BEYOND THE BRIDGE Signs With FRONTIERS RECORDS
Frontiers Records has announced the signing of BEYOND THE BRIDGE, a new progressive metal band from Germany. The group’s debut album, “The Old Man And The Spirit”, will be released on January 20, 2012 in Europe and January 24 in North America.
According to a press release, “The Old Man And The Spirit” is an ambitious concept album dealing with the polarity of human
sensuousness and superhuman awareness. Two main characters interpret the music on this theatrical and challenging record: “The Spirit”, who is
the personification of all wisdom and awareness that is unachievable to
mankind but that lacks of the ability to feel, and her opponent “The Old Man”: a bon vivant who has lived through all highs and lows of human
sensations. These two characters are interpreted by the two band
singers: a female, Dilenya Mar, and a male, Herbie Langhans.
But the operatic and cinematic setting of the album was put together by the two bands’ masterminds: guitar player Peter Degenfeld and the classically trained ivory tinkler Christopher Tarnow.
“From the beginning it was our intention to do an album presenting one big piece of music,” says Degenfeld. “One of the very first things that came about were the two characters
together with the basic content of the story. Basically, before the
notes were written, we knew what each song had to sound and feel like
and what the lyrics had to say. With these restrictions we started the
songwriting process. In the end writing songs under these self-imposed
limits turned out to be just great.”
While “The Old Man And The Spirit” is undoubtedly a demanding musical statement, BEYOND THE BRIDGE is determined to make its steps to bring its music on tour. “We put a
lot of effort into the goal of creating the studio sound on stage and we have already rearranged some parts to make them more suitable for live
performances,” explains Degenfeld.
BEYOND THE BRIDGE’s lineup is rounded up by Dominik Stotzem on bass, Fabian Maier on drums and Simon Oberender on keyboards and guitar. Simon also took care of the album production at the famed Gate Studios (owned by the famed producer Sascha Paeth, who mastered the album).
While
at first listen the album will easily appeal to the progressive
rock/metal audience, thanks to the virtuosity displayed in the playing
and the compositional design, the album can be easily enjoyed by all who
are looking for songs that can excite the listeners.
“The music is touching. It will even touch you in a different way each time you listen to the album,” concludes Peter Degenfeld. “The lyrics are inspiring and ambiguous. This encourages to dig deeper into the spiritual journey of the “Old Man.”
“The Old Man And The Spirit” track listing:
01. The Call
02. The Apparition
03. Triumph Of Irreality
04. The Spring Of It All
05. World Of Wonders
06. The Primal Demand
07. Doorway To Salvation
08. The Struggle
09. The Difference Is Human
10. Where The Earth And Sky Meet
11. All A Man Can Do
Source: Frontiers Records
