Midnight City

The record you are about to hear is the work of a foremost Czechoslovak rock band ABRAXAS. Not only is it a band capturing the modern rhythms of today, but the roots of this formation go back quite a few steps in history.

ABRAXAS was founded in 1976, featuring two lead guitars, organ, the inevitable rhythm section and a lead singer, too. The inspiration, then, was coming very much from bands like Pink Floyd and the concerts were staged to look as spectacular as possible. The band's first single, recorded in 1977 is a proof of this orientation, but also the last call for a change in style.

ABRAXAS said goodbye to two of its founding members and embarked on a journey of hard rock and heavy metal, the only lead guitar doing most of the work. The already professional ensemble played hundreds of concerts all over the country and began to attract devoted followers of the band's rare music and unique image. Very few bands of that time could enjoy such atmosphere at their concerts while delivering fully competent music.

However, the road of hard rock is very hard indeed, and the strain of such exposure to the fans was not leaving the band untouched. Also, the eighties were drawing near and the fresh sound of the new wave was echoing around the world. Still with the same line-up, ABRAXAS began to withdraw from the world of heavy metal and started to groove in reggae and assorted varieties of contemporary music. The inevitable result of the band's popularity and respect was its first album, released in 1982, called simply «Box». Here, the band did not try to sum up its history but instead of that exploited its most recent achievements. The success of the record was immense.

However, life is change and things can never remain the same for long, in the world of rock'n'roll. Already at the time "Box" was released, the fans were getting ready for another surprise from their favourite band. Slavek Janda, the unanimous leader of the band from its very beginning, enrolled a young saxophone player and another new member on the synthesizer and the latest version of ABRAXAS was born.

How to characterize the band's present style? It's anybody's guess! With its experience and skill, the musicians are able to play almost anything they fancy. And yet, the young age of the band makes its music happy and alive. The rhythmic intricacy of reggae, the forwardness of rock'n'roll, these are just some of the assets the band can lean on, at any time. And when an artist tells you that he's looking for something new and original, you don't have to believe him. But this time you might at least try! — Ondrej Hejma.