Project: Patchwork: One of the most intriguing projects in contemporary prog rock.
Project: Patchwork - Ultima Ratio
Ultima Ratio is an album from the band Project: Patchwork and this is a project of Gerd Albers working together with multiple musicians to achieve his vision. Ulitma Ratio is the third album, and the debut Tales From A Hidden Dream came in 2015, and three years later Re|Flection was released.
What started as pastime fun by Gerd Albers 10 or so years ago under the nonchalant name of Project Patchwork, has become one of the most intriguing projects in contemporary prog rock. Featuring a whole armada of guest vocalists and musicians, recruited from cream of the crop bands like Mystery, Subsignal, SSTTGD, Flaming Row, Cosmos, Pink Cream 69, Jossi Sassi Band and with the help from Martin Schnella at engineering and mastering, Gerd Albers and Peter Koll provide a dark themed album, without commiting a much needed glim of light.
Ultima Ratio a retrospection in the year 2020 – a cruel year due to the Covid 19 pandemic. We are currently in late winter of 2022 and it´s still not over yet! We are in the middle of the 5th wave now, with very high case rates – higher than ever before! This album and it´s textual concept is not designed for discussing the existence of the virus or the pandemic, it´s an attempt to describe the social results of the long-time lockdown situation and other measures – in Germany and worldwide. And the question is, if this ultima ratio solution is proportional to the consequences of these policies, and if they possibly are more serious and wearing than ever expected?
Tracklist:
1. Ultima Ratio pt. I – Prologue (03:42)
2. New Normality (08:55)
3. Weeks Of Sorrow (06:25)
4. Code Red (06:11)
5. Hope (02:37)
6. Dead-End Street (08:28)
7. Depressed Sentiments (06:17)
8. Keepers Of The Fire (12:46)
9. Ultima Ratio pt. II – Epilogue (02:48)
Line-up:
Lars Köhler (SSTTGD) – vocals
Arno Menses (Subsignal) – vocals
Miriam Kraft – vocals
Olaf Kobbe – vocals
Anne Trautmann (SSTTGD) – vocals
Jean Pageau (Mystery) – vocals, flutes
Gerd Albers – ac. & el.guitars, drums, percussions, backing vocals
Matthias Bangert – bass
Johannes Pott – drums
Marek Arnold (SSTTGD, Cyril, Flaming Row) – keyboards
Daniel Eggenberger (Cosmos) – keyboards
Volker Wichmann – keyboards
With
Ben Azar – lead guitars
Martin Schnella (Flaming Row) – lead guitars
Marco Wriedt – lead guitars
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