It began when a young Norbert Kruler placed a microphone inside the body of his guitar and listened to the distorted sounds coming out of the amplifier tube of his old radio. This fascination for strange sounds would motivate Kruler through various sonic endeavors, DJing in German clubs and performing guitar rock, until he discovered the miracle of synthesizers and his inspiration found a suitable home in the genre of experimental music.

On a trip to Egypt, Kruler finally chose a name for his musical identity, stimulated by the hidden nature of the desert: Shamall (which loosely translates as "hot desert wind").

SHAMALL: Influences (double CD on Fenn Music Service)

Shamall takes the listener on an epic 144-minute cosmic voyage of mental introspection, a quest that involves "The Long Way from Hell to Heaven", "Outer Space", "Automatic Dance" and "Entering the Dark Zone" as "The Voyager" passes through various states of cosmic consciousness on this engaging and energized 1998 release.

Heavy E-perc snaps in your face, accompanied by lustrous waves of electronics and spiraling keyboard riffs. The keyboards often adopt a symphonic flair, belting out piercing and passionate melodies. This music is supercharged, equally graced with electro-dance aspects and cosmic quality. And then it all goes majestic-grandeur and heroic, plunging the listener into dramatic passages that quicken the pulse as easily as they motivate the feet.

One song might break into a prog-rock frenzy, with thick basslines and intricate percussives; another song might be marbled with Eastern influences, complete with heavenly female chants. For another song there's the angry growl of a heavy metal guitar, adding an edge of danger to the piece.

The melodies are strong, full of clever hooks and attractive rhythms. Constantly in transition, shifting the melodies and enhancing the mix with even more clever riffs, the music is full of delightful sonic surprises.

SHAMALL: This Island Earth (CD on Fenn Music Service)

This 1997 CD is top notch electronic music with a touch of the interstellar going on in the tuneage.

The cover art depicts a Native American receiving messages from outer space. The music paints a dynamic and enthralling instrumental portrait of this tale of extraterrestrial contact.

Surging electronic waves crest and spill over the listener, propelled by enthralling E-perc of a highly energized and intricate nature. Mixing inventive weirdness with agile keyboards, Kruler applies a rigorous compositional quality, deriving mammoth music that continues to expand and evolve with every nimble note.

Another nice touch to this 72-minute release is the manner in which Kruler periodically plunges into overt space rock territory, adding fiery power to his dynamic sound with blazing guitars and percussion of a more traditional rock-out nature.

SHAMALL: In Search of Precision (CD on Fenn Music Service)

Guiding a flying saucer across light-years of empty void, aimed to dock at an ancient pyramid constructed by primitive apes to conceal a buried city of stranded alien colonists . . . this takes precision and patience.

The 76 minutes of music on this 1994 release mirror this precision, injecting the patience with a mood of magnanimous benevolence born of technological superiority. Keyboards and E-perc thunder with dynamic rhythms, following melodies that tremble with power and galaxy-spanning force. With tempos that swell with heavenly fervor, this music applies symphonic rock with electronic energies, forging tuneage of compelling nature.

The use of guitar, bass and other traditional sounds mix with a solid cohesion of computer programming to produce a dynamic sound that is inspiring and engaging. The keyboards run the gamut from demonstrative grand piano to frenzied sampler sweeps to even calliope strains—whatever is called for to achieve the appropriate sonic emotion that will lift the music higher.

Blending elements of space rock with contemporary electronic music, Shamall delivers an ultimately satisfying dose of gripping melodies, crafted with exacting performance quality.

SHAMALL: Mirror to Eternity (CD on Fenn Music Service)

Fascinating sounds combine with emotional compositions on this 1993 release to produce 72 minutes of exhilarative electronic music.

Employing energetic keyboards as the foundation, this music is given denser qualities via the superlative application of compelling percussion and devious bass. Exhilarating melodies explode forth, drenching the listener with breathtaking crescendos and riveting harmonic rhythms. A dynamic symphonic quality permeates the tuneage, expanding perception with the sinuous throes of every chord and sequence.

This album evokes an instrumental rock sensibility captured in a synthesizer panorama, with driving percussion urging each melody to soar with epic passion toward astral vistas. The music manages to compress the allure of numerous mystical moods into each song, drawing down the moon to hover within touching reach over an ocean that is alive with cosmic potential, merging sea and sky into a single grand environment.

SHAMALL: Moments of Illusion (CD on Fenn Music Service)

Sparkling electronic music drenched with dramatic tension dwells for 69 minutes on this 1990 release.

Keyboard electronics of commanding majestic quality are enhanced by crisply rumbling basslines and percussion of both classical and synthetic origins. Also appearing when needed are acoustic guitar, heavenly choir and the power of grand piano. However, the music is centered around the keyboards, with sweeping chords and involved melodies spiraling through an auditory space clustered with astral effects. These keyboards are highly versatile, mimicking a variety of sounds like flutes, xylophone and harp.

Shamall's compositional caliber excels at generating music that blends elements of orchestral rock with dynamic electronics, creating a charismatic mood that resides between the topmost peaks of grand mountain ranges and the plummeting trails of falling stars.

SHAMALL: Journey to a Nightmare (CD on Fenn Music Service)

Keyboards abound, releasing electronics of a varied and appealing nature: direct keyboards, E-perc, synthetic horns, deep bass tones, ethereal flutes, and soaring special effects. Guitars and bass can also be found in the mix.

This music adopts a very dramatic posture, delivering melodic grandeur with high emotional content. The riffs soar, scraping aside the cloudcover to plunge beyond view into unknown heights.

The descent into fear found on the 14 minute title track displays a dark density full of scary themes. Dread oozes with this melody, generating terrified anticipation as the listener enters Shamall's haunted house scenario. The journey is not entirely doomed though, for a sense of positive hope wins out at the end. This same uplifting of spirit is exhibited during the other compositions.