LAZARUS DREAM – Lifeline (2022)
LAZARUS DREAM, the German Melodic Hard Rock duo consisting of singer Carsten “Lizard” Schulz (Domain, Evidence One, Devoid) and guitarist Markus Pfeffer (Barnabas Sky, Winterland) returns with the sophomore release “Lifeline” to be released tomorrow.
Just like its predecessor, this new album is a feast for any fan of the genre and groovy riffs, bombastic choirs and catchy melodies balanced by interesting little progressive twists. You can hear the ’80s influences into LAZARUS DREAM’s music all over the record including melodic guitar riffs, pounding bass lines, synths and Carsten’s clean voice.
Mastered / produced by expertise Rolf Munkes (Voodoo Circle, Phantom V) and including a long cast of talented players (including Derek Sherinian of Dream Theater, Black Country Communion, Sons Of Apollo) “Lifeline” is sure to please fans of all genres from melodic rock to traditional classic hard rock.
Starting with a track that’s nearly seven minutes long is either ballsy or mad, but ‘Dead End Symphony‘ not only amply sets the scene of what’s to come, it is one hell of a classy song to boot. Helped with the expert production steering of Rolf Munkes plus the keyboardship of Derek Sherinian, we are presented with a multi layered tour de force, without any muddying of the various elements.
What a superb way to kick things off.
Second track ‘Don’t Took Down‘ would happily slot into Carsten’s solo opus ‘The Day The Earth Stopped Turning‘, an album I absolutely love, so hardly any surprise that I love this track too. So we are very much off to a good start, although to be honest it really would have to be a total car crash for me not to like another Lazarus Dream album.
Why? Well the elements that are the building bricks for albums like ‘Lifeline‘, pounding, tight bass lines, classic rock keyboards, tight & controlled guitar and of course those golden tonsils of Carsten, plus that quintessential German hard rock sound, are some of the very things that help me instantly connect with the music.
It’s not all in your face stuff, tracks like ‘Love Without A Net‘ and ‘Save Our Souls‘ take us into a more melodic rock area, showing that it’s not all about showboating and they also reinforces the quality of the writing as well as the performance.
Well as I hinted earlier, it was a fairly safe bet that I’d like ‘Lifeline‘. The album goes to show once again what a strong combination Carsten & Markus are. This is such a delightful slab of classic hard rock and it’ll certainly be added to my list of favorite releases of 2022.
Highly Recommended
01 – Dead End Symphony (feat. Derek Sherinian)
02 – Don’t Look Down
03 – Mind Like A Windmill
04 – Freedoom
05 – Overdose Of Paradise (feat. Jorris Guilbaud)
06 – Your Voice Inside My Head
07 – Love Without A Net
08 – Crack The Hourglass
09 – Save Our Souls
10 – Modern Lies
11 – Still Running
12 – Lonely Is The Night
13 – Once Upon A Time (Bonus Track)
Carsten Schulz – vocals, guitar, keys
Markus Pfeffer – guitar, bass, vocals
Markus Kullmann – drums
Derek Sherinian – hammond, Moog & synths
Andy Lübbert, Thomas Rieder – percussion
Jorris Guilbaud – synths
Thomas Nitschke – piano, keyboards
Pre order:
www.amazon.co.uk/Lifeline-Lazarus-Dream/dp/B09YV3QHLG
