Moving from Ohio to Bavaria’s countryside? That’s not the typical route for a rock band to go. Simeon Soul Charger, however, went down that road – courageously and
successfully. The band’s third album, A Trick of Light, now impressively shows that these four Americans do not think much of conventional approaches altogether. Simeon Soul Charger have experienced quite some things since their inception in 2008. First there was the rather unusual decision to relocate the entire band from the
members’ native Akron, Ohio to placid Bavaria, Germany. This step was quickly followed by the two critically acclaimed albums Meet Me in the Afterlife and Harmony Square as well as various tours and countless
live shows. That degree of Simeon Soul Charger’s unconventional versatility is beautifully reflected in their music. It is thanks to the band’s approach of always trying to find its own uniqueness that on A Trick of Light Simeon Soul Charger sound more versatile than ever. In terms of the songwriting process the band explored a new approach this time, by working as a collective at all times. The record beautifully combines ingredients such as psychedelic, folk, blues, progressive, glam and stoner
rock with a lot of enthusiasm, musical virtuosity as well as a lyrical concept that seduces the listener to become a part of the fascinating Simeon Soul Charger-shadow-play, where nothing is as it seems.
The final product displays songs that are clearly made up by the raw influences of four individual personalities, artfully crafted into ten massive pieces of rock n’ roll by these virtuoso musicians. During the wild ride that is A Trick of Light the listener is engulfed by a hypnotic atmosphere composed of groovy smoothness, cutting edge energy and a lingering layer of elegant s*xiness. The album’s first single, Heavy, offers a brilliant glimpse into the experience that this explosive mixture establishes. Creativity is vast, the sound is uncompromising – the symbiosis is complete.
A Trick of Light is another gigantic step ahead in the evolution of this band. Ever since the early days, Simeon Soul Charger have received particular acclaim for their impressive live shows, which is a two-edged sword as the members of the band say: “Oftentimes people would say: the record is great, but you HAVE to see them live! We wanted to adjust that.” For the first time ever Simeon Soul Charger have now managed to transfer both the electrifying energy as well as the fascinating excitement of their live shows from the stage to the studio. To do so, the band proved its courage during the recording sessions, as they invited fans and friends to the studio and simply recorded all the songs live. Aiming to show the world what Simeon Soul Charger is capable of, the band has thus managed to endow A Trick of Light with a degree of sophistication in dynamics, courage, creativity, craziness and artistic precision that has never been seen before.
Simeon Soul Charger have not only filled the audiences of fourteen countries on various continents with enthusiasm, but have also found the courage along the way to not make musical compromises – while still aiming to go all the way. A Trick of Light is the product of the combined gutsiness of four talented musicians who dared to declare: if it’s real, it’s good. The band likes to put it this way: “On this album we wanted to be Simeon Soul Charger – louder and clearer than ever before.” One feels the urge to tell them: mission accomplished!
