Long Distance Calling -
How Do We Want To Live?


(CD 2020: 52:45, Inside Out Music)

The tracks:
  1- Curiosity Part 1(2:56)
  2- Curiosity Part 2(4:26)
  3- Hazard(6:08)
  4- Voices(7:54)
  5- Fall/Opportunity(3:07)
  6- Immunity(5:40)
  7- Sharing Thoughts(7:25)
  8- Beyond Your Limits(6:24)
  9- True/Negative(2:33)
10- Ashes(6:12)

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I have always been a real fan of German post metal/prog rockers Long Distance Calling and I thought that TRIPS (see review) was their absolute highlight, still being one of the best albums of that genre in the year 2016!

Now the quartet from Munster release their 7th studio album and my expectations were high; maybe too high as after a couple of spins I was kind of disappointed because How Do We Want To Live? contains too much electronics for me and all the ten songs have the same compositional build up taking away the musical surprise and diversity for which these guys are so well known.... Tracks like True/Negative, Ashes, Fall/Opportunity and Curiosity Part 1 sound too much alike, meaning too much electronics, too many keyboard walls and too many quiet (read utterly Boring) passages, Of course you can still enjoy subtle guitar solos, lots of atmosphere, a highly dynamic sound, lots of slide guitar solos/melodies and many familiar guitar hooks, riffs and melodies in excellent songs like Hazard and Voices. This album even contains a song with a vocalist (Eric A.Pulverich from the band Kyles Tolone) and I am sorry to say that it is the weakest song of the entire album..

So, sadly, in my humble opinion, I do not consider How Do We Want To Live? As a highlight in the career of LDC; but there are still lots of moments of sheer musical brilliance acknowledging that this is still a superb band and that they will return with a musical vengeance for sure!! Listening tips: Immunity, Hazard and Voices!!

***+ Martien Koolen (edited by Dave Smith)

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