The Art Of Sysyphus Vol. 106

22. October 2019

CD-Sampler

1. LAURA COX - Fire Fire Fire (3:52) (exclusive) Album
: Burning Bright (2019) (Release: 8.11.) Label/Distribution
: earMusic/Edelwww.lauracoxband.com

Start with a bang! Much better than with "Fire Fire" you can hardly introduce a classic rock album. Of course LAURA COX also takes out the tempo during their second longplayer "Burning Bright" and doesn't rock so hard permanently, on the other hand this song is already a live favourite.

2. VOYAGER IV - Il Vecchio Castello (Photophobia) (6:11) Album
: Pictures At An Exhibition (2019) (Release: 2.11.) Label/Distribution
: Melodic Revolution/Phonospherewww.voyageriv.com

"Pictures At An Exhibition" by the Bonn group VOYAGER IV is a musically and acoustically captivating reworking of Modest Mussorgsky's famous piano cycle "Pictures at an Exhibition". "Il Vecchio Castello (Photophobia)" shines in new splendour: as a jazzy-prog piano ballad with spacy sounds.

3. YOGI LANG - I'll Be There For You (5:18) Album
: A Way Out Of Here (2019) (Release: 8.11.) Label/Distribution
: Gentle Art Of Music/Soulfoodwww.gentleartofmusic.com/yogi-lang

With "I'll Be There For You" RPWL frontman YOGI LANG serves a ballad between early Alan Parsons Project and middle Pink Floyd. The fantastic vocal arrangements even recall "The Great Gig In The Sky" from "The Dark Side Of The Moon". Epic and touching at the same time.

4. BROR GUNNAR JANSSON - Stay Out All Night Long (3:39) Album
: They Found My Body In A Bag (2019) Label/Distribution
: Playground/Cargowww.brorgunnar.com

The content of this song is not exactly typical for the accompanying album, which is mainly about true crimes. Musically but definitely, because BROR GUNNAR JANSSON loves, among many other styles, primal blues rock and sees this song as a homage to John Lee Hooker's "Boogie Chillen" from 1948.

5. PRIDE & GLORY - Machine Gun Man (acoustic) (5:23)
Album: Pride & Glory (re-release) (2019) Label/Distribution
: eOne/SPVwww.zakkwylde.com

On PRIDE & GLORY's only album, Ozzy Osbourne guitarist Zakk Wylde indulges in his Southern Rock preference. With the acoustic version of "Machine Gun Man" you think that musicians of the Allman Brothers have teamed up with the Marshall Tucker Band. Apart from that the album is more hard rocky.

6. IMPERIAL JADE - You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet (3:55) Album
: On The Rise (2019) Label/Distribution
: Listenable/Edel
imperialjade.bandcamp.com

At IMPERIAL JADE you would guess Sweden, but they are Catalans! The troupe from Barcelona offers wonderfully crunchy bluesy retro hard rock. The groovt and has recognition value, is both reserved and contagious. Not only the opener "You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet" makes you want more.

7. SWEDISH DEATH CANDY - Interstellar Love Machine (3:42) Album
: Are You Nervous? (2019) Label/Distribution
: Hassle/Membranwww.swedishdeathcandy.com

The London-based international band SWEDISH DEATH CANDY has recorded an album dedicated to the explosive themes of our time. The lyrics are enveloped by catchy retro-/psych- and acid-rock, garnished with some stoner riffs, as the spacy "Interstellar Love Machine" proves.

8. TAMING THE SHREW - Cure (6:23) Album
: Cure (2019) (Release: 8.11.) Label/Distribution
: My Redemption/Cargowww.tamingtheshrew.com

The Regensburg quintet TAMING THE SHREW uses a mix of Shocking-Blue-Beat, Led-Zeppelin-Rock and Procol-Harum-Schwermut for the title track of their second album "Cure". And when you think after a good three minutes that the piece is over, the organist turns up again, while frontwoman Daniela Liebl roars in the wound.

9. BLANK MANUSKRIPT - Pressure Of Pride (3:36) Album
: Krásná Hora (2019) Label/Distribution
: Blank Manuscript/Just For Kickswww.blankmanuskript.at

A wildly scurrying confusion of instruments: driving wind instruments, waving organ, obsessive percussion and multiple vocals. The Austrians BLANK MANUSKRIPT take you with "Pressure Of Pride" into a dazzling labyrinth, equipped with idols like If, Gentle Giant, Blood, Sweat & Tears and even Bob Marley.

10. ECHOLONS)))) - Leaving The City (8:11) album
: Idea Of A Labyrinth (2019) (Release: 15.11.) Label/Distribution
: Tonzonen/Bertuswww.echolons.net

On their third album "Idea Of A Labyrinth" the Frankfurt Alternative Proggers ECHOLONS)))) were inspired by Mark Z. Danielewski's postmodern horror novel "Das Haus - House Of Leaves". The song "Leaving The City" blends Marillion sounds with scratchy rock guitars and wide-screen appeal.