The Absolute Sound 2022

While Marco Polo: The Metal Soundtrack lacks in many ways (especially compared to its direct predecessor) it is absolutely a worthy addition to the Symphonity discography. It shows Křivák’s ability to adapt, and it showcases the band’s evolution phenomenally, and a few songs belong in every power metal fan’s playlists…

For a long time, Ennio Morricone (1928-2020) kept the two main fields of his compositional activity neatly separated. First, there was film music: this was undoubtedly the best known and also the most abundant of the two. His artistic partnerships with directors such as Sergio Leone, Giuseppe Tornatore, Pier Paolo Pasolini, Giuliano Montaldo, Elio Petri, and Gillo Pontecorvo marked the history of film music. However, the directors with whom he cooperated, also on the international stage, are very numerous, including Brian De Palma and Quentin Tarantino. His film music comprises nearly 500 scores: a record quantity, reached over the course of more than five decades, and crowned by three Academy Awards, three Golden Globes, five BAFTAs, a Grammy and countless other awards.

"The album title for us reflects the feelings that so many people have been experiencing over the last two unprecedented years of darkness. We feel it is time to ‘turn the lights back on’ and shine some positivity and joyousness…” CATS in SPACE are all set to return this summer with their fifth studio album which boldly promises to musically go “where no band has gone before..” the SUN![/quote

Recentering themselves over two decades after 2001's excellent but misunderstood self-titled LP, '90s alt-metal survivors Stabbing Westward revive their peak industrial-goth sound to maximum effect on the long-awaited Chasing Ghosts. Following that most recent full-length, this returns the band to the quintessential sound of their heyday: corrosive mechanizations set to driving beats and urgent delivery of scathing, self-flagellating lyrics. For this iteration of Stabbing Westward, Orgy alumni Carlton Bost (guitars) and Bobby Amaro (drums) join founding members vocalist/guitarist Christopher Hall and programmer Walter Flakus. With early producer John Fryer in tow, this is the album that fans were likely expecting as a follow-up to 1998's Darkest Days.

The Djabe came out with a new studio album at the end of 2022. The album ‘Before’, which was released firstly in double CD format, contains fifteen new original recordings. Although the beautiful photos of the four-panel digi sleeve packaging once again praise the beauty of Sardinia, this time the recording sessions were taken in Hungary, Denmark and England. On the double album, the current line-up of Djabe can be heard as the core band, namely: Tamás Barabás bass guitar, guitar, synthesizer program, vocals, sound engineer; Attila Égerházi guitar, percussion, producer; Áron Koós-Hutás trumpet, French horn, Péter Kaszás vocals, drums; Zoltán Bubenyák keyboards. As well as four guest artists already known from previous records: Steve Hackett guitar, harmonica; Rob Townsend sax; Tibor Karvaly electric violin; Éva Kozma koboz and a newcomer in Djabe colors, violinist György Mesics.