Gomorrha - Trauma 1970

Gomorrha were an obscure early 70s hard rock Krautrock band from the Rhineland, Germany, who were barely recognized during their lifetime even in their homeland. Since then, their records have become highly collectable, and their name even appeared on the Nurse With Wound list of influences. The group began in the late 60s when drummer Helmut Pohl and organ and bassist Eberhard Krietsch began to compose songs together. In early 1969 they formed the band with guitarists Ad Ochel and Ali Claudi, and by the end of the year they recorded their first album with Connie Plank, who was just beginning his career as sound engineer and producer. The eponymous album, released by Cornet the next year, was an unsuccessful mix of Beatle-esque pop and beat songs sung in German that the band quickly distanced themselves from.

The next year they returned to the studio with Plank and re-recorded the material from their debut, this time with the lyrics in English and with a more progressive sound. By now Peter Otten had joined the group to be the lead vocalist. This record, Trauma, came out in 1971, and though this record was far better than the debut, much of it was still quite conventional rock, with only the 13-minute title track hinting at what was to come.

Near the end of 1971 Gomorrha acquired fulltime bassist Mike Eulner so that Eberhard didn?t have to switch off from organ to bass. By now they came to the attention of Brain Records, who gave them full artistic freedom on their third album, I Turned To See Whose Voice It Was, recorded in early 1972 in four days, again with Conny Plank behind the sound board. Released later that year, the record took the best elements of Trauma into far more creative realms, and is considered a masterpiece for Gomorrha, and one of the high points in Krautrock recordings.

Gomorrha only lasted another year. The members were not prepared to commit themselves to the uncertain life of musicians, so they split up and went back to their regular jobs, and none of them have ever returned to music. AMG.

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