FEATURED ALBUM: Black Bonzo - Sound of the Apocalypse

[Poisoned Youth]

Piggybacking off Tom's 2007 thread, I'm going to use the next few features to highlight music that is now 10 years old. How has Black Bonzo held up after 10 years?



Review from ProgArchives

I was surprisingly impressed with Black Bonzo's Sound of the Apocalypse. Having never heard anything by this band before, I was tempted to purchase this album after reading several postiive reviews for not just this album, but the previous and subsequent releases, both I will probably seek out in the not too distant future. The reason I chose this one is that it has more favorable reviews than their debut and it was cheaper at Amazon than the others (always a smart risk, particularly if it involves pricey imports).

The music on this album is very energetic and quite powerful in delivery. It shows much in the way of a combination of hard rock and symphonic rock. The organ work evens out the soaring and powerful guitar work. The drummer is quite exceptional, at times reminding me of an early Cozy Powell. There are some jazz/fusion leanings in places too. Unlike other reviewers, I'm finding it hard to pin down their influences. I sense the Deep Purple influence, but the music is way too complicated for Deep Purple. I don't sense the Queen references as much. I do sense some Gentle Giant influences, but the band is much harder sounding. I sense some King Crimson in the mix, but not anywhere near the angularity. Some Genesis/Yes in places. Some Spock's Beard and Echolyn in places, too. Jethro Tull for certain on the short Intermission/Revelation Song number. In other words, a lot of influences that blend together in such a way that they sound like something new, but akin to the spirit of 1970s progressive rock. That's probably the best way I can describe this wonderful work.

Easily one of the best purchases I've made in recent years. This one will continue living in my CD player for a long time to come. Highly recommended and well worth receiving masterpiece status to my ears. Five stars. - progaeoptyrex

[Yves]

Not as good as their debut, but miles ahead of their third and any of the Gin Lady stuff I heard. Maybe time for a revisit...

[100423]

Listening to it right now for the first time in forever.

[Tom]

Black Bonzo are Holmgren, Israelsson, Johansson, Karlsson, and Lindgren. An improbable coincidence even in Sweden.

Discography, for the record.
Lady of the Light (2004)
Sound of the Apocalypse (2007)
The Guillotine Drama (2009)

Reconstituted with different singer and drummer, as Gin Lady:
Gin Lady (2012)
Mother's Ruin (2013)
Call the Nation (2016)
Electric Earth (2017)

[LASERCD]

This brings back memories - good and bad. Mostly good but the bad was really bad.

[nosebone]

Love this one and the first.

[Poisoned Youth]

Black Bonzo are Holmgren, Israelsson, Johansson, Karlsson, and Lindgren. An improbable coincidence even in Sweden.

Discography, for the record.
Lady of the Light (2004)
Sound of the Apocalypse (2007)
The Guillotine Drama (2009)

Reconstituted with different singer and drummer, as Gin Lady:
Gin Lady (2012)
Call the Nation (2016)
Electric Earth (2017)

Yep, and also Mother's Ruin from 2013.

[Poisoned Youth]

This brings back memories - good and bad. Mostly good but the bad was really bad.

Ha. Well I'd like to thank those who brought them to Virginia for a show. I think it was in 2007-2008 before or after RoSFest if I remember correctly.

[mozo-pg]

I think this is quite good. I've never heard the first one. I thought I read the band switched from progressive rock to more commercial music but I'm not sure.

[Plasmatopia]

I pulled this one out for a revisit a couple months ago and I still like it. I'm just the opposite of Yves - I like the first album almost as much as this one.

[Jerjo]

I really liked this one and still spin it now and then. The followup had me give up on them.

[Plasmatopia]

The followup had me give up on them.

Reports of the follow-up had me give up on them.

[flowerking]

Not as good as their debut, but miles ahead of their third and any of the Gin Lady stuff I heard. Maybe time for a revisit...

Feel just the opposite, this one is their best, debut is good. We agree on their third.

[GuitarGeek]

I kept hearing people say they sounded like a cross between Uriah Heep and Queen. Well, that certainly had me curious, but I never get to hear them. SOmeone gave me a Black Bonzo t-shirt, though.

[Progbear]

I kept hearing people say they sounded like a cross between Uriah Heep and Queen. Well, that certainly had me curious, but I never get to hear them. SOmeone gave me a Black Bonzo t-shirt, though.

Not a UH fan so I avoided them. But what I heard of this during the between-bands sound system background music at NEARFest 2007 was promising; way more “prog” than I was expecting from such a description, and none of those “cats fighting” vocals that makes so much Heep stuff unlistenable for me.

[Scrotum Scissor]

I've kept their debut but parted with this one. Saw them live back then here in Oslo and found their set pretty pedestrian, I must say. But then again I haven't been a UH-fan since 1986.

Swedish artists were - and sometimes still are - prime at the retro-game. Too many to mention, but BB were nowhere near the most memorable.

[thedunno]

I have this one. I think it is a nice album but not nice enough to make me buy the rest,

[Vic2012]

I downloaded (paid for) a couple of their albums a long while back. Not sure what I have but I think this album is one of 'em. Played it a few times years ago. It's very retro, it sounds like something that was recorded in 1972. Sounds great, but never clicked with me. I'll dig it out one day.

[Poisoned Youth]

I kept hearing people say they sounded like a cross between Uriah Heep and Queen. Well, that certainly had me curious, but I never get to hear them. SOmeone gave me a Black Bonzo t-shirt, though.

There is definite Heep similarities on the first album given the similarity in vocal style to David Byron. They don't really sound like Queen at all imo with the exception of a song on the first album called "Freedom" which is very "Sheer Heart Attack" era sounding.

[notallwhowander]

After the considerable buzz around here, I tried to pick this one up. I wasn't available, so I bought Lady of the Light instead, which I really enjoy. There is not only Uriah Heep and Queen, but some Beatles and Wetton-Era Crimson in there too, all convincingly done.

That being said, when I finally got Sound of the Apocalypse, I never really connected with it, and went no further with the band.

[spacefreak]

Swedish artists were - and sometimes still are - prime at the retro-game.

Check my Hollow Earth thread for proof...

However Gin Lady's new one was a let-down (as their previous ones of course). Still like Black Bonzo's two first albums.

[notallwhowander]

I listened to Lady of the Light again on my way into work today. I think "Uriah Heep meets Queen" isn't quite right. It's definitely at its base classic Heep, but where classic Heep goes off the rails, Bonzo just took a little slice from other contemporaries instead. "Freedom" is just obviously and blatantly Queen. So while a classic Heep records are inconsistent, Lady of the Light is a kind of a sweet set on classic rock radio.

[100423]

After going back and revisiting it the past couple of days, I think it is enjoyable, but not something I'll revisit very often.

[aith01]

Definitely not a Uriah Heep fan, but Really liked Sound of the Apocalypse back when it came out, and occasionally listen to a few tracks from it from time to time. Never heard any of their other stuff though... In subsequent years I've heard other Scandinavian bands who scratched the "retro symph prog" itch more than these guys did for me, but I still think "Thorns Upon A Crown" is a great track.

[mellotron storm]

I think their first two are average to pretty good sounding. I haven't revisited though so maybe I should. Both 3 star albums in my opinion. Seems to me I wasn't thrilled with the singer but the mellotron and organ impressed.