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The compositions of Colleen, aka multi-instrumentalist CeIücile Schott, are as richly varied as they are precise. Each of Colleen"s albums are shaped by her predetermined distinct instrumentation and parameters, including works composed entirely of music boxes, pocket synthesizers, and antiquated stringed instruments. The connective essence of Schott"s music is in her ability to create pieces within this transcendent specificity that are both expansive and imbued with profound emotions. Libres antes del final is an album that reaches for the hope and desire to be truly freed from unnecessary suffering and harmful thoughts before reaching the end of one"s life cycle. Schott composed and performed Libres on the Moog Matriarch, centering the record on a pulse-driven, bubbling energy with constant momentum. She then reamped the music in one of her favorite spaces in Barcelona, Casa Montjuic, accentuating the album"s sense of movement. The reamping process adds a literal physicality to the album, as carefully chosen and placed microphones (including the famous Neumann KU100 binaural head) capture both the venue"s PA sound itself and the venue"s acoustics. Colleen"s music translates snapshots of Schott"s life into singular pieces, often instrumentally transmuting a dense web of sensations into wondrous sonic terrain. Schott"s deft manipulation of the Moog Matriarch makes each subtle adjustment feel monumental.

The compositions of Colleen, aka multi-instrumentalist CeIücile Schott, are as richly varied as they are precise. Each of Colleen"s albums are shaped by her predetermined distinct instrumentation and parameters, including works composed entirely of music boxes, pocket synthesizers, and antiquated stringed instruments. The connective essence of Schott"s music is in her ability to create pieces within this transcendent specificity that are both expansive and imbued with profound emotions. Libres antes del final is an album that reaches for the hope and desire to be truly freed from unnecessary suffering and harmful thoughts before reaching the end of one"s life cycle. Schott composed and performed Libres on the Moog Matriarch, centering the record on a pulse-driven, bubbling energy with constant momentum. She then reamped the music in one of her favorite spaces in Barcelona, Casa Montjuic, accentuating the album"s sense of movement. The reamping process adds a literal physicality to the album, as carefully chosen and placed microphones (including the famous Neumann KU100 binaural head) capture both the venue"s PA sound itself and the venue"s acoustics. Colleen"s music translates snapshots of Schott"s life into singular pieces, often instrumentally transmuting a dense web of sensations into wondrous sonic terrain. Schott"s deft manipulation of the Moog Matriarch makes each subtle adjustment feel monumental.

France's near-revolution of May '68 was the zenith of that generation's struggle for a new kind of life. It kicked the country's small, but vibrant, counter-culture into overdrive, and birthed a local underground music scene. The bands it spawned made music with much less rock purity than groups from the UK and US. Their musical and cultural influences foregrounded improvisation, disjunction, and genre-blending: Soft Machine, Pink Floyd, Frank Zappa, free jazz, and radical politics. The introduction of the synthesiser in the early 1970s added fuel to the fire.

This collection of French underground music inaugurates a series to accompany "Synths, Sax & Situationists", the first English-language book to investigate this movement. It focuses on the music of the second wave of bands that emerged in 1972/3, which saw radicalised psychedelic and jazz influences merge with the future-music possibilities offered by new technology. The next volume will investigate the politically-charged bands that erupted in immediate aftermath of May '68.

Motown Records: The Supremes, Stevie Wonder, The Miracles, Marvin Gaye, Martha Reeves and The Vandelas and, of course, The Temptations. It is antithetical to mention any of those without the others. The community of artists started as the Sound of Young America, but as history has proven, it became the sound, the look and the inspiration of so much more. And now, little nuggets of Motown's influence can be found the world over. David Ruffin, founding member of Motown superstars The Temptations, went on to become a successful solo artist even after he left the group. In 1969, Ruffin released two fantastic solo records, My Whole World Ended and Feelin' Good. Between 1970 and 1971 he recorded what was to be his third long playing solo record. However, his career was suddenly put on hold when Motown, for reasons unclear, shelved the album that had been dubbed David. The record had even been assigned a catalog number and final artwork. Ruffin returned in 1973 with a brand new LP titled David Ruffin (treated officially as his third LP) and the previously recorded album David sat on the shelves, unheard for decades. This deluxe 2xLP set features the original, rare David LP, plus an LP of bonus tracks and mono single mixes all packaged in a beautiful gatefold jacket, featuring extensive liner notes and striking color photographs of Ruffin. His red and yellow suede suit featured in the interior gatefold LP jacket is an absolute must-see! The record was cut and pressed at Third Man's Detroit HQ, just a couple miles away from the original Motown HQ. For the first time ever on vinyl, Third Man is proud to present the essential, true third LP from the Temptations' mighty David Ruffin.

Calvin Love is a Canadian singer-songwriter, composer, and producer from Edmonton, Alberta, now based between Edmonton and Los Angeles. With a sound that blends noir-tinged folk‑pop, crooning rock ’n’ roll, and cinematic storytelling, Love has become a distinctive voice in the international indie landscape. His music has drawn comparisons to Roy Orbison, Leonard Cohen, and Bryan Ferry, with Aquarium Drunkard describing his work as “a crestfallen soundtrack of near‑escape… like Chris Isaak trapped in a David Lynch film.”
Since his debut New Radar (2012), Love has released a run of acclaimed records including Super Future (Arts & Crafts, 2015), Highway Dancer (2018), Night Songs (2020), and Lavender (2021). Along the way, he has collaborated with renowned producers and artists such as Gus Seyffert (Beck, Roger Waters, Black Keys) and the late Richard Swift (The Shins, Damien Jurado), while earning coverage from outlets including SPIN, The Fader, Interview Magazine, and Stereogum.
A seasoned live performer, Love has toured extensively across North America, Europe, and Asia, appearing at festivals such as SXSW, Pop Montréal, Strawberry Festival (China), Endless Daze (South Africa), and Sled Island. He has shared stages with Morrissey, Mac DeMarco, Courtney Barnett, Jonathan Wilson, The Divine Fits, and Jim James, performing in iconic venues like Carnegie Hall, The Troubadour, and Hollywood Forever Cemetery.
In early February 2026, Love releases his seventh studio album, Throw My Shadow To The Sun — a bold, visceral statement that captures him at a new creative peak. Self‑produced and recorded by Reverend Baron at The Ladder Factory in East Los Angeles, the album channels raw, unfiltered energy into a late‑night rock ’n’ roll atmosphere built on moody grooves, gritty textures, and Love’s unmistakable croon.
The sessions brought together a formidable live band: Josh Da Costa (Drugdealer) on drums, Brent Randall (Vanity Mirror) on bass, Davey Chegwidden (De La Soul, Ghostface Killah, Raekwon, Too Short) on percussion, Jeremy Brian Gill (Curtis Harding) on tenor saxophone and flutes, Daniel E. Garcia (Reverend Baron) on lead guitars, and multi‑instrumentalist Laena Myers (White Fence, Orville Peck, El Mariachi Bronx) on violin.
From the hypnotic sway of “Underneath It All,” to the reverb‑drenched sax of “Forever Feels,” to the heavy sludge‑rock crush of “Setting Sun,” Throw My Shadow To The Sun draws from the lyrical storytelling of Dire Straits, the laid‑back blues of JJ Cale, and the timeless melodic drama of Roy Orbison. The result is a cohesive, lived‑in record that transforms fleeting moments and late‑night impressions into something enduring and cinematic.

Dorian Concept returns with "Miniatures," a collection of his renowned one-take synthesizer recordings that he’s been known for sharing online since the mid-2000s. “This release was right under my nose” he says. Over the past two decades, Dorian Concept has uploaded videos of himself "fooling around" on various synthesizers and keyboards – long before the rise of short-form content. These signature one- to two-minute performances have sparked countless covers, remixes and reinterpretations by musicians and producers alike. Through this project, Dorian Concept aims to celebrate a long-standing bond with his instruments and honor it in the form of a photo album.

In his own words:

As a kid, every night before bed, I would sit in the same place and draw a comic. I rarely finished them, but I couldn’t go to sleep without having started one. These "Miniatures" and the preceding videos I’ve recorded come from the same place. They’re the expression of a ritual.
Around 2020, I created a compact setup using three devices – a mono synthesizer, an analogue reverb and a looper –which I separated from the rest of the studio. Every day, before I started working, I would improvise on this small setup and at the end of every month, I would record a video and share it with the world. These songs were made in front of you, in a Truman-Show like fashion.
Now they feel like diary-entries that capture the timeline of a deepening relationship, the harvest of limitation and repetition, and the beauty of simplicity.

The cover art is a drawing by the esteemed Austrian artist Leopold Strobl (courtesy of Gallery Gugging), who is known for his distinctive small-format work. The closing track, “An Unopened Letter,” features the genre-defying guitarist and producer Bibio.

LUKE COMBS ist einzigartig - eine seltene Kombination aus Nahbarkeit und außergewöhnlicher Kunstfertigkeit. Bodenständig, authentisch und mühelos echt, ist er ein Künstler, der einem vom ersten Moment an vertraut erscheint, dessen Stimme, Vision und Erfolge jedoch unverkennbar einzigartig sind.

Mit nur 35 Jahren hat Combs bereits die Rekordbücher neu geschrieben: 20 aufeinanderfolgende Nr. 1-Singles, der erste Country-Künstler, der mehrere Nächte im Wembley-Stadion headlined - alle drei Termine sind ausverkauft und aufeinanderfolgend- der erste Country-Künstler, der sowohl beim Bonnaroo als auch beim Lollapalooza headlined, und der erste, der zwei Songs mit über einer Milliarde Streams auf Spotify und vier RIAA-Diamond-zertifizierte Singles vorweisen kann. Selbst inmitten solcher Meilensteine behält Combs sein seltenes Talent, Vertrautes neu erscheinen zu lassen - mit Songs, die mit überraschender Klarheit und emotionaler Ehrlichkeit überzeugen.

The Way I Am, das am 20. März via Sony Nashville erscheint, ist eine Sammlung von 22 Songs, die alles zeigt, was Combs so unverwechselbar macht: von seiner rauen, resonanten Stimme und seiner meisterhaften Erzählkunst bis hin zu Songs, die herzliche Verletzlichkeit mit hymnischer Energie verbinden. Das Album taucht tiefer denn je in das Leben hinter den Kulissen ein und erkundet die Herausforderungen der Vaterschaft und die Balance zwischen Familie und Karriere, Selbstvertrauen, die stillen Kämpfe um die psychische Gesundheit und die Klarheit, die entsteht, wenn man sich daran erinnert, was wirklich wichtig ist. "The Way I Am" zeigt Luke Combs als ein Generationstalent auf dem Höhepunkt seines Schaffens und als eine globale musikalische Kraft, wie sie nur einmal im Leben vorkommt.

The Buenos Aires–based producer’s second album on Umor Rex can be read on at least two levels. The most direct traces its origin to the influence of environmental music, as well as to some pioneers of electronic music. The album was recorded in a single session, making extensive use of loops that were later edited and condensed into the six pieces that make up Pequeño clima doméstico. This working method responds to a playful approach that runs through Entidad Animada’s musical intentions, which often start from a specific genre or aesthetic and then filter it through his own language.

From a more conceptual perspective, the record proposes music as a tool capable of modifying the perception of a moment. Rather than closed songs, the album functions as a device that allows one to tune a state, transform a space, or alter a mood. In this sense, it engages with the idea of functional music not as a utilitarian background, but as a means to equalize time, slow the pace, and reconfigure the listener’s emotional climate.

All songs written and performed by Entidad Animada. Recorded in August 2025 in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Field recordings and processed textures by Guazuncho.
Mastered by José D’Agostino at Moloko Estudio, Frankfurt, Germany. Cover photo by Diego Berruecos. Layout by Daniel Castrejón.

Fuzzy Bears offers a forward-thinking and immersive listening experience that pushes the boundaries of jazz and electronics — equal parts experimental laboratory and live concert. On stage, the adventure takes its most daring form. Instead of relying on the original vintage synths, the trio reinterprets the studio’s electronic textures with a streamlined setup designed for live performances.

The songs of this exciting experiment are collected on a self-titled album, to be released on March 20th 2026 via Marcel Records. First single 'The Happy Are Being Born' is out on January 8th.

credits
Fulco Ottervanger: Synths, Piano - Harmonic and Melodic info
Lieven Van Pée: Synths, Bass - Low-end info, Mastering
Simon Segers: Synths, Percussion - Rhythmical info
Peter Desmedt: Serge Patching & Sound processing, Recording & Mixing
Special Thanks: Rikkert Brok & Hans Kulk
Recorded at Willem Twee Studios, ‘s Hertogenbosch
Mixed at Studio Ledeberg, Gent

The Grace EPs by legendary singer-songwriter Jeff Buckley, is a 19-track, five x EP box set, comprising the following EPs: 'Peyote Radio Theatre' July 1994, 'Last Goodbye' January 1995, 'So Real' [June 1995], 'Live From The Bataclan' [October 1995] and 'The Grace EP' [February 1996],

This unique package contains all five twelve inch vinyl records each in their own full colour jacket, a double sided full colour insert with extensive liner notes, all carefully packed in a heavyweight leather laminate textured 15mm-spined outer sleeve.

The five discs that make up the Grace EPs box-set are a collection of live performances, B-sides and studio versions from songs that originally appeared on Buckley's "Grace" album.

Peyote Radio Theatre and So Real were promotional-only releases that weren't commercially available. The others are rare imports: Live from the Bataclan came out in France, The Grace EP in Australia, and Last Goodbye in Japan,

This EP set features "Last Goodbye", "Grace", "So Real" and two amazing live versions of his classic hits "Hallelujah" & "Mojo Pin".

The Grace EPs also features a whopping 12-minute version of Van Morrison's "The Way Young Lovers Do," a medley of "Je N'En Connais Pas la Fin/Hymne A l'Amour," Hank Williams's "Lost Highway," and a 14-minute take on Alex Chilton's "Kanga-Roo."
Finally there is a bonus track added to the The Grace EP; "Tongue," a spooky ambient 11-minute studio instrumental.

Born in Douarnenez, at the far edge of Brittany (France), Komodor has quickly established itself as one of the most vibrant names in the French rock landscape. Their high-energy rock, fueled by fuzz, sweat, and vocal harmonies woven in the spirit of MC5 and T. Rex, immediately drew attention: Rolling Stone, Rock & Folk, Libération and Rock Hard Germany all praised the fiery impact of their debut album Nasty Habits (which sold over 2,000 vinyl copies). Since then, the quintet has mostly lived on the road: a long European tour, followed by the larger-than-life saga of Komodrag & The Mounodor, carrying them to stages such as Hellfest, Les Vieilles Charrues, and the Francofolies de La Rochelle, among many others.

Their second album, Time & Space, reveals a band in full metamorphosis. Without abandoning the explosive force that defines them, Komodor widens its scope: volcanic riffs, more sinuous grooves, mist-laden harmonies, psychedelic flashes… The energy is still wild, but more inhabited, more liberated, almost ceremonial at times. The record opens with two telling bursts: Bliss & Joy, a libertarian charge with the feel of a manifesto, and Soul Tricker, a rock incantation where trance overtakes sheer electric assault. Two sides of the same coin, pulled taut between urgency and enchantment.

On stage, Komodor remains a true shockwave, forged across European festivals (Freak Valley, Motocultor, Fête du Bruit, and more) and now awaited at the legendary Desertfest London. Their music feels made for such spaces: a visceral, flesh-and-amp kind of rock, drawing from the seventies’ heritage to speak even more vividly to the present. A band moving forward at full volume, without nostalgia or calculation, carried by a simple conviction: as long as the amps are hot, rock can still burn.

In short: Komodor is the band of friends from Douarnenez bringing pencil-and-paper rock into the streaming age while preserving its analog soul (with the album mastered at the legendary Miraval Studios), the smell of warm tubes, the grain of vinyl. With this second album, they hit harder, truer, and more vividly than ever.
Time & Space stands as a “must-have French rock record”, a tangible piece worth cherishing in any collection.

Born in Douarnenez, at the far edge of Brittany (France), Komodor has quickly established itself as one of the most vibrant names in the French rock landscape. Their high-energy rock, fueled by fuzz, sweat, and vocal harmonies woven in the spirit of MC5 and T. Rex, immediately drew attention: Rolling Stone, Rock & Folk, Libération and Rock Hard Germany all praised the fiery impact of their debut album Nasty Habits (which sold over 2,000 vinyl copies). Since then, the quintet has mostly lived on the road: a long European tour, followed by the larger-than-life saga of Komodrag & The Mounodor, carrying them to stages such as Hellfest, Les Vieilles Charrues, and the Francofolies de La Rochelle, among many others.

Their second album, Time & Space, reveals a band in full metamorphosis. Without abandoning the explosive force that defines them, Komodor widens its scope: volcanic riffs, more sinuous grooves, mist-laden harmonies, psychedelic flashes… The energy is still wild, but more inhabited, more liberated, almost ceremonial at times. The record opens with two telling bursts: Bliss & Joy, a libertarian charge with the feel of a manifesto, and Soul Tricker, a rock incantation where trance overtakes sheer electric assault. Two sides of the same coin, pulled taut between urgency and enchantment.

On stage, Komodor remains a true shockwave, forged across European festivals (Freak Valley, Motocultor, Fête du Bruit, and more) and now awaited at the legendary Desertfest London. Their music feels made for such spaces: a visceral, flesh-and-amp kind of rock, drawing from the seventies’ heritage to speak even more vividly to the present. A band moving forward at full volume, without nostalgia or calculation, carried by a simple conviction: as long as the amps are hot, rock can still burn.

In short: Komodor is the band of friends from Douarnenez bringing pencil-and-paper rock into the streaming age while preserving its analog soul (with the album mastered at the legendary Miraval Studios), the smell of warm tubes, the grain of vinyl. With this second album, they hit harder, truer, and more vividly than ever.
Time & Space stands as a “must-have French rock record”, a tangible piece worth cherishing in any collection.

Rom Com is the debut album from Disco In Sochi; a Liverpoolborn duo injecting full-throttle glam rock theatrics into modern pop. Built on strutting guitars, neon synths, & unapologetically huge hooks, their sound is loud, glossy, and engineered for the spotlight. Drawing from the lineage of glam’s excess and pop’s instinct for spectacle, Disco in Sochi trade subtlety for swagger. Their songs are designed to hit hard and fast — all attitude, amplification, and choruses made to be yelled back from the front row. It’s music that treats the stage like a catwalk. Disco in Sochi make pop music for outsiders who dress loud, move louder, and don’t believe in playing it cool. Equal parts flash and force, they arrive with the confidence of a band ready to turn volume into a statement.

Das 2022er Album "nichts" der Aachener Post-Hardcore Band FJORT als limitierte Purple Colored Vinyl LP. "nicht" ist ein 50-minütiges Erlebnis. "nichts" gewinnt dem dichten Sound der Band, der fließend zwischen allen Spielarten von Hardcore und Postrock wandelt, zahlreiche neue Facetten ab. Die Täler sind tiefer denn je, in den Höhen ist kaum Luft zu atmen. Die Atmosphäre fühlt sich nahezu greifbar an. Lyrisch gaben sich FJORT seit jeher kryptisch und bleiben dieser Linie treu werden auf "nichts" jedoch auch konkret wie selten zuvor. Vielleicht, weil Zeiten wie diese mehr denn je nach Schonungslosigkeit lechtzen. Vielleicht auch, weil eine Art Galgenhumor seinen Weg auf das Album gefunden hat, der mit dem absoluten Ernst gekonnt bricht. Abwechslungsreicher und schlichtweg größer klang diese Band noch nie.

New “Inversions” of drone rock pioneers Earth’s debut release. A collaboration between Dylan Carlson and Black Noi$e (Armand Hammer, Danny Brown, Earl Sweatshirt) formed in mutual respect and appreciation for one another. Both artists were intrigued by the creation of vast musical landscapes and the connection of music, with its ability to transport the listener. The music of Earth was recognised and celebrated for moving at a glacial pace and yet this new collaboration surprisingly saw Black Noi$e slowing things down even further.
The debut, which originally came out in 1991, notably featured Kelly Canary and Kurt Cobain on vocals on the tracks “A Bureaucratic Desire for Revenge Part 2” and “Divine and Bright”. Black Noi$e reimagines the original recordings with his experimental sensibility and innovative multi-instrumental, cross genre exploration. Applying contemporary electronics to the heavy droning bass and guitars and languid rhythms, this inversion oscillates and reverberates with a different kind of energy whilst simultaneously highlighting the much loved low slow and distorted properties of the original.

‘Extra Capsular Extraction’ was the first music Dylan made with Earth and his first time in a recording studio, which he recalls at the time as being “terribly exciting”. It also marked the first time collaborating with others and seeing it reified into a tangible object or product, a spirit that Dylan has carried through to the present. The original album is a document of a specific period and Dylan’s creative development. These inversions of Extra Capsular Extraction are, to quote Dylan, “an exciting way to reintegrate them into the present time and with my more expanded conceptions of musical endeavours”.
"Doom-metal innovators" Pitchfork.

"With guitars ramped up to the nth degree, but tuned to gut-wrenchingly low frequencies, Earth carved out a veritable canyon of pure molten drone, one which would have a profound influence on modern metal music." The Quietus

It's hard to fathom Martin Bramah's trajectory from his beginnings as a guitarist/writer behind two crazily influential postpunk albums - The Fall's Live At The Witch Trials and Blue Orchids' The Greatest Hit (Money Mountain) (vocalist on the latter too, of course) - then nearly three decades of sporadic-at-best activity, offering releases just frequently enough to remind fans of his peculiar brilliance . . . before another stay in the void. Chalk it up to what you want - Mark E. Smith's utter usurpation of The Fall, his split from partner Una Baines after Blue Orchids' debut, the vague collapse of rash experimentation in `underground' music as early `80s nu-pop and American college rock diluted any real spirit, a few failed attempts at working with with Mark again . . . and maybe just life getting in the way. A sense of lost opportunities isn't tough to justify. Inasmuch as Martin was originally the singer for The Fall - Mark began as guitarist but couldn't play! - and given that the group's mythology was born in an era before that gang of Mancunian misfits had even thought of playing, it's high irony that 49 years after The Fall began, Martin has both become wildly prolific and the leader of a band with more rights of inheritance to The Fall's credibility than any other living person could justify . . .yet the band isn't remarkable for that as it is for the range and wealth extent of their collective powers and talent: two great and original guitarists, three of the UK's most daringly-skilled drummers, a genuine bass legend, and a brilliant spare Blue Orchid guitarist. Four albums in, the HOUSE Of ALL is getting ambitious, with each album a subtle improvement on the last, forging a path away from their pasts without denying a thing. Inklings differs from the first three for not having being largely improvised at first, with sounds, rhythm, groove and melody later forged into songs. They rehearsed! They had fun doing it! They're going on an extended tour! There were even extra tracks! We'll leave it to fans and critics to sit down and analyse the specifics of it all, but Steve, Si, Pete, Phil, Karl and Martin have made a bold and powerful album unlike any other you'll hear in 2026 . . . stately, majestic, bold and worthy of a group of real survivors. In perverse form, the album will be officially announced and preceded by a song not on the album!

Multi-coloured vinyl LP or CD. For fans of Nektar, Van Der Graaf Generator and Progressive Rock! Formed in Germany in 1969, Nektar favoured extended compositions and concept albums over the constraints of pop. They were among the progenitors of the progressive rock movement of the 1970s as well as the jam-band scene that arose in the late 1990s. Their sound travelled well to the States, where they enjoyed Top 40 success with "A Tab in the Ocean" (1972) and "Remember the Future" (1973). Nearly 20 albums and a half-century later, the band's artistic and personal charisma has earned them masses of devoted fans. Now Nektar is broadening their horizons with the first in the "Mission To Mars" trilogy. Their first to feature new drummer Jay Dittamo, alongside longtime members Ryche Chlanda (guitars),Kendall Scott(keyboards), and original members Derek "Mo" Moore(bass) and Mick Brockett (visual environment).From the rocking title track "Mission To Mars" to the beautiful "I'll Let You In", Nektar covers all of the prog rock bases while venturing into some new melodic territories. Track listing: Mission To Mars; Long Lost Sunday; One Day Hi One Day Lo; I'll Let You In

When Saracen released their debut album ‘Heroes, Saints & Fools’ back in 1981, the UK Rock scene certainly took notice. Their combination of Magnum-like melodies and Uriah Heep intensity and vocal stylings immediately endeared them to fans of the NWOBHM scene, and fans of classic British Rock in general.
All songs and lyrics were written by lead guitarist Rob Bendelow, who left prior to the release of their second album, ‘Change Of Heart’, in 1984. While this sophomore effort still contained a few Bendelow songs, the band had changed direction, moving away from the almost Pomp and NWOBHM of the debut for a more polished and Melodic Rock direction.
Unfortunately, this new direction didn’t resonate with the fans, and the band broke up not long after.
However, Bruce Mee of Now & Then Records had always been a massive Magnum and Saracen fan. Having already convinced Bob Catley to start a solo career in the late 90s, he also had very productive talks with Rob Bendelow. This great friendship resulted in the band reforming and the release of ‘Red Sky’ in 2003. Rob Bendelow and Saracen were back.
Later signing to Escape and releasing several more great albums, Rob Finally retired from the music scene a few years ago, but the band gamely soldiered on, keeping his songs and legacy alive for their many adoring fans.

In an instance of total cosmic kismet, that same Bruce Mee was also co-organiser of the inaugural ‘Tower of Fire’ UK festival, and in 2024 invited Saracen to play the event along with other well recognised names of the scene such as Nitrate, Remedy, Atack, White Skies and Gabrielle de Val. The event was multi-track recorded, and the results of the Saracen set were so good that it was decided to release a very first live album.

The title of the live album is taken from the name of their crushing opening song: ‘Crusader’. And in a further act of unbelievable karma, the magnificent album artwork and design are created by Sebastian Kozak, the very same creative artist responsible for the brilliant artwork on the band’s come-back album ‘Red Sky’ back in 2003.
All but one of the songs that day were from that incredible debut and those 5 songs, along with 3 others previously recorded live by the band, make up this totally amazing live album. For fans of Saracen and NWOBHM, this is a moment we never thought we’d ever see: a brilliant live Saracen album with vocalist Steve Bettney sounding as incredible as he did over 40 years ago.