[News 2008]
----------------------------------------------------------------------19 july - SOTA Released On Vinyl GET YOUR COPY!
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Finally Sound Of The Apocalypse is released on vinyl.
Buy the album at:
www.primalvinyl.co.uk
www.justforkicks.de
info@blackbonzo.com
More info about retailers later.
You should know that we are back in the studio so check out the album blog at: http://upcomingalbum.blackbonzo.com
All the best
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27 june - Visit The Upcoming Album Blog
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Check out the upcoming album blog. All the information regarding the new Black Bonzo album will be posted on that site.
Check it out at: upcomingalbum.blackbonzo.com
Cheers!
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24 june - Tour Report And Thanks
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We had a wonderful time in the UK eventhough the food was'nt fabulous. In fact if we would have been touring more than one week we would probably been able to roll our fat bums all the way back to Sweden. But the pubs and the friendly gents and ladies we met on the road really made it easy to enjoy our stay and forget about silly things such as vegetables.
Nonetheless, we hope that the crowds at the venues had a good time and enjoyed the music because we sure did. Spread the word of the Bonzo and hopefully we'll head back to the UK as soon as possible! Some pictures and reviews will probably pop up on the net and when they do we'll post them here on the site. Maybe we'll even put up some private photos.
More on that later!
We would like to thank: All the personell at the venues, The Classic Rock Society Crew (Tommo, Miles, Martin etc.), The Peel, House Of Progression, John, Karl, Kerstin, Stephen Cole, James at the Rockers, Tark at John Henrys, all the bands we played with (thanks for lending out your equitement!)
Cheers/Black Bonzo
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19 may - Rites Of Spring Festival Live Reviews!
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USA Progressive Music
There’s an old saying that youth is often wasted on the young. Not so with this terrific group from Sweden. Black Bonzo was one of the biggest hits of ROSfest, with their dynamic stage presence and powerful back to basics Deep Purple/Uriah Heep groove. Dammit, some of these guys looked like they were just out of high school, but even the most jaded old proggers in the audience couldn’t help but get caught up in the excitement.
In keeping with the “Rites of String” theme, Joakim Karlsson was yet another excellent guitarist, keeping the band’s (bare) feet firmly planted in what’s commonly known as Rock and Roll. Due to the unfortunate theft of Nicklas Åhlund’s keyboards at a previous gig, he was playing without any synthesizers or MIDI gear, tearing through the set on ‘only’ a Hammond Organ. Not the norm for many keyboard players in the 21st century, but he handled the instrument and situation admirably. Add a super tight rhythm section of drummer Mike Israel and bassist Anthon Johansson to the mix, along with energetic frontman Magnus Lindgren, and you have the makings of a truly memorable and fun performance.
Black Bonzo has tremendous potential not only in prog, but in the music world in general. Great musicianship and style, strong visual appeal (judging from the length of the meet & greet line, it doesn’t hurt to be a good looking bunch of guys); there’s no limit to where this band can go.
Set List:
Thorns Upon A Crown
Leave Your Burdens
New Day
Ageless Door
These Are Days Of Sorrow
The Well
Fantasyworld
Iscariot
Lady Of The Light
Jailbait
Where The River Meets The Sea
ProgMontréal
“After a quick dinner, it was time for Black Bonzo. Awesome!!!!! They totally ruled! These guys play old school prog with old school instruments, they are very young, extremely energetic and insanely talented. Nick AHlund managed to do a spectacular job with only a Hammond B3 and a Leslie amp. Seems that some lowlife at the airport decided to steal Nick's Mellotron sampler module, and even under these sad circumstances, he offered a blistering performance that would make john novello sound like an amateur. Joe Karlsson is one of the most amazing guitarists i've seen in years. Chops X 1000. A brilliant show! Loved it loved it loved it!!! My #1 fave of the fest!”
For me, the biggest surprise of the weekend. These kids (and yes, they are kids. I think the oldest one is 27) rocked mighty and seemed like veteran performers on stage. Watching Magnus lean on the mic and sing (when he wasn't dancing and jumping around) was reminiscent of an early Peter Gabriel. Did anyone else get that vibe? Mikeal Israelsson started what I thought was going to be "the" drum solo of the weekend, but alas, it was just a tease. These guys came in late on Saturday and wound up with microwave burritos from the convenience store for dinner, had some equipment stolen in Pittsburgh, did a quick turn round the Saturday after party and put on one of the best sets of the weekend IMO. If I had to describe their performance in one word, it would have to be "Powerful. ' These guys have chops.
I don't think it's physically possible for a band to have more fun playing than these Swedish guys did. They were having a blast, and the energy in their set was infectious. They really rocked the Keswick Theater to its foundations with their Deep Purple/Uriah Heep-type sounds. I was saddened to hear that they had some equipment stolen (including a mellotron, from what I heard). George and Tom were nice enough to put out a donations bucket on their behalf to help them pay for their stolen gear. I hope it helped, but they didn't put it out until late on Sunday, so most of us had spent all our extra money by that time. All in all, one of the better acts of the weekend, in my mind, and I picked up their debut album to go with their most recent release.
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15 may - 'Lady Of The Light' is Sold Out!
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The third pressing of 'Lady Of The Light' sold out at the Rites of Spring, but the plan is to press new ones before we travel over to the UK. So be patient...
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7 may - US Tour Thanks!
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First of all, we had a great time in the US. It was awesome.
The first gig in Pittsburgh on the 2nd was a nice one, and Icarus Witch was GREAT what else was to expect? We wanna thank everybody in the Witch for showing us a good time in Pittsburgh, espesially Jason! Unfortunately some of Nicklas gear was stolen at the show not a lot to do about that. When in Rome... I mean the States :)
The Jammin' Java gig was great one and WE ROCKED. Birds & Buildings with their saxophone riffed the shit out of the place.
The gig we really was looking forward to when we left for the States was the ROSfest and indeed it gave us something to remember. We signed records for two hours, it was crazy! Thanks a lot to George and Tom and the rest of the crew you did a great job!
Of course we would also like to thank the ones supporting Black Bonzo at the ROSfest by giving donations for our lost gear. We knew nothing about this until Tom handed over the money to us. 827 Dollars!!!!! Thanks a lot we are not worthy!!
Pictures from the tour will be posted shortly.
Thanks/Magnus, Joakim, Anthon, Nicklas and Mikael
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20 april - ’Sound Of The Apocalypse’ On Vinyl!
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Great news!
Primal Vinyl in the UK will release ’Sound Of The Apocalypse’ on vinyl. We have really been looking forward to this and its been in the pipeline for quite some time. The plan is to release the album in june when we tour the UK.
More info on this later...
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1 april - Gig In Pittsburgh With Icarus Witch
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It's now confirmed that we will be playing at the Diesel Club Lounge in Pittburgh, Pennsylvania with our mates Icarus Witch the 2nd may.
Spread The Word/Black Bonzo
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31 march - Gig In Sundsvall
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We are going to play at Sundsvalls Kårhus on saturday the 5th of april.
Hope you can be there!
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25 march - The Peel Poster
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17 march - UK Tour
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18 june - Rockers, Glasgow, UK
19 june - Riga Music Bar, Westcliff On Sea, UK
20 june - The Little Civic, Wolverhampton, UK
21 june - Herringthorpe Leisure Centre, Rotherham, UK
22 June - The Peel, London, UK
See you there!
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20 february - Studio Time
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Tomorrow we head into Rastapopolus Recordings to record the new album. We're all excited! We will be recording for a few weeks and hopefully the material will be ready for mixing in july.
Our goal is to have the album in stores in september/october 2008. More information about the new album will be posted here on the site. So tune in at blackbonzo.com from time to time!
All the best!
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17 february - Second Best Foreign Record
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Dear fiends,
We are proud to announce that 'Sound Of The Apocalypse arrived in second place in the cathegory "Best Foreign Record" at the Prog Awards.
Go to www.progawards.it for more information.
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16 february - Jammin' Java
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The day before the Rosfest festival gig Black Bonzo will be playing at Jammin' Java in Vienna, Virginia, USA. More USA dates are on the go and will soon be confirmed and posted on the site.
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13 february - Gig updates
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Check out the tourdate section. Swedish, American and English gigs are on the go so stay tuned. Maybe we'll come to your country and town!
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10 february - Prog Award Final
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We are delighted to inform you that our record "Sound Of Apocalypse" has reached the finals of Progawards 2007 by the official event board of examiners in the section "Best Foreign Record".
Check out this link: www.progawards.it/default.asp?id=82&mnu=77 (Best Foreign Record)
The event will end Sunday, February 17.
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1 february - Hellbar gig cancelled because of injury
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Bad news...
Anthon has injured his left hand and will not be able to play bass guitar for quiet some time. Therefore the Hellbar gig is cancelled, though we will try to find antother date as soon as possible.
The upcoming studio sessions will most likely be postponed.
We all hope the healing process won't take too long.
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30 january - 5 out of 6 in Unprogged
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Unprogged grade: 5 out of 6 www.unprogged.com
Black Bonzo nascono dalle ceneri di una band svedese, tali "The Gipsy Sons Of Magic", con forte propensione alla psichedelia.
Dopo il debuttante "Lady Of The Light" (2004), che già aveva ricevuto elogi da stampa e pubblico, la band ha quindi il compito di mantenere alta la propria bandiera, senza cedere il passo qualitativamente parlando.
L'impatto dei primi minuti di "Sound Of The Apocalypse" rimanda agli Uriah Heep, in un contesto maggiormente articolato, ma l'aggettivo "derivativo" sarebbe decisamente fuori luogo: il quintetto mostra una personalità innegabile, efficacemente condita con idee eccellenti, e laddove dove la hard-rock band di cui sopra sembra un solido riferimento, a ben vedere le strade che incrociano il percorso stilistico dei Black Bonzo sono molteplici e tutte armoniosamente intrecciate, e proprio per questo decisamente progressive.
Variegato è anche il mood sonoro che percorre i brani: si va appunto dall'hard-rock - come nell'opener "Thorns Upon A Crown" - alle inflessioni barocche di "Giant Games", passando per la coinvolgente marcia di "Yesterday's Friends" e la parentesi tulliana di "Intermission - Revelation Song", fino alle epiche atmosfere da colonna sonora della title-track.
Un viaggio musicale piuttosto eterogeneo, che rende le orecchie di chi ascolta sempre ritte.
La tecnica del combo è notevole, le ritmiche articolate e le strutture complesse, senza per questo necessitare di pedanti escursioni virtuosistiche.
Ma la cosa che stupisce maggiormente è l'estrema forza emotiva sprigionata dai brani, che riescono più che mai nel tentativo di trasmettere emozioni, compito supremo di ogni pezzo d'arte che si rispetti.
La freschezza stilistica è stupefacente e se "Sound Of The Apocalypse" non sarà un capolavoro che rimarrà nella storia, i punti morti si contano sulle dita di una mano monca, dal momento che i tocchi di classe e le riuscite soluzioni sonore strabordano dal ricco piatto.
E' bene ricordare che non stiamo parlando di un prodotto portatore di grandi novità, le strade sono di quelle battute già da innumerevoli piedi, ma è lo stile della camminata il punto a favore dei Black Bonzo.
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22 january - New album, photos and interview
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We have had a good start of the new year and a lot of things are on the go.
We all had a great time at Retrofestivalen. It was fun and exciting to be playing infront of an audience once again. It has been a while. Rockfoto.nu took some photos at the gig so check them out when you have the time.
The german internet magazine Bright Eyes have an interview with Joakim published on their site so check that out as well. www.bright-eyes.de
The 21 february we'll start the recording of the 3rd album in the Skelleftehamn based Rastapopolus Recordings. We'll try to take some photos under the sessions and publish them on the site.
/Black Bonzo
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18 december - Interview and review in Ice Vajal
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Interview by Claudia Ehrhart:
Another band I just learnt about and as they played a few shows just recently, it was time to learn more about the Swedish. Thanks to Joakim Karlsson for answering my questions.
First please tell us a bit about the beginning of Black Bonzo!
Well, we never planned any name change or anything, it just happend when our drummer Andreas Persson left the band (Gypsy Sons Of Magic - as we where called back then).
The original idea was to just change the line-up in the band and proceed as usual with the same name and everything.
Then when we started to rehears the new material, it became clear that it was way too different from the Gypsy Sons stuff, so we figured that a name change would be in order.
Basically what we did was to rotate within the band, Mike who played keys in GSOM sat himself behind the drums and Nicklas who shared guitar duties with me took over the keys. And it worked out really great.
How do you came up with the name Black Bonzo? And what does it mean for you?
What we wanted was a name that didnt say much about the music, a name that wouldn't tip you off like "Hey! these guys must play retro vintage stuff." In retrospect we faild utterly. The only thing we get is "Hey! Black Bonzo is a really crappy name."
The name itself we kinda stole from The Bonzo Dog Band, coz we thougt that was a really cool name for a band, we lifted 'Bonzo' out of there and added some color and there you go.
As far as I know your debut Lady Of The Light was released in 2004, but only in Sweden, Japan and Brazil. Can you tell us a bit about the album? Are there plans to release it world-wide?
Of course it would be fantastic to release Lady Of The Light world-wide, but that's not my area of expertise. The only thing I know is that our American record label is thinking about it. I don't have any dates, but I think there's a great possibility of that happening in a near future.
And how came that you released the debut in Brazil? As far as I know Venezuela has a bigger prog rock / prog metal scene...
I don't know really, the thing just exploded over there, we started getting lots of attention from Brazilian fans and everybody wanted to know, if we were about to release the LOTL album in Brazil.
Then this guy writes us saying he's got a record company and wants to release our album in Brazil, after that it became record company business, but it got released and I think it did quite well.
About Venezuela, I don't know anything about their musical climat over there so I better just shut up about that.
Your latest work is Sound Of The Apocalypse. And even if I can't compare the music, it seems to be darker... At least judged by the artwork. Is that right?
That was the idea, to do a heavy, dark and beautiful album. Like a concept album in a way, we choose the songs who had most compatible lyrics and Nicklas made the cover to match the music. I think he did a fantastic job with the cover.
You had a line-up change... A new bass play you got with Anthon Johansson. What happened that Patrick Leandersson left? And how did you find Anthon?
Anthon was just to be a stand-in at one gig, coz Patrick couldn't do that particular show, and due to personel reasons Patrick never came back.
He got a new job and moved to a different city and I haven't really heard from him since.
So there we where without a bass player, so naturally we asked Anthon who at the time played guitar with an other band with who we share rehearsal space. Luckely for us he wanted it, even though he wouldn't be playing the guitar, and he has proven to be a great asset to the band.
We are really three lead gutarist in the band now, both Anthon and Nicklas plays a pretty mean guitar.
It seems that you are musically mainly inspired by bands from the late 60's and 70's. Which band do you think is the main influence?
If I only can choose one I would probably say The Beatles or Argent (I know, that's two).
At the moment it seems that many prog rock / metal bands discover their musical roots and there is a kind of retro prog revival. Do you agree? What do you think is the reason for this?
I really don't follow modern music much, so I cant really tell. In my case it's just that kind of music I grew up with. All those classic hard rock bands like Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple and Uriah Heep... You know, but with all that crap pouring out of the radio and TV its not that hard to understand why people are looking deep into the 60's and 70's music for inspiration.
And which band(s) make you start singing/playing?
It was the Beatles, I even remember what songs, I Am The Walrus and Come Together, it just blew my mind.
What inspired you lyrically? Tell us a bit about the lyrics!
The lyrics on SOTA is just a bunch of reflections and opinions of whats going on around us, everything from love problems to burning skyscrapers, we choose to accentuate the later on the album, coz it fitted the concept better.
As far as I know you just played a small tour outside Sweden... How were the reactions?
Yes, that's correct, Black Bonzo's first trip to foreign lands.
It was fantastic, we had a great time and I think the ones who saw us were quite satisfied.
I also hear that you had to cancel the show in Würzburg, is that right? Tell us what happened!
(Smile) No, I dont think we will adress that incident here, it was just us having a little too much fun at the local clubs and later at the hotel, which resulted in us being kicked out of town by the police and town of Würzburg before we could do the gig.
I feel bad for our fans though, one guy had driven like 100 kilometers just to see us, he was pretty dissapointed and thats quite understandeble.
In Sweden you already played a few times. Is it different to play at home?
It was a little bit different from playing in Sweden, here you just play lika a 45-60 min set then the crowd looses intrest in most cases.
So we weren't really used to do these 2x45 min gigs with a pause in the middle, that was quite a new thing for us. Really refreshing to do a 90-100 min gig and people still wanted more!
There were some truly nerve wrecking moments, like when we played at Spirit of 66 in Belgium, we had done this massive set, I dont know how long we played, but we ran out of material and had to go off stage. The people there still wanted more and it sounded like they were going to trash the place when our roadmanager came backstage and told us "You have to go on stage one more time!"
We looked at each other and went on stage and preformed a cover of Argent's Hold Your Head Up totally unrehearsed, but it went really well..... Man what a great gig that was!
I saw that you will play at a festival in the US in May 2008. How do you feel about playing there? And will you try to play a few more shows there?
We feel pretty good about it, I mean it's not an everyday oppertunity and there for we are gonna try to make the most of it.
We were told that there would be a 2 week long tour after the RoSF date, but we'll see. There's gonna be a couple of dates, but I have no idea when, where etc.
This yeat there will be a ProgPower Scandinavia for the first time. What do you think about it? And do you think it will help to get more attention?
No, not really. I think stuff like that only alienates the genre more than it helps. I belive in musical intergration.
Then I also belive that Black Bonzo is more a rock band than a prog band, if you seen us live you would understand what I mean.
About playing live... Who did you play with in Sweden? Or did you play mainly on your own?
We mainley play on our own, we have had a couple of support act stuff come up, but they have never worked out.
Which band would you like to tour with? Or who would you like to work with on a song / album?
Hmmm? I would love to do an album or a song with Ken Hensley, I wouldn't mind being the support act for Queen either, that would be cool.
But there is tons of musicians I would like to work with, really hard to choose.
What keeps you busy beside Black Bonzo? Or is the band eating up all your time?
Women! They take up a lot of time, I don't think anyone in the band can argue with that...
Last, but not least... What's on your schedule for the next months?
Next thing on the agenda is to record our third album, we are in the middle of arranging the new songs, the plan is to have it ready for the presses by the end of February.
Perhaps next time more people will get the chance to see them live and it looks like we don't have to wait very long for another album...
Review by Claudia Ehrhart, grade 8/10
At the moment a lot of Swedish prog bands seems to dig 70's prog rock... A wave of retro sounds is coming from the North! Sound Of The Apocalypse is 2nd album of the Swedish quintet and they take you on a 70's prog rock trip. They combine heaviness with the sounds of the 70's - and add some folk, too. Due to Nicklas Ahlund's use of a Hammond organ and Mellotron they have a warm sound which some nowadays releases lack off. The opening track Thorns Upron A Crown has a bit of Jethro Tull and also ELP, but also 70's heavy rock á la Deep Purple or Uriah Heep. Their retro prog sounds fresh and even if their are some similarities they have a unique sound. Singer Magnus Lindgren has a powerful voice and varies to support the song - like on Giant Games. Joakim Karlsson's guitar sings and let me think of Dire Straits, even if he uses a different guitar sound. Different vocal styles, breaks and unusual rhythmic patters make this a kind of short prog rock opera...
Due to the flute at the beginning Yesterday's Friends has a Tull-ish feel... But soon they take you away from this facet of their sound and become heavier and somehow they remind me of Styx... Not of the hits of Chicago band, more about their early works! But there is also some Kansas mixed in their sound. The Styx citation fits even more for The Well. With the short Intermission - Revelation Song they bring back Jethro Tull! Well done! While the following Ageless Door is again full of hints to ELP and also some Genesis... Very heavy, well structured and Joakim Karlsson's guitar has something Queen-ish... Soundwise, coz the riffing partly reminds me more of some 70's heavy rock like Deep Purple... Hard to imagine? Well, listen to it!
With Sound Of The Apocalypse is a long atmospheric tune - and also dark and peaceful at the same time. Later it becomes somehow threatening... Then again it's peaceful... Like in the eye of the storm where it peace, but you know soon the storm will break loose again. At some point a saxophone is setting in and the tune gets a bit jazzy for awhile... It's culminating into a frenzy... Peace again. A roller coaster ride which keeps you in the loop during this 13 minute long opus. Outstanding!
The songs of Black Bonzo are modern retro prog rock, but become special through Magnus Lindgren's voice.
Fans of retro prog rock will dig this album! And I hope that they stay on the chosen path, coz it's a real treat and something not just prog fans will enjoy! Check out Giant Games, Thorns Upon A Crown and Sound Of The Apocalypse.
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14 december - Space Rock UK 5 Star Review
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Really? I always imagined it being more Motorhead meets Wagner while riding a bull in a china shop, but if the oddly named Swedish progster think it's more likely to be like a more melodic Van Der Graaf generator, then so mote it be.
Whatever, this CD is right up there as one of the prog releases of the year, light years ahead of their 2004 debut "Lady Of The Light", which was good if overly derivative. I don't know what they've been up to since then, but this is absolutely stunning.
Drenched in Hammond organ and mellotron, the songs are heavy, bombastic and seemingly foreboding. As they should be if the apocalypse is just around the corner. You can't move without bumping into a clever arrangement or a surprising interlude, be it flutes on 'Yesterdays Friends' or a Chicken Shack moment on 'Ageless Door', the latter my particular favourite. Naturally, being dyed in the wool progsters, the actual 'Sound Of The Apocalypse' closes the album, stretched out to a too short 13 minutes, building up from a delicate intro into a full blown epic, replete with quasi classical orchestrations.
The CD also looks stunning as the three panel digipak opens up to a painting of the apocalypse in action, which is absolutely fabulous, and was done by the too many talents for one person keyboardist Nicklas Ahlund. A remarkable piece of work for a remarkable album.
Reviewer: Stuart A Hamilton
Score: 5/5
Check out our myspace site for more reviews!
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13 december - Ink 19 review of 'Sound Of The Apocalypse'
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Even though Black Bonzo was formed but a mere four years ago, the sound that leaps off their latest album, Sound of the Apocalypse, is vintage '70s. This is the album for all those prog fans who feared the genre had died. Well, fear not! It's alive and well, and it's apparently coming out of Scandinavia. Sound of the Apocalypse is the second release from the 5-piece Swedish band, and it's destined for greatness. Okay, so maybe I'm a little biased, but how could you not love the fact that the album was mixed on the same console used by Pink Floyd on their Animals album?
This latest endeavor literally oozes retro vibes; from Nicklas Ahlund's Emerson-inspired keyboards and mellotron to Joakin Karlsson's virtuoso guitar playing and Jethro Tull-esque flute to the vocals of Magnus Lindgren, who sounds like everyone from Steve Walsh to Jeff Lynne. And don't get me started on the dynamic performances of Anthon Johansson on bass and Mike Israel on drums - let's just say they're up there with the likes of Genesis, Led Zeppelin, and Kansas when it comes rhythm.
This album strongly embodies all that was right with prog rock and stoner metal of the '70s. And though the band wears its influences on its sleeve, make no mistake that the sound they emit is all their own. Heavy guitar soloing, symphony-sized analog sounds, lush poly-rhythms, impressive vocal harmonies and skillful arrangements are just the tip of the iceberg; this album will literally take you back in time.
Of course all the songs on the record are brilliant, but a few will stick with you after the last track. "Thorns Upon a Crown," "Giant Games," and the hauntingly beautiful "The Boiling Point" just to name a few. Honestly, if this is the soundtrack to the end of days, I want a front row seat.
Reviewed by: Crystal Lee
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7 december - Great review in Prognaut!
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Wow Sweden is even more of a hot bed for progressive based music and Black Bonzo’s latest offering ‘Sound of the Apocalypse’ ranks up there as a very important release. Their sound is basically an amazing mix of hard rock, folk and progressive rock. They take the listener back in time where music was warm, pure, raw and exciting. Black Bonzo is many things, at times they invoke sound that were in hard rock bands like Uriah Heep or Wishbone Ash and other times one can hear early Genesis Jethro Tull and at times Van der Graaf Generator & King Crimson.
Upon the various listens, while Sound Of The Apocalypse on whole is a great album, I found myself drawn to the songs Yesterdays Friends and the epic title track as high points.. These two songs alone can be ranked as classic and timeless as anything progressive that came from the 1970’s.
Black Bonzo can be classified as retro but I think they’re so much more. I believe they are the genuine article, sadly in a time where music is so mechanized cold and calculated. I sought out their first album and, without any doubt Black Bonzo is clearly in it for the long haul. I can’t recommend ‘Sounds Of The Apocalypse’ enough. If you loved the hard progressive rock, then you must get the album ASAP!
Reviewed by Ron Fuchs
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4 december - "Lady Of The Light" available at www.lasercd.com
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Check out www.lasercd.com if you are interested in buying "Lady Of The Light".
It's the Brasilian version from Rock Symphony that LasersCD is selling.
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3 december - Alive and kicking
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Black Bonzo is alive and doing well. The band is working
on new material for the upcoming 3:rd album. They will
go into the studio in early 2008 to record.
Check out the tourdates section every once in a while
for gigs are in the pipeline.
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24 august - Tantogården coming up!
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It's now confirmed that a show at Tantogården
in Stockholm will take place the 8th of september.
So if you're in Stockholm be sure to come to
the show. www.tantogarden.nu
Black Bonzo will appear in Classic Rock Magazines
new issue, be sure to check that out!
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6 august - Subtacto Progfest a success!
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After all Black Bonzo was asked to come and play at
Subtacto Progfest, but on the saturday. The band
decided to go and what a success it was. The audience
was really giving the band a nice welcome. Hopefully
there will be more shows in Norway in the near future.
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31 july - Subtacto Progfest cancelled!
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Black Bonzo will not play at Subtacto Progfest 2007.
The band is very sorry for this. The festival is underfunded
and therefore the 5th (sunday) of september is cancelled.
For more information contact www.subtacto.com
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25 july - Spirit Of 66 ahead!
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The band is going to play at Spirit Of 66 the 18th of
september. The club is located in Verviers, Belgium.
You find more information at www.spiritof66.be.
More dates for the european trip are in the pipeline
so be sure to check out the tourdate section.
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25 july - Trästockfestivalen what a show
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Black Bonzo did an early set in the sun at
Trästockfestivalen and the response was great,
so the guys decided to play around midnight on the
camping grounds just for fun. And what a night it was,
one of the best that the northern part of Sweden has
seen in years. Be sure to check out the photos of
the band at www.rockfoto.nu.
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7 july - Subtacto Progfest coming up
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Black Bonzo is booked for the upcoming Subtacto Progfest
in Oslo the 5th of august. Check out the festival at www.subtacto.com. More tourdates are being planned
so be sure to stop by once in a while.
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25 june - Preorder the new Black Bonzo merchandise
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Check out the new merchandise in the shop section.
You preorder the merch by mailing
lundmark@blackbonzo.com. And while you are at
it visit youtube and see the live footage from the
gig at Maiden in Norway.
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17 june - New video on youtube and myspace!
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The band recorded a live video for NVTV. It was
the acoustic tune 'Intermission - Revelation Song'
from the new album that the guys performed. Enjoy!
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9 june - Order 'Sound Of The Apocalypse'
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Buy the new album 'Sound Of The Apocalypse' in
the shop section. It's a great way to sponsor the band!
Next week the order for new merchandise will be sent
away and as soon as it arrives it will be put up for
sale on the site.
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21 may - European tour coming up
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As mentioned below, in september, the band will
tour Europe, check out the tourdates section for
confirmed dates. Hopefully the band will be
playing in your town.
There will also be some new merchandise pressed
up for the upcoming gigs. The merchandise will be
available in the shop section.
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21 may - Pre-order 'Sound Of The Apocalypse'
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It's now possible to pre-order the upcoming album
'Sound Of The Apocalypse' make sure that
you get a copy!
Pre-order it here!
The band is also planning on touring Europe in
september, dates will be released soon so stop by
from time to time.
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13 may - The Club Beyond gig the 25th of may is cancelled!
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We sorry to announce that the Club Beyond gig
in Malmö is cancelled. Contact Club Beyond for more information. Hopefully the band can come down to
Malmö and do a show in the near future.
Stay tuned for more touring information.
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3 may - "Sound Of The Apocalypse" released in Japan!
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The upcoming album "Sound Of The Apocalypse" is
now released in Japan. The band is really exited
about the release. Hopefully some gigs will be arranged
over there.
Check out the tourdates for more information on
where you can see Black Bonzo doing their liveshows.
Some dates have been chenged and some dates are
added so make sure you visit the tourdates section!
Here is the add for the album in the magazine
Strange Days in japan.
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2 april - Rocksymphony in Brazil will release
"Lady Of The Light"
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Finally the deal is done! Lady Of The Light will be
released in Brazil through www.rocksymphony.com!
The release date is May the 27th! Black Bonzo
is also booked for the summer progfestival
Svarta Månar Festivalen!
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27 march - Club Beyond and Scharinska Park Festival confirmed and more gigs in the Pipeline
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Check out the tourdates section for updates. With the
new album on the go the band is gonna tour as
much as possible, and on their spare time finish
the video for the upcoming single. Stay tuned!
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26 march - Thanks Salmath for looking after our instruments!
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The band would like to thank Rickard and Mattias at
Salmath for taking care of our old vintage instruments,
without their help Black Bonzo would'nt be able
to tour at all!
Thanks again/Black Bonzo
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21 march - Pressrelease!
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Black Bonzo – Sound Of The Apocalypse
In june 2007 the Swedish rock band Black Bonzo
will release their new album Sound Of The Apocalypse.
It’s now been three years since the bands critically
aclaimed debut album Black Bonzo took the rockworld
by storm. The mixing and mastering of the new
album is done by the well-known Swedish studio
Tonteknik, something that has made the record
sound even better. Sound Of The Apocalypse will
not only be released in Sweden. Both the highly
respected record label Laser’s Edge Group (USA)
and the giant company Argus Label (Japan) have
chosen to license the album. Since the last record
Black Bonzo has changed bass player from Patrick
Leandersson to Anthon Johansson.
Release dates:
Ward/Argus Records (Japan): May the 2nd, 2007
B & B Records (Scandinavia) June the 8th, 2007
Laser¹s Edge Group (Germany, UK, Switzerland, USA,
Canada & many more ) June the 26th, 2007
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16 march - Gig at Alive Rock Club in Skövde!
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Black Bonzo are going to play in Skövde on friday
the 6th of april, as a true supporter of the band
you should be there! Our dear friends Abramis
Brama will also play there, so now you got two
good reasons to show up at the gig!
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13 march- Updates on the site and
more gigs on the go!
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We have done some updates on the site in
almost every section. The gig in Gothenburg
was a great one. And there are more gigs on
the go so check in once in a while! You
can buy the debutalbum and the Black Bonzo
t-shirt here on the site just send an email to lundmark@blackbonzo.com. The relese dates for
the upcoming album are: 2nd of may (Japan),
first week in june (sweden), 19th of june
(Laser's Edge Group). Don't forget to check
us out at: www.myspace.com/blackbonzo and on www.youtube.com
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February - New gigs
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Finally some gigs are booked, check out
dates and places in tourdates section!
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January - We're back!!
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But we were really never gone! Problems with
the ownership to
blackbonzo.com led to a long time down,
but everything is solved now.
We've been working very hard with the
new album "Sound Of The apocalypse"
and there's been change of personell.
Patrick Leandersson, our former bassplayer
sadly left the band in the middle of the recording
sessions due to personal reasons. However,
we struck gold in Anthon Johansson who started
as a stand in, but after a few gigs felt that he
wanted to fill the spot permanently and help finish
the new album. And of course we were very happy
with this decision.
We will release samples from the upcoming album on the
website in a near future. Check out the new photos
from the summer in photos section.