr. Caligari” (The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari) by Robert Wiene (1922). The success of the movie helped the German film business to world fame after WWI, set the standard for future horror movies and has still been influencing filmmakers until today. The Spanish Post-Rock Band Toundra gave this silent movie a tribute by arranging, as it was usual for a lot of silent movies at that time, an accompanying music that can be played parallel to the film – their new album going by the same name as the movie. They cover all six acts of the movie with their typical Post-Rock style (which – in my opinion – doesn’t get the recognition it should get) and create a perfect atmosphere. You can listen to the album as a typical Post-Rock album too, it doesn’t lose any kind of quality and it is not a regular soundtrack at all.

Toundra will (hopefully) be on a Spain / Germany tour to play along with the movie, as it was common for cinemas in the Roaring Twenties. If you have the chance to listen to it, do so. I am sure it’s worth it. Besides, the album cover to me is already one of the best this year.

If you actually hear about Toundra for the first time in this recommendation, listen to their previous albums – in my opinion they are one of the best bands in the genre.