#Black Bonzo #progressive rock #hard rock #heavy prog #art rock #progressive metal #retro-1970s #Swedish
From the ashes of Swedish hard rockers The Gypsy Sons of Magic, Black Bonzo rose again as an art prog band by adding depth to their sound through the use of mellotron, piano and Hammond organ. The intense drumming, the intricate guitar work, the firm but steady bass lines, the complex song structures, the overall pomp and their vocalist (who sounds like David Byron resurrected) all spell Uriah Heep, big time. Their album, "Lady of the Light" (2004) is filled with 70s pomp reminiscent of A.C.T. mixed in with early Kansas and a bit of Queen. The classy arrangements and harmonies, the heavy organ, the impressive guitar work and the Byron-like vocals may sound all too familiar to Heep fans, but these guys do what they do extremely well, with just enough personal touches to remind you they're not the Heep. A great album in its own right that will grab your attention from start to finish. Powerful stuff and excellent production. From: https://www.progarchives.com/artist.asp?id=1406
The Story behind the band Black Bonzo began years ago, coming out of the remnants of the psychedelic rock n´roll eight-piece group, Gypsy Sons Of Magic. The members who now form Black Bonzo had a direction in mind that didn't suit the style and form of the previous band, which led to their unavoidable demise, and the beginning of the new band.
As soon as Black Bonzo started rehearsing and writing new material, everyone was stunned, shocked and amazed how powerful the band was sounding. Soon, new sounds were added like the mellotron and piano with the organ as one of the base instruments in the hands of Nicklas Ahlund, giving a whole new depth to the music along with Mike Israel’s intensive drumming, the very thoughtful guitar works of Joachim Karlsson, and Magnus Lundgren’s personal and clever voice backed up by the firm and steady bass lines of Patrick Leandersson.
With new songs rehearsed and with the sound of their minds, a couple of gigs were done to huge positive response. By the summer of 2003 a record deal was landed with B & B Records, and during winter 2003 the band started to work on their first album, leaving no detail behind. In July 2004 the band released their first album in the vein of late 60s/70s progressive rock with influences such as Uriah Heep, Queen, King Crimson and early Camel with lots of Mellotron and impressive hammond Organ work. From: http://www.rockprog.com/02_Interviews/BlackBonzo.aspx
