Seven Steps to the Green Door – The?Lie (CD)
Seminal progressive crossover band, Seven Steps to the Green Door, from Germany are back with the new album The?Lie - and surprise us with the second part of their concept trilogy The?Book, in which authors and band deal critically with religious fanaticism. In 2011, the band of masterminds Marek Arnold (Toxic Smile, Cyril, Damanek, UPF, Flaming Row) and Ulf Reinhardt caused some stir with The?Book, an ambitious and profound piece of art. With their 2015 release Fetish, the band managed to make some furor internationally, embarking onto their first ever European Tour 2016/17 - performing at some of the biggest festivals in the prog-scene (including Night of the Prog, Crescendo, Summer's End, Artrock Festival). The album was hailed by critics and reached high positions in every poll of that year.
With The?Lie, the band are once again proving that they are among the most innovative and creative bands in the genre. In George Andrade, the band was able to convince and win over a lyricist for the concept who developed a compelling lyric book, with stirring and disturbing lyrics from Thoralf Koss' story. To match the intriguing storyline, some outstanding members of the progrock scene were assembled to take on the roles of the characters and to perform the instrumental parts: British multi-instrumentalist and singer Pete Jones (Tiger Moth Tales, Camel, Francis Dunnery Band) delivers stunning vocals as the "Father"; gifted guitarist Luke Machin (including Maschine, The Tangent, Francis Dunnery Band, Damanek) played and arranged most guitar parts; Steve Unruh (Resistor, UPF, Samurai of Prog) and Jason Melidonie (Cytotoxin) added brilliant violin and guitar solos. That's just to name but a few. The album is produced by Marek Arnold and mixed/mastered by Martin Schnella (Flaming Row, Melanie Mau & Martin Schnella).
George Andrade explains: ” The?Lie is a new rock opera/concept album that I’ve co-written with the magnificent Seven Steps to the Green Door, the second album of a proposed trilogy**.It tells the story of a family intimately caught up in the fanatic actions of their religious leaders, their church “fathers”, and the unfolding tragedy that befalls them all, while having to reconcile their faith turned religion with the repercussions of those fanatic actions committed in their God’s name, and coming to terms with the divergent and symbiotic relationship of a faith’s moral authority with the political realities of administrating and growing any organized religion...I think The?Lie contains some of my best and most ambitious writing for music to date (I hope you’ll agree), and combined with the stellar performances of the musicians and vocalist assembled for this record, I’m confident you’ll be entertained, thrilled, and ultimately moved by the musical experience …
Line-Up/Musicians:
- Ulf Reinhardt – Drums
- Marek Arnold – Piano, Organ, Keyboards, Saxophone, Clarinet, Seaboard, Venova
- Luke Machin – Main Electric Guitars
- Michael Schetter – Main Basses
- Stephan Pankow – Electric Guitars
- Andreas “Eddy” Gemeinhardt – Electric & Acoustic Guitars, Bass
- Denis Strassburg – Bass
- Steve Unruh – Violin Solo
- Jason Melidonie – Guitar Solo
- Susan Kammler – Oboe
- Gerd Albers – Acoustic Guitar
Vocalist/Characters:
- Lars Kohler – as Samuel
- Peter Jones – as Father
- Jana-Christina Poche – as Mother
- Anne Trautmann – as Lover/Samuel’s girlfriend
- Soren Flechsig – as Noah
- Annemarie Schmidt – Vocal adds
- Amelie Hofmann – Vocal adds
Tracks:
- A?- I
- Salvation
- A Price To Pray I
- A Dream That Strayed I
- A Price To Pray II
- A Dream That Strayed II
- A? – II
- Heaven
- The Word Made Flesh
- Hear My Voice Tonight
- Come To Your Father
Format: CD
Artist: Seven Steps to the Green Door
Release Date: April 30, 2019