 Ever since the hallowed days of Jimi Hendrix, classic rock music has thrived on its protagonists' virtuosity. Among the pre-eminent present-day exponents are Errorhead, the quartet led by guitarist Marcus Nepomuc Deml, one of the best instrumentalists in Europe. Errorhead has existed in various guises since 1998. "Organic Pill" is the first studio album to be cut by the line-up which has been playing together for around two years now, with bassist Frank Itt, drummer Athanasios "Zacky" Tsoukas and singer Andrew Gräser accompanying Marcus Deml. In contrast to the first albums with Errorhead, which saw Marcus Deml experimenting with techno elements or incorporating world music influences, the new album is firmly rooted in blues and rock. It is an archetypal guitar rock album built equally on the band's brilliantly tight musicianship and the strength of the twelve songs, a third of which are purely instrumental. Marcus Deml's eclectic guitar style stems from a roving past in which the cosmopolitan musician spent several years in the USA, where he made a name for himself and achieved broad recognition.
Prague-born Deml grew up in Germany, where he founded his first band (Quest) at the tender age of 16. After completing his schooling he moved to the USA, studying at the Guitar Institute of Technology in Los Angeles alongside luminaries such as Larry Carlton, Scott Henderson and Paul Gilbert. Just two years later he was already teaching at the Institute himself and playing as a tour and session guitarist in California, including work on projects by Carmine Appice and Randy Jackson. After five years his residence permit expired and he returned to Europe. In 1993 he teamed up with keyboard player Ralf Hildenbeutel to set up the ambient-meets-guitar project Earth Nation, which a year later caused a stir at the Montreux Jazz Festival. In the following years, Deml evolved into a sought-after session and live musician. He now has over 300 sessions to his name – including work for Kingdom Come, Nena, Rick Astley, Snap and Laith Al-Deen. He has also toured with Saga, the Rödelheim Hartreim Projekt and Simon Collins, to name but a few. To date, he has released three studio albums with Errorhead – the last being the awesome "Modern Hippie" (2008) – plus a live album and a concert DVD. He has also lived out his passion for jazz rock in the Electric Outlet project. He is presently focused exclusively on Errorhead, however, who are now releasing their first album for the Rock The Earth label.
"Organic Pill" is a monster of an album boasting a massive sound. The powerful opener, "Let Me Get Down", is pure funk rock of the finest pedigree, writhing and straining at the leash somewhere between Mother's Finest and Lenny Kravitz. "I'm Just Existing" is a smouldering storm of blues rock that just explodes into life, raining down wondrous guitar riffs. In contrast, "One Of These Days" rushes along like a high-speed train: Driven by Zacky's staccato drums, this textbook rock song sees Deml demonstrating a perfect balance between efficiency and effects. Whatever the tempo, Errorhead are equally at home – from soulful blues rock à la "Big Heart" through the flying sparks of "Fool In Love" to the breathless "Be Yourself". The classic rock songs are complemented by fanciful, elegiac instrumentals such as "Organic Pill" "Irish Kids" and "Mr. Gonzales" – all sublime studies in the art of well-tempered electric guitar playing. These intricate pieces clearly reveal Deml as a master of his craft who is able to coax truly magical vibes out of the Fender Stratocaster – his declared guitar of choice.
It was this mastery that secured him the "Guitar Hero Award" from the American magazine "Guitar Player" some years ago. The award was duly presented to Deml by Steve Lukather and Joe Satriani in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland.
The critics in our climes are generally more reserved. "Absolutely world class" enthused Guitar Magazin, while the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung wrote: "they took the entire audience's breath away".
Thrills galore are in store for classic rock fans when Errorhead's spring tour gets underway. Musicians blessed with the virtuosity of Marcus Deml and his band can surely be counted on to revisit their legendary Jimi Hendrix medley, alongside the new songs from "Organic Pill". Rock on, Errorhead!
© 2012 RTE |