ZELLO
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A release full of elaborate themes, rich arrangements and sophisticated orchestration is offered up by Zello on First Chapter, Second Verse. Originally released in 1996, the album has had a sonic overhaul thanks to the addition of fine guitar work from Janne Stark (Locomotive Breath). Fans of classic Kansas and Magnum will revel in the musical treat that is First Chapter, Second Verse. |
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Zello has often been compared to bands like Kansas, Jethro Tull, Kaipa, Yes and Magnum, and they have been called
"A Swedish answer to Kansas". Their style is special and the violin plays a big part in their music together with organ, moog,
piano and synths. As I said before, this album was originally recorded without guitars, but on this re-recording they got
help from Janne Stark to play the guitars. The result is just amazing to listen to and I think it especially will please the fans
who have listened much to the original album. The musicians involved in the Zello project are all well known musicians in
Sweden. Vocalist P.O. Saether is ex-Macbeth, Glory, Unchained and Schizophrenic Circus. Drummer Jamie Batal has
worked with Dynamite Wasteland and Schizophrenic Circus. Guitarist Janne Stark is known from his work with Locomotive
Breath. The music is a mix of the 70`s prog, but has also relations to modern prog and Folk music. From the first moment on
this disc we hear some superb violin/ viola by Lennart Glenberg in the opening on the first track Fairy Queen. The sound
is great and the instrumentation from the band is superb! Hold On is one of my favorites on the CD: A song that takes us
through many different parts with tempo changes, vocal parts and very nice instrumental parts. Vocalist P.O. Saether add
a nice flavor to the songs with his great voice, and he handles to sing all the songs on the CD in a perfect way; The
Children Are Crying, The Angels have Fallen and the dreamy and beautiful instrumental The Humming. Both Traffic
Jam and Through the Clouds of Virgin Angels takes different musical directions than the other songs, Traffic Jam is
more blues oriented, while Through The Clouds Of Virgin Angels is an instrumental who for me sounded a bit confusing
. It was really nice to be able to hear this album re-recorded, and I will recommend every fan of prog to check out Zello,
who is an hidden prog treasure from Sweden!
http://www.lionmusic.com/
Zello are:
P.O. Saether - vocals
Dan Lindell - bass
Anders Altzarfeld - keyboards
Mats Olsson - keyboards
Jamil Batal - drums
Lennart Glenberg - violin
Janne Stark - guitar
http://home.online.no/~kasboe/new_reviews2.htm
Zello: First Chapter, Second Verse
Sounding immediately familiar – yet more than likely never heard by most people reading this review – the music of Sweden’s Zello recalls Kansas and Magnum in their prime. That makes sense, considering that First Chapter, Second Verse has roots that stretch back to 1979 before it was finally released as Zello’s self-titled debut in 1996. But then singer P-O Saether got the idea to re-record the album, this time with stronger sonics and -- lo and behold -- guitars. (Hmm, I wonder what the original version sounded like.) The result is the shiny-sounding, newly rerecorded, reissued and retitled First Chapter, Second Verse. It’s another powerful vocal-oriented release from Lion Records, a label best known for its instrumental progressive-metal albums but slowly gaining a following with bands like Empire, Smeer, Moonlight Comedy, Dogpound and Sun Caged. Amidst the instrumental interludes here are feel-good melodies surrounded by Moog, violin, strong vocals and harmonies reminiscent of Steve Walsh and David Coverdale – and, yes, plenty of guitar. If you’re in the mood for classic slices of progressive hard rock with tinges of AOR steeped in a thick Seventies and Eighties vibe, you could do a lot worse than this chapter and verse.
Track Listing:
1) Fairy Queen
2) Little Eve
3) Hold On
4) Shades of the Crying Children
5) The Children Are Crying
6) Kelpie
7) The Angels Have Fallen
8) The Humming
9) Voyager
10) FlojtBenkes Resa
11) Traffic Jam
12) Through Clouds of Virgin Angels
13) Hold One (Live)
Total Time: 51:49
Added: December 2nd 2004
Reviewer: Michael Popke
Score: 
Related Link: Lion Music www.seaoftranquility.org
First Chapter, Second Verse
Zello
Released: 2004
Our Rating: 8.5
What a kick ass album I received from Lion Music, this label from Finland is always delivering such great surprises within the Progressive Metal/Rock genre, which isn't even one of my favourite styles. They have introduced me to some really good bands, most of them still unknown to great part of the metal community, which is a shame.
What as been playing recently in my stereo is an album entitled "First Chapter, Second Verse" from the Swedish band Zello. Well I had never heard of this band before, but amazing as it may seem, they have been around ever since 1979(!). Vocalist, songwriter and producer P-O Saether, is the main man behind the project, and he wanted to re-release this album mainly because it was originaly recorded without the guitars. With help from Janne Stark (ex Locomotive Breath) on guitars, Zello managed to release this album via Lion Music this year.
The music style here is described as a masterpiece of Symphonic Prog in the veign of bands like Kansas, Magnum, UK and Jethro Tull. Personally, I think Zello have a very own and original music style, sometimes it sounds very alternative with some very different (but nice) ideas. For example, both tracks "Hold On" and "Voyager" have these parts that just had to be inspired on the movie "Aladdin", or at least it clearly reminds of the movie.
Both songs, plus "Fairy Queen", are definitely the highlight of this album, really well crafted songs that will remain in your head for a while after you listen to them.
The only downside of this album is that such quality from these songs is not so noticeable in the other tracks, you have to play them for a little while longer if you want to get the most out of them, or at least that was my own experience.
Nonetheless, my opinion about Zello's "First Chapter, Second Verse" is nothing but positive, now I understand why they wanted to re-release this album so badly, I'm very interested in finding out what they will come up next.
Tracklist:
1. Fairy Queen
2. Little Eve
3. Hold On
4. Shades of the Crying Children
5. The Children are Crying
6. Kelpie
7. The Angels have Fallen
8. The Humming
9. Voyager
10. FlojtBenkes Resa
11. Traffic Jam
12. Through the Clouds of Virgin Angels
13. Hold On (live)
Crepusculo www.metal-march.com
ZELLO - First Chapter, Second Verse
It was a pleasant surprise when I discovered that Zello is still alive. I thought they split up after their second release,
Quodlibet in 1999. It has always been very little information to find about Zello. I was presented to the band by a friend
back in 1996, when they released their first self titled album Zello. The history of Zello starts already back in 1979, since
then the took the project 15 years to release their first album. Vocalist, songwriter and producer P-O Saether, is the
main man behind the project, and he has since the release of the first Zello-album had a dream to re-release this album
who originally was recorded without guitars. The dream came true when Lion Music scheduled the release of First
Chapter, Second Verse for November. With help from Janne Stark (ex Locomotive Breath) on guitars, Zello has
managed to re-record this album on an eminent way.
Zello has often been compared to bands like Kansas, Jethro Tull, Kaipa, Yes and Magnum, and they have been called
"A Swedish answer to Kansas". Their style is special and the violin plays a big part in their music together with organ, moog,
piano and synths. As I said before, this album was originally recorded without guitars, but on this re-recording they got
help from Janne Stark to play the guitars. The result is just amazing to listen to and I think it especially will please the fans
who have listened much to the original album. The musicians involved in the Zello project are all well known musicians in
Sweden. Vocalist P.O. Saether is ex-Macbeth, Glory, Unchained and Schizophrenic Circus. Drummer Jamie Batal has
worked with Dynamite Wasteland and Schizophrenic Circus. Guitarist Janne Stark is known from his work with Locomotive
Breath. The music is a mix of the 70`s prog, but has also relations to modern prog and Folk music. From the first moment on
this disc we hear some superb violin/ viola by Lennart Glenberg in the opening on the first track Fairy Queen. The sound
is great and the instrumentation from the band is superb! Hold On is one of my favorites on the CD: A song that takes us
through many different parts with tempo changes, vocal parts and very nice instrumental parts. Vocalist P.O. Saether add
a nice flavor to the songs with his great voice, and he handles to sing all the songs on the CD in a perfect way; The
Children Are Crying, The Angels have Fallen and the dreamy and beautiful instrumental The Humming. Both Traffic
Jam and Through the Clouds of Virgin Angels takes different musical directions than the other songs, Traffic Jam is
more blues oriented, while Through The Clouds Of Virgin Angels is an instrumental who for me sounded a bit confusing
. It was really nice to be able to hear this album re-recorded, and I will recommend every fan of prog to check out Zello,
who is an hidden prog treasure from Sweden!
http://www.lionmusic.com/
Zello are:
P.O. Saether - vocals
Dan Lindell - bass
Anders Altzarfeld - keyboards
Mats Olsson - keyboards
Jamil Batal - drums
Lennart Glenberg - violin
Janne Stark - guitar
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Reviews: |
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Reviewer: Michael Popke Score:   Related Link: Lion Music www.seaoftranquility.org |
| Zello - "First Chapter, Second Verse" |  |
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Remember those invigorating days full of progressive milestone releases from bands like Kansas and Jethro Tull. Well those days are back in the form of Zello a symphonic prog outfit who first released this disc back in 1996 minus guitars. They have reformed, added guitarist extraordinaire Janne Stark and re-released this brilliant, eclectic, progressive masterpiece. |
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Great consistent performances abound throughout the disc with highlights coming from P-O Saether’s vocal styling which is similar to Steve Walsh of Kansas; Mats Olsson’s moody keyboard excursions and of course Mr. Stark’s over the top guitar flights of fancy. All of the musicians are of the highest caliber brining a wealth of musical experience to the table. Think the best of Kansas combined with a heavier delivery, layers of atmospheric keyboard excursions and you will start to get the picture. Many of the songs contain a strong Celtic or Egyptian influence. This influence adds a nice contrast creating some cool counterpoint tension within each composition. Songs like the opening track “Fairy Queen” or the catchy “Hold On” burn through some wicked guitar / violin counterparts that follow in the Kansas style of songwriting and delivery. The CD is ablaze with guitar histrionics’ that are nothing short of tasty. All tracks on this monster release are absolutely stunning. There is a real 70’s prog vibe to this entire CD which is interspersed with some nice textural tidbits that bring it into the 21st century. Overall First Chapter, Second Verse is a great throwback to the days when stepping outside the norm and taking musical chances was the cool thing to aspire to. A superb offering that continues to breathe new life into the world of progressive music. If you are a fan of Tull, Kansas, or any band of their ilk, you will most certainly enjoy First Chapter, Second Verse. Buy This CD From - Lion Music Review from www.guitarmania.ca |
ZELLO The songs on this album by the Swedish Progressive Rock band, Zello, were originally released in 1996 on a CD titled Zello. Persons already familiar with this release can look forward to added guitar work and a major production overhaul. Guitars were added by Janne Stark (ex-Locomotive Breath). The original 1996 versions of these songs were made completely without guitars! Additionally, Lion Music indicates that most of the other parts have been re-recorded and re-arranged and that this should be seen as a new album versus a re-release. This release also contains two new tracks plus a live version of "Hold On."
For those not familiar with the original release, you can expect to hear music that is well produced and has a certain "Kansas feel" to it. Most of this is due to the violin playing of Lennart Glenberg. The violin is well represented on most tracks by being evenly mixed in with guitars and the rhythm section. In some cases, the violin plays off of the other instruments in a sort of dueling nature and even has an occasional solo. Tracks like "Little Eve" and "Kelpie" are minute-long violin arrangements of orchestral proportions. These tracks are layered between normal vocal tracks acting, essentially, as lead-ins. They give the release a classical feel in some senses. The guitar tracks by Janne Stark seem to be properly in tune and in sync with the spirit of Zello's music. In fact after hearing this release, one will find it ludicrous that this music was even released without guitars in the first place. Ample time is also offered to the keyboard playing of Anders Altzarfeld and Mats Olsson, as several songs allow themselves the opportunity of a keyboard solo. In the tradition of Little Eve, the fourth track, entitled "Shades Of The Crying Children," is a one-minute keyboard arrangement that has a light, airy, minstrel feel to it. By the way, "arrangements" is the proper word to use for these little instrumental tidbits, as these tracks are way outside the realm of what one would term "Heavy Metal" and are more classical in nature. Bright spots are "Fairy Queen," "Hold On," and "The Children Are Crying" for their catchy choruses and Progressive instrumental sections lead by Glenberg's violin. The added tracks "Traffic Jam" and "Through Clouds Of Virgin Angels" are both more Blues-based rockers than anything else on the rest of the release. These tracks might seem out of place, but they are welcome additions as they offer up some fine instrumental musicianship with a harder rock edge. A few low moments are the inclusion of the instrumental track "The Humming," which is a mix of birds tweeting, light keyboards, and almost flute-like sounds. This track goes on for about five minutes and some spots are so quiet that you'll be checking your CD player to make sure it didn't run out of batteries. What makes it worse is this track is placed right after one of the catchier mid-tempo rockers on the CD ("The Angels Have Fallen"), which takes you down an emotional roller coaster. Another downside are the occasional shortcomings of lead singer P.O. Saether's English enunciation. On one of the most catchy choruses on the album, "The Children Are Crying," P.O.'s enunciation of 'Children' comes out sounding like 'Shildren.' It's unfortunate on this particular track, because the chorus is indeed so catchy that you might find yourself singing 'The Shildren Are Crying' while going about your day. If you're at all a fan of the American band Kansas, then you'll find a lot to like in this re-vamped first release. You'll be treated to some pleasurable Melodic, Progressive rock, laden with plenty of catchy choruses, violins, keyboards and guitars. Production: B+
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Sounding immediately familiar – yet more than likely never heard by most people reading this review – the music of Sweden’s Zello recalls Kansas and Magnum in their prime. That makes sense, considering that First Chapter, Second Verse has roots that stretch back to 1979 before it was finally released as Zello’s self-titled debut in 1996. But then singer P-O Saether got the idea to re-record the album, this time with stronger sonics and -- lo and behold -- guitars. (Hmm, I wonder what the original version sounded like.) The result is the shiny-sounding, newly rerecorded, reissued and retitled First Chapter, Second Verse. It’s another powerful vocal-oriented release from Lion Records, a label best known for its instrumental progressive-metal albums but slowly gaining a following with bands like Empire, Smeer, Moonlight Comedy, Dogpound and Sun Caged. Amidst the instrumental interludes here are feel-good melodies surrounded by Moog, violin, strong vocals and harmonies reminiscent of Steve Walsh and David Coverdale – and, yes, plenty of guitar. If you’re in the mood for classic slices of progressive hard rock with tinges of AOR steeped in a thick Seventies and Eighties vibe, you could do a lot worse than this chapter and verse. 