Uli Jon Roth "Sky Of Avalon"

"Sky Of Avalon" (Prologue To The Symphonic Legends) finds German hard rock guitarist Uli Jon Roth moving his musical style and intentions towards the classical style. The project saw it's first light in 1993 when Roth was the musical director for a TV-show called "Symphonic Rock For Europe" in which Uli, together with Brussels Symphony Orchestra, performed his first symphony "Europa Ex Favilla", amongst many other pieces. The music is for the most part, truly symphonic and cinematic, with Roth holding his electric guitar in reserve (when he does bring it out, the results are spectacular), and the album offers operatic moments ("Thunder Bay" with Leonora Gold as lead soprano), instrumental symphonic passages ("Sky Valley"), and soaring vocals (Tommy Heart and Michael Flexig sharing lead duties). The musical style is far from what it Roth is famous for, and and many of his fans will have a hard time coping with this new material. But those open minded listeners who take their time will hopefully find this new material uplifting and fulfilling.