RETRO? ROCK! - Blues Pills and the New Generation Rock
Rock'n'roll in the conference room. Blues Pills have come this far by now. During the first personal conversation eclipsed with Dorian Sorriaux and Elin Larsson, only a few kilometres away from the current meeting point in a noble hotel in Cologne, things were much less civilized: half-naked and sweaty after a support gig for Orchid, the band welcomed us in the backstage room of the mangy, albeit charming, building 9. That was less than three years ago, and even then it was clear to us that a rough diamond was beginning to sparkle. The 2014 release of the first longplayer led to further pats on the back.
THE BEACH BOYS - The Cathedral of Pop
In May 1966, 36 minutes of music appeared that changed the pop world forever: Brian Wilson, mastermind of the Beach Boys, presents the first concept album and at the same time the first psychedelic epic in history: "Pet Sounds". A milestone that inspired the Beatles to "Sgt. Pepper's", brought his creator to the brink of self-destruction and today celebrates his 50th birthday. Reason enough for a lengthy laudation.
ERIC CLAPTON - Closed Society
Originally started to raise money for Eric Clapton's drug clinic in the Caribbean, the "Crossroads Guitar Festival" is now considered an institution where the best guitarists on the planet get together. Now Clapton, who has just released the respectable old work "I Still Do", draws an impressive interim balance of "his" festival with the elaborate three-CD box set "Crossroads Revisited".
JON ANDERSON & ROINE STOLT - Pure Teaching
Jon Anderson's back. After a half-baked experiment with the Anderson Ponty Band, the 71-year-old is now working on an album with Trevor Rabin and Rick Wakeman. Before that the fans get to hear "Invention Of Knowledge" - new "Yes-Music", which Anderson recorded together with Flower King Roine Stolt. Labelboss Thomas Waber brought the two Prog-Hochkaräter together two years ago during the concert cruise "Progressive Nation At Sea". A captivating idea.
FATES WARNING "I'll keep the answers to myself."
32 years after their foundation, the US-American formation Fates Warning has once again handed over a real progressive metal pearl to the public with "Theories Of Flight". Guitarist Jim Matheos spoke with eclipsed about personal moments on the new record and about the return to "Awaken The Guardian".
BIG BIG TRAIN - Flaming Folklore
They may have one of the stupidest names on the scene, but the epic progressive sound enthusiast will deliberately ignore it as soon as he hears the music of the British Big Big Train project. Since its foundation in 1990, the formation has lost itself even deeper and more profound in the complex world of prog. This permanent development is particularly noticeable in the current release: Big Big Train give the term "folklore" a completely new, progressive meaning.
SWANS - Thank you very much, my dear swan!
After 34 years and 14 albums Michael Gira retires the Swans. He doesn't know what will come next - the US-American has to sort some things in his life. But the farewell under the meaningful title "The Glowing Man" resembles a drumbeat - loud and powerful. eclipsed met the 62-year-old in Berlin.
THE JIMI HENDRIX EXPERIENCE - London calling
When Jimi Hendrix first formed his own band in New York 50 years ago, in the summer of 1966, nobody knew him. Until then, he had earned his money as an accompanist for prominent R'n'B acts. A few months later, however, Swinging London acclaimed him as the new Zampano and superstar of the international rock scene - protocol of the formation of the Jimi Hendrix Experience and its breathtaking rise...
Dark Monolith - On July 15th Joy Divisions IAN CURTIS would become 60 years old
Hardly any song in rock history is so closely linked to the fate of its creator: Joy Divisions dark "Love Will Tear Us Apart" remains forever surrounded by the knowledge of the suicide of its frontman Ian Curtis at the age of 23. However, his myth not only overlays the narrow work of the British postpunk band, which decided to continue under a different name after Curtis' death on 18 May 1980. He also inspired numerous artists. But who was this man whose desperation became legend?
EMERSON, LAKE & PALMER - Welcome back in black
At the end of last year, BMG UK and Emerson, Lake & Palmer agreed on a worldwide deal for the rights to 17 albums from the catalogue of the glorious progressive rock trio. At the end of July the re-release starts with the retrospective "The Anthology", which contains 39 songs from the years 1970 to 1998 digitally remastered. On the same day the first three ELP works appear in deluxe versions with lots of bonus tracks. Unfortunately, Keith Emerson does not experience the tasteful preparation of the ribbon heritage.
Harmonies from the Petri dish - RADIOHEAD prove to be a pleasure to experiment as usual
The new Radiohead album is out. It bears the title "A Moon Shaped Pool" and was once again accompanied by an online campaign, which is no longer a big surprise. At first the band's homepage gradually disintegrated until only a white area was visible, at the same time all entries disappeared from the band's social media accounts. Shortly afterwards the words "Burn The Witch" could be read on the page. A day later a mysterious video clip of a song of the same name and the announcement that something would happen next Sunday.
Forever young - On "Everchild" DARK SUNS conjure up the dream of everlasting childhood
Changes of cast can be both a curse and a blessing. Risk and opportunity. The Dark Suns, founded in 1997, can sing a song about it. The Leipzig band has been one of the most exciting and changeable German progressive acts for years, but has also had to make changes to their constellation of musicians time and again. She has integrated a saxophonist and a trumpeter into her line-up and has installed Dominique Ehlert, who after "Orange" (2011) was initially hired as a tour drummer, permanently on the drum stool.
Suicide with Announcement - THE JELLY JAM Feedback with Comprehensive Social Criticism
Most fans had the band of singer/guitarist Ty Tabor (Kingʼs X), bassist John Myung (Dream Theater) and drummer Rod Morgenstein (Dixie Dregs) probably not really on screen since their album "2" (2004). Reason: the release of the comeback album "Shall We Descent" (2011) took place in principle under exclusion of the public. "At that time we had no record contract, but we still wanted to make music together and record songs," Tabor looks back.
