The Fall Of Chronopolis Overview
The Fall Of Chronopolis is based on
the book of the same name by
Barrington J. Bayley documenting the
demise of the great Chronotic Empire.
The original art is by Weshoyot
Alvitre. It was recorded at Megasonic
sound with Jeremy Goody at the
controls then mixed by Jürgen Engler
and Chris Lietz. This is the same team
that produced Die Neuen Welten.
Kephera Moon - Keyboards/Vocals.
Ursula Stuart - Bass
Nicky Garratt - Guitars
Jason Willar - Drums
Ariana Jade - Voclas/Violin
The Reviews for Fall Of Chronopolis
HEDERSLEBEN are
one of my favourite bands in recent times.
Meanwhile this is their third output,
which matters one album per year to be
precise. Hereby they do not repeat
themselves, so much for my first initial
statement. Yep, based on the eponymous
Sci-Fi novel written by Barrington J.
Bayley, which is dealing with time travel
and some resulting paradox in particular,
'The Fall Of Chronopolis' is provided with
other leanings again. Their new charm
offensive is drifting towards more song
structure, more variety. Extended songs,
equipped with krautrock and jamming
attitude, are out of fashion this time.
HEDERSLEBEN at the core is consisting of a
trio basically, as there are drummer Jason
Willer, Kephera Moon on keyboards and
guitarist Nicky Garratt, who seems to be
the spiritual head, cares for the
orientation. Apart from that the band line
up has been far away from being a constant
during recent times, which also applies to
their live performances. Nonetheless, or
even due to that - the choice is yours -
they are very productive and successful.
I'll choose the latter, new collaborators
are contributing new impressions, new
facets, new ideas. So Ursula Stuart (bass)
and Ariana Jade (vocals, violin) are
aboard here on this occasion - yeah, this
means ladies in the majority actually! The
starter An Empire is symptomatic for my
previous remarks. Eh, don't know really
why this reminds me of the German band
Analogy, Ariana's and Jutta's voice are
not really congruent. But the overall mood
otherwise ... in any case this is a rather
sophisticated composition while offering
several turns, a memorable melody,
dramatic keyboard riffs, variable acoustic
and electric guitars ... it definitely
takes some time to come along. According
to the concept their music evolves with a
more cinematic and theatrical touch, seems
to be completely arranged, hence they have
nothing left to chance I would say.
Presumably due to the restricted vinyl
length Imperator and other songs
unfortunately will be faded out way too
early. I'm impressed by the beautiful
ballad Somewhen Veaa (Dreamstate) - Jason
temporarily takes a time out - melancholic
keys, violin and acoustic guitar, produced
with so much empathy. The following song
Ghost Armada contrasts a lot with proper
drive and dramaturgy, the drumming is
excellent. 'The Fall Of Chronopolis' comes
as a pure prog genre effort, covers art
rock proportion more than ever. Definitely
substantial again. I'm wondering what will
come next ...
Prog Archives - Rivertree
So einiges hat
sich bei der kalifornischen Band
Hedersleben getan, seit wir euch im
September 2014 deren zweites Album Die
neuen Welten hier in RockTimes vorgestellt
haben. Vor allem hat es im Line-up
gerumpelt, denn von der damaligen Truppe
sind mittlerweile nur noch der Gitarrist
Nicky Garratt (auch UK Subs), die
Keyboarderin Kephera Moon sowie der
Schlagzeuger Jason Willer übrig geblieben.
Für die neue Scheibe mit dabei waren
außerdem Ariana Jade (violin, lead vocals)
sowie Ursula Stuart (bass, background
vocals), die auf der Bühne aber von Jai
Young Kim ersetzt wird. Zwischen der
letzten Platte und dem nun brandaktuellen
Konzeptalbum "The Fall Of Chronopolis"
lagen ausgiebige US-Tourneen mit dem
Ex-Hawkwind-Musiker Nik Turner sowie
weitere Gigs unter eigener Regie, die -
wenn man sich das Personalkarussell
anschaut - nicht ohne Spuren blieben. "Die
neuen Welten" hatte vor etwa anderthalb
Jahren Eindruck hinterlassen und so war
die Spannung auf das neue Werk natürlich
groß. Hedersleben hat aber - wenn ich das
schon mal vorweg nehmen darf - mit ihrem
neuen Werk sogar noch einen draufgesetzt.
Spacig war die Combo davor schon und sind
sie auch jetzt wieder, wobei speziell der
Opener "An Empire" durch seine Kompaktheit
überrascht. Fast schon geradeaus nach
vorne rockend und mit lupenreiner Jon
Lord-Gedächtnisorgel baut sich dieses
Stück nach einem locker-losen Beginn
plötzlich auf. Sehr cool! Aber auch auf
die spacigen Anteile muss weder jemand
verzichten und erst recht nicht lange
warten. Denn bereits beim folgenden "Gulf
Of Lost Souls" mit seinen treibenden
Bassläufen verschwimmen Zeit und Sphären.
Ariana Jade macht beim (hier wortlosen)
Gesang eine ebenso gute Figur, wie bei dem
ersten, deutlich rockigeren Song. Es mögen
nur Nuancen sein, aber die Band scheint
auf "The Fall Of Chronopolis" noch etwas
tighter, noch etwas mehr zusammengerückt
zu sein, was aber möglicherweise auch an
den Songs, den Arrangements und der
Produktion liegen mag. Mit eher wenigen
(Text-) Worten erzählt vielmehr die Musik
eine Geschichte über den Aufstieg und Fall
eines riesigen Imperiums, die übrigens von
einem Buch von Barrington J. Bayley
inspiriert wurde. Immer wieder kommen
dabei auch akustische Instrumente (wie
beispielsweise die Gitarre in "Umbul") ins
Spiel und sorgen damit für sehr viel
Abwechslung. Völlig abgefahren wird es bei
"Imperator", bei dem die Musiker so
spielen, als würde, das Aufnahmeband
hängen bzw. springen. Was natürlich nicht
wirklich so ist und die surreale wie auch
etwas futuristische Atmosphäre noch
verstärkt. Einsam, wie ein Requiem, klingt
die Scheibe schließlich lediglich mit
Kephera Moons Piano bei "These PI-Mesons"
aus. Der Hörer darf sich also schon mal
auf ein trauriges Ende einstellen, wobei
ich hier noch gar nicht mehr verraten
will. Denn es macht einfach einen
Höllenspaß, sich in diese Geschichte
hinein zu begeben, der Musik zu lauschen
und das Kopfkino in Gang zu bringen. Somit
ist "The Fall Of Chronopolis" zu einem
richtig starken Space-/Prog Rock-Album
geworden, vor dem man nur den Hut ziehen
kann. Sowohl rockige, als auch akustische,
spacige und tranceartige Sounds werden
geboten und warten darauf, entdeckt zu
werden. Freunde der experimentelleren
Klänge dürfen sich freuen, denn von
Hedersleben wird in Zukunft ganz sicher
noch einiges zu hören sein. Zunächst gilt
es aber, diese neue Scheibe für sich zu
entdecken. Und zu entdecken gibt es hier
vieles, das sich durchaus lohnt. Definitiv
ein weiterer Schritt nach vorne für die
Band.
De band Hedersleben werd geconcipieerd
in het kleine stadje Hedersleben, nabij
Quedlinburg in Duitsland. Het was daar
dat Nicky Garratt (oorspronkelijk
gitarist bij de UK Subs) samen met Uve
Müllrich, bassist bij de Krautrock
legende Embryo, een weekend doorbracht
met jammen en muziekdiscussies. Na een
korte incubatieperiode manifesteerde het
prototype van de band zich in de USA uit
de line-up van Nik Turner’s Space
Gypsy’s. Die bestond uit bassist Jeff
Piccinini (van de punkband Chelsea) en
voornoemde gitarist Nicky Garratt,
drummer Jason Willer (voorheen drummer
bij UK Subs), en keyboardspeler Lana
Voronina. Ze brachten twee albums uit,
maar de line-up veranderde nogmaals. De
inspiratie voor hun derde album komt van
het gelijknamige sciencefictionboek van
Barrington J. Bayley, en werd al gepland
bij het ontstaan van de band. De songs
volgen het epische verhaal van de
opkomst en ondergang van het
Chronotische Keizerrijk. De hoes bevat
origineel kunstwerk van Weshoyot
Alvitre. De huidige line-up bestaat uit:
Kephera Moon (keyboards en zang), Jason
Willer (drums en percussie), Ariana Jade
(zang en viool), Ursula Stuart (bas en
zang) en Nicky Garratt (gitaar). Opener
‘An Empire’ is space rock, waarna het
instrumentale ‘Gulf Of Lost Souls’
volgt. ‘Umbul’ is een sfeervolle track,
gevolgd door het agressieve ‘Imperator’.
Daarna is het op akoestische gitaar
gebaseerde ‘Somewhen Veaa [Dreamstate]’
heel wat rustiger. ‘Ghost Armada’ is
evenals de titeltrack weer space rock,
ideaal voor de fans van Hawkwind. Een
bewijs dat space rock en progressieve
rock uit de jaren ’70 nog steeds
voortleven!
This album proves that space rock (à la
Hawkwind) and progressive rock from the
‘70’s are not yet dead.
Patrick Van de Wiele - Keys &
Chords, Belgium
With their 3rd
album, Hedersleben completely changed
their direction yet again from the
avant-garde krautrock of their debut
"Upgoer" and the moodier voyages of "Die
Neuen Welten" into full-blown prog rock
concept album territory with "The Fall of
Chronopolis", while still retaining key
traits of their sound, yet now presented
in a tighter and more dramatic fashion and
dare I say, the most rocking of their 3
albums thus far. The major players of the
last 2 albums, guitarist Nicky Garratt,
drummer Jason Willer and organist Kephera
Moon really seem to stretch their
songwriting muscles more than ever on
"Fall of Chronopolis". However, the new
additions to the band, vocalist/violinist
Ariana Jade & bassist Ursula Stuart,
make their respective presences known
right away. Jade with strong lead vocals
(a first for Hedersleben) and simple, yet
effective violin melodies (sometimes in
duet with Garratt's guitar), and Stuart
with the bass-tapping madness of
instrumental "Gulf of Lost Souls". What
really sets Hedersleben apart from most
modern prog is their incessant groove.
They're not afraid to play 4/4 if it's
works, and nothing on here is needlessly
complex for complexity's sake. Nowhere is
that more apparent than on the 5 core
songs, "An Empire", "Third Time Fleet",
"Imperator" (my personal favorite), "Ghost
Armada" & the title track. The
arrangements are tight and focused and
there isn't a wasted note or time
signature on this album. "Ghost Armada"
for example has sections in 5/4 and
"Imperator" is mostly in 6/8, but you
wouldn't know it with the way everything
stays in the pocket so well. In between
those songs are 6 short vignettes that
keep their improv-based tendencies in play
without losing focus on the story. The
11/8 instrumental "Somewhen Veena" is the
strongest piece of the 6 and the most
pleasant sounding song on the record,
retaining the same dream state qualities
of "End of Love" (from "Upgoer") and
"Nomad Worlds" (from "Die Neuen Welten"),
yet somehow being more unsettling than
both of them. Overall, there is some real
dynamite playing on this album and proves
that not only is Hedersleben a bunch of
amazing musicians that excel at flights of
fancy, but they can write some great tunes
as well. If you love prog rock of the days
or yore, this will satiate your appetite
well enough for new material. And if
you're new to Hedersleben, this is a great
place to start, but the best thing you can
do is go see them play live. If you love
the albums, the live show is even more
epic! Expect to be taken back to the early
'70s once again with this stunning album
from Hedersleben, proof that glorious
space rock & prog is alive and well
here in 2015.
Prog Archives - Wizard Hat 87
Hedersleben - Producing the Music
of the Spheres - and the Chronos
Hedersleben's third release - The
Fall of Chronopolis - is based on the
novel of the same name by Barrington
Baley. Here's the description of
Baley's work from Amazon: The
mighty ships of the Third Time Fleet
relentlessly patrolled the Chronotic
Empire's thousand-year frontier,
blotting out an error of history
here or there before swooping back
to challenge other time-travelling
civilisations far into the future.
Captain Mond Aton had been proud to
serve in such a fleet. But now,
falsely convicted of cowardice and
dereliction of duty, he had been
given the cruellest of sentences: to
be sent unprotected into time as a
lone messenger between the cruising
timeships. After such an
inconceivable experience in the
endless voids there was only one
option left to him. To be allowed to
die.
Do I get any of that from listening
to the music? Not really. Is that a
bad thing? Not at all. I'd never heard
of this band before stumbling across
them at Amazon. It was one of the
recommendations they offered while I
was browsing around. The title
intrigued me. The samples sold me. I
hadn't read the book either, so I've
got that to look forward to as well.
How to describe this piece? Well, it's
spacey, it's rhythmic, it's repetitive
- it's great. It has all the elements
I love best about about Hawkwind (with
the exception of Dave Brock). In fact,
dare I blaspheme, I enjoy The Fall of
Chronopolis better than anything the
Hawks have released in the last decade
or so. If you like spacerock, you
should love this one. The band - whose
names I must learn. I still don't know
the band well enough to know their
names, but they are a tight unit. And
the lady on vocals is exquisite - at a
couple of points she put me in mind of
Annie Haslam. Check them out here: An
Empire on youtube. Musically, it all
works around the Chronopolis idea - it
has passages that are grand and
etheral and clockwork-like. I've got
to dive deeper into the lyrics next
and read the book - which is available
in ebook form. So there you go. If you
like your rock spacey, if you like it
sci-fi-y, or if you simply want to try
something new, give Hedersleben a look
and a listen. I don't think you'll be
disappointed. I will definitely be
checking out their previous releases
and eagerly awaiting the next. Going
to give it five out of five stars.
Jeff Sergent - Nerd Bloggers
HEDERSLEBEN
3/The Fall of Chronopolis: Finding
themselves on the corner where space and
prog get into a collision that leaves
their respective vehicles mangled, the
cosmos and beyond are explored in way
you can only do when this music is a way
of life as opposed to a commercial
affection. It may not be for everybody,
but if you’re young and prefer
headphones to ear buds, you don’t have
to wait for Jeff Bezos or Richard
Branson to offer you space travel. Strap
in.
Midwest Records
Here we find,
not without a certain pleasure, the
Hedersleben Americans who return with
their third album. "The fall of
Chronopolis" follows "Upgoer" and "Die
neuen Welten" amazing albums in the
progressive space-rock krautrock of
inspiration. For mixing genres is
something of a specialty Hedersleben.
Founded by a former English punk band UK
Subs (Nicky Garratt) but ultimately
oriented space rock and populated by
American musicians referring to the
German krautrock culture, like
Hedersleben cover their tracks. Where
the group remains faithful to its
commitments, towards music and
especially the English space rock
illustrated by Hawkwind. Having recently
attended the last album of the
ex-Hawkwind Nik Turner, Hedersleben
followed it on tour for much of last
year. The new album continues
Hedersleben be consistent with the
legacy of Hawkwind, because this disc
based his inspiration on the novel "The
fall of Chronopolis" of Barrington J.
Bayley, an English writer (1937-2008)
who was a close collaborator of the
great science fiction author Michael
Moorcock. Now, everyone knows that
Michael Moorcock has played an important
role in Hawkwind as a lyricist and
occasional member on stage. It is in an
authentic perspective of space-rock
fueled science fiction qu'Hedersleben
strikes again. "Fall of Chronopolis"
closely follows the novel of the same
name, the fifth of Barrington J. Bayley
published in 1974. Copies on the theme
of time travel, this book continues the
saga of the struggle between the Empire
and its Chronostatique enemy Hegemony.
The songs "An Empire", "Hulmu", "The
third time fleet", "Umbul", "Imperator",
"Ghost Armada" or "The fall of
Chronopolis" illustrate this story.
Musically, Nicky Garratt (guitar),
Kephera Moon (keyboards and vocals),
Ariana Jade (vocals and violin), Ursula
Stuart (bass) and Jason Willer (drums)
are embarking on ambitious pieces
majestic and electrified ("An Empire"
"The third time fleet", "The fall of
Chronopolis"), which alternate with
shorter pieces and sidereal ("Hulmu",
"Umbul", "The Archivist", "pi-mesons
These"). An undeniable strength flows
from these pieces, assembling a perfect
consistency that makes this album a
compact and entire work. This disc gives
an opportunity to take stock of the
journey of Hedersleben. Having started
rather krautrock, the group has
gradually moved from a strict
application of space-rock seventies to
more personal musical events. The album
"The fall of Chronopolis" shows a group
itself became emancipated shadows of
Hawkwind and Pink Floyd-oriented way it
is now able to build with his own
materials. Interesting prospects for the
future.
François Becquart - Music In
Belgium
Das ist mal
wieder eine echte Entdeckung! Die
US-Band, die sich nach einem Dorf in
Sachsen-Anhalt benannt hat, widmet sich
auf ihrem dritten Album einem geradezu
klassischen Sujet des Progressive Rock,
nämlich der Vertonung eines
Science-Fiction-Romans. In wie weit die
Geschichte nun umgesetzt wurde, sei
dahingestellt, die Musik spricht für
sich selbst: eine kernige, druckvolle
Mixtur aus klassischem Spacerock und
retroprogressiven Einflüssen. Ja, hier
wird tief in die Geschichte des
Progressive Rock zurückgegriffen, aber
das Ganze wird so frisch und knackig
zubereitet, das man den stilistischen
Zutaten ihr Alter gar nicht mehr
anmerkt. Kernige Riffs der Gitarre und
röhrende Orgel bringen ordentlich
Schmackes in die Musik, dazwischen
finden sich aber auch psychedelisch
wabernde Passagen oder filigranes
Akustik-Gezupfe. Das Ganze wird noch
garniert mit einigen druckvoll sägenden
Einsätzen von Neuzugang Ariana Jade an
der Violine, die auch den - ätherisch
wirkenden und dennoch kräftigen - Gesang
beiträgt. Kurzum, The Fall of
Chronopolis zeigt, dass man auch aus
altbekannten Zutaten ein frisches,
schmackhaftes musikalisches Mahl
bereiten kann. Einzig der Umstand, dass
fast alle Stücke eher unmotiviert
ausgeblendet werden, stört mich hier
etwas, das klingt immer so nach „uns ist
kein vernünftiger Schluss eingefallen“.
Ist aber verschmerzbar.
Baby Blue - Germany
Today
something for lovers of krautrock and
cosmic rock. The team Hederslebenuntil
recently had to his credit two albums
(the latter, published in 2014 and
entitled"Die Neue Welten" we reviewed in
our magazine), and now boasts a longer
album No. 3 - "The Fall of Chronopolis".
As you know, Hedersleben is called.
"Backing band" accompanying studio and
touring the former leader of the
legendary group Hawkwind, Nik Turner.
Known for UK Subs Nicky Garratt
(guitar), Jason Willer (drums), Kephera
Moon (keyboards, vocals in the chorus),
Ariana Jade (vocals, violin) and Ursula
Stuart (bass, vocals) showed that well
(and even and better) they feel in their
own repertoire, and his new concept
album relied on the book entitled "The
Fall Of Chronopolis" by Barrington J.
Bayley.
While their debut album was
maintained Hedersleben directly in
krautrockowym style, and the second
album was a clear dive into the abyss
of space rock is the most recent
release we see a team already
Hedersleben like more progrockowej
suspended in space. On "The Fall Of
Chronopolis" we hear not only
influences Hawkwind, but in the
version Hedersleben more boldly appear
echoes the achievements of early Pink
Floyd and Eloy.
The album includes several long songs
interspersed with short subjects
("Hulmu", "Umbul", "The Archivist",
"These Pi-Mesons").They are mostly
instrumental recordings and, when it
speaks Ariana Jade vocals, she sings a
few lines of text or leads twisted
vocals. The album begins "An Empire" -
a spectacular composition, one might
say, referring to the best tradition
of the genre, a real gem spacerockowej
music. Well presented here
instrumental passages played on
synthesizers and heavy guitars,
background vocals which splendidly
shines Ariana. Around the middle of
the plate posted a composition of "The
Third Time Fleet" - recording mighty,
grand, amazing pace, long memorable,
and thus urastaj?ce - next "An Empire"
- to become the most important track
on the disc. Here, instead of singing
we have inspired vocals and poignant
whisper singer. In contrast, Ariana,
this time singing already full throat,
perfectly falls in atmospheric
recording "Umbul", as well as
sparkling incredible energy of the
song "The Emperor", which in addition
to an interesting melody, again
delight with rich sound permeated with
lots of synths, energetic violin and
heavy guitar riffs. In the "Gulf Of
Lost Souls" dominate melotrony and
totally crazy spacerockowe sound and
acoustic "Somewhen Veaa (Dreamstate)"
inspiring is the acoustic guitar, the
gentle sounds are immersed in the
lyrical melodies of the violin and the
"humming" synthesizers. However, this
"Ghost Amada" I think most fans will
stimulate the senses spacerockowej
style. Wonderful are repeated, as if
slightly monotonous rhythms
synthesizers, smoothly undulating
sounds of guitars and alluring vocals
somewhere in the distant background.
And all this is topped aggressive
guitar solo ... The same can be said
of the title track in which we hear a
little more dynamic and hard rock, but
not devoid of true grace the face of
the space rock group Hawkwind under
the sign. The album closes on a piano
instrumental "These Pi-Mesons".
Beautiful mute this interesting album.
Reaching for the album "The Fall Of
Chronopolis" expect wonderful journey
that will take you to space the early
70s have to be happy with such plates
as this. They are the proof that
classic rock sounding space after so
many years of the period of its heyday
thanks to such groups as Hedersleben,
still holds good.
Artur Chachlowski - MLWZ Poland
This album is quite a ride. It’s
more of less space rock start to
finish, but there is a lot of room
within that genre. Often times space
rock has a tendency to be less
dynamic than other prog. Sometimes
that’s true here, but not every song
is like that. There is a lot of
psychedelia and more mainstream prog
built into this. It even hints at
bands ranging from Uriah Heep to
Jefferson Airplane. There are
moments that land close to metal.
This is an often surprising and
always effective set start to
finish.
An Empire An organ heavy
keyboard introduction starts this
thing. Then percussion joins. Vocals
come in over the top. After this
first vocal section it works out to
some pounding hard rock with prog
elements. It’s kind of like a cross
between Deep Purple, Uriah Heep and
maybe Vanilla Fudge. After that
works through, it drops to acoustic
guitar and keyboard based movement
that combines folk prog and space
rock. The harder rock returns in a
killer space rock jam. This
continues to shift, evolve and grow,
with a killer hard rocking jam
ending it.
Gulf of Lost Souls A fast
paced modern prog jam with some
space rock built into it starts this
thing in style. Although there are
non-lyrical vocals soaring over the
top like an instrument, this is an
instrumental. It is a lot more
constant than the opener, with no
real changes. That said, it fits the
space rock mold in that it is
constantly evolving, just in small
amounts. When it does drop down the
mellower closing movement, it really
makes me think of Hawkwind, but some
of the harder rocking moments even
remind me of White Witch a bit.
Hulmu Shorter and more
melodic, this is another space rock
instrumental. It’s slower than the
previous cut.
The Third Time Fleet We get
hard edged, fast paced prog that at
times leans toward heavy metal.
There are a number of shifts and
changes that ensue. It drops back to
a mellow section with sort of
whispered, spoken vocals. As this
cut pushes forward there are some
amazing prog rock movements. The
balance between mellower and harder
edged is great and so is the dynamic
nature of the cut. The closing
section is a little weird.
Umbul Coming in with
mellower, folk prog styled sounds,
as the vocals come across references
to Renaissance are definitely
appropriate. It’s a fairly short
(two minutes) cut that’s less
dynamic than some of the rest.
Imperator A harder rocking
jam, this is perhaps more
psychedelia than prog, but both are
represented. The shifting and
changing instrumental section later
makes it more closely aligned with
the prog end of the equation.
Somewhen Veaa (Dreamstate) A
slower, mellower arrangement brings
this one into being. It works out
gradually from there. It’s a nice
combination of symphonic prog, folk
prog and space music. This
instrumental is classy.
Ghost Armada More fast paced
progressive rock is the order of
business here. With mellower drop
backs and harder edged stuff
contrasting each other, this is a
powerful and effective bit of space
tinged prog rock.
The Archivist This is a
short (just over a minute)
instrumental that’s a bit weird, but
also pretty cool. It’s part
classical and part electronic music.
There is some strange space sound
built in, as well.
The Fall of Chronopolis The
opening chords (which serve as the
backdrop for a lot of the song) are
almost heavy metal. Keyboards come
over that. As the vocals join, it
makes me think of a hard edged prog
take on Jefferson Airplane. We’re
taken out into a neo-classical, hard
rocking instrumental segment mid
track. Then it explodes back into
the song proper with keyboards
soloing over the backdrop from
there. We’re taken back into the
main section from that point.
These Pi-Mesons Strange
ambient tones start this and hold it
for a time. Piano joins in a
tasteful melody from there. That
instrument doesn’t stay around long,
though, with those weird things
remaining after. This is short (less
than a minute and a half).
G.W.Hill - Music Street
Journal USA
Science
fiction and Prog that fits, especially
when it comes to space rock. Accordingly
Hedersleben from California have a
history of the British, died in 2008 SF
author Barrington J. Bayley (the album
is dedicated) chosen as an inspiring
model for their third album. In so far
apparently not published in German "The
Fall of Chronopolis" from 1974 is about
a galactic empire (the Chronotic Empire
- with Chronopolis as capital), which
with its fleet to defend from huge
time-traveling spaceships its existence
against all kinds of aggressive powers
tries, including the fact that one
subsequently engages in the past and
fights enemies in the future. This then
goes but probably a bad thing - the book
I have not read -, otherwise the whole
thing would certainly not have this
item. The occupation of the band around
Nicky Garratt has changed compared to
its predecessor album "New Worlds", bass
and vocals were re-recruited, but the
trio from Garrett, Kephra Moon and Bryce
Shelton continues to be the constant
core of the project. Also musically it
has reoriented more Krautrock
remuneration and Psychedelic, cosmic
meanderings and airy-spherical jamming
are now not sound decisive, but also
hard Spacegerocke or floating
Retrogeprog. In addition, the pieces are
more compact held orchestrated complex
and tricky work and auskomponierter.
Keys and guitar still determine the
sound, flat floating synth sounds and
spacey E-Gitarrenjaulen often, but not
infrequently also symphonic-sounding
retro keyboards (powerful organ sounds,
but sometimes a Mellotron), acoustic
folky Gitarrengezwirbel and earthy,
harder rocking guitar runs , There are
also - in addition to the punchy rhythm
section - several deposits on the violin
(à la Simon House) and less often an
almost jazzy piano. Compared to the
first two albums of the band will be -
in addition to all sorts hallendem puffs
and sighs - also quite a lot of singing
from newcomer Ariana Jade, gentle and
reserved mostly, but occasionally
expressive. A mixture of kernigerem
Spacerock, airy Retroprog and some
cosmic-herbaceous, retropsychedelischen
ingredients (was handled much more
economical but which like the first two
albums) from a slightly typical is
therefore to be found on "The Fall of
Chronopolis", the very dense , colorful,
punchy and entertaining slides out of
the boxes and bubbles. Who spacey
SF-Prog estimates should retest the
disk!
Achim Breiling Babyblaue GERMANY
Hedersleben: 3-The Fall of Chronopolis
Space rock act Hedersleben had two solid
releases under their belt already, but
as you often hear, 'third time's the
charm' with their new album The Fall of
Chronopolis. With a diet of steady tours
both on their own and as the backing
band to ex-Hawkwind legend Nik Turner,
the Hedersleben line-up of Nicky Garratt
(guitars), Jason Willer (drums,
percussion), Kephera Moon (keyboards,
backing vocals), Ariana Jade (vocals,
violin), and Ursula Stuart (bass,
backing vocals) are really peaking at
this point, with this latest release, a
concept album based on the book of the
same name by Barrington J. Bayley about
the rise and fall of the Chronotic
Empire, easily the best thing they've
done to date. While their debut hinted
at straight Krautrock and the sophomore
release started the dive into space
rock/prog territory, we now see
Hedersleben completely immersed in epic
prog as well as the adventurous ways of
Hawkwind, Pink Floyd, and Eloy. The
album features a few lengthier tracks,
with shorter pieces spliced in between.
"An Empire" kicks things off, a gem of
soaring space rock, complete with
rumbling synths and hard charging
guitar, while Ariana's gorgeous vocals
make an impact on the moody "Umbul" as
well as the aggressive "Imperator", a
tune that also features plenty of
roaring synths, searing violin, and
heavy guitar riffs. Haunting Mellotron
appears on "Gulf of Lost Souls" as well
as the enchanting acoustic guitar led
"Somewhen Veaa [Dreamstate]", but it's
the mysterious "Ghost Amada" that's
really going to tickle the fancy of any
longtime space rock fan, as the
repetitive rhythms, undulating keys,
liquid guitar lines, and drifting vocals
pull the listener right in. The same can
be said for the title track, a more hard
rocking slice of spacey goodness, but a
must hear for any fan of Hawkwind.
Expect to be taken back to the early
'70s once again with this stunning album
from Hedersleben, proof that glorious
space rock & prog is alive and well
here in 2015.
Pete Pardo Sea Of Tranquility USA
"The mighty ships of the Third Time
Fleet relentlessly patrolled the
Chronotic Empire's thousand-year
frontier, blotting out an error of
history here or there before swooping
back to challenge other time-traveling
civilizations fat into the future.
Captain Mond Aton had been proud to
serve in such a fleet. But now,
falsely convicted of cowardice and
dereliction of duty, he had been given
the cruelest of sentences: to be sent
unprotected into time as a lone
messenger between the cruising
time-ships. After such an
inconceivable experience in the
endless voids there was only one
option left to him. To be allowed to
die."
The Fall Of Chronopolis by Barringtion
J. Bayley.
This book is the inspiration for German
band Hedersleben’s new album The Fall of
Chronopolis. It’s a heady sci-fi concept
for a heady sci-fi concept album from
this dynamic prog rock band. This is the
third phase of Hedersleben, which has
tweaked its line up with each album.
Chronopolis was recorded by Jason Willer
on drums, Ariana Jade on vocals and
violin, Kephera Moon on keyboards and
vocals, Ursula Stuart on bass and
vocals, and Nicky Garratt on guitars.
Not being familiar with Hedersleben I
can’t compare Chronopolis to their
previous work, but standing on its own
merit this is a very good, beautifully
composed, and exciting album. The Fall
Of Chronopolis is full of emotional
highs and lows that burrow into your
psyche, sometimes sounding like the
score of an Italian horror film. I
really hate that I missed Hedersleben
when they played in Raleigh on December
1; I would love to experience them live.
Fans of Rush, Hawkwind, and King Crimson
should take note. I’ll admit to knowing
very little about prog rock, but to me
Hedersleben are carrying the genre into
the future. There are still a few dates
on their current tour left, so if you
get a chance go have that experience!
For those not completely in the know,
Hedersleben was founded by former UK
Subs guitarist Nicky Garratt in Germany
2011 and has since gone on to record
with Hawkwind legend Nik Turner and
Brainticket leader Joel
Vandroogenbroeck! And so, this thrilling
third album from space rock band
Hedersleben, brilliantly entitled The
Fall of Chronopolis follows the epic
story of the rise and fall of the
Chronotic Empire based on the book by
Barrington J. Bayley.
Hedersleben (Kephera Moon -
keyboards/vocals; Bryce Shelten - bass;
Kati Knox - guest vocal; Nicky Garratt -
guitar and Jason Willer - Drums) and
hail from Oakland, CA actually originate
from having plied their musical trade
live in the clubs of Oakland and also,
hence the band’s name, The Komische
Musik Zentrum Projekt in Hedersleben,
Germany.
1. 'An Empire'
2. 'Gulf Of Lost Souls'
3. 'Hulmu'
4. 'The Third Time Fleet'
5. 'Umbul'
6. 'Imperator'
7. 'Somewhen Veaa (Dreamstate)'
8. 'Ghost Amada'
9. 'The Archivist'
10. 'The Fall Of Chronopolis'
11. 'These Pi-Mesons'
Hedersleben's debut album Upgoer was
good, their follow-up was substantially
better - to my ear/mind, of course - but
this third one is pure brilliance, trust
me! It begins with the slowly building,
near nine minute long 'An Empire,'
bleeds beautifully into 'Gulf Of Lost
Souls,' and continues onward with such
stunningly sequenced tracks as 'The
Third Time Fleet,' 'Somewhen Veaa
(Dreamstate),' and amongst others, both
the short 'The Archivist' and the title
cut itself, 'The Fall Of Chronopolis.'
FYI: Hedersleben is scheduled for a 5
week tour of the US in support of Nik
Turner's Hawkwind starting in
mid-November ... so get your tickets
now!
Anna Carlini CD reviews
German rock band Hedersleben (named
after the village where the band began
to take form) are releasing their third
album, "The Fall Of Chronopolis." It is
based on the book of the same name that
follows the rise and fall of the
Chronotic Empire. The band's currently
line-up features members of Nik Turner's
Hawkwind as the music takes on this
progressive rock feel as in the
eight-minute opener "An Empire" and the
spacey "Gulf Of Lost Souls." The
musicianship is amazing in "The Third
Time Fleet" as only whispers are needed
to portray the feeling of the story,
while the gentle touch of "Umbul" sets
the stage for what is to come. The
guitar driven rockers "Imperator" and
"The Fall Of Chronopolis" showcases an
edginess their music that allows them to
expand their sound on this release.
JP's Music Blog
HEDERSLEBEN est connoté à un village
allemand en relation avec le fondement,
puis l’expansion du Krautrock dans les
années 70. C’est aussi le nom d’un
groupe américain actuel, fondé par le
guitariste Nicky GARRATT. Après avoir
jammé avec le légendaire musicien Uve
MÜLRICH, d’EMBRYO il décide de monter le
projet HEDERSLEBEN, donnant lieu à un
1er album UPGOER, publié en 2013.
Parallèlement, Nicky GARRATT (membre
fondateur de la formation punk U.K SUBS)
est devenu partie intégrante du groupe
d’accompagnement de Nik TURNER, jouant
sur son album de 2013 SPACE GYPSY en
compagnie du bassiste Jeff PICCININI (en
provenance du groupe punk CHELSEA), du
batteur Jason WILLER, (initialement dans
UK SUBS).
PICCININI & WILLER sont promptement
recrutés pour HEDERSLEBEN, complété par
la claviériste Lana VORONINA. Mais
PICCININI part bientôt, remplacé par
Bryce SHELTON, bassiste en provenance
d’Oakland tandis que le groupe est
également renforcé par l’arrivée de
Kyrsten BEAN vocaux, claviers, guitare.
C’est cette formation qui enregistre
l’album UPGOER en 2013, Lana VORONINA
utilisant désormais Kephera MOON comme
nom de scène.
Peu avant l’enregistrement de DIE NEUEN
WELTEN en 2014, Kyrsten BEAN est
remplacée par Kati KNOX au chant.
Leur 3e LP : THE FALL OF CHRONOPOLIS,
amène un changement dans la compo-
sition du groupe: exit Bryce SHELTON, et
bienvenue à Ursula STUART à la basse et
au chant, exit Kati KNOX et bienvenue à
Ariana JADE, chant solo et violon.
La musique de HEDERSLEBEN comporte tous
les ingrédients qui ont fait la gloire
et la richesse du Krautrock des
seventies, en 1er lieu l’orgue Hammond
aux effluves saturés de Kephera MOON
qu’on goûte dès l’introduction d’AM
Empire. On retrou- ve le chant féminin
d’Ariana JADE proche de Renate KNAUP
d’AMON DÜÜL II. On apprécie la guitare
juteuse de Ricky GARRAT aux accents
saturés, tandis que l’orgue Hammond de
Kephera MOON illumine constamment la
composition à travers de passionnants
leitmotiv instru- mentaux. Saluons aussi
la basse tellurique d’Ursula STUART,
d’une profondeur abyssale.
Gulf Of Lost Souls démarre dans la
tradition des premiers albums d’HAWK-
WIND, IN SEARCH OF SPACE, avec notam-
ment une section rythmique lancinante,
un halo de Mellotron dans le lointain,
des vocalises féminines sauvages en
toile de fond et une fuzz guitar aux
sonorités acides zébrant le paysage.
Superbe ! Plus climatique, le bref
instrumental Hulmu démarre sur fond de
claviers lascifs et de percussions
éparses, titre de transition. The Third
Time Fleet est introduit par des
roulements de batterie vindicatifs
tandis qu’entre en scène la guitare
flamboyante de Nicky GARRATT,
accompagnée par les claviers lumineux de
Kephera MOON. Voici un instrumental
aventureux et dynamique, aux sonorités
tournoyantes, traversé de loin en loin
d’arpèges de guitare acoustique et d’un
halo de Mellotron spatial aux sonorités
extatiques. C’est aussi l’alternance des
climats qui fait la richesse de cette
musique, et la capacité du groupe à lier
et à fondre les différentes ambiances et
couleurs musicales entre elles,
l’inspiration, et la diversité
instrumentale étant omniprésentes ...
Umbul débute sur des arpèges de guitare
acoustique, accompagnant bientôt la voix
éthérée de la délicieuse Ariana JADE,
s’accompagnant d’un violon évanescent.
La guitare acide, aux accents rock de
Nicky GARRATT nous sort de nos songes
sur l’introduction d’Imperator, un titre
plus puissant sur lequel planent les
effets de guitare et les volutes d’orgue
Hammond au cours d’un passionnant
développement instrumental se situant
entre NEKTAR, HAWKWIND & AMON DÜÜL
II. Somewhen Veaa offre arpèges
acoustiques rêveurs, halo de Mellotron,
agrémenté d’une partition d’orgue
transparente, on plane, tandis que plus
loin le violon langoureux d’Ariana fait
son apparition...
De superbes claviers fort imaginatifs,
soutenus par une basse ondoyante
marquent Ghost Armada, tandis que The
Archivist se montre plus climatique,
accompagné par des volutes de violon. Un
riff de guitare cinglant introduit The
Fall Of Chronopolis, tandis que surgit
un violon endiablé. Marqué par un tempo
assez lourd, ce titre s’apparente à du
IRON BUTTERFLY (le son d’orgue). Pour
conclure These Pi-Mesons offre en
exergue quelques notes d’un splendide
piano climatique. Avec ce superbe THE
FALL OF CHRONOPOLIS, HEDERSLEBEN vient
de signer son meilleur album. Décidément
un groupe qui monte ! (*****)
Didier Gonzalez Highlands
Magazine FRANCE
|
