Lion Music are proud to introduce some true
musical treasure in the form of this special
release from the early days of one of the
worlds most accomplished guitarists, James
Byrd. A name synonymous with some of the
finest guitar work committed to tape, this
unique release is an album any fan of the
former Fifth Angel guitarist will have been
longing to hear and serves as a reminder of
just how good a songwriter and musician Byrd
is.
Comprised of 14 never before heard
performances and 7 new songs, “Beyond The
Pillars” is -literally- a lost album. The
material's origins date to when James Byrd
began writing and recording with vocalist
Freddy Krumins within days of departing
Fifth Angel in the summer of 1987, with much
of the music material Byrd had originally
intended for the second Fifth Angel album.
Like Deep Purple's “Smoke on the Water”
release, “Beyond The Pillars” was recorded
on location. Brain Storm Productions mobile
captured the band's magic at the infamous
Music Bank sound stages in Seattle
Washington from the fall of 1987 through the
winter of 1988. Fans of Byrd’s solo debut
“James Byrd’s Atlantis Rising” (Shrapnel
Records) will recognise 7 of the track
titles on offer here. However the versions
here showcase a rawer, heavier and more
immediate delivery to those that were later
re-recorded on the now out of print
“Atlantis Rising” release by Shrapnel
Records. Further treasures are revealed in 7
never released songs rich in diversity and
depth that make this a “must own” part of
any Byrd, or indeed Fifth Angel’s fans music
collection.
The forgotten masters that make up “Beyond
The Pillars” were undiscovered until early
2011 when Freddy Krumins was going through a
box of old tapes. Regarding the discovery of
the recordings, James Byrd comments, “I
was shocked to have had these masters turn
up, and then to hear the quality. I had long
forgotten the sessions after almost 25 years
of other musical activities. Everything
sounds better than I could have imagined and
I think my playing was on a higher energy
level than what later ended up on the
J.B.A.R. debut. I knew it needed to be
heard”.
On the musicians’ aim almost 25 years ago
Byrd recalls, “The goal was to
create a musical statement which was melodic
and dynamic”. This material's character
is further shaped by a lyrical content which
blends tales of lost love, with Greek
mythology and fantasy all powered by the
sublime vocals of Freddy Krumins, himself a
student of legendary vocal tutor David Kyle
(who also coached the likes of Geoff
Tate/Nancy Wilson/Chris Cornell etc).
“Beyond The Pillars” sounds like no other
album from an American group before or
since. The combination of European
influences by groups and musicians such as
Scorpions, UFO, Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow,
Uli Jon Roth, and James Byrd's decidedly
classical influences, is such that “Beyond
The Pillars” captures the energy of a newly
formed group ready to take on the world.
From hard driving dark tracks tracks like
“Chasing The Shadows”, to power ballads like
“I've Got To Find You”, and lush
instrumentals such as “Requiem Atlantis”,
this album showcases a level of maturity and
sophistication seldom heard from any band,
let alone a new one from America in 1987.
