July 2024 Isle of the Cross is a US based progressive metal band led by Je Schneider, they are releasing their sophomore album called “Faustus the Musical” which is a metal opera based on the epic 16th century saga “Doctor Faustus” by Christopher Marlowe. Engaging compositions and a strong vocal delivery by the cast featuring Daniël de Jongh as the lead vocalist, sends the listener on an exciting journey.
From the symphonic to the brutal, the entirety of the album is impeccably mixed and mastered by the renowned Joost van den Broek.
Their sound could be easily described as engaging, unique, melodic, cinematic and strong at the same time. Je Schneider is the mastermind of this project but the line up is complete with musicians like Eric Gilette, Daniel de Jöngh, Diane Lee to name a few with the mixing / mastering by Joost van den Broek.
Since the beginning of their career / their first album the sound of the band has been developed a lot, it’s more mature now with much more emphasis on a more cohesive and better sound than the previous one. The sound of the band is influenced by bands likeTextures, Persefone, Ayreon, Avantasia…and so the sound of this album is recommended for fans of Ayreon, Avantasia, Wilderun. It’s a very solid album but it’s a studio project for which, at the moment, no live shows has been planned supporting the album.
Je Schneider says: “Faustus the Musical is one I’m very excited about. The finished product came out well-polished and solid. It was an honor to feature the wonderful vocals of the cast and have Joost at the helm of the mix. This album is the best representation of Isle of the Cross.”
Tracklist:
Artist: Isle of the Cross
Album Name: Faustus The Musical
Track Titles:
Track 1: Prologue
Track 2: Wittenberg, 1587
Track 3: Metaphysics of Magicians
Track 4: The Divine Apostate
Track 5: Blood Oath
Track 6: Immortal Kiss
Track 7: Coven of Wittenberg
Track 8: Hourglass
Track 9: Ghost at the Feast
Track 10: Dragons Astralis
Track 11: Candlelight Contemplation
Track 12: Eleven’s Hour
Track 13 12:00
Track 14: Epilogue
Album Credits:
Je Schneider: Producer/Composer/Pianist/Instrumentalist/Lyricist/Vocals: Evil Angel/Friars
Eric Gillette: Guitar
Daniel de Jöngh – Lead Vocalist: Faustus
Diane Lee – Vocals: Good Angel
Charles Elliott – Vocals: Lucifer
Matthieu Romarin – Vocals: Mephistopheles
Angela Di Vincenzo – Vocals: Helen
Amrit Sandhu – Vocals: Narrator
Joost van den Broek: Mixing/Mastering Engineer
Theopisti Tiftikoglou: Artist