Symphonica

Infobox Album | Name = Symphonica
Type = Studio Album
Artist = Ruins


Released = 1998
Recorded =
Genre = Zeuhl
Length = 57:19
Label = Tzadik
Reviews =
Last album = Tohjinbo*
(1997)
This album = "Symphonica"
(1998)
Next album = Vrresto*
(1998)

"Symphonica" is the 11th studio album by the Japanese Zeuhl band Ruins.

Track listing

# Thebes (7:40)
# Graviyaunosch (6:21)
# Big Head (7:34)
# Praha In Spring (4:37)
# Thrive (5:00)
# Infect (10:14)
# Brixon Varromiks (8:41)
# Bliezzaning Moltz (7:12)

Personnel

Tatsuya Yoshida: Drums, vocal
Hisashi Sasaki: Bass, vocal
Oguchi Kenichi: Keyboards
Emi Eleonola: vocal
Aki Kubota: vocal

Album wherein Yoshida enlists the help of a keyboard player and two female singers to "flesh out" several old Ruins tunes. He is also joined by his newest bassist (somewhat of a revolving-door position), Sasaki Hisashi.The grating sound of previous albums is replaced with a bottom-heavy, thick stew of Magma-styled operatic vocals, ELP-styled keyboard flourishes, and the trademark Ruins stop-on-a-dime rhythm machine. Generally, the tunes are made much more "accessible" in this form.

This project is very much related to another one of Yoshida's other bands, Koenjihyakkei, with lots of operatic singing and fancy, prog-rock honed instrumental embellishments.(info from and Copyright © 1998-2002 1-0. All rights reserved.)

References

* [http://www.progarchives.com/artist.asp?id=825 RUINS discography, MP3, videos and reviews @ progarchives.com]
* [http://www.progarchives.com/album.asp?id=4402 RUINS Symphonica reviews and MP3 @ progarchives.com]
* [http://www.progreviews.com/reviews/display.php?rev=ruin-sym Ground and Sky review]