Here We Are

Description

The fusion of progressive rock and heavy metal was shaped by bands like Dream Theater, but in no way invented by them. As early as the 1970s, plenty of heavy guitars could be found in the world of complex music and vice versa, the young wild ones of yesteryear like Iron Maiden incorporated prog into their metal style in songs like "Phantom Of The Opera". Consequently, in 1981, SPHINX was already several years ahead of its time. The band from the Stuttgart region, founded in 1977, was mostly composed of sons of Italian immigrants. This gave the band an international flair. As you can read on the original cover of "Here We Are", "Rock Made In Italy" was therefore just a promotional gimmick. All the more so since guitarist Thomas Metzger is none other than Tommy Newton, who later became famous with the band Victory. His powerful and hard playing is the antithesis of the playful and very progressive keyboards and the rhythm section, which typically likes to break out of four-four time. "Here We Are" was released in 1981 on Peak, a label of the GAMA company, which at the time was still quite inexperienced and could not yet make such a high-end product famous. In 1985, the LP was released a second time under the title "Burning Lights". Mausoleum and Camel (also a label of GAMA) tried to give the album a second chance with a typically heavy metal cover and a rearranged track list. Under this name and with this look, the record became much more famous than the original from 1981. However, even at that time, the metal world was not yet ready for this style, while prog fans were rather put off by the new cover. While Tommy Newton began a successful career and also worked as a producer for many years, the rest of the musicians faded into obscurity. Many years later, "Here We Are" (aka "Burning Lights") became a cult item, even though until now it has only appeared in metal circles. With this reissue, Golden Core also wants to show prog-rock fans what a brilliant album they missed in 1981. And those who like bands like Dream Theater anyway will find a piece of paradise here.