TRACK LIST:
1. Hero in Disguise 7:27
2. Follow the Empress 5:19
3. The Red Door 0:57
4. Paint It Black 4:26
5. Fire (I Wanna Go) 5:21
6. Back to the City 4:49
LINE UP :
Rudiger Blomer - keyboards, violins, psaltery, sequencer, electric piano, cembalo, strings
Roger Weitz - bass, synthesizer, organ, vocals
Michael Rick - guitars, vocals
Michael Dorp - vocals
Ande Roderigo - drums, percussion
Prolusion.
German band Flying Circus is a veteran unit in the German progressive rock scene, with three decades worth of activity and a good handful of albums to their name. Back in 2013 they self-released their only EP to date, a production named "Ones and Zeros"
Analysis.
This EP, one I consider to be a mini-album due to its length, was the first output from a revamped line-up of this German band. With line-up revisions it is often the case that the style and orientation of a band will be subject to a bit of change, although in this case my initial impressions are that the alterations are fairly minor.
We get songs here that combine the classic era hard rock aspects inside a progressive rock context that appears to have been an established trademark of the band at this point, with nods and references in the direction of Led Zeppelin as something of a recurring element. In this case perhaps most noticeable on the more acoustic and ballad-oriented 'Follow the Empress'. The material is solid all the way through here, with an impressive world music flavored cover of Rolling Stones' evergreen 'Paint It Black' one of many strong points, and album closer 'Back to the City' another intriguing and solid creation with it's atmospheric blend of folk music elements, hard rock and progressive rock. The most remarkable song here in my view is 'Fire (I Wanna Go)' though, and while perhaps not all that progressive in nature this is a song that sounds like it is an evergreen from the 1970's somewhere, a song that instantly give me a feeling of music I have heard on the radio on many occasions over the years. That is not the case of course, as this is a Flying Circus original. It is a song that has all the qualities needed to be a staple on classic rock radio though, and truly a song with a strong commercial potential.
Conclusion.
With the EP "Ones and Zeros" we get a solid production through and through, where the songs are well developed and well executed, the mix and production is at the level needed to make a broader impact, and with a couple of songs that retain qualities that should make them interesting also for a broader general audience with the cover version of 'Paint It Black' and the original 'Fire (I Wanna Go)'. An EP well worth giving a spin to for anyone with an interest in classic era hard rock and progressive rock in general, and for those intrigued by an amalgam of those two in particular.
Progmessor: January 2023
The Rating Room
