Album Notes

What can happen to people who lose their identity in the face of their fanatic belief in a divine authority? People who do not base their decisions on themselves and their conscience but on their belief in a god and who – by doing so – do not take any responsibility for their actions as they think they can delegate this to their god – no matter whether their actions are positive or negative?
THE?BOOK deals with the search of a person that represents a polarizing and provocative journey without any taboos. In a sense it is a “heavenly” album, but without any harps or celestial choirs – instead it features razor-sharp opinions. In addition, THE?BOOK follows a path that is so extraordinary that it has not been pursued yet, neither lyrically nor musically.
On THE?BOOK lyrics and music blend into one because its author (Thoralf Koss) wrote the story specifically for this album – inspired in part by painful personal experiences. Marek Arnold (Toxic Smile, Flaming Row) has set this story to music accompanied by his band Seven Steps to the Green Door. Because of this constellation it seems essential to release the album as an extensive media book, presenting the entire story in both German and English. One might even suggest that you should read it before your first listening experience to be able to appreciate the album in its totality.
THE?BOOK combines the dark visions of Kafka with a musical versatility so far only realized by Frank Zappa, even if the musical scope ranges from progressive rock to melodic metal, including pop and jazz. Beliefs and reality meet again and again when a man deeply involved in his religious belief finds himself standing in front of various doors whose symbolism he trusts and which he walks through – only to find out that he has been wrong.
A huge musical challenge was to make each door sound different, a challenge the musicians of the band as well as numerous musical guests rose to in great style.
If you open THE?BOOK, read the story and listen to the music you will not be able to escape the intense atmosphere that captivates the listener.
SSTTGD release their third album after nearly 3 years of hard work. Their debut album The Puzzle (2006) already featured a broad array of different kinds of rock music and with it the band managed to walk off with awards in two categories (progressive / experimental) at the renowned German “ Rock & Pop Awards “. The second CD Step In 2 My World presented a noticeably more mature band that did not shy away from catchy hooks but that remained unpredictable and exciting at the same time. The result was an infectious album combining elements of prog/artrock, metal, jazz and crossover which was released worldwide in November 2008 on the well-known American label “progrockrecords”.
THE?BOOK is the band’s (not only musically) most uncompromising piece of music to date and will be released by PPR in autumn 2011. The album features – apart from the musicians of the core band and other long-time musical companions of Marek Arnold – a variety of great guest musicians like the multiply awarded vocal ensemble “sjaella”, “Toxic Smile”- singer Larry B. or “Flaming Row” - frontman Martin Schnella, who has already cooperated with the likes of Yes, Spock’s Beard and Shadow Gallery.
Tracklist:
1. Prologue (A Man And The Book) 2. The Empty Room / The Realization 3. The Crying Child (1st Nail) 4. The Healing Wonder (2nd Nail) 5. The Dividing Water (3rd Nail) 6. The Last Supper (4th Nail) 7. The Eternal Abstinence (5th Nail) 8. The Deadly Crucify (gewidmet Anna Seghers aus Dankbarkeit für “Das siebte Kreuz”) 9. The Green Door – Looking For The Last Solution 10. Epilogue (A Bird And The Book)