March 2021

SAGA - Warm wood instead of cold oscillators

An acoustic album by Saga? This is unexpected and can be seen as a small sensation - the Canadian melodic-proggers usually work fully electric, with a real synthesizer fleet and up to three keyboardists at the same time. Nevertheless, they present a convincing work with "Symmetry".

Many rock bands nowadays present their songs live in a small, fine acoustic set. Saga, too, have done this more often in recent times. After their short hiatus in 2019, the Canadians used the corona-induced forced break to record a sparking work entirely without synthesizers and electronics.

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MOGWAI - "Times are so shitty, we just wanted to make a positive statement"

When the Scotsman Stuart Braithwaite founded his band Mogwai, he was still a teenager. Exactly 25 years ago, the group recorded their first single. A lot of water has flowed down the Clyde since then. Their tenth studio album, As The Love Continues, is far more than an anniversary work.

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ALICE COOPER - Return to Detroit

Vincent Damon Furnier has always been proud of his native city: even when his musical projects were not yet under the name Alice Cooper, he saw them in the tradition of Mitch Ryder & The Detroit Wheels or MC5. His new album "Detroit Stories", recorded with such illustrious musicians as Joe Bonamassa and MC5 co-founder Wayne Kramer, is a homage to the sound of the former Motor City in the late 1960s: It celebrates early American hard rock, but doesn't forget Motown pop and soul.

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SOEN - "We love to mix styles"

The reviews are overflowing. With their fifth studio album "Imperial" the Swedish prog metallers Soen are definitely in a row with bands like Opeth or Katatonia. There has long been talk of a reference work. In the interview, band leader Martín López explains how meticulously he and singer Joel Ekelöf work on the songs and how they try to touch the listeners emotionally again and again.

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STEVE LUKATHER & JOSEPH WILLIAMS - 1+1=3

Even though the recently re-formed Toto will probably not release another studio work in the foreseeable future, fans of the American AOR band currently have reason to rejoice: On February 26, both guitarist STEVE LUKATHER and singer JOSEPH WILLIAMS will release their new solo albums. The highlight: The childhood friends supported each other during the productions, and keyboardist David Paich was also involved in each case, so that both records together almost make a Toto album, according to Lukather

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RICHARD BARBIERI - Strange things under the duvet

Ex-Japan and ex-Porcupine Tree keyboardist Richard Barbieri presents his fourth solo album with "Under A Spell". Once again, the quiet Brit has succeeded in creating an album full of unusual sounds, hypnotic grooves and an otherworldly atmosphere. In the eclipsed interview he reveals the secret of his greatest influence.

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