DEEP PURPLE
NOW even more so?!
Eight years Deep Purple have been dragging into the country between "Rapture Of The Deep" and their current release "NOW What?! - the longest span since "Come Taste The Band"/"Perfect Strangers". But the considerable abstinence from the studio didn't let the British hard rock flagship get rusty. On the contrary: The third recording of the Mark VIII line-up is its strongest.
OKTA LOGUE
Old in the heart
They're kids of the '60s and '70s. But the four members of Okta Logue are just in their early twenties. Their music captured the spirit of an era in which rock was so strongly committed to the zeitgeist and shaped by a certain attitude to life that it has not been the case since. Their second album "Tales Of Transit City", released on May 17th, could be the breakthrough for Okta Logue on a broader level.
MOTORPSYCHO
Full speed ahead
Any other band would have needed a longer break after such an effort to regain strength and inspiration. Not so motor psycho! Only one year after the massive, demanding double album "The Death Defying Unicorn" the Rockwikings have struck again. Instead of Ståle Storløkken, however, this time they rely on the support of his colleague Reine Fiske.
IGGY AND THE STOOGES
The Random Last Part
Only soft softeners do give up. Getting older isn't an excuse either. And to be streamlined and adapted is out of the question anyway. At least not for old master Iggy Pop, who still has his legendary Stooges in his mid 60s.
BLACK STAR RIDERS
Lizzy Reloaded
The Band formerly known as Thin Lizzy now starts with a new name: Black Star Riders. Their line-up also presents itself differently. What remains is the high-energy hard rock that once made the group and its legendary frontman Phil Lynott famous. With the sack-strong album "All Hell Breaks Loose" behind them, Lizzy veteran Scott Gorham and singer Ricky Warwick show themselves in an interview in an absolute chatty mood.
THE ECLIPSED FESTIVAL PREVIEW
With the temperatures, the chances of getting great outdoor music increase again. Festival season! eclipsed has once again put together a chic summer collection of the most inviting outdoor spectacles this year. Get out of here!
ECLIPSE SOL-AIR
Jamais deux sans sans trois
Nobody comes out of their concerts without a clear attitude: Either you hate the progressive rock theatre of Eclipse Sol-Air or you are addicted to it with every fibre. With their third recording "Schizophilia", the German-French art rockers from Regensburg have finally found their way into the studio itself. Not least thanks to a certain Frank Bornemann.
ORCHID
Heavy lead flower children
The band Orchid from San Francisco always moves stylistically confidently and timelessly in the classical and psychedelic heavy rock doom orbit. With "The Mouths Of Madness" she has left behind a fragrance brand that will continue to have an effect for a long time to come.
R.E.M.
Evergreen
On his 25th birthday, "Green", the album that is immensely important for R.E.M., is released in a smart box including a fascinating live recording. The record marked the change from indie institution to industry giant Warner and accordingly offered a few hits with catchy hooklines. We talked to Mike Mills about the origin and meaning of the work.
QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE
Pour Homme
Six years ago there was no new material from Josh Hommes Queens Of The Stone Age. Their sixth studio album "...Like Clockwork" is something like a new beginning, but at least a new adjustment. And this was urgently needed after Homme had lived through a personal crisis in recent years.
Keep the text up! Cult songs and their meaning
BLONDIE - UNDER THE GUN (FOR JEFFREY LEE PIERCE)
It would have been a bizarrely well-balanced performance for the young Blondie fan club chairman if he had known that the band he adored would dedicate a song to him one day - on the occasion of his death. Jeffrey Lee Pierce, the founder of the Gun Club, who was called "Elvis from Hell" by the US magazine "NY Rocker", died in 1996 at the age of 37. Wolf Kampmann analyses the text about the man with whom he himself was good friends.
Shopping list RENAISSANCE
The rebirth of the skirt from the spirit of classicism
In the beginning there were the Yardbirds: Singer Keith Relf and drummer Jim McCarty wanted to move away from beat to a beautiful mix of folk, pop, blues and classical music. Together with John Hawken, Louis Cennamo and Relfs sister Jane they founded Renaissance. They made their debut in 1969, followed a year later by "Illusion". The media response was positive, the sales figures not. Frustrated, they stroked the sails. After several changes or new occupations until 1972 Renaissance started in completely new occupation by...
