BLACK BONZO

This has to be one of the best retro-sounding albums on market,everything in this album recalls the golden era of the 70's and you could even bet this album was made back then.Hints of legendary names like URIAH HEEP,DEEP PURPLE,ATOMIC ROOSTER but also KING CRIMSON and BARCLAY JAMES HARVEST are all over the place.Additionally this album contains it all.From complicated Art Rock/Prog with lots of changing moods to powerful heavy rockers with high enery and will please any fan of Progressive Rock music.Even singer Magnus Lindgren sounds a lot like David Byron of URIAH HEEP.The overall style is on the heavy side of prog with plenty of rhythmic parts,rich content and expressive vocals with also a touch of Symphonic Rock on the instrumental passages.The constant use of analog keyboards,mainly strong Hammond organ but also loads of mellotron,is absolutely magnificent and professional and this is one of the best keyboard performances to listen to today,without any kind of virtuosity or self-indulgence.Most of the tunes here are quite accesible,the listener can follow the album from the start to the very end easily and a full hour of extremely pleasant dynamic Prog Rock is in front of you.

A surprising debut by a band without big experience,''Lady of the light'' is propably among the best retro-sounding efforts of the modern Progressive Rock scene,it comes highly recommended by my side,but do not expect something really original.Just powerful Heavy Prog music of the highest quality.

"Thorns Upon A Crown" opens with synths then it kicks in and vocals arrive just before a minute.The organ floats in the background. Guitar solo before 4 1/2 minutes. "Giant Games" has this light intro then it turns powerful with organ before settling back again as contrasts continue. "Yesterday's Friends" kicks in quickly and vocals join in just before a minute. Again the contrasts between light and heavier continue as it calms down on the chorus each time. Mellotron before 5 1/2 minutes and then at 6 minutes. "The Well" sounds like a cross between DEEP PURPLE and QUEEN and surprisingly I like it. Mellotron in this one and I like when it kicks back in before 5 minutes with vocal melodies.

"Intermission-Revelation Song" is a short piece with strummed guitar, flute and vocals. "Ageless Door" is uptempo with passionate vocals. It sounds VDGG inspired. "Iscariot" is too light and wimpy early on but it turns heavier with organ before 3 minutes before getting mellow again. "Sound Of The Apocalypse" is the 13 minute closer and a highlight no doubt. Piano and spoken words early then reserved vocals arrive 1 1/2 minutes in with marching styled drums. It's slowly building.Then a calm after 5 minutes before kicking back in a minute later.The tempo continues to shift. Mellotron before 10 minutes.

Take my rating with a grain of salt because most prog fans really like this album. I think if your into RITUAL you'll love this band.

Since the early 2000's, there have been a huge array of bands and artists that have provided an interesting revisiting of the classics in many genres of music and progressive rock is mo exception. The so-called retro-prog bands have, for quite some time, brought back the music from the lost decades of when progressive rock was at its peak and Black Bonzo is one of those bands.

Borrowing inspiration from the hard rock bands of both the traditional rock and the progressive rock scenes, Black Bonzo manages to, at the same time, make some kind of music that is familiar to many but is still fresh and intriguing. Through all of Lady of The Light you feel as if this music came straight from somewhere between 70 and 75, due to the combination of vintage instrumentation, the compositions themselves and the lyrics.

The carefulness of trying to sound as a classic progressive rock band, however the questionability of its quility or lack of thereof just by the way the band itself sounds, becomes a secondary issue as the music begin to play. The level of compositions surpass any issue I have with the Black Bonzo's decision of sounding old. The sheer quality of the progressive rock they present in the debut album should serve to quiet those who dislike this class of progressive rock.

Besides sounding as if the music is 40 years old, the lyrics also appear to be plucked from somewhere back there. The fantasy and epic lyrics are a perfect match for the band's music, playing a considerable part in their retro outfits.

Bonzo's style of progressive hard rock can be described as some kind of mixture between Byron-era Uriah Heep, Mark 2 Deep Purple, King Crimson around 1969 and 1970 and Rainbow. In fact, all those bands influenced Black Bonzo both in the intrumental section and in the vocal department, with the exception of Rainbow because Dio's vocals are simply impossible to mimic. Of all of those influences, Uriah Heep is the most proeminent of them all. Every song has some Heep touch and the vocals, specially, are similar to Byron's singing style.

Although the album a whole is very well balanced, round and most songs are very good, some stand out more than others. Those highlights of Lady Of The Light are the opening (and title) track, Brave Young Soldier, These are Days of Sorrow, Fantasy World, Leave Your Burdens and Where the River Meets the Sea. In the band, the highlights are, without a doubt, the keyboards, specially the organs and the mellotrons, which are placed perfectly in every song.

Grade and Final Thoughts

Black Bonzo's first release is one of many exaples of retro-prog done right. The music is familiar, but it is not the exact same thing as some other band or artist. If you like hard rock as it were back in the 1970's and progressive rock, look no further than this band.

After hearing the incredible 'Sounds of the Apocalypse' that was astounding music on every level, a masterpeice hearkening back to the 70s but reinventing the style, I was eager to get hold of more Black Bonzo. Unfortunately they have completely adopted a new style and it is nowhere near as progressive, nor is it is as innovative. In fact this album was an outright disappointment.

There are no standout tracks and the instrumental virtuosity so prevalent on 'Sounds...' is all but absent. This is such a shame as the band really have incredible potential. This album is 5 steps backwards from their previous one. I just could not get in to this at all. And it doesn't grow on you but more infuriates you as you want it to be great but it never delivers.

Listen to any track from 'Sounds' and you will be astounded at how good they are. On this album however, each track is short, non progressive and not up to the musical excellence and standard of previous material. It is all so commercial and there is no sense of adventure, and the concept behind it is lost on me, it feels like a sub standard rushed attempt at a failed idea. It may have sounded good on paper but the songwriting is mediocre and the music is so below par. It sounds like a different band, and not a very good one at that.

I don't mind it when a band try something new, Porcupine Tree are a prime example of making it work, but it at least has to hold the attention. Unfortunately, 'Guillotine Drama' is dull from end to end. There are perhaps 2 or 3 decent tracks in there somewhere, but I can't even recall which ones at this point. It will rarely trouble my CD player and is definitely for completists. **

The music on this album is very energetic and quite powerful in delivery. It shows much in the way of a combination of hard rock and symphonic rock. The organ work evens out the soaring and powerful guitar work. The drummer is quite exceptional, at times reminding me of an early Cozy Powell. There are some jazz/fusion leanings in places too. Unlike other reviewers, I'm finding it hard to pin down their influences. I sense the Deep Purple influence, but the music is way too complicated for Deep Purple. I don't sense the Queen references as much. I do sense some Gentle Giant influences, but the band is much harder sounding. I sense some King Crimson in the mix, but not anywhere near the angularity. Some Genesis/Yes in places. Some Spock's Beard and Echolyn in places, too. Jethro Tull for certain on the short Intermission/Revelation Song number. In other words, a lot of influences that blend together in such a way that they sound like something new, but akin to the spirit of 1970s progressive rock. That's probably the best way I can describe this wonderful work.

Easily one of the best purchases I've made in recent years. This one will continue living in my CD player for a long time to come. Highly recommended and well worth receiving masterpiece status to my ears. Five stars.

4(+) is fair enough by my opinion. I flirted with masterpiece rating, but there are things that brings it down.

EDIT: This is seriously music, where you can do quite a lot headbanging. Everything you always wanted since Deep Purple (and others, but these fits probably the most) using modern sound methods (clean sound - if they want) with more, much more prog elements. Melody is most usually not so complex, heavy dependent on riffs with more acoustic passages, however, notice the instruments and these little things that makes prog music so interesting. Not exactly sure what it is, but it's there. After all, something was responsible for my rating here, I don't give these things for cheap. So it's like "enhanced" Purple, even it's not entirely true.

This is the second album from Black Bonzo and the sound has taken a step in a slightly more modern direction from the first album, wich was more "pure 70's" to the sound, bringing your thoughts back to bands like Uriah Heep and Purple.

Opening track is called Thorns Upon a Crown, wich is a good tune for a starter... It starts of with a cool keyboard intro and soon developes into a catchy tune with a high pitch chorus.

After the first track, setting the standard high, we are introduced to one of the albums top tracks. Giant Games is both catchy and mellow, inspired by the sounds of Van Der Graaf Generator and Gentle Giant, with a touch of the fab four as well.

Yesterdays Friends is a beautiful piece with mellow and nostalgic lyrics. The melody is drifting between mellow and more up-beat, keeping a good contrast troughout the whole song.

The album continues with The Well, wich is the first track of this album where I lose some attention. What saves this tune is the excellent guitar work, wich is superiour!

We now move on to the so called intermission, Revelation Song, a short pseudo Jethro Tull wich is driven by (yeah, you guessed it) flute. This is a track that, in my opinion, never should have left the mixing studio. But this is no reason to turn the CD off or stop reading this review, 'cause after this short break we are introduced to one of the top-3 tracks of the album.

Ageless Door was the first Black Bonzo song I heard, and is still one of my favourites! After a random intro, we are given one of the most tasty Hammond riffs in modern prog music! The melody is excellent and the drums give you the chills and make you wanna jump up and down your couch (or whereever you spend time listening to CD's) to the ride work at the end of the song.

The bombastic Iscariot is taking the sound a step further with the stunning guitar work and folk inspired melody. Again, one of the albums top-3's.

The album is closed with the title track, Sound of the Apocalypse... There is only one word to describe it: Epic! At the end of this tune, you just want to listen to the album again from top.

Even though there are a couple of question marks during half time, this album deserves a lot of credit. A fair rating would be something like 4.3 stars, so I give it a 4.

Three years after the Bonzo's debut album, this second helping of Prog Smorgasbord appeared and although it follows closely the same menu as it's predecessor, I am glad to report that the band have moved significantly forward insofar as concocting their own unique recipies goes.

Post Modern cheesy dip anyone?

Thorns Upon a Crown - A knowingly twee analogue synth intro parts the curtains (see No Earthly Connection) and just before you anticipate Seven Seas of Rye via the Queen harmonised guitar lick, the Bonzos suddenly about-turn and instead, embark on a naggingly addictive groove featuring some greasy chopped Hammond and counterpoint lead guitar. This is a very robust track with a complex and ever changing structure that never idles for long. Despite the competing meters of the arrangement, the melodic writing is also very accomplished and Magnus Lindgren has by now got his David Byron impersonation downpat. However, to be kind to Black Bonzo, it could be proffered that some of the lyrics lose much of their substance in translation from the Swedish?

- Jupiter and Mars satellites and stars - (Not a lot going on upstairs here methinks?)

A very bracing instrumental section follows replete with gutsy overdriven organ and a pretty damn nifty guitar solo that does regrettably owe a considerable debt to the life of one Brian (May sue?) A Jon Lord pastiche 'tremolo' organ excursion follows and it must be said that Nicklas Åhlund has an uncanny gift of obtaining some truly bowel melting keyboard sounds be they from organ, synth, Tron or piano. The lad has obviously studied the past obsessively and his reward and ours, is a palette of textures that sounds simply glorious. The rejoinder back to the song section is beautifully paced and all things considered, this is a belter opening salvo from these precocious scandinavian pups.

Giant Games - I like the singer's voice during this very understated intro as it carries a faint echo of Neil Hannon from the Divine Comedy. Within his middle range, Mr Lindgren posseses a very endearing delivery that I much prefer to the more habitual 'rawk' histrionics of his upper register. Thereafter we encounter a bombastic transition segueing into the memorable vocal hook waiting patiently for us in the chorus. The guitar solo that follows strays inadvisably into the forbidden garden of 'widdley widdley' at this point but it does at least carry with it an unusual texture to mitigate the charge. Yep, this is one heavy mother prog buddies, and we encounter a dislocated and lurching unison section prior to returning to the spooky intro. There are more meter changes here than a Heathrow taxi rank and the sheer relentless intensity of the piece makes for a bumpy but exhilerating ride. There is also perhaps a nod to Gentle Giant in both the title and the use of the layering of vocal melody counterpoint. Sumptuous organ swells underneath the repeated chorus at a slightly slower tempo brings this coruscating number to a close.

Yesterdays Friends - Pastoral 'Italian school' flute confirmed by plaintive and lyrical slide guitar lulls us momentarily before Black Bonzo kick off their fluffy slippers and lurch unannounced into some visceral staccato instrumentation which cleverly contradicts the languid melody. Mikael Israelsson's martial snare simply reinforces the latent tension to unnerving effect. Once again alas, the band cannot be accused of having any literary pretensions?

- Why can't we be friends like we were yesterday sun was shining and you held my hand? -

The lyrics are cringeworthy throughout this album but the palliative of another memorable hook in the chorus soothes our vandalised ears for the time being. Unfortunately the repetition of the contradiction device in the subsequent verses just becomes clumsy and wearying. There is however a nice frisson created by a dischord from the organ under some faintly incongruous backing vocals. On this tune the singer betrays a trace of Robert Smith when they both get a bit angsty in the middle registers. Yesterdays Friends is clearly guilty of outstaying it's welcome and would have been very good with 3 minutes shaved off the end. Charming use of mellotron strings to the fade.

The Well - Fast paced 'chugger' with heaps of Uriah everywhere you look and some rapidfire rippling panned synth to elicit gasps of Is that your cellphone ringing? from your unwitting loved ones. A relatively straightforward beat but Israelsson injects same with many unusual and crafty fills which makes his playing a real treat on every track. The breakdown section is well controlled and the band illustrate a fine sense of spacial dynamics utilising some plangent echoed guitar timbres and subtle washes of mellotron. But again the whole thing is just too bloody long and despite an effective crescendo passage exploiting choir backing, the arrangement becomes impossibly top heavy with everything (including) the heavily modded Bb kitchen sink being hammered, plucked, blown AND sucked into overwrought submission. Over egging the puddy lads.... and be aware that the guitar solo is borderline parody of the aforementioned Brian May.

Intermission:Revelation Song - Jethro Tull for Dummies: a piece of cod 'folk' worn over some very roomy tights.

Ageless Door - Restive and elusive rhythm that teases then shies away from mutating into the anticipated shuffle. This arrangement never sits still for long but just remember that shedloads of compositional ideas are no substitute for a few inspired ones. Nice injection of strings for the chorus - Genesis organ a la the Knife is overlaid with yet more Brian May guitar and we appear to catch a fleeting glimpse of a traditional celtic jig? The 'spacey' section does precisely what it was designed to i.e fill up space

Iscariot - Almost unremittingly awful, like witnessing your one true love at the height of their chicken pox virus (not a spectator sport). This might just also be the skinny chicken pumped full of air you buy at the supermarket. (at the risk of labouring the poultry metaphors a tad) Despite a beautiful short organ solo and some Wishbone Ash style medieval jesting, nothing presented here will even endure the longevity of a soap bubble. The stop/start unison writing is overdone and ends up just sounding contrived and disjointed. Shame really, as the intro is decent but rather undermined by a risibly jaunty and stirring verse the effect of which I am convinced is not unwittingly comedic.

Sound of the Apocalypse - Very effective chord progression stated on unadorned piano with martial snare eventually being joined by muted vocals. They do however milk this thematic material until the cows might just refuse to ever come home again and the intended gradual layering of intensity gets delivered as a rather heavy handed 'overwrought by instalments' instead.

Were the scriptures delivered by these post-modern Swedes, then the Book of Revelations might be considered about as harrowing as the sight of yesterday's abandoned blancmange. I suspect that as promising and ripe as these musical ideas are, someone like Porcupine Tree would have handled said materials with far greater weight and economy. (see Gravity Eyelids)

Thank god, circa 6 minutes in the unrelenting relents and we mutate into a fast paced instrumental section with some inspired unison playing and yummy analogue synth weirdness - for the first time there is a flavour of jazz from the Bonzos (can you hear a sax/brass in there?) - very exhilarating take on jazz rock/fusion in places and this writing is much more chromatic and adventurous than most of what preceded it. The opening harmonies return but are imbued with a double time feel via some inspired ostinato bass from Anthon Johansson. The central departure of this track just might represent a side of Black Bonzo I could grow to love but this style of composition is all too rare on this album. Mere repetition does not imbue a composition with epic status, it only serves to push up the tab on the fare.

Ten Feet Away - Strumalonga Led Zep - Achilles naps between battles.

Losing Faith - Lovely 6/8 type loping groove with a whiff of Fred Merc in the tonsil dept, and extra toppings of Uriah Heep, Atomic Rooster, Deep Purple and Queen (delete as applicable) Lovely creepy piano passage worthy of the late Vincent Crane reinforced by electric guitar arpeggios. We meet here one of the highpoints of the record as the perceived accellerando occurs not due to an increase in tempo but that of the guitarist transitioning between smaller and smaller note lengths. This is brilliantly done and is often a technique under-exploited in the heavier end of the rock spectrum. Howay the lads.

Black Bonzo are extremely accomplished musicians with a keen ear for the sounds and textures of the heavy prog of the 70's but they have come to resemble XTC in the practice of their art i.e they know their chosen genre just TOO well and can replicate and mimic with insouciant ease any manner of past masters of this music. Perhaps this canine needs some DISobedience classes before they finally shake off the yoke of the past and land a big wet brown one on their master's lap. Right on Mucky Pup!

Sound of the Apocalypse is significantly more original than the debut, but at this rate, it will take the Bonzos into their buspass dotage to come up with anything approaching a groundbreaking or innovative creation. Those of you that are at all receptive to the promptings of Uriah Heep, Queen, Deep Purple, Atomic Rooster or cheesy AOR e.g. Kansas, Styx, Boston, etc will find much to enjoy with this album.

For the remainder, we would prefer to save our freshly minted chocolate coins than trade in these used counterfeit notes.

This is a remarkable album considering that this is only Black Bonzo's second album. They sound like seasoned pros with a well-developed music style. This is a concept album which works well and is actually easy to understand. This album matches the quality of many 70s prog classics and I would award it 4.5 stars if I could. . After playing this album twice, I had to track down their first album and am anxiously awaiting delivery.

If you missed this one in 2007, don't delay any further. According to their website, a 3rd release is imminent. I can't wait!

this album is very dinamic,The Voice of magnus reminds that Era..i am waiting for their next album in this year..i am very happy with this One..really..the more i listen to it i understand more their music..i hope that the next album will be more heavy,something more agressive..lets Wait..

But for Now,we have this amazing work..black Bonzo and beardfish ,they are doing beautifuls albums. so check it out...you will find nice compositions,heavy things,amazing vocals..and the lyrics.as well have a lot of things to think.

Nice Work,keep on the good Work.