Ulysses - new album out now !

The music of Ulysses
Ulysses is a melodic symphonic rock band based in Ridderkerk (near Rotterdam), the Netherlands. Their unique brand of rock is composed and arranged collectively by its five members, making Ulysses a band that is very much the sum of its parts.
Ulysses’ strength lies in the diverse musical backgrounds of its members, which provide the music with a warm blend of different styles ranging from sensitive ballads to heavy rock, and from symphonic harmonies to more complex song structures.
The history of Ulysses
Ulysses was formed in December 1998 and after a year the first solid line-up was established. In September 2001 the band entered the studio to record their first four songs. The resulting CD demo was entitled “Eclectic”, derived from the name given to the art form based on the amalgamation of different styles and influences. In March 2003 Ulysses recorded their first full-length album “Symbioses”. Shortly after the release, the band decided to part company with lead vocalist Raymond Jansen. After months of auditions Ulysses found themselves a new singer in Michael Hos in January 2004.
The next chapter of Ulysses
With the arrival of their new vocalist Ulysses’ songwriting began to take a new direction. Michael wanted the material for the new album to have a deeper meaning. He wanted to share his view on how we can live our lives more meaningfully. “Family Portrait” tells us how we can achieve this by simply listening to the stories that people tell. This enables us to create more understanding and compassion in a society of individualism and selfishness.
The tragic story of “Anat” is one such story that Ulysses just had to share. It portrays the ordeal of two young parents who unexpectedly lost their one-year-old daughter Anat to a brain tumour. This fifteen-minute epic tells their story from start to finish. It is a story that teaches us a valuable lesson, as will the other real-life stories featured on Ulysses’ forthcoming album.
Consequently, Ulysses’ new album entitled “The Gift of Tears” is not merely a representation of their musical and lyrical abilities. It tells real stories about real people. This has enabled Ulysses to incorporate real emotions into their compositions.
“Why use fiction when the world already has so many stories to tell?”
For information, please check out the official bandwebsite :
www.ulysses-online.nl