It's no wonder that the Abacus of 2021 sound musically different from those of the early 70s, when the band from Hamm in North Rhine-Westphalia gained a certain degree of popularity in the German rock scene. While the sound was once dominated by Kraut, Folk, Jazz and Rock, now the more opulent sounds in the style of Magnum and Kansas prevail. Responsible for this change in style is keyboardist Jürgen Wimpelberg, who joined the group in 1979. Even then, only bassist Klaus Kohlhase was still on board as the only founding member, who then struck sail at the beginning of the 80s. Since then, Wimpelberg has been the captain of the Abacus cruiser, if one remains in maritime parlance. At the same time, the 69-year-old is also the executor of the estate of the shamefully underestimated innovative combo, whose first-generation members split up in a dispute in 1976, and is responsible for the reissues of the early material.

With their vital post-punk, the Parquet Courts from Brooklyn are placeholders for that unmistakable New York sound associated with bands like The Velvet Underground, the Modern Lovers, Television, Talking Heads or Sonic Youth. Their new album "Sympathy For Life" is rebellion and party at the same time. A cheerfully biting commentary on the current situation, the disc at the same time makes you long for the sounds of the past. For the Parquet Courts, however, another influence came to bear on "Sympathy For Life".

The stop of all live concerts last year also affected the guitarist and songwriter of the US band Alter Bridge. Like many of his colleagues, however, he knew how to use it creatively. After "Walk The Sky" was released, a tour was actually scheduled. "But it had to be cancelled because of the pandemic. For a few months we were slowed down. It was a good time to work on a new Tremonti album." So bandmate Eric Friedman flew from the West Coast to join him in Florida to work together on demos for studio album No. 5.

They don't spill the beans here, but rather make a massive splash: The Bremen formation Parzival presents 23 songs on the double CD "David - The Hymn", 130 participants from 23 countries are on board. But who is Parzival anyway, many will rightly ask themselves. The band's career was short-lived, lasting just over two years between the end of 1970 and the beginning of 1973. Two "official" albums called "Legend" and "BaRock" were produced. But they were bursting with innovation, bringing together - especially for the time - highly diverse influences from classical music, jazz, minstrelsy and rock. The Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung fabulated about "castles of sound of discreet elegance and beauty".

Yes, founded in 1968, are one of the longest serving bands in progressive rock, alongside King Crimson and Van der Graaf Generator. It is all the more astonishing that they are not only nostalgically wallowing in old successes, but with "The Quest" after seven years once again have a new work at the start. Together with the current main protagonists Steve Howe and Geoff Downes as well as other musicians from the classic band line-up, we not only discuss the new album, but also take an intensive look back: Exactly fifty years ago, the two albums of 1971 established Yes' progressive pioneering role at the time. We take an in-depth look at "The Yes Album" and "Fragile" and talked about the "Fragile" artwork with Roger Dean, whose cover art became an important identifying feature of the band. Of course, the question about the currently on ice formation Yes featuring Jon Anderson, Trevor Rabin, Rick Wakeman (Yes feat. ARW) and a possible reunion of both groups was not left out.

At the age of 71, Steve Hackett is busier than ever. While his former Genesis companions Collins, Banks and Rutherford want to present their old songs again on the "The Last Domino?" tour soon, their former guitarist (who was not informed about the tour plans) constantly reinvents himself. So Hackett doesn't play it safe on "Surrender Of Silence" either, although there's definitely a risk in this approach, as he admits good-humoredly in the eclipsed interview.

eclipsed: Can a Steve Hackett actually sit quietly and do nothing?

Steve Hackett: I guess not. I've had a very productive period recently with various album releases and my autobiography, that's true.

eclipsed: Where does this motivation to always create something new come from?

Hackett: I think it's important not just to be a living museum, but to keep making new little babies.

Following their highly acclaimed 2019 collaboration "In Amazonia", Swedish prog collective Isildurs Bane and British music legend Peter Hammill have come together once again to record a second album together. "In Disequilibrium" is markedly different from its predecessor - not only because Hammill's lyrics focus on the Corona pandemic and experiences in Lockdown, but also in terms of how it was created: Instead of gradually sending completed sound files back and forth, Isildurs Bane mastermind Mats Johansson confronted Hammill this time with largely finished tracks, to which he added lyrics and vocal parts - a challenge for both sides, as Hammill and Johansson told in the interview.