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Progressive Rock Powerhouse SHEER CEREBRAL POWER have released their debut album ‘Sucker Punch’d that is now available for streaming via THIS LINK.
SHEER CEREBRAL POWER is a 4-Piece progressive-Rock outfit based in Munich, Germany but with members coming from as far and wide as Detroit and Pakistan.
This music is a reverence of the progressive rock of the 70s/80s/90s/00s. Strongly influenced by King Crimson, Genesis of the early 70s, Allan Holdsworth, Bill Bruford, John Wetton, Eddie Jobson, Rush, Tool as well as a healthy dose of Zappa.
Last week the band released the second single from the album ‘Skip’. Another Muhammed Ali inspired track, ‘Skip’ was inspired by the rhythm of rope skipping and the band have unleashed a new music video for the track now.
WATCH MUSIC VIDEO FOR ‘SKIP’ HERE
Azhar says this about the track “Written in 5/4 time. This tune was inspired by rope skipping. We transcribed the rhythm of a boxer skipping while warming up. The skip was medium fast and basically in 5/4. The whole song is very light and easily accessible especially due to Jay Jay’s very inspired and pristine vocal deliverance. A song you could also enjoy prior to a fight or afterwards when you are cooling down in the icebox. Features sixpart guitar harmonies run through an old vintage Electro Harmonix Microsynth, A Moog Ring Modulator and the Sustainer in my homemade electric guitar.”
All of SCP’s tracks are thematically inspired by Muhammad Ali and his great 1974 fight in Zaire.
The virtuosic quartet recently dropped another single called ‘BLOW’.
Watch the music video for ‘Blow’ HEREThe band says this about BLOW “Written in 11/8 time. This tune was inspired by watching sparring during box training. The musical inspiration is from Igor Stravinsky, Sacre du Printemps: The Augurs of Spring: Dances of the Young Girls“ That is also why we used Ayssa Lopez_Martinez and Anna Gnizdiukh two highly
ambitious female boxers from the Boxing Association of Munich to fight to the soundtrack. An uptempo number with an unusual double time chorus section which gets subdivided into a groovy Reggae Groove a la Stewart Copeland. A song about hope and action.”
Azhar began the writing process in 2021 when he sat down and wrote the 15- minute suite “Sucker Punch`d” Opus 1 in E-flat in 5/8 time. It forms the context of the content of this band. All the songs have irregular meters, as the rhythms of nature do not use regular beats. The music was not recorded in a copy/paste process, but within a given framework. All musicians played their voices throughout.
Tracklist
1. Sucker Punch’d Op. 1 Eb
2. Skip
3. S.L.A.B (Sting like a Butterfly)
4. Jab
5. Hero
6. Boma Yè
7. Blow
ABOUT SUCKER PUNCH’D
The music is muscular, exciting, invigorating to play. The Songs are a result of the successful writing partnership of John, born in Detroit, USA and Azhar, born in Karachi, Pakistan. The music was written first, and then the lyrics and melodies were created. Azhar presented John with tracks, titles and lyrical snippets to which John crafted corresponding lyrics and vocal melodies. Azhar wrote finished arrangements that the musicians brought to life in the spirit of the framework set by the composer. SHEER CEREBRAL POWER had come to life!
All the music on “Sucker Punch’d” was created with the core instrumentation. Guitar, bass, drums. The only keyboard instrument is the celesta, an instrument whose timbre the composer loves very much. All solos are dedicated to Allan Holdsworth, whose style inspires Azhar and whose great Influence on the musician is surpassed only by John Mclaughlin, who has been like a lighthouse of inspiration for Azhar since 1982.
The music of SHEER CEREBRAL POWER sounds complex and accessible at the same time due to the organic combination of Irregular Meters (Odd time signatures) and harmonically very accessible chord structures. It attempts to push the boundaries of the building blocks of what constitutes pop music, taking the listener on a journey of discovery that always brings new aspects to light.
SHEER CEREBRAL POWER’S forthcoming album “Sucker Punch’d” is a progressive rock symphony.
Sucker Punch’d is out on 28th October 2022 and pre-orders will be announced in due course.
Credits
Mixed by Mario Thaler
Mastered by Guido Hieronymus
Artwork by Milan Bettermann
SHEER CEREBRAL POWER IS
Azhar Kamal – Guitar, Celesta, Percussion,Vocals
Tommy Eberhardt – Drums
Horst Polland – Bass
John Jones- Vocals
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