Just like NEKTAR, this German-based ensemble comprised Englishmen who played heavy prog and aligned themselves with Krautrock, yet JANUS issued but a single album back in the ’70s, titled “Gravedigger” and considered a cult classic. Not that the band were too happy about what they recorded, always stating it didn’t fully reflect the original vision, and the thought of reinventing the platter had been lurking in the collective’s mind ever since they returned to action in 1989, a quarter-century after the group’s break-up, to serve up a few more entries into their discography. Eventually, the veterans got to it in 2024, with the result called “Gravedigger: Hybrid” slated to appear on February 28th.
Quite timely, one must say, because on December 25th, 2024 drummer Keith Bonthrone passed away, and now this release, driven by guitarist Colin Orr, is to become a tribute to him. It’s not a mere remaster or remix of the old album (those were done in 2012); it’s a rebuilding of familiar tracks from the old analogue tapes, with a lot of the instrumentation removed and some parts constructed anew and enhanced with fresh layers. More so, it goes further than the 1972 tracklist, as there are different versions of numbers from the ensemble’s ’90s longplays – such as the epic “Agnus Dei” from “Out Of Time” – added in to create an alternative context. Das ist fantastisch!
Gravedigger: Hybrid
1. Gravedigger
2. Suma Manatilly
3. Bubbles
4. Red Sun
5. Watcha’ Trying To Do
6. I Wanna Scream
7. I Don’t Believe You
8. I’m Moving On
9. Cash Machine
10. Great Uncle Joe
11. Agnus Dei II
12. Midnight In My Soul
13. Desolation
14. Old Friends
