AFTER THE LAST STROKE

German project KING OF AGOGIK is the brainchild of composer, drummer and musician Hans Jorg Schmitz, and ever since 2006 he has created and delivered a steady stream of expressive and elaborate personal takes on the art of progressive rock, with perhaps an ever so slight emphasis on this kind of music as seen from a drummers perspective. "After the Last Stroke" is the seventh and most recent of these productions, and was released through Schmitz' own label Saustark Records in 2019.

Eclectic, expressive and somewhat demanding instrumental progressive rock is the main playground for Germany's long lasting project King of Agogik, where main man Hans Jorg Schmitz and his minor army of musical guests holds court to a colorful and varied take on the genre. This time around with a foundation in the symphonic parts of this universe, but with detours to both jazz and world music in addition to occasional passages flirting with both neo-progressive rock and music that is borderline progressive metal. An album that merits a check by those who tend to enjoy expressive and eclectic instrumental progressive rock touching base with style variations as outlined.