For those not in the know, Markus Reuter is a German composer who has earned critical acclaim throughout Europe and America for his work as a composer, guitar player, guitar designer, sound designer, producer and teacher.

Well, the über-innovative guitar maestro Reuter seizes the reigns on this just-released, and groundbreaking trio effort Truce 2, on which also features both Fabio Trentini and Asaf Sirkis.

MoonJune Records’ historic 100th release, which just so happened to be Reuter’s Truce (released early 2020), featured a full-frontal aural assault from the trio in as much as the album brought forth some prominent, and textural wizardry and melodic flair; but most strikingly some rather bone-crushing touch guitar playing came along for the ride too!

Ergo, the just-released Truce 2 is now the 120th release on MoonJune Records, their first release in 2022, and a very special album for the NYC-based independent label.

1. The Rake [08:42]
2. Rounds of Love [05:59]
3. Barren [05:14]
4. Melomania [10:09]
5. Consolation [07:13]
6. River of Things [04:28]
7. One Cut Suffices [08:13]

Once again ably supported by the fiery, inspired rhythms of the aforementioned ace veteran timekeeper Asaf Sirkis, and renowned Italian bass phenomenon and producer Fabio Trentini, the trio ventures through a mélange of exotic sonic fare which pushes the boundaries of the traditional power trio well beyond established norms.

The album opens with The Rake, where a drum-tastic assault soon gives way to, and subsequently bleeds into, some funky bass lines and from then on in a crescendo of rhythmically pounding guitars are synced and layered in to perfection and then comes the hauntingly ethereal, prowling guitar and percussional work of Rounds of Love, the spatial one minute, fully-charged the next, electronic twists and turns of Barren, and then a 10 minute, excitable and fervent, stoic and calculating Melomania is brought forth.

Next up, Consolation opens with some gentle drum and synth work before guiding itself into a more mid-tempo rock work, culminating in a towering opus fit for the Prog Gods themselves to welcome as one of their own, and that is followed by the intangibly translucent, experimentally-layered ambiance of River of Things, the album coming to a close on the orchestrally-imbibed, immensely multi-dimensional and genre-crossing One Cut Suffices.

MARKUS REUTER: touch guitars AU8, soundscapes, synthesizers, treatments
FABIO TRENTINI: fretless bass, fretted bass, electric upright bass, synth bass
ASAF SIRKIS: acoustic drums, percussion
STEFANO CASTAGNA: recording engineer, editing, additional production
LEONARDO PAVKOVIC: project initiator, enabler and executive producer

Mark Reuter: A bit over 2 years ago, the first TRUCE album came to us as a big surprise. Upon its release it was an instant success and fan favorite. That was another, most-welcome surprise. Now, two years later, we are about to put out the follow up album, TRUCE 2.

The time between these two recording sessions is where things got interesting. No need to explain about the practical impact the pandemic had on us. Cancelled concerts, cancelled recordings sessions, etc. Things had turned out quite differently from what we had in mind for the band.

But anyway, as we were playing the first few takes in the studio in July 2021, we quickly realized that playing like on the first album just didn’t work. This was suddenly a new band that was like a stranger to us. Yes, we’re the same people, but it felt like there were new souls in our bodies.

The self-reflection and the emotional rollercoaster had left an imprint in our souls, and it is reflected in the music for me. There simply was a different story to tell this time… And we had to discover that story as we went along.

Fortunately, I can totally rely on my allies, and it didn’t take long to find renewed energy and interconnectedness that made us create a wonderful set of instant composition that excites us. It’s a reminder of the power of music.

Fabio Trentini plays basses, Asaf Sirkis plays the drums, and I play Touch Guitar and electronics. The setup was similar to the first album’s recording, but this time Fabio had 3 basses with him: The Wal fretless bass that he had use with us before, but also a fretted 5-string bass, and an electric upright bass.

We were recording at Ritmo&Blu studios in the north of Italy, with engineer and co-producer Stefano Castagna, who became very important in the post-production process. And then there was Leonardo Pavkovic, who inspired us with his proverbial enthusiasm, encouragement, optimism and smiles.

The album was recorded over 2 days, with a third day that was reserved for overdubs and repairs. Fabio and I then met once again with Stefano a few weeks later, to mix and master the album in just a few days. A major change for us, considering that the previous TRUCE album was recorded in one afternoon with virtually no overdubs!

Official Purchase Link

www.MarkusReuter.com