Thursday, December 10, 2009
KATAGORY V Rejoined By Guitarist MARC HANSON
"Rest assured this slight personnel change will not undermine the band's current progress. Returning to KATAGORY V to help with the live aspect of the band, as well as possibly participating on the new album, is former guitarist Marc Hanson, who appeared on the band's last two efforts, 'The Rising Anger' and 'Hymns of Dissension'.
"Marc and I got together recently and talked about KATAGORY V past and present and enjoyed a bit of nostalgia, jammed a few riffs ideas and old songs, and then I let him listen to the new KATAGORY V material. It was at this point that he expressed extreme interest in participating in KATAGORY V once again.
"Although Marc's current band SUPERSOFAR (which also featured Jonni Lightfoot of STARBREAKER) keeps him rather busy; he has decided the time is right, and agreed to come back to KATAGORY V and shred once again!
"The guitar chemistry between Marc and Kris [Krompel] is absolutely amazing, and is sure to bring the live aspect of the band up several notches.
"I'm sure it is becoming very cumbersome and frustrating for everyone out there, especially for myself, being that there is still no new material on display or even a new album after two years, and the revolving door of guitarists seems to keep spinning and hindering the progress. However, that is not the case now. Pre-production is, in fact, complete, we will be playing live at the beginning of the year, we will start tracking the new album in March 2010, and… we will be uploading and posting clips of new KATAGORY V songs, as well as revealing the title of the new album in the coming weeks, so stay tuned!"
KATAGORY V's most recent album, "Hymns of Dissension", was released in September 2007 in Europe through Burning Star Records and in October 2007 in the U.S. on Nightmare Records.
Fjieri's Debut Album To Feature Barbieri & Harrison Of Porcupine Tree
10 years in the making, Fjieri's debut album Endless represents the satisfying conclusion to a meticulously executed labour of love. The band, led by Stefano Panunzi and Nicola Lori, are joined by an impressive cast of guest musicians, including Mick Karn, Tim Bowness (No-Man) and Porcupine Tree members, Gavin Harrison and Richard Barbieri.
Co-produced by Barbieri, the album artfully combines Ambient and Progressive Rock influences to create a sophisticated sound that incorporates delicate atmospherics, rich melodies, looping rhythms and hard-hitting riffs. Recalling aspects of Rain Tree Crow, Pink Floyd, Porcupine Tree, Eno, King Crimson and No-Man, Endless is a powerful debut statement from an Italian band in the ascendant.
Endless is now available from http://www.burningshed.com/store/artrock/product/119/1797/
Excerpts from the album can be heard on the band's MySpace site (http://www.myspace.com/fjieri ).