Reviews
"We Never Said Good-Bye" ist eine echte Underground-Perle. Neben wirklich stark komponierten Songs ist ...
...zwischen britischem Neo Prog und nordamerikanischen AOR. Und das ist bei Weitem nicht das einzig Faszinierende...
Vom düster krachenden Rocker bis zum epischen Longtrack, von der zarten Piano-Ballade zum witzigen Bandito-Tango; die Platte macht einfach Spass.
... euphorischen Momente sorgen auf der nach oben offenen Harmonieskala für erhebliche Ausschläge.
...eine Mixtur aus komplexen Rockstücken, ergreifenden Balladen und frenetischen Stadionhymnen...
....vom bombastischen Rocksong bis zur reduzierten Piano-Ballade, mal mehr, mal weniger virtuose Instrumentalpassagen...
audio
| track | snippet | length | songwriter | lyrics |
master of strings |
05:31 | Thomas Wenzel, Scott Balaban | Scott Balaban | |
time will come to your rescue |
09:30 | Dierk Neldner, Thomas Wenzel, Scott Balaban, Lothar Hermann | Scott Balaban | |
the long dark road |
04:52 | Thomas Wenzel, Scott Balaban | Scott Balaban | |
where when and why |
06:30 | Lothar Hermann, Dierk Neldner, Thomas Wenzel, Scott Balaban | Scott Balaban | |
until the morning comes |
04:35 | Scott Balaban | Scott Balaban | |
rocket man |
03:28 | Scott Balaban, Lothar Hermann | Scott Balaban | |
slipping away |
06:13 | Thomas Wenzel, Scott Balaban | Scott Balaban | |
karma machine |
05:47 | Thomas Wenzel, Lothar Hermann, Gerry Boiciuc, Dierk Neldner | Scott Balaban | |
tango mortale |
07:02 | Thomas Wenzel, Scott Balaban, Lothar Hermann | Scott Balaban | |
should have known better |
04:40 | Thomas Wenzel, Scott Balaban | Scott Balaban | |
dance of duty |
05:42 | Thomas Wenzel | Scott Balaban based on german lyrics of Gisi Hermann |
|
the great metronome |
07:27 | Dierk Neldner, Thomas Wenzel, Scott Balaban, Lothar Hermann | Scott Balaban |
Get your copy now!
 | Check out direct in our online shop |
 | Entire album or individual tracks - digital |
 | Entire album or individual tracks - digital |
 | Entire album or individual tracks - digital |
 | Entire album as real cd |
Lyrics
Sometimes I can’t help but feel there’s a mastermind behind all the evildoings going on in the world. The skinny, split-tongue advisor whispering in the young king’s ear. The cunning conspirator planting the wrong facts to be discovered and acted upon in rage. The religious fanatic who plays on his fellow man’s deepest fears and beliefs. A truly kraken-like force bent on wreaking havoc, spreading the poison and bring out the worst in everyone. And sometimes it seems he’s winning. Stirring up the mob and delighting as it turns violent. Laughing away in the darkness. |
|---|
|
I’m the crime without a trail |
This almost ten minute song was once cropped down to four minutes. With the help of the drummer of a famous prog band, flown in to help us in distilling the song’s essence. The goal was to come up with something suitable for radio, promotable. In retrospect, we were trying to fix something that didn’t need fixing. Shorter isn’t always better, sometimes you just have to tell the whole story for it to make sense. |
|---|
In a world made of stone Digging deep, trying to get through to what you heart believes When there’s no hope in sight When there’s no love in sight |
How far can you go to save a relationship before you lose yourself? When do you finally stop crawling, raise your head up, feel the warm sun on your face and start moving on? You fool yourself by thinking that it’s the brave thing to do to keep on fighting when it’s not. It’s plain masochistic. So, how far are you willing to go? At what point are you sick and tired? | |
|---|---|
I'm sick and tired of looking in from the outside I have run and made for the hills But now I hide and hope it passes by I'm sick and tired of bleeding out from the inside I'm sick and tired of looking in from the outside I have dug and hid in the hole I'll burn down the gates of love But now I hide and hope it passes by I'm sick and tired of bleeding out from the inside I'm sick and tired of looking in from the outside My dreams, my heart, my hopes I've knelt with the beggars But now I hide and hope it passes by I'm sick and tired of bleeding out from the inside I'm sick and tired of looking in from the outside |
A good friend back in the days was stuck in a truly loveless relationship. Problem is, he had a really huge heart. He seemed to fall hopelessly in love with every friendly woman he came across. One sad, tragic situation followed the next. It was just a matter of time till the next one would cross his path. Instead of stopping and changing his life situation he just continued on. Leaving his friends to wait where and when the next crisis would strike. The true was question was why. Why it was happening time and time again. | |
|---|---|
And so the drops of rain that fall (I fell in love) When the heart is dying, you always ask the question why And so the drops of rain that fell |
I’ve always felt that a broken heart weights twice as heavy at night. Actually somewhere between midnight and three am. In comparison, making it through the day is easier. Work, daily routines, things to do. So many distractions. But at night, when it all calms down, no one’s calling on the phone, only bulls**t on TV, that’s when it hits you. The full impact of a lost love, the soul-mate tragically removed. It hits you like a truck. And all you can do is wait for the sun to come up again. To wait until the morning comes. |
|---|
Spend the day mending The day grows longer Watching and waiting Until the morning comes Remember when I saw you My sweet angel Watching and waiting, Until the morning comes Baptized by your love Until the morning comes |
Big dreams often come in the most unlikely shapes. Little girls who dream of becoming scientists, boys who want to grow up an fly to moon, go where no man has gone before. What right do we have to laugh at them? For all we know they’tll be the next Marie Curie or Neal Armstrong. But it’s so much easier to point a finger and join the crowd in jeering than to stick up for them. |
|---|
|
He was a small kid |
Most relationships come to that point. At some time or other. The point where after being together for a long time, daily routine replaces passion. And after a while, that warm feeling that used to give everything a sense of belonging onnoticingly turns into a numb distance. Something that had given everything a deeper meaning gets taken for granted, becoming meaningless and hollow. You try to grasp it, but it’s like the wind just keeps it right beyond your reach. |
|---|
So many nights I wake before the dawn I feel you slipping away, out to the ocean I never had something that felt so strong Staring out into the night (Hold on) When a love turns cold (Hold on) |
Why waste words when the melodic spiel of the piano can say it better? Why waste the energy in screaming when the howl of the electric guitar can make you feel it? Why waste your breath in setting the scene when the sheer force of the bass and drums says more than enough. Life comes and goes and we’re all just the soundtrack. | ||
|---|---|---|
Life is strange. You think you’re going to write a straight rock song and then Dierk comes up with an accordion riff on the keys. What? You mad? We're a rock band. Nobody rocks with the accordion! But just then Thomas sets in with a heavy riff. Gerry and Lothar don’t ask twice, merging in a thundering groove. |
|---|
Hey guys On weekend leave Sun was high We'll save you three Yeah, life is a tango Three years ago they stole us from our village They arrived It’s plain to see Yeah, life is a tango Ey, muchachos, Banditos, Banditos so mean The sun is high in the sky and hot dust lies thick in the air as our three young men stand in the small town square. A hushed silence grows, as out of the shadows steps the town’s champion, from head to shiny toe clad in brown leather. His face is like a hawk, his long brown hair pulled back in a furious ponytail. With eternal grace, he approaches. Click clack, as his boots echo in the hush. With one sharp finger he signals a girl to dance. The band begins to play and before their eyes they perform a ferocious tango. Spinning, twirling, turning in a mesmerizing dance, like none had ever seen before. One after another, our men take turns, but fail to match the uncanny speed and poise, falling beaten and miserable to their knees. With his final heartbeat of strength, the last of our samba teachers offers a wordless, desperate prayer for help, any kind of help, lest they all end in the dirt. And just then a wind strikes up. Dark clouds rush from behind the nearby hills and with a rumble the clouds open up and large drops of warm summer rain start to fall. The brown dancer shrieks in horror as the rain strikes his perfectly groomed hair. With terrified eyes and the creak of cheap wet leather he jumps back into the shadows. Not once looking back. Never to be seen again. High fives They don’t see Yeah, life is a tango |
It was 4 o’ clock in the morning, I was startled awake, in a strange bed. A girl was pacing the floor, up and down, up and down, and accusing me of telling her parents something about her sister. What? I had never even met her parents before. Or even spoken to them. It was then, as I wiped the sleep from my bloodshot eyes that I knew I had done it again. I had managed to pick the craziest girl from the whole party. Yep. A bad habit I just couldn’t seem to break. And I could picture exactly how it would be to tell my friends what had happened. Again. Gentlemen, let’s drink to all the crazy ones! |
|---|
Could have known better |
Where there’s a taker there’s also always a giver. For everyone that uses someone, there’s someone who lets it happen, who lets themselves be used. Especially in a relationship. Whether it be between lovers or in a family. In fact, in families it often becomes so much more difficult with all the baggage that everyone has, the history, the broken promises, the things done as an irresponsible adolescent and the guilt that can be traded on for it later. Co-dependence holds people together while actually tearing them further apart. |
|---|
|
Of icy steel my cage is made
It takes two to dance
|
Standing in the newly painted hall of the huge hi-end studio we had rented, I can hear the guitar recordings going on. Big, mighty chords with the force of armies knocking on a city’s wall are being on tape, (or whatever goes for tape nowadays). And the pressure is rising. |
|---|
Can you picture the child Have you ever made illusions real (real to me) My life has changed and so have I |
Get even more about us and our music! |
 |
Blog (aka "Thoughts that are way too long for facebook") |
 |
Downloads
About us: long time ago...
Lo and behold, 17 years ago Amon Ra released their debut album „Precarious Balance“, receiving a warm welcome from rock magazines around the globe. The album eventually went on to become a highly praised insider tip in prog circles, pulling in fans of Rush or Dream Theater as well as fans of the early Elton John. In the wake of its release, the band joined the German leg of SAGA’s world tour alongside being booked for shows as guests for main acts like Jethro Tull. In spite of being co-produced by a member of a famous progressive rock band, the follow-up album went down in the flames of a business fiasco. A fate the band shares with so many others, leading to the discontinuation of all live and studio activities.
"We Never Said Good-bye" is an ironic take on the band's history, and a tour de force comprising of 12 songs from the German American band. The basic compositions are largely from around the year 2000, but complemented by newer pieces. Reconstructing the old songs and simultaneously writing new material, the members worked in the relaxed atmosphere of drummer Lothar Hermann’s studio. With all the time they needed, they set their aim on creating an album homogenous in sound yet highly diverse in style, defying all attempts at easy compartmentalization.
It takes more than one listen to soak in the grandeur and merciless musical extravaganza of the entire 73 minutes. Yet after just one listen a certain addictive effect already starts to ooze in. While the final notes of the album’s closing song „The Great Metronome“ slowly fade out, some listeners will ask themselves what the hell just pulled out their auditory synapses, gave them a good shaking and snapped them back into the eustachian tube, brimming with euphoric neurotransmitters. Amon Ra's gamut of styles brazenly ranges from dark pumping rock to epic prog symphonies and minimalistic piano ballads to lep zep-esque retro rock and laid-back acoustic swing to a full-blown, insane rock tango!
Every open-minded music fan that enjoys heavyness along with big melodies and a slightly crazy tendency to experiment will enjoy the wild ride on this musical roller coaster with all the climbing, plunging and loop de looping it brings. The whole album is an exhilarating and suspense-packed ride. So hang on
Amon Ra 1999
This picture was taken during the tour with SAGA 1999/2000. The tour was the pinnacle of the band's 12 year existence, sadly also marking its end. The reasons were many. We never formally played a „final" show and never announced having separated. Right after the tour, a whole bunch of songs were written. Now, 17 years later, with the befitting title „We Never Said Good-bye", we are proud to present this material to the people out there, still asking about us.
(from left to right: Gerry Boiciuc (Bass), Dierk Neldner (Keys), Thomas Wenzel (Guitars), Lothar Hermann (Drums), Scott Balaban (Vocals))
Lothar Hermann - Drums
Welcome fans and visitors of our great little world. What we created with this album has moved me deeply. The intense, long period of time spent working on this album, mainly with Scott and Thomas, was a wonderful journey for me full of respect, enthusiasm, passion and friendship. Producing the album in my studio (Nature Studios) was THE highlight of my years of working as a sound, recording, mixing and mastering engineer. For these great times I would like to thank Scott and Thomas from the bottom of my heart! Hey, you two - We pulled it off! :-)
A few things about myself: After managing to already get on my parents' nerves at the age of four with my playing piano for visiting friends and family, they set me up with accordion lessons. Many years of practicing later, around the age of 12, I developed a new, deep interest for the drums, which went on to become my main instrument, eventually bringing me to Amon Ra in 1990 after several other bands. Early on, I began playing the guitar as well, which along with the keys gives me the wonderful possibility to write songs.
My studies of electro-engineering and my work as an executive have put me in the position to pursue my passion and I went on to get a degree as audio engineer, the cornerstone of founding my own studio. This "work" is so immensely fulfilling to me. It is amazing to collaborate with people and express their emotions and thoughts in music. That's why my Nature Studio's slogan is "Transfer Emotions ...". My sincere thanks for your interest in us! All the best - I'll never say good-bye ;-)
Scott Balaban - Vocals
And there it was, my favorite part of every school year – choir break. A week away from school, singing with your best buddies during the day and then partying till dawn. This year's project was Andrew Lloyd Webber's "Jesus Christ Superstar". The first rehearsal was over and couldn't exactly be described as exhilarating. Right before the next session, a friend of mine pulled me into his room, sat me down and said „you GOTTA hear this“ and turned on the original cast recording. As Ian Gillan sang, arcing higher and higher fearlessly singing the climax of "Gethsemane", it hit me. I have to do this, too!
The next big step happened one evening during college. An infamous bar/musician's hangout and a notice on the board declaring "Singer wanted". I, to this day, remember a listening session with the keyboarder’s car stereo playing a mind-boggling opus (the song later turned out to be Illu-Vata). My love for musicals made me quickly realize the potential for grand melodies and longer, deeper narratives. Amon Ra was to be my first real band.
After college, I returned to Munich and went into the advertising business. As Don Draper so wonderfully puts it „Every good ad tells a story". And it conjures up emotions. What can I say, that seems to be my recurrent theme in life. Next to Amon Ra, I've had fun with pop, funk, soul and hard rock bands. Life is way too short to go through it with musical blinders on. Since recently, I have even developed a liking for high-quality New Country music. Check this out Iron-Hand.com.
Thomas Wenzel- Guitars
My 10 years older cousin is most definitely responsible for lighting the very first spark. And for that, I will be eternally grateful. If my hero back then was listening to it, it had to be cool. It really couldn't matter less to me that everybody else at school was listening to Depeche Mode and all those nut jobs of the Neue Deutsche Welle. I was just fine hanging out with my "big brother" getting to hear tapes of Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, The Sweet, Uriah Heep and other 70s rock. Abysmal sounding tapes played on truly abysmal sounding tape recorders, made in East Germany, were my brainwashing sessions. At this point, Ritchie Blackmore was my favorite guitar player in the whole of the Milky Way.
At the age of 10, my mother gave me the first beginner's guitar for Christmas and I immediately joined the ranks of the thousand other budding young players roaring out the Smoke on the Water lick on the high E-string, till ear bleeding all-around set in. This became the hard rock foundation for all to come and it actually took quite a while until I let in any other musical influences at all. Back then, I would only listen to stuff my cousin’s clique deemed worthy of listening to. And that was almost always only 70s hard rock.
This inevitably changed when I joined my first band. Whole evenings of cover tunes, wildly mixed up, were played, along with a generous helping of East German music, as prescribed by the regulations of the government (!).
A few more meaningless musical stops later, I made the acquaintance of Dierk Neldner and the original core formation of Amon Ra was born. Lothar Hermann's addition to the band meant that within my own band I was surrounded by two other musicians with creative vision and what's more, huge fans of Kansas, Rush, Dream Theater and SAGA. The plot was thickening ... (cf. band info).
In the many years following the tour with SAGA and our attempts to land a record deal, Amon Ra was on hold and I focused on playing live, going from blues to southern rock to classic rock, even accompanying a comedy show, all the way to playing musicals. I also made some contributions to albums of musician friends of mine. To mention all of these projects would take too long, but I would like to mention my playing lead guitar for two musicals. On the one hand, it is befitting that both times it was Jesus Christ Superstar, the piece of music that had impressed me early on, just like Scott. On the other hand, of course it was that certain Ian Gillan from the original cast with his bone-jarring, otherworldly vocals that gave me a connection to Deep Purple. Between 2009 into 2012 I followed this musical signpost and played around 20 concerts with a Deep Purple tribute band, thereby coming full circle with the early musical education from my cousin.
After years of branching out musically there is one thing that I can say for sure: nothing can ever beat working on your own songs in the studio with great guys like Lothar and Scott. I am tremendously proud of our new album as well as our debut album and am herewith diabolically pleased to announce a further one ... hopefully to be released in less than 17 years!
contact
Nature House Records
Lothar Hermann
Giechburgblick 7
96149 Hohengüßbach
GERMANY
Web Design and Programming © 2016 by
Lothar Hermann, Nature Studios