Michael van Merwyk - Fight The Darkness (2017) [Official Digital Download]

You can be angry with the injustices of life, complain about them, surrender to them - or you can tell them to fight! Michael van Merwyk has opted for the second variant. With "Fight The Darkness" presents the 2-meter man with the emotional, rough voice his first solo album. And that comes uncompromisingly reduced - a man, a guitar. Everything recorded "live" in the studio. One take per song, no overdubs.

Virtuoso guitar solos and complex structures False - he could, but he does not. "The focus of this album is clearly on the voice and the songs. That's what music is all about for me, "says Rheda-Wiedenbrücker. Van Merwyk tells stories from life. Not more and certainly not less. He knows the eternal ups and downs and speaks from his heart to his blues-affine listeners when he ponders the burdens of everyday life in "Heavy Load" or in the title song "Fight The Darkness" with a powerful voice demands to step out of the darkness into the light. "Fuck you, Mr. Touble", he growls in song number three and he means it too.

Nevertheless, it is not a traditional blues, which van Merwyk for the most part rips down on his resonator guitar sometimes funky, sometimes relaxed. "I call my style 'American Music - Euro Style'," says the musician himself. Americana, folk, singer / songwriter or Blues - van Merwyk does not care about the label. "Leg distortion on it, pick up the tempo and some riffs on the album could also be from Metallica. Some songs could be from Son House, other songs fit into the repertoire of a traditional country band without much change. "

Since 1984, Michael van Merwyk has been successful internationally with numerous projects such as "MvM & Bluesoul", "Dozzler & Merwyk", "Garner & Merwyk" and many other experts in the blues scene. In 2011, he finished with Bluesoul the first place in the German Blues Challenge. This was followed in 2013 as the first European band, a second place at the International Blues Challenge in Memphis / USA, where the quartet with its independent Euro Style prevailed in a field of 124 acts from 16 countries. Also this year, van Merwyk had the honor to be invited by the expert jury to Memphis. In 2016, the jury and the audience made him the best blues singer and best blues guitarist in Germany at the German Blues Awards.

Tracklist:

01. The Well
02. Tell It Like It Is
03. Fuck You, Mr. Trouble
04. Heavy Load
05. Fight the Darkness
06. Just One Lie
07. Coffee
08. Motormouth Baby
09. Diddley Boogie
10. Count Your Blessings
11. The Way You Cook
12. So Endless the Night
13. Every Once in a While
14. If I Die Tomorrow



All thanks go to the original releaser