nspired by decades of travelling the world as bandmates and friends, Paulo Morello, Mulo Francel and Sven Faller present Living Is Easy, Mostly (March 18th), an album of original songs drenched in the sounds of everywhere from South America to 20th Century Europe.
And whilst the three musicians display a level of skill and technique developed over many years on their respective instruments, it’s the feeling of comfort and the lust for life which emanates from their interplay and lives on long after the music stops.
Each a composer in their own right, the collaboration brings together their combined experiences as travelling musicians; modern, south-american influenced harmony, foxtrot grooves from the early 20th Century, German gypsy-jazz, and old school American blues are integrated effortlessly into the trio’s repertoire.
The years of accompanying one another in travel and in music are more apparent with every beat. Guitarist Paulo Morello (“as if George Benson had moved to Rio de Janeiro!”) and Echo award-winning saxophonist Mulu Francel have long toured together with German super-group Quadro Nuevo, whilst bassist Sven Faller Morello joined forces alongside Belgian great Philip Catherine.
The joy their ‘work’ brings them is emphasised by the music’s playful and sometimes humorous nature; perhaps best exhibited by the piece “One More Gin For Elizabeth”, which talks of the goal to buy Queen Elizabeth a drink at the bar!
With a combined touring history which takes in most of the world and includes credits from Larry Coryell and Pat Martino to Airto Moriera and Billy Cobham, it’s perhaps this comment from the three musicians which best sums up the recording:
“Whenever we get together we have a blast!”

It's rock. It's mixed emotions. It's four dudes from the middle of nowhere doin' their thing. Rock music with charming character. Retro, psychedelic, groovy, organic. Simple as it can be. Guitar, bass, drums in love with a "soundboard". Transporting their emotions, voiceless but with lots of messages. Take your time and get your trip...chill and rock is one family!
My Sleeping Karma are confirmed for the legendary Roadburn Festival in 2008!

Recorded and mixed by Richard Behrens at Big Snuff Studio Berlin, June-July 2020. Mastered by Role at Tonmeisterei Oldenburg.
credits
released November 5, 2020
Christian Peters (vocals, guitars, keyboards), Thomas Vedder (drums & percussion), Hans Eiselt (bass & backing vocals)
All lyrics by Peters. Music by Peters, Vedder and Eiselt.
Artwork by Jessica Rassi.

This 1991 companion to German director Wim Wenders's film sets a high water mark for the intelligent use of cutting-edge popular (and we're using that term in its broadest sense) music on film, deservedly cracking onto critical lists for the best releases of that year, period. The contemplative thriller's setting at the end of the millenium is answered by a remarkable repertory of artists including Talking Heads, Neneh Cherry, Lou Reed, Elvis Costello, R.E.M., Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds, Patti Smith, Jane Siberry with k.d. lang, T-Bone Burnett, Daniel Lanois and U2, a de facto dream team. Nearly all these performances were unheard at the time of release, and beyond the evident marquee lustre there's an underlying cohesion to the sense of yearning that prevails. Both Cave and U2 build powerful songs around the title theme, Elvis offers a brilliant Ray Davies cover, and the Siberry/lang classic, "Calling All Angels," summarizes the spiritual underpinnings of this thoroughly modern, ultimately timeless classic in film music. --Sam Sutherland

Haggard于1991年成立于慕尼黑。吉它手Asis是乐队的核心，1994年发表了一张MCD，并
在Amorphis的巡回演唱会作暖场表演。在这期间，Asis一直在探讨如何加入更多的古典
元素，其结果就是他不断找来越来越多的提琴手、钢琴手、女高音以及其它古典乐器演
奏者丰富Haggard的音乐风格。到了1997年发表首张概念专辑"and thou shalt trust…
the seer"的时候，乐队已经拥有了16名正式成员，真是不厌其烦啊。这张专辑以法国著
名的预言家Michael Nostradamus（诺查丹玛斯）的生平与著作为主要内容，在音乐风格
上也显得古风盎然，钢琴、提琴等古典乐器与吉它、鼓等金属乐器错落有致，其间并无
主次之分，同时大量运用了唱诗班、圣咏、歌剧女高音等人声因素，与男声低音、念白
以及黑死唱腔结合起来，构成了非常独特的魅力，引人入胜，使人时而仿佛置身于中古
世纪的繁华市集，时而又在冷峻阴森的教堂中漫步，充满了深邃神秘的氛围感。
2000年发表的"Awaking the Centuries"是上一张专辑的延伸，此时的时间是在1546年左
右，Nostradamus的第一任妻子与孩子都去世了，这也正是Nostradamus开始撰写《诸世
纪》的时候，专辑的名字即来自于此。在本张专辑中，Haggard把它善于整合不同风格的
音乐元素的特长发挥到极致，团员已达到20人，同时还邀请了3位guest乐手、5位口白及
9人的歌剧唱诗班，真可谓宏大之极。
专辑是以改编的Rachmaninov唱诗开始，于是时光倒流，我们仿佛置身于中世纪法国那泥
泞的城镇中，紧跟着的"Pestilencia"（瘟疫）则充满了歌剧的张力，尤其是女声的嘶叫
"c\'est la peste"（这是瘟疫！）更是让人透不过气来。第三首"Heavenly Damnation"
是前卫金属网站长评为的超级爱歌，我们来听听他的评价："以强劲的弦乐、大键琴对弹
开场，紧接带出男女唱诗班大合唱，soprano的一阵拉高后，death腔也随后喷出，精彩
的弦乐、oboe、单簧管对奏，伴随强力双大鼓接续登场，death腔、声乐腔大合唱，弦乐
、长笛、oboe、大键琴、双大鼓，真的是有够美啊！"
我最喜欢的则是第6首"awaking the centuries"，开场是以小提琴与双簧管等乐器的协
奏为引子，接着转向欢快的旋律，在这美妙的奏鸣中，吉它与双大鼓悄然现身，带来一
阵震撼性的气息，似乎在预示Nostradamus眼中所看到数百年后的战火。在忧愁的女声吟
唱"Awaking the centuries"过后，一段凄美的旋律引出了Asis的黑暗唱腔，在两位女高
音的伴唱之下，旋律转向激昂，似乎在倾吐Nostradamus内心的不安--恐怖的景象不断叠
现，而那参破生死的平静则更显得无奈。
本首歌曲直接引用了大段Nostradamus《诸世纪》的原文，诸如：
"When I open my eyes
I see soldiers in the fields
Dead bodies on the ground
There are children inbetween
Explosions shock the land
And the evil shows its face
The one called Hister rises
This is the fall of grace..."
令人听后，如有阵阵寒意袭背。
总的来说，本专辑唱念俱佳，不仅充满了浓厚的古欧洲气息，氛围感十足，同时旋律优
美，编配合理，除了时间太短以外（38分钟），几乎挑不出什么毛病，无疑是张"五星级
"的专辑。

Credits
Artwork, Design – Nik Birkemeyer
Bass – Jan Hoffmann
Drums, Percussion, Beats, Synth, Photography – Janosch Rathmer
Guitar – Florian Füntmann
Guitar, Synth – David Jordan (4)
Keyboards – Johannes Brunn (tracks: A3, B2)
Lacquer Cut By – Λ_*
Mixed By, Mastered By – Johannes Brunn
Recorded By – Florian Steppke
Notes
Written and recorded in November 2020 at Gästehaus Alte Liebe / Borgholzhausen.
All songs written and performed by Long Distance Calling except tracks "A1 and A2" written and performed by Long Distance Calling & Florian Steppke.
Clear edition, limited to 200 copies.

While Disillusion's "Back To Times Of Splendor" was an instant classic of progressive melodic death upon it's release in 2004, the group from Leipzig, Germany, pushed the envelope even more two years later on the rigorously innovative "Gloria" - yet it is fair to say that the most glorious years for "one of the best kept secrets to come from the metal underground" (Blabbermouth) are yet to come. In 2016, when the single "Alea", their first new recording in a decade, came out to test the waters in the wake of successful concerts with a refurbished line-up, Disillusion found themselves graced with an incredibly loyal fan base that made the band give in to the urge of approaching their first full-length in ten years. In the course of a crowdfunding campaign, intiated with the hope to support the creation of that album, the dream of every niche artist became true: It's overwhelming success enabled main man Andy Schmidt to invest almost two years full-time into writing and recording a new Disillusion record without having to take on a day job for sustenance. That fan-finance actually laid the foundation for this work cannot be valued highly enough. "The Liberation" is the result of the Herculean creative task Andy Schmidt applied himself to, spending countless hours of songwriting and recording. It comes 13 years after "Gloria" but stands as the logical stylistic successor to "Back To Times Of Splendor", offering genuinely enthusiastic, passionate and driven prog metal with a corresponding lyrical outlook yet one and a half decade of additional life experience on the part of it's creator. As an expression of clearance in the literal sense of it's title, it is testament to human development, an interplay of fierce metal with moments of both pure euphoria and introspection, The songs take you on the proverbial roller coaster of emotions that you missed maybe since Opeth's "Watershed." Disillusion in 2019 resemble the storm you feel brewing over an epic such as 'Wintertide', the straight-in-your-face stunner 'The Great Unknown' or the unexpectedly catchy and hookline-laden 'Time To Let Go', which - quite naturally - turned out to be exactly what fans have been craving for so long. "The Liberation" was mastered by Jens Bogren (In Flames, etc.) and is available as Digipak CD, gatefold 2LP as well as 60-page 2CD book edition (hardcover, 18x18cm) with expanded artwork and audio commentary from Andy Schmidt.

Line-up (members)
Andy Kuntz : Vocals
Stephan Lill : Guitars
Günter Werno : Keyboards
Andreas Lill : Drums
Torsten Reichert : Bass