The Eternal Moment

Does the new album The Eternal Moment deliver on this bold promise? The conditions couldn’t be more favorable, highlighting the band’s ambition to create nothing less than a major musical statement in the tradition of the great concept albums of rock history—rooted in the here and now, yet still “just like in the good old days,” with a defiant “we’re not Spotify playlist fodder” attitude.

Recorded at the legendary Dierks Studios with all five musicians playing simultaneously in one room—rather than in soulless click-track isolation—and layered with overdubs such as the reverent depth of a real church organ and the warm tone of an actual Steinway grand piano, the album tackles daring questions about the human condition: meaning, time, and impermanence.

Nine intense tracks explore, from various perspectives, the enduring “moments for eternity” hinted at in the album’s title, oscillating between the lofty artistic ambition of great prog bands like Pink Floyd, Genesis, Yes, King Crimson, and Gentle Giant, and the raw power of classic hard rock acts such as Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, and Deep Purple.

German music journalist Thomas Zimmer once described this approach as “high culture with balls,” and thanks to four absolute virtuosos on their instruments and a frontman whom Grobschnitt veteran Toni “Moff” Mollo keeps calling “the best rock singer in Germany” since they shared the stage at some shows, what might sound like an ivory-tower concept in theory comes alive on the album—so vivid, compelling, and exhilarating that one wonders why we ever stopped touching music with both hands and instead began swiping “skip” with just our thumbs.

Together, Michael Dorp (vocals), Michael Rick (guitar), Rüdiger Blömer (keyboards and violin), Roger Weitz (bass), and Ande Roderigo (drums) demonstrate what a good rock album is really about: creating a musical experience that breathes, pulses, and propels the listener completely out of everyday life—and into those rare, magical Eternal Moments that stay with you forever.