You can make a lot out of your life, especially if you have talents and you know how to use those talents in the right way. Not everyone who has these talents flaunts them, perhaps because of the notion that this can lead to negative reactions in our country. At the same time, sometimes talent is so undeniable that there is no way around it. In the case of The Bullfight, this has been the case for several albums now. With the new album, Amen Demon, the band and especially guitarist, keyboardist, producer, record executive Thomas van der Vliet outdoes themselves once again. Amen, Demon is a magnificent album.

Amen, Demon turned out to be a double album, with on the one hand the soundtrack to Thomas’ debut novel, The Interview, and on the other hand the score, the musical accompaniment to the story in the book. Now that’s already very nice as a whole, at the same time, if it would have remained at that, it would stand out a bit thin compared to previous releases of the band. Of course, the book that is published at the same time is not just that; not only does the book include the 2 CDs, it also contains art with the care and originality known from The Bullfight as well as from Thomas. Moreover, as we know from the particularly fine Eggs And Marrowbone, the band’s murder ballad album and Some Divine Gift released in 2022, the art contained in it is always extraordinarily tasteful and refined. And to top it all off, there’s gorgeous vinyl!

Those works of art included here again are beautiful. Very fine linocuts, this time by one artist, Hélène Bautista, we find on various pages throughout the book, like beautiful atmospheric drawings. The beauty of it all is that all the pieces fall into place while, above all, you have the idea of enjoying the whole thing. Of course, it is all so conceived and worked out, Thomas and the band are very successful in making you wonder precisely about each separate part, to also admire those different parts separately from each other. The whole creative process behind the album and the book is a world in itself and gives you the feeling of being sucked into a kaleidoscope, while you are still trying to fathom the whole. Don’t think too much, just enjoy it. Because that’s something you can always count on with The Bullfight, every new album is always enjoyable.

Sure, it helps if you are familiar with the band’s world, then you know what to expect in terms of atmosphere and melodies. Even if that’s not the case and you’re getting acquainted with The Bullfight for the first time, then you’re in luck if you like your music to have a dark edge, a melancholic undertone, if you don’t avoid misery in your lyrics, if moodiness is a key word for you and if the band can sound like they’re standing in the dark, an ever stoic bass as a steady partner, a saxophone that colors delicately, small guitar accents, beautiful violin sounds, keys as texture and always, always refined. And damn, how perfectly Nick Verhoeven and Daisy Cools’ voices fit the music again. Connecting seamlessly as if it were the logical thing to do.

So, how do you now go about listening to the album? Will you read the book first? Will you listen to the soundtrack first? Do you listen to the music to the book first? Again, there’s that discovery in there. That’s that other incredibly strong factor that The Bullfight has patented: there’s so much to discover! And that while there are still so many people actually just The Bullfight to discover. If you don’t know them yet, really take your chance now. The question is simply: can it get any more beautiful yet? Mystique. You feel that, you taste that when you start listening to the soundtrack, the actual Amen, Demon. It’s in the production, it’s also in keeping the songs small, in the construction of the songs, in the arrangements and in Daisy’s and Nick’s vocal lines. Of course you can single out songs. If you really want to. You’re not going to read that here. As an album, the songs fit nicely together AND it fits the book perfectly. Go and enjoy it.

Also, attention for the book here. You already read about Hélène Bautista’s wonderful works, that’s not all. The book also includes mention of a movie. The poster for that film is also included. And if that makes you wonder if that’s all: no! The band also approached none other than Dutch singer-songwriter Alex Roeka to voice the book as an audiobook. His voice fits the story perfectly. So that too is a special aspect to discover. A very successful idea, there is no other way to say it and an equally successful execution. A book by Thomas van der Vliet, what will that be like? Yes, let me especially not give away too much in advance about that. The book reads smoothly, you are carried along by Thomas’ fluent writing style and the story, in all its facets, intrigues. How beautiful, how fantastic is that?

Then again, when you consider that the band also made music to accompany the story in the book. And damn, how intriguing that album sounds. The band knows how to build up the tension and you automatically become curious to listen to this live. The bar for new albums has been set pretty high right away with this release. Such creativity all brought together in one release? This part of the music is also accurate and striking and fits the book perfectly.

The ingenuity with which Thomas van der Vliet has not only created his debut novel here, but has also written music to accompany the (audio) book as well as ‘normal’ songs with his band, incorporated art into the release and also managed to bring the whole thing together as an audio book, is already genius. The interconnection between the different parts of the release, you feel it, you read it, you see it, you hear it. Amen, Demon is a musical gem, inseparable from The Interview, at the same time also very good to listen to on its own that once again underlines what class the band stands for. Once again, The Bullfight shows itself to be gifted, expressive and extraordinarily engaging.

It is great that The Bullfight will present the album in an appropriate manner and at beautiful locations (book launch and exhibition of the linocuts at Donner bookstore in Rotterdam on January 6, album release party at Theater Walhalla in Rotterdam on January 13), in keeping with the very beautifully crafted release that characterizes this album. The band and Thomas wholeheartedly deserve that their music and the book receive all the praise they deserve. Simply a top album!