On Friday, April 18, CIRKUS PRÜTZ will release their fourth album “Manifesto”. The inspiration for their musical style has always been the Blues Rock of the late 60s and 70s, as well as American Southern Rock and Boogie Rock, especially ZZ TOP. This time, the Swedish band has worked with master producer Peter Tägtgren (PAIN, HYPOCRISY). The goal was to reinvent themselves and update their sound.
It all started as a fun thing. Then it got more serious as the band members found each other. Bassist Jerry Prütz and drummer Per Kohlus played in a band that was called WET. Not the one with Jeff Scott Soto (W.E.T). Prütz and Kohlus were first. When the other two in the group could not join and play at a basement pub and the pub owner wanted to know what they should call the band that night, Per came up with CIRKUS PRÜTZ. They got more and more gigs. Then one of the guitarists left around 2015, which led to Jerry contacting Christian “Chrille/CC” Carlsson (THE QUILL) and asked if he wanted to join. They had met each other on several occasions over the years, at concerts and other things. Carlsson thought it sounded fun and jumped on board. After about a year, the singer and lead guitarist at the time quit. They began to search for a replacement. At the same time Christian sang a little and also wrote his own songs in this genre and the band started playing them. When the group tried other guitarists, they did not want to sing, so Chrille ended up doing it. He went from solo guitarist to frontman. In 2017, they released their first studio album “All For The Boogie And The Blues”. The follow-up “White Jazz – Black Magic” came two years later and we last heard “Blues Revolution” (2022). That last one began the development into the sound they have today.
With “Manifesto”, the band almost had an 80s ZZ TOP as a reference. Not so dynamic, but more of a thunderous energy and driving force all the time, lots of guitars and catchy melodies. The producer, multi-musician and songwriter Tägtgren is said to be extremely good at all the technical stuff. According to Jerry, he is also a musical genius, exactly like PRINCE. Many international and national great artists have worked in Peter’s studio, for example JOE LYNN TURNER, LINDEMANN (RAMMSTEIN), SABATON and many, many more. Perhaps names you do not immediately associate with Blues, Boogie and Rock. However, the collaboration seems to have been very successful. The title of the material was something they already had during the previous record. The bassist wrote a short text about “Blues Revolution” and it became like a small manifest. Then it kind of stuck and the members decided that it simply had to become the name of the new album. Just like on the previous disc, the cool album cover was created by illustrator Christian Wallin. The music was written almost exclusively by CC as usual. The other three also had song ideas musically. Guitarist Franco Santunione (BLACK PAISLEY, ex-ELECTRIC BOYS) has at least created one of the tracks. Jerry generally writes a lot of the group’s lyrics. Then they twisted and turned the lyrics. More or less reworked they ended up on the record. As always, it was a band collaboration with everyone’s ideas and thoughts before the songs were finished, so that everyone felt satisfied with the result.
The first track “White Knuckle Blues” begins with motorcycle sounds, then the music slides in. There is a nice rhythm here that makes my body rock along. It is an awesome song with obvious ZZ TOP influences, a rich sound and fantastic guitar playing. Another piece that also contains strong vibes from the just mentioned trio is “High Roller”. The listener can enjoy wonderful energy and swinging music, with a very lovely expression on guitar.
“Drinking Muddy Water” offers rocking Blues where bass and drums lays the foundation to a lovely rhythm. The music is full of energy. The energy and delightful driving force continue in “Handyman Boogie”. We hear a brilliant guitar playing, especially in the solo. It is a fast-paced song, performed with a twinkle in the eye. I think that this one will be very popular live. Another track that is performed with a twinkle in the eye is “Living Like A God”. It’s cool and cocky, but is played with warmth and joy in the music. “The Blues Is The Cure” is a mood lifter that gets my whole body moving. The music is rocking on in a cozy rhythm.
The band has told that “Walking In The Rain” is a song about hope and comfort in difficult times and the resulting strength and self-confidence. Life is not all about sunshine, but some days it rains both inside and outside. Still, you fold your umbrella and move on, no matter how much it storms, thunders and rains around you. Without initially knowing what the song was about, the track appealed to me incredibly much. Both bass and guitar are seductively good. The listener is put into a relaxed state of mind. The tones in the solo and after touch me deeply. The record’s other calm work is the closing “Water Into Wine”. The piece is different from all the other tracks, as it is very restrained and slow. The dragging 70s vibes become darker and with psychedelic elements in the middle. This somewhat gloomy song does not appeal to me, but is still well done and is probably interesting to many others. Exactly like Christian Carlsson has said, it is basically very monotonous, but a lot still happens.
“Twenty 4 Seven Blues” has a deep, swinging rhythm, with a fantastic and lively bass playing. Something they have worked on and tried to develop this time is two-part guitar solos, which appear on several songs, shaped in different ways. It is an enjoyable detail that can be heard, for instance, in this piece and the following “Pack Your Bags”, in which the double guitar loops sound absolutely wonderful. The solo is superb.
The material contains riff-driven Bluesrock without frills and modern help systems, with a cool, laid-back rhythm and atmosphere. For those of you who think that tough, high-octane Boogierock in the style of ZZ TOP sounds exciting, I can recommend CIRKUS PRÜTZ and their new record “Manifesto”. It is their best album. (Anna)
Bewertung:
8 / 10
Anzahl der Songs: 10
Spielzeit: 37:03
Label: Metalville
Veröffentlichungstermin: 18.04.2025
