Thomas Neuroth and Kaus Mayer met during their school years in Völklingen in 1971[1] and quickly realised that they had common musical interests.

Inspired by Rick Wakeman and King Crimson, the two decided, together with some other school friends, to form a band, which they named Neuschwanstein.

This band name was no coincidence, as this castle, built by King Ludwig II of Bavaria, represents the romantic era in its most impressive form.

The new guitarist Roger Weiler, who had joined the band earlier, significantly shaped Neuschwanstein's sound with his playing.

The original master tapes are lost, but a cassette copy existed, which 32 years later, in 2008, was released on CD for the first time in restored form by the French record company Musea.

Between 1974 and 1978, Neuschwanstein was still only a locally known group, occasionally hired as an opening act for bands like Novalis and Lucifer's Friend.

Lack of success, the rise of New Wave and general disdain for progressives discouraged most members of the band, which eventually broke up in 1980, but this thoroughly respectable album remains as a testament to what might have been.... And that's frustrating.

[3] With the help of numerous musician friends, Neuroth created a remarkable album that hardly sounds like Neuschwanstein's original music - despite intensive use of flute - nor like their earlier role models such as Genesis, but much more like the combination of Emerson, Lake and Palmer, classical, romantic and progressive hard-rocking complexity that occurs in the form of a suite.