Last year the German composer/multi-instrumentalist Oliver Rüsing impressed me with the release of his latest KariBow album, titled PanTerrania (see review). In my review I mentioned that the music on this double album is most of all for people who love a mix of complex prog with more sing-along prog. So best of both worlds so to speak. Although I certainly didn't expect a successor so soon. Especially not after previously releasing a double album. But still, the fact remains that Rüsing has once again come up with a strong product. Because that's what Ophelia again is! Apparently, he is full of musical ideas that he pulls out of his sleeve with ease. Only this time, he doesn't pull any amazing guest musicians out of his hat to enrich the songs with beautiful musical parts. Something he actually doesn't really need anyway, because Oliver can essentially play everything himself. From drums to guitars. From synthesizers and pianos to bass guitars. Nothing is too much for him, and I haven't even mentioned his amazing vocal parts yet. So, most of it is done by himself this time. You can only hear three guest musicians on this new album: the ever-present amazing guitarist Philipp Dauenhauer, plus a violinist by the name of Markus Savic and a saxophone player by the name of Andy Pendant who can also play beautiful parts on a trumpet, trombone, and French horn. The album was released in a 6-panel Digipak with a 16-page art booklet and is not available on any streaming platforms and can be purchased directly as a physical Digipak at the KariBow Shop. I guess I'll have to mention as well that Ophelia, is a highly regarded, 100% human-made, AI-free progressive rock album. Because nowadays it is more easy to create an album with the help of a computer. As for the music, once again it features melodic prog, AOR, and symphonic elements. Furthermore I'll have to praise its emotional depth and clear production. The album has once again complex musical arrangements, anthemic choruses, and expressive guitar solos. It features a mix of high-energy tracks and melancholic, orchestral themes. Finally, I will go through the songs with you one by one so that you get an impression of what to expect musically on this album. As for the whole album the main subject is how to find ways to escape from tragedy. Thanks to Oliver for giving the extra info about some of the songs. Overture - The album starts with a short instrumental which sounds rather orchestral. Mainly thanks to the impressive synthesizer parts. It includes also nice piano parts next to great violin parts done by Markus Savic. Ophelia - Again Oliver is doing almost everything on this track. Once again you can hear the beautiful violin parts done by Savic. During the chorus, you can enjoy catchy vocal parts. All in all a great title track with strong guitar and keyboard parts. Oliver:"Shakespeare's tragic character Ophelia seemed to be a perfect image to use. The song is about someone who's losing contact with their personal environment, getting completely lost in their own thoughts and feelings, just like Shakespeare's classic Ophelia character who's eventually dying. It's a song about desperate personal attempts to escape from tragedy (in an even more tragic way).The song has no happy ending, so I put it at the beginning of the album to continue in a more optimistic way afterwards..." On Higher Ground - Again catchy chorus parts next to great musical breaks performed on the instruments. Which are all once again done by Oliver himself including the amazing guitar solo. Kudos! Oliver: "... and here we go with the more optimistic way! I think it's already noticeable in its first chords. That's one of the reasons why, to me, Ophelia and On Higher Ground always belonged together as a bundle. They describe completely opposite ways of how to cope with tragedy. To me, the vibe of the song is like waking up in the morning without any regrets about yesterday, but with lots of positive energy for the day that's coming. It's like pure sunlight, and the message is: Learn from the past, get off your knees, simply start again (which is not always easy of course, but very helpful). A new day, a higher ground. " Unreal - Another great tune with only Savic helping him out by playing some excellent violin parts. Great tune with again great guitar solos to enjoy. Oliver:" It's about the feeling of insecurity about what's wrong and what's true, something that was (luckily) unknown to me when I was younger and when there was no expression like "Fake News" or anything similar in the 80s and 90s. It's about the acceptance of lies and about questioning what's evidently true, which I find is a terrible development, because it pulls the rug out from under all of us, it endangers honesty and authenticity, and it questions the existence of a common truth in general. Therefore, it's also a danger to a shared common sense and to societies that try to make equitable, democratic decisions. For some, this loss of good sense may even end in constant self-pretending, which to me is the pure opposite of authenticity. However, nowadays it seems to be an acceptable way for some to escape from personal tragedy and (unluckily) from developing deeper knowledge and insight. Furthermore, it also makes people more vulnerable for conspiracy theories." Down To Earth - Great tune again with excellent guitar parts! Here you can enjoy for the first time the beautiful saxophone parts done by Andy Pendant. State Of Regression - On this track Oliver shows his love for Saga. Just listen to guitar parts and you can only agree with me! Once again Oliver does everything himself on this piece of music. Mercy - Another track on which Oliver handles everything on his own. This a beautiful mellow composition with beautiful guitar and piano parts. Icicles - The epic which closes this excellent album. Divided into three parts. You can enjoy more than 15 minutes of amazing musical parts. On Part I: The Circle once again Philipp Dauenhauer shows how great he can play the strings of a guitar. On the short Part II: Peace once again Dauenhauer shows his musical talents. Finally on Part III: Out Of The Ice a leading role is for Andy Pendant by playing on the saxophone, trumpet, trombone, and French horn. But also Philipp is on high gear by doing an excellent guitar solo! Without any doubt the musical highlight on the album! Oliver:" This long track is about insight and about overcoming oneself. Icicles is about a lack of communication and people "cocooning" inside themselves instead of solving problems together - until their "ice" finally melts. It's a very personal song, and it's very much about learning and deeper insight. As you may remember, the significant role of our personal "ego" has often been subject in my lyrics. However, to me, a "barricaded ego" feels even worse than just a "blind" one, since it's an extremely hurt state of mind, and it can be very destructive to oneself as well as to others. I believe sometimes it's better not to take ourselves too seriously. Our lifetime is much too short to be wasted on wounded pride. Conclusion: I don't know where Oliver gets all his musical inspiration from, but he does it again. Releasing a great album where sing-a-longs go hand in hand with beautiful symphonic pieces. I can only express my admiration for this amazing musician who brings everything to fruition in such a wonderful way. Thanks Oliver for releasing great-sounding albums time and time again. I think I will put the album on again to enjoy all this beautiful music once more! **** Henri Strik (edited by Tracy van Os van den Abeelen) Where to buy? |
