2019 - The great review of the year
The Beatles are a constant in a turbulent year, the rock scene shows itself to be stable, the prog fans are spoiled, and an album polarizes as rarely. 2019 was an eventful year in which global political events clearly divided society: Just look at the increasingly erratic, autocratic presidency of Donald Trump, who continued to hold the world in check, or the eternal tug-of-war over the brexite, which culminated in a new triumph of right-wing populism at the end of the year..
GENTLE GIANT - Monumental chronicle of an exciting decade
At the beginning of December a very impressive boxing set of the prog legend Gentle Giant was released. On 30 CDs "Unburied Treasure" not only collects all (remixed) regular albums of the band, but also numerous (partly unreleased) live concerts from all phases of their ten-year history. We talked to frontman Derek Shulman about this unique Christmas present for prog fans.
THE WHO - "Getting old without getting old - that's the solution!"
THE WHO are just experiencing their third spring at the age of 70. Because their current album "Who" has become a convincing collection of eleven tracks. One is reluctant to attribute the album to "late work" because the protagonists Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend on the record sound more like mid-twenties than mid-seventies
MAGNUM - continuity and exciting details
For two decades Magnum have been releasing great albums with almost uncanny consistency. "The Serpent Rings", their 21st studio album since their debut in 1978, is no exception. Although no one who has spurned the music of the Middle English so far can be disabused, songwriter and guitarist Tony Clarkin and his colleagues make sure that the band does not get bogged down in routine.
SONS OF APOLLO - Thinking big and investing a lot of passion
After Sons Of Apollo released their debut "Psychotic Symphony" two years ago, they went on a world tour with over 100 live shows in 28 countries. This has brought the band together, as you can clearly hear on the second album, as drummer Mike Portnoy and keyboarder Derek Sherinian never tire of emphasizing. The probably first prog metal milestone of the year 2020, in roman numerals "MMXX", which then became the album title, developed shortly after the completion of the debut - in the mind of Derek Sherinian
Back in the spotlight - SAGA-like comeback planned for 2020
The self-imposed retirement did not last long. In January 2017, the Canadian prog institution SAGA officially announced that after the upcoming "The Final Chapter" tour, the band will return to the concert arenas in spring 2020 under the motto "Out Of The Shadows", but without bassist Jim Crichton. And there are also some news concerning the music.
Fun with four tracks - DeWOLFF wanted back to the roots and are now in the charts
The Dutch trio DeWolff is known for psychedelic and blues rock with a lot of retro charm, often reminiscent of Deep Purple and Led Zeppelin. Hammond sound and vintage equipment were a must for recordings and live shows. With the "Tascam Tapes" the band now reduces itself to an old four-track recorder, a battery-powered synthesizer, guitar, a vocal microphone and drum samples - and presents itself in this way from its soulful disco side
SOULSPLITTER give the German prog a freshness kick
Surprise at the end of 2019: With "Salutogenesis" the youngsters of Soulsplitter were able to leave even the international competition behind and won the deserved award as "Album of the month" in our December issue. The musicians from Mannheim, Leipzig, Hamburg and Berlin got to know each other during their studies at the Mannheim Pop Academy. "Soul splinters were our bachelor's project at the time," says drummer and main composer Fenix Gayed.
Around DAVE SCHMIDTs Sulatron label there is a lot to celebrate
When he's right, he's right. "By 2020, however, that will be 16 or 11 years," remarks Dave Schmidt - that's right, this article appears a few days too late. In 2004 Schmidt, one of the most dazzling figures of the local space psychedelic scene, founded Sulatron Records and in 2009 the band Electric Moon. How did the label come about in the first place? Schmidt freely admits: "What else should such a music fanatic do, if he doesn't have a job and is somehow not able to have a normal job?
SHAMALL traces the ecological inconsistencies of our actions
Norbert Krüler alias Shamall had accumulated enough trouble besides creative abundance to present mankind with a new double CD concept album. On "Schizophrenia" he deals with all kinds of self-torture: "The whole album is about this socio-political, but also everyday schizophrenia. Actually, we all know exactly what one should do, but then we are masters in looking away and not doing it. When it comes to environmental protection, just take plastic waste as an example. "Where did all those yellow bags come from..."
TRAIL OF DEAD return in old strength
It's been six years since the last album of the Texas band And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead was released, which is basically just a duo. On "IX", frontman Conrad Keely and his drumming counterpart Jason Reece took it a bit easier on "IX", after the previous albums had partly paid homage to the noise phase of the early work: "I actually think in trilogies", Keely explains, "and this current trilogy started with 'IX' and now continues with 'X', and the next album I might even call 'XI', haha..."
Constant change makes AVATARIUM's creative fire blaze
A little bit the development of Avatarium reminds of growing up: In the beginning, doom icon Leif Edling had full creative control over the project, but in recent years he has been withdrawing more and more - like a father slowly releasing his children into independence. For "The Fire I Long For", the fourth album, he wrote only three of the total nine tracks. The new creative centre is formed by guitarist Marcus Jidell, who also collaborates with Edling on Candlemass and The Doomsday Kingdom, and singer Jennie-Ann Smith.
...and much more!
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