Stella Maris - latest album: To The Promised Land (398.6717.2)

In 1998 Dirk Schlömer, former member of legendary German agit-rock band Ton Steine Scherben, decided to make a dramatic turn in his career: The composer, producer, guitarist and singer, together with female singer, painter and yoga-teacher Raphaela Hermes, founded the music project Stella Maris and released an album bearing the groups name as a title. They called their affecting mixture of pop with ethnic elements, dark wave and sacral music "Mystery Pop". The album was an international success, mainly in Asia, but also in Spain and the Benelux countries. Tracks from "Stella Maris" appeared on numerous compilations.
But in the following year the intense collaboration of Schlömer and Hermes shifted towards their ambitious live group project "Das Zeichen". Thus Stella Maris, despite the initial success, was on hold. It took the end of the creative partnership of Schlömer and Hermes after the third album of Das Zeichen ("The Apsara Tapes") to direct Dirk Schlömers attention back to Stella Maris. Only this time Schlömer decided not to work exclusively with one singer, but with a variety of fascinating female artists from different countries, to further express the cultural universality of Stella Maris' artistic approach.
Thus Schlömer, supported by unique artists like Mexican singer Alquimia, Kerstin Blodig, Australian Louisa John Krol and Dirks young daughter Maria, this time created a musical journey through all great cultures and religions, while always sticking true to the art of song.
Thus the second Stella Maris album "To The Promised Land" again contains great Mystery Pop. The singers enchant the listeners with their distinctly female energy, each in her way and each in a different language (English, Spanish, Norwegian, French, Latin and even Fantasian!). This album enfolds a panoramic view of the spiritual diversity of the third millenium, but it is also a tribute to love: the love of sacral music, the love of great pop songs, the love of singing, of choirs and, most of all, the love of the female voice, the voice of female intuition.