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Incredible Pack - Packed In Blue (CD)
OSR011
Regular price €9,90In 2017, three German rock icons met at Incredible Pack and dedicated themselves to the blues. In 2020 the band decided to record their debut album "Packed In Blue".
Already the first sounds of the first song "DOA" show what to expect on the record. The first guitar sounds are accompanied by a rattle and a mood is created that transports the listener mentally into the vastness of Texas. From this a blues piece develops in the direction of the Little Ol` Band. Martelle's rough, rather spoken style of singing, guitar riffs and solos are stylistically reminiscent of ZZ Top. The dynamic song is supported by Manni von Bohr working on the drums and the bubbling bass, played by Tony Spagone, who also form a strong rhythm section in the other songs, played to the point.
The high level of the opener is not left in the further course of the disc, and stylistically the rather rough blues rock made in Texas is the defining element. With the exception of a few cover songs, most of it came from the pen of Martelle, the fronter of the band, who was also responsible for the production in the Frankfurt Jungle Studios. Only with the Bowie cover "Rebel Rebel" with a psychedelic intro and a first verse, which seems to be sung from beyond the grave, the blues is a little behind and a rocking version of the classic develops. With the album, Martelle, after having been active in German rock for a long time as an active part of the Jule Neigel Band, has arrived where his real musical love is, blues rock.
The strong debut of the band ends with the blues classic "Bullfrog Blues", which Martelle announces in the intro as an often covered song.
It is positive that the interspersed cover songs do not serve to spice up the record, but rather represent an addition to their own blues songs, in which Martelle also shows his qualities in songwriting.
It will be interesting when the power trio can finally present the songs live, as it is material that gives a lot of leeway for free musical development.
Blues and rock fans will like the album, where three "oldies" show with a lot of playfulness that they are far from old and that blues made in Germany can also be of high quality!
(Text: Gernot Mangold)
01 DOA
02 I Wanna Know
03 Ain’t Taking No Hit
04 Hooked On You
05 Loveblind
06 What’s That Sound
07 Take It Out On Me
08 Alone In The Dark
09 Alligator
10 Endless Brighter Days
11 Rebel Rebel
12 Bullfrog Blues
Incredible Pack - Time For Decisions (CD)
OSR007
Regular price €14,90When three rock icons get together, whose past reads like a who's who of the German music scene, and who then devote themselves to blues rock, you can expect an “unbelievable package”. In 2017, guitar genius Andreas Schmid-Martelle, the 'german pope of drumming' (US Drummer Magazine) Manni von Bohr and the bass man with international stature, Ufo Walter, found a power trio whose music "Straight and Tough" comes out of the speakers and lives up to the band name: "Incredible Pack". “Andreas, Ufo and I have been on the German scene with various bands for a long time and we know what we want to play. We are a real, honest power trio who let the fresh rock'n'roll wind blow into the somewhat polished pop and rock scene in Germany, "Manni explains the intention of the band. And Andreas adds, "Our music is 90 percent rock'n'roll, 5 percent blues and 5 percent funk".
After their first album “Packed in Blue” (2020), which could best be described as blues rock made in Texas, on their successor “Time For Decisions” (03.12.2021) they again show a Texas-influenced blues rock, which is a successful liaison with classic / hard rock. During the time when there were no events, the guys decided to be creative rather than moping up and are now releasing a second album.
Stylistically, the “Incredible Pack” continues its powerful line on “Time For Desicions” and Martelle succeeds in creating songs with a high recognition value with the right instinct in songwriting. In doing so, he successfully mixes several styles of music in individual songs, without any apparent breaks in the pieces. For example, the initially hard rocking “Hot Shots”, in which Martelle sets off to the rather hard Texan blues rock with a guitar solo that also goes well with ZZ Top.
The stylistic diversity is made possible by two masters of their field, the two rock veterans, Manni von Bohr and Ufo Walter, who form a rhythm section that provides a full and downright driving sound basis. In addition, the versatile guitar playing by Martelle, who, in addition to the rhythm work, repeatedly intersperses fine solos. "We play music for ears, brains and legs, with catchy, high-energy songs that are neither flat nor unimaginative," explains Manni.
Analogies to greats of the blues can sometimes be seen in the songs, in that melodies or solos are skilfully incorporated into the band's own song structure in a slightly modified way, so that Jimmy Hendrix fans have memories of "Little Wing" in the slightly ballad-like "Let Me Be Your Friend" can arise. In a sense, it is a journey through time through the world of heavier blues rock, in which groovy numbers such as "Sleeping With The Lights On", which Dr. Feelgood is a good example. Or the hard “Disbelieve”, in which the vocals in the chorus already go in the direction of Lemmy; with Martelle's diverse voice being a touch softer. With "I Don`t Think About Her" and "Josefine" there are two bonus tracks on the CD, which qualitatively cannot be seen as filling the gaps, because a CD simply fits more than a vinyl album.
“Time For Decisions” is a self-contained oeuvre that appeals to die-hard blues fans with a fine hand in songwriting and the compilation of songs. With this, the old guard of German rock shows that they are far from old and that they are still bursting with energy. And there will soon be this energy live on stage with a full setlist from both albums. “We haven't been able to tour yet and haven't played a concert with this line-up. But we're really excited to play the program live and the audience is expecting a full load of 'Rock' n 'Roll right in yer face', "says Martelle enthusiastically.
With “Time For Decisions”, the Incredible Pack made a good decision for itself and all blues and rock fans - an invitation to let off steam.
(Text: Gernot Mangold / Merle Lotz)
01 Sleeping With The Lights On
02 Hot Shot
03 Disbelieve
04 Practice What You Preach
05 Time For A Decision
06 Let Me Be Your Friend
07 The Crazy Ones Want Me
08 Worse Before It Gets Better
09 I Can’t Cry
10 Dangerous Age
11 Don’t Think About Her When You’re Trying To Drive
12 Hello Josephine
Incredible Pack - Time For Decisions (12 Vinyl Album)
OSR008
Regular price €19,90When three rock icons get together, whose past reads like a who's who of the German music scene, and who then devote themselves to blues rock, you can expect an "incredible package". In 2017, a power trio was formed with guitar genius Andreas Schmid-Martelle, the "German Pope of drumming" (US Drummer Magazine) Manni von Bohr and the bassman with international stature, Ufo Walter, whose music comes out of the speakers "straight and tough". and lives up to the band name: "Incredible Pack". "Andreas, Ufo and I have been on the German scene with various bands for a long time and know what we want to play. We're a real, honest power trio, letting the fresh rock 'n' roll wind blow into the somewhat worn-out pop and rock scene in Germany,” Manni explains the band's intentions. And Andreas adds, "Our music is 90 percent rock 'n' roll, 5 percent blues and 5 percent funk". After their first album "Packed in Blue" (2020), which could best be described as blues rock made in Texas, on the follow-up "Time For Decisions" (December 3, 2021) they again show a Texan-influenced blues rock, which is a successful liaison with classic/hard rock. During the period without events, the guys decided to be creative rather than mope and are now releasing a second album. Stylistically, the "Incredible Pack" continues its powerful line on "Time For Desicions" and Martelle, with the right sensitivity in songwriting, manages to create pieces with a high recognition value. He successfully mixes several styles of music in individual songs without apparent breaks in the pieces. For example, the initially hard-rocking “Hot Shot”, in which Martelle sets out on the path to rather hard Texan blues rock with a guitar solo that also goes with ZZ Top. The stylistic diversity is made possible by two masters of their trade, the two rock veterans, Manni von Bohr and Ufo Walter, who form a rhythm section that provides a full and downright driving sound basis. In addition, Martelle's versatile guitar playing, who repeatedly intersperses fine solos in addition to the rhythm work. "We play music for ears, brains and legs, with catchy, energetic songs that are neither flat nor unimaginative," explains Manni. Analogies to blues greats are sometimes recognizable in the songs, in that melodies or solos are cleverly built into the band's own song structure in a slightly modified way, so that the slightly ballad-like "Let Me Be Your Friend" reminds Jimi Hendrix fans of "Little Wing". can. In a way, it is a journey through time through the world of rather harder blues rock, which also includes grooving numbers like "Sleeping With The Lights On", which Dr. Feelgood would have looked good sets a good example. Or the heavy “Disbelieve”, in which the vocals already lean towards Lemmy in the chorus; although Martelle's multifaceted voice is a tad softer. With "Don't Think About Her When You're Trying To Drive" and "Hello Josephine" there are two bonus tracks on the CD, which are not to be seen as fillers in terms of quality, because there is simply more space on a CD than on a vinyl album . "Time For Decisions" is a self-contained complete work that also appeals to die-hard blues fans with a fine hand in songwriting and the compilation of the songs. The old guard of German rock shows that they are far from being old-fashioned, but are still bursting with energy. And that energy is soon to be found live on stage with a packed setlist from both albums. "We haven't been able to tour yet and we haven't played a concert with this line-up yet. But we're really excited to play the program live and the audience can expect a full load of 'Rock 'n' Roll right in yer face',” says Martelle enthusiastically. With "Time For Decisions" the Incredible Pack made a good decision for themselves and all blues and rock fans - an invitation to really let off steam. (Text: Gernot Mangold/Merle Lotz)
Side A
01 Sleeping With The Lights On
02 Hotshot
03 Disbelieve
04 Practice What You Preach
05 Time For A Decision
Side B
01 Let Me Be Your Friend
02 Worse Before It Gets Better
03 I Can't Cry
04 Dangerous Age
05 Don't Think About Her When You're Trying To Drive