(Review from progressor.net, progressiveworld.net)

16 years after their last work with Akkerman, Thijs van Leer re-formed Focus in 2001 with a completely revamped line-up. The result was the 8th album of Focus.

The music brings to the listener not only the familiar, distinctively original, and immediately recognizable spirit of this legend, but also a decent dose of something new, which wasn’t typical for a ‘classic’ Focus. Above all, this concerns the sound of today’s Focus, which, overall, is heavier than ever before, even though there is only one track on the album, the stylistics of which represents a real fusion of classic symphonic art-rock and progressive metal.

The yodelling is right in place for the opening track “Rock & Rio” which illustrates the band’s enthusiasm regarding their South-American tour. And boy does that new guitarist smoke! Over the years, Van Leer has developped a way of playing the flute which is his very own, as if he’s the Hendrix of the flute. It’s exactly that distinctive sound which could make “Tamara’s Move”, the new “Hocus Pocus”; in other words a true classic in the making. As it’s a song written by Jan Dumee, it illustrates how well the “new” Jan is acquainted with the Focus legacy. In fact, sometimes he’s been listening so good that certain new songs get damn close to some “older” Focus material. Take the intro for “Fretless Love”, which sounds very much like “Focus II” from the Moving Waves album.

Based on a rhythmic backbone courtesy of Bobby Jacobs, Thijs van Leer’s stepson, “De Ti O De Mi” once again evolves into pure vintage Focus material once organ and guitar step in, almost sounding like a “Hamburger Concerto” outtake. In a similar way we can approach what is the core of the album, the title track “Focus 8″. Soft jazzy and acoustic guitar touches govern another Dumee composition: “Sto Ces Raditi Zivota” where Van Leer adds both organ and flute in order to give it that distinct Focus flavour. As kind of a tribute to drummer Ruben Van Roon who started the whole re-union idea, a rehearsal take of “Neurotika” is added, which is exactly the kind of song which fuses all of the highlights of the entire Focus career into one ball of renewed Focus energy.

During live gigs Thijs Van Leer introduces the track “Brother” as one of his all-time favourite Focus tracks. Originally sung by P.J. Proby on the Focus Con Proby album, the band has decided to give the song a second chance this time with the flute replacing the vocal passages. In his own “Blizu Tebe”, Jan Dumee illustrates what a great asset to the band he really is. The album closes with a humorous operetta written and conceived in the shower. “Flower Shower” is indeed a funny thing to listen to, maybe hence the wording ‘bonus track’ as indeed it has very little to do with the rest of the album. It nevertheless illustrates the enthusiasm which can be found in this younger version of Focus.

What a wonderful return! The renovated Focus won’t remind you of some of one decrepit progressive dinosaur decided to get back and make money on the wave of a revived interest to progressive rock. Focus bravely stepped into the ‘afterlife’ and immediately took the bull by the horns with their truly hard-edged and highly progressive album “Focus 8″.

Line-up:
- Thijs van Leer / Hammond organ, flute, vocals
- Jan Dumee / guitars, vocals
- Bobby Jacobs / bass
- Bert Smaak / drums
with
- Ruben Van Roon / drums (8)

Track List:
01. Rock & Rio – 3:27
02. Tamara’s Move – 5:17
03. Fretless Love – 6:08
04. Hurkey Turkey – 4:15
05. De Ti O De Mi – 6:30
06. Focus 8 – 6:19
07. Sto Ces Raditi Zivota – 5:26
08. Neurotika (rehearsal take) – 3:47
09. Brother – 5:39
10. Blizu Tebe – 6:38
11. Flower Shower (Bonus) – 5:41

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