Dizzy Mizz Lizzy - Amelia

[introclaus]

I've mentioned this several times by now, but the song keeps kicking me hard. I think this might be the very best song of the last couple of years.
It's progressive (hard) rock with a Rush meets Tool meets Mars Volta meets Beatles vibe to it. Wonderfully crafted.

They finally released a real video (well, it's a 25 minutes long film for this 21 minute long tune), and it's fantastic - super dark and deep.
From what I can gather it's a story about a young girl who has grown up in an abusive household and witnesses her sister (or friend?) commit suicide. All of this triggers her to find comfort in religion, which leads into another abusive relationship, which spins completely out of control ... and then all hell breaks loose ... you have to see it for yourself.

There's a nice cameo in there from Kasper Gram (of Manticora, who's played at ProgPower USA) as a politician.

https://youtu.be/JgNc2D3B0zg

I can't get enough of this song.

[Random Axe]

Despite them being around for a bit, this is totally new to me

Why?

Possibly it's their shit-sucking, dumbfuck name.

Okay, got that out. Otherwise this is some really dark, moody stuff. It's got a somber Mister Mister vibe mixed with Face Value era Phil Collins and some Alter Bridge riffs. This is some powerful music. I'll def need to explore them further.

[introclaus]

Despite them being around for a bit, this is totally new to me

Why?

Possibly it's their shit-sucking, dumbfuck name.

Okay, got that out. Otherwise this is some really dark, moody stuff. It's got a somber Mister Mister vibe mixed with Face Value era Phil Collins and some Alter Bridge riffs. This is some powerful music. I'll def need to explore them further.

Mister Mister and Phil Collins? Wow, I don't hear that, but that's awesome you hear those.
Alter Bridge I honestly don't know at all - not a style of music I spent any time with.

Yes, very powerful music.

Start with their latest album (where "Amelia" is from) titled "Alter Echo". The ballad on that album titled "The Middle" (https://youtu.be/jH_Lh5zYBzg) is to die for!
Then go back to their self titled debut album from '94. That one was the soundtrack to my college years.

I like their name - it's a tribute to the Beatles song of (almost) the same name. The Beatles have always been a huge inspiration on songwriter Tim Christensen, both in Dizzy and in his solo endeavors. Check out https://youtu.be/ZIwnkGySwgg - it is totally Beatles worship (sidenote: we had our at that time 7 year old kid sing this song in church at our wedding 13 years ago).

[Random Axe]

Close your eyes and listen to the first few bars of The Middle. Sounds just like Phil on his Face Value album. I'm def gonna have to get this.

[introclaus]

Close your eyes and listen to the first few bars of The Middle. Sounds just like Phil on his Face Value album. I'm def gonna have to get this.

Haha yeah I don’t hear it. But man, this entire album is incredible.

[RickyRock]

Wow, what a find! Thanks Claus. How about the rest of their material, does it stand up to this incredible album?

[introclaus]

Wow, what a find! Thanks Claus. How about the rest of their material, does it stand up to this incredible album?

This is what I wrote when I placed the album as #12 on my top 100 list of 2020:

12. Dizzy Mizz Lizzy – Alter Echo
Back in the early-to-mid 90’s Dizzy Mizz Lizzy created two albums that would become the soundtrack of my “youth” so to speak (okay my mid-twenties). An incredible mixture of great pop melodies, a touch of alternative rock / grunge, and a heavy slab of Beatles harmonies. The band then disappeared for close to twenty years and this is their second album after the comeback. Much better than 2016’s “Forward in Reverse”, this is a really strong album that has a prog-like backbone (think Rush meets Mars Volta), lots of Beatles’esque harmonies and plenty of melodies. The 5-part epic “Amelia” at the end of Alter Echo is right up there with the best of anything Coheed & Cambria/Fair to Midland/The Dear Hunter/The Mars Volta or any of those kinds of alternative prog bands have done - it’s that good. The ballad “The Middle” is one of the most amazing and emotional ballads I’ve heard in years, (and my son LOVES it too), and the more direct songs on the album like “In the Blood” or “Boy Doom” has some of the modern take on prog rock that you’d find on the last few Rush albums or even on a Mars Volta disc. And, of course, there are the aforementioned Beatles hints all over the album (what else did you expect from a band named after a Beatles tune?). This album is absolutely incredible - I know that many metal fans around the World either don’t know about the band (as it’s one of those bands that were huge in Denmark and Japan ... and nowhere else) or don’t care about them based on either the silly name or the fact that they originally got labeled “grunge-lite”, but seriously, y’all gotta give this a shot, it’s that amazing. My contender for progressive “hard” rock album of the year perhaps? And, vocalist Tim Christensen still has one of the smoothest voices ever even 26 years down the line, while playing some incredible guitar stuff. I could go on for hours about the quality of this album, but I think I will let the music do the talking and just advice you to go check it out for yourself.
https://youtu.be/jH_Lh5zYBzg