Titled ‘Der Traum Uber Alles’, or in English; ‘The dream above all else’, Avalanche Party’s second album is an eleven track record that shines from start to finish. Recorded at Rancho de la Luna, the home studio of Dave Catching (Queens Of The Stone Age), ‘Der Traum Uber Alles’ is the product of patience and pent-up anger. Originally scheduled for recording in 2020, Covid-19 restrictions meant the band had to wait until November 2022 to fly over to the States and get started. Now in February 2025, it’s finally here.
Album opener, ‘John Coltrane’s Moscow Skyscraper’ is a monstrous introduction to Avalanche Party’s freshly developed sound. Released as the fourth single, the suspenseful riff and talk-style vocals provide the perfect grounds for a huge ending, which comes in after two minutes and absolutely blew my socks off. The production quality and the chemistry between the band is evident even after the first track.
Next up is ‘Nureyev Said It Best’, another of the previously released singles, which is one of my favourites on the record. Opening with a haunting sound that almost sounds like in air raid siren, the bomb drops after fifteen seconds with a ridiculously infectious bassline.
After a similarly catchy guitar kicks in, the breakdown reintroduces the themes of suspense and horror before bursting into another gargantuan outro. Track three is the first non-single on the record, and honestly, I can see why it didn’t make the cut. Though a decent song by all means, it lacks the individuality of the opening two tracks and has a pretty formulaic sound.
‘Shake The Slack’ is the next track on the record and it sees Avalanche Party take a completely direction to what we’ve seen so far. Despite a familiar sounding bass intro, the band take a clear influence from New Wave and legends of the past such as Bowie and Talking Heads. A really groovy track, ‘Shake The Slack’ really stands out from the rest and highlights the versatility of the group.
Track five is titled ‘Ecstasy’ and comes in at just under five minutes, making it one of the longer songs on the record. A song fit for a film, ‘Ecstasy’ is beautifully arranged and gives off huge Radiohead vibes with it’s powerful vocals and adherence to the reoccurring theme of suspense. Sitting at the halfway point of the record is ‘Serious Dance Music’, which is ironically one of the shortest songs on ‘Der Traum Uber Alles’.
The first single to be released from this record, ‘Serious Dance Music’ is full of chaos and certainly lives up to it’s title, however it fails to truly capture the themes of the album and perhaps wasn’t the best choice for ‘lead’ single.
‘The Noise Between Us’ is the seventh track on the record and in my opinion, is one of Avalanche Party’s best. The song’s title sparked the comparison to Suede’s classic ‘The Chemistry Between Us’ but sonically, the Radiohead comparison still lives. Vocally excellent once again, Jordan Bell is absolutely on fire throughout this record and shows just how high the ceiling is for him and his equally talented band.
Track eight is ‘Slinky’ and is the first time we are really introduced to the brass instruments on the album. Arguably the most suspenseful track on a beautifully haunting record, the vocals sound as if Thom Yorke and Matt Bellamy had a lovechild whilst the instrumentals build upon the cinematic vibe introduced by ‘Ecstasy’.
A really powerful song that sits perfectly on the track list, setting up for the next track perfectly. ‘Chainz’ is the name given to track nine and I must say it is a very appropriate name. A truly haunting number, ‘Chainz’ feels like you are trapped in a dark room and as the song progresses, your fate becomes more and more apparent. Thematically on point, but eerie nonetheless.
With only two songs remaining, the penultimate track lowers the intensity and reintroduces the post-punk elements of the record. Titled ‘Target’, this may be my favourite on the album. Filled with fiery drumming, heavy riffing and shoutier vocals, the anger of the earlier tracks is on full display here.
Though not as technically impressive as other tracks, it hits the ‘target’ effortlessly. Onto the final track, ‘Collateral Damage’, the different genres explored throughout ‘Der Traum Uber Alles’ seem to come together here and create a post-punky, New Wave number that has an unexpected sense of eeriness. A more than adequate song, but as an album closer it does feel a little weak given the quality of the record as a whole.
‘Der Traum Uber Alles’ is a magnificent album from start to finish. Exploring multiple genres, themes and sounds whilst linking them together in an emotional rollercoaster of a record.
Having the patience to wait two years to record an album is one thing, but taking the opportunity and creating something so thematically brilliant is a testament to the character and quality of these lads. From Middlesborough to the States is one hell of a story, however I believe this is just the start for Avalanche Party.
Newly signed to AMK, these lads are clearly hot prospects in the world of music and this has been backed up by a truly great album.
With an 8-date headline tour coming up in March, I’d urge anyone to catch these guys live before they blow up. With live shows that are like ‘being present at an electrified possession ritual’, it seems like too big of an opportunity to pass up. A great record. A great band. Check them out.
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