Black Bonzo - "Sound Of The Apocalypse" Review

Artist/ Band: Black Bonzo
Title: Sound Of The Apocalypse
Label: Laser's Edge
Year of Release: 2007
Artist/ Band Link (click for details/ ordering)

The Review:

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 on October 2nd, 2007

Tracks:

1. Thorns Upon A Crown (6:51)

2. Giant Games (5:54)

3. Yesterdays Friends (7:09)

4. The Well (6:16)

5. Intermission - Revelation Song (1:59)

6. Ageless Door (5:23)

7. Iscariot (7:22)

8. Sound Of The Apocalypse (13:02)