Jono - the band

SILENCE (2015)	REQUIEM (2013)
GRANDE ROCK (…) Just imagine symphonic rock, with progressive, AOR and classic rock elements along with theatrical & pomp sensibilities. I know it sounds rather promising but believe me the final outcome is even more enthralling than any description (…) Aside from the great performances, the songwriting is consistent, creative and artistic in any way. It’s not that easy to find such great music in our time; music that has something of the charm that mostly rock albums in the 70s/80s had! All in all, “Silence” is a splendid album… among the top rock albums of 2015! 9 of 10! ARTISTS AND BANDS (IT) "(...) melodic and harmonious, never predictable, with a final high emotional impact. (...) 'Your Bread' seems prog metal but then reveals a formula that captures the epic power metal, mixing speed, Kansas-like powerful melodies and vocal harmonies (...), all together in a unique choral breath. These guys force me to revisit all the certainties gained as music journalist, in almost 30 years.(...) 100 of 100! ROCK & PROG (ARG) "(...) With a sublime production now they present to us "Silence”. (…)They demonstrate their love of rock '70s, especially the bombastic kind as Queen, Aviary or City Boy, but also with current music. With the new album the band has a more fierce and progressive side, clear examples are "Man Of Misery" with it’s devilish riff, the epic "Can We Make It", the speedy "You Bread" and "Clear" - with some instrumental passages near Dream Theater. (…) In "Opus", the Pomp rock lives on a suite of seven minutes that could fit into any of the early Queen albums. (…) Jono is an independent band incredibly still not signed (…), but (they) demonstrate that you can do very worthy things without a company backup. Having great songs is what really matters. "Silence" is a (…)strong candidate for album of the year." 9/10. Review: Diego Gonzalez GLORY DAZE (U.K) "I'll start by saying this album has barely been out of the CD player or off the IPod since getting my mitts on this little beauty a few weeks back. The whole album oozes class and is crammed full of ideas, lavish, inventive arrangements and top notch playing. (...) Throughout, the production of the album is big and fat befitting of the music contained within. (...) A little early in the year to say so, but this album will take some beating if it's not to make my top spot....... Pomp Rock lives! Run for the hills!" HISTOZIC (FR) The cover is beautiful with, a booklet on glossy paper with beautiful pictures of the band during the recording (…). The group of the island of Gotland has truly established their style and there is an ultimate perfection in the compositions and melodies. The production is perfect and the musicians are all impressive. (…) The singer Johan Norrby carries an impressive vocal performance (…) You really feel that Jono is the most solid group. They (…) perform faultlessly with this second album that proves different, but just as fantastic as "Requiem" . A Must! VENUE MUSIC (DE) "The sound can be classified as a progressive mix of Queen, Supertramp, Kansas and Journey. (...). Last year they released "Silence", which has this refreshing obliqueness that got me settled right after embarking the orchestra bustle inthe first song of the album, "Man of Misery". 10/10 points. ROCKNYTT (SE) ”(…) Vi kan skippa det där "låter som" en gång för alla nu. Jono låter som Jono och ingen annan låter som Jono.(…) Det är pompöst, svulstigt och bitvis stompigt utan att för den skull bli vulgärt.(…) Ett gäng musiker som enligt mig är i världsklass. (…)Detta är ett nästintill fulländat mästerverk som dessutom innehåller årets hittills bästa låt, alla kategorier, nämligen "Wasting Time". Betyg: 10/10 Av: Kenneth Gustavsson för Rocknytt. LÄS MER/READ MORE STREETCLIP (DE) "(-...) Do you love highly theatrical melodic lines that stick to the lips of Freddie Mercury? The madness of John Miles? Beautiful guitar solos as once Brian May? (…) - Yes? Then, here’s your album of the year! Feel free to fly away with JONO and their heavenly resilient melodies. (…) Elated, graceful, fast, gracefully, sweet and charming. Ohooooou. JONO." 8,5/10. READ MORE 0DAYROX "(...) I could mention all tracks on "Silence" as highlights, because this record is pure gold. Yes, it's close to perfection. Even the cover artwork is magnificent. JONO is the real deal, the most talented Rock band emerged in the last fifteen years (and more). Like I said in the previous album review, get this album at any price. " READ MORE ROCK GARAGE (GE) "(…) A truly masterful album. (… We) can only applaud and congratulate a performance that only a few combos manage nowadays. JONO preserve their identity and are welcome to be called unique. (…) JONO is a rare species in today's music world: a band that does not try to copy and thus to succeed. (…) "Silence" is full of self-confidence and great musicality – here music is art again!" 10 out of 10! ROCKMELODICO.COM (ES) A great album (…) absolutely recommended for all lovers of progressive rock, hard rock, AOR and all its derivatives, with an extraordinary voice of Johan Norrby. (Silence is …) to be considered one of the albums of the year. READ MORE (in spanish/en espanol). FIREWORKS MAG. (UK) Issue #74 “With its rich, effective blend of muscle and melody and a big, luxurious production befitting such bombastic music, this is an album very much for today. (…) All in all a tremendous album, not an "easy listen” in any means but one that demands repeated plays to discover all the deep underlying nuances contained within; definitely one of the most intriguing releases of these past twelve months.” ARTROCK.SE " (...) ett band med egen identitet, inte minst för vokalisten Johan Norrby som sjunger minst lika bra live. In my life - en sådan där glädjespridare är naturligtvis en låt som alla behöver. okej om någon som hört Bohemian Rhapsody så är spåret Opus definitivt att rekommendera.(…)Låt fantasin flöda och vi har Jono!" 9/10 Conny Myrberg, Artrock.se PROGCRITIQUE (FR) "... light, epic and a with stunning lyricism, reminding in many aspect of the band Queen (...).The music is symphonic, such as in Man of Misery, Wasting Time and Can We Make It (...). Turn Around is a very pretty ballad, where JONO approaches the side of pop music, not bad at all. Your Bread, The One to Blame with its catchy choruses and Clear - which skillfully combines the hard and progressive rock. 4,5 of 5! Progcritique.com POWERPLAY MAG. (U.K) "Ten dynamic rock songs, blending all of the usual Jono traits, rich arrangements, catchy melodies and an overwhelming sense that you're listening to a rock musical in the theatre. (...) It all adds up to a very interesting mix. If you like your music with a theatrical flourish, then this is worth checking out." 8/10 points. Issue #181, Nov 2015. DMB (SE) "Silence" är som sagt fylld med bra låtar (...). Jono är ett mycket kompetent band med grymma musiker (...). Som helhet är "Silence" ett strå vassare än debuten med lite bättre låtmaterial och lite bättre produktion. Detta är helt klart en platta att kolla in. 9/10 poäng. Den Melodiösa Bloggen/Henrik Wahlberg. Melodic Rock (IT) ”(…) a Swedish quintet of great talent, offering a sound similar to masters such as Kansas, Queen, Toto (…), with a very personal mixed style, with delicate textures, melodic prog, hard rock and pomp. The debut album "Requiem" of 2013 was a surprise for the magazines in music industry - and this album keeps the bar very high. (…) A delight for the listeners of melodic rock.” - Melodicrock.it MLWZ (PL) "Epic elements are present in the music at every step: from complex arrangements by multi-store vocal harmonies, to the incredibly pompous tone of all (!) tracks on the disc. And its catchy melodies is probably actually the strongest part of Jono's music. Just listen to this album for two-three times, I could easily hum the melodies of each song. (…) I have to admit that the album "Silence" is one of the most pleasant surprises of this year. (…) I liked it from the first, and I loved it from the second listening. A good start of the week is a morning listen to the energetic, extremely positively tuned Jono music. With this music in your ears you want to live!" DISCOVER PANDORA'S BOX (ES) “Their music is epic, with a retro flavor, but electrifying vivid. (…) Silence is the essence of what this group is capable of creating: elegant arrangements, great showmanship, fluid instrumentation and powerful sound – each of these element lifting the music to new heights. Very well structured, lovely vocals and catchy tunes, which is carried by a band of frontline musicians (…). Epic, symphonic, progressive rock, accompanied by graceful melodies builds a fantastic thrill to the listener – this is a true classic of the future. (…) Strongly recommended. 9,5 of 10 points!” ROCK HARD MAGAZINE (GE) Singer Johan Norrby is not silent, but very powerful! With Silence, Jono delivers rock with class and strong songs. - 8/10 METAL TEMPLE JONO are rather easy to hook up with. (…) There is a fine measure of diversity, between profound rockers such as "Your Bread" and "In My Life" to the mega powerful moments of Rock truth with "Turn Around" and "Opus". Excellent – 8 out of 10 points. PROGARCHIVES I have been mesmerized by this band's ability to constantly create high quality melodically driven compositions boosted by equally skilled musicianship. (…) it’s some of the quiet moments that make this album a true gem for fans of progressively inclined rock music. I'm talking about tracks like magnificent Clear and the seven minute Opus, which is a multi-suite in the great tradition of Bohemian Rhapsody. It took me quite a few spins in order to uncover the magic behind these two compositions so don't be impatient if you don't happen to enjoy them at first. 4/5. READ MORE. PROGARCHIVES 2 "Silence is good when it's loud, but it may be better in the quiet moments.(...) I've listened to the addictive "The One To Blame" twice a day for a week. Three times on weekends, so I'll put blame on JOhan NOrrby and his/their prog metal anthem surprise.(...) Four stars...Excellent addiction to any progressive rock collection." CDs & FESTIVALs REVIEW (SE) “This album, ladies and gentlemen, is a masterpiece! That’s the only word I can use to describe this record. (…) Jono could have made this a double album and it still wouldn’t have been too much to digest. You know you’re doing something very right when you manage to make an album so full of different musical styles, epic songs and so much music to get into and still make the listener feel like it’s not enough.(…) This album is a clear contender for the Album Of The Year position, hell, it just might be the album of the year. I can’t think of one tiny bit of criticism to add to this review. 10 out of 10! ROCK IN SPAIN (ES) "(...) with this launch Jono have succeeded in entering the Mount Olympus of the best rock bands of the old continent. (...) The album is very well balanced and includes links to various musical genres. (...) This is not a tribute band of Queen or other artists mentioned, but a group that continues to strive for making music in these genres. (...)Highly recommended! TUTTO ROCK (IT) "(...) and every song is a little gem of rare beauty. (...) Excellent work, elegant from all points of views. Jono really deserve all your attention." 9/10 points	CLASSIC ROCK AOR (U.K) "Pomp rock par excellence, it's a little surprise that Requiem is the brainchild of a team of crack Swedish musicians with creativity and talent to burn..." 9 out of 10!." (SIMON RUSWORTH, Classic Rock AOR.) READ MORE AOR UNDERGROUND/ POWERPLAY MAGAZINE (U.K) "I'm talking about the wonderful band Jono and their "Requiem" album. This is one for all the Queen, Muse, Sparks, Kansas and Lostalone fans. It's a delicious blend of Prog and AOR and is a contender for the best Independent album of the year. Do yourself a favour and pick this up." (ROB EVANS, Classic Rock etc.) READ MORE AOR UNDERGROUND (U.K) " THE BEST NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR - JONO "By releasing one of the most eclectic and overblown albums of last year, the marvelous Jono have secured this little accolade. A brilliant mix of Muse, Sparks, Queen and Lostalone pushed this album to the forefront. Having heard a couple of new songs recently, their future looks assured." (ROB EVANS, Classic Rock etc.) READ MORE GET READY TO ROCK ME (U.K.) #4 ALBUM OF THE YEAR - ”Don’t let this gem slip the net. If you like Queen, Muse and Cheap Trick you will love this album, pomp meets pop rock perfection. (Jason Richie, Editor) READ MORE PROGRESSOR ”(…) it is an extremely well made production of the kind that easily merits a description as fairly sophisticated and accessible hard rock.(...) Queen and Freddie Mercury are names that come naturally as far as associations go. I suspect the greater majority of fans of those will highly enjoy this album, as will those who know how to appreciate well made, melodic and catchy sophisticated hard rock in general.” READ MORE THE MIDLAND ROCKS "8 OUT OF 10 (...) They share the obsessive’s ear for fine textural detail, creating meticulously crafted music with a crisp, clear sound. " READ MORE MELODIC NET "I present to you one of the nicest and warmest surprises to come from a Swedish band in quite some time, at least for those of you who are into soft AOR. (…)This album oozes of professionalism and has many influences from QUEEN and SPARKS, as well as Dutch pride VALENSIA. This includes the grandness in the arrangements and highly impressive harmony vocals " READ MORE ÜBERROCK (U.K.) "(…)We have an album full of preposterously camped-up, theatrical rock, tempered now and then by some finely tuned AOR sensibilities. If I also tell you that at various points I thought of Freddie Mercury and Queen, Abba, Muse and Sparks, you should be in no doubt about the musical terrain over which Jono prance and stomp. (…)Requiem is a very competently crafted and delivered set of tracks. " READ MORE METALLIVILLE (U.K.) 10 out of 10. "A five man Rock band from Gotland, Sweden who have a quirky kinda style that remind me of Sparks, Mika & Queen and many others including Supertramp and dare I say it, The Darkness. (...) Within Temptation’ is a strong element in this band since Stefan Helleblad is their guitarist too with drummer Nicka Hellenberg taking care of their album ‘The Unforgiving’. Lead Vocalist & Keyboardist, Johan Norrby has a real Freddie Mercury flavour to his voice that has a real syrupy richness too.(...) Friggin’ Outstanding!" READ MORE ROCKNYTT.NET "..jag kan inte skatta mig lycklig nog över att få ha hört detta album som förmodligen skulle ha gått alla förbi i dagens taskiga musikklimat!(...) Det är lätt att konstatera att för att kunna skriva och framföra denna typ av musik krävs det kompetens och mod. (...) Detta är ett band som gör vad de vill för att de kan.(...) Det är så infernaliskt bra så om det så är det sista man hör i detta jordelivet så knallar man i alla fall vidare med ett fett nöjt leende!" BETYG 9 AV 10! READ MORE ARTISTS & BANDS (IT) " ..Requiem is an outstanding job, bombastic, symphonic and very melodic.(…) Requiem has a thousand influences, lots of references, but the band knows how to be very original and self-confident. 88/100." READ MORE SWEDEN ROCK MAGAZINE " ... One of the coolest Swedish news for a long time is a fact (...) Already in the first song, 'I was the one' You start to realize that this is something extra (...). 8 of 10 points." READ MORE ROCK AND PROG (Argentina) "IWhat a surprise (...) this band ,originally from Sweden, with their album "Requiem" that lead me to think of Queen, Toto, Kansas (...) In short, it's a debut that is priceless" READ MORE 0DAYROX "I am in ecstasy. This is the trance-like state you'll be into after listening (...) Seriously, get this album at any price. Absolutely Essential." READ MORE NEH Records "Requiem" is a perfect mix of melodic progressive rock, melodic rock and elaborated rock & pop delivered with a freshness and originality rarely seen in the music business of today. " READ MORE BACKGROUND MUSIC, NL "The nine songs on Requiem display a fine combination of progressive rock, rock and pop. All of them are very much worth listening to and are sometimes related to the music which bands such as Supertramp, Toto, The Sparks and Muse have released on their albums " READ MORE ARLEQUINS.IT (ITALY) "I really liked the album (...), it is undeniable that the attention to detail, the sounds, the arrangements they make creates a product written with passion and assembled with skills." READ MORE HISTOZIC (FRANCE) "If I say, "Watch out! Masterpiece! maybe you will take the time to read this column? Jono is a Swedish band that offers a very cleverly mix of progressive rock influences. A group that will, in my humble opinion, know a resounding success! (...) The only complaint is that it only lasts 40 minutes. For the rest, "Requiem" is a total success" READ MORE DISCOVER PANDORA's BOX (SP) ("(...) beauty, with sweeping arrangements perfectly blended into a product of, again, great quality. A quality not only demonstrated by the musicians, but the undeniable imagination and careful work on the details (...). We are facied with fresh rock, optimistic, direct, natural and immediate." READ MORE DUTCH PROGRESSIVE ROCK (”After three spins you can sing along with every song. Melodic pop based songs (…) with catchy choruses and plenty of bombast, vocal harmonies, choirs, orchestral arrangements, a sometimes high pitched, powerful voice(…).This truly is a fine album. As said not proggy at all, but absolutely recommended to everyone interested in fine, melodic, powerful classic rock. I won't grade this album officially here, but if this was a website dedicated to melodic pop and rock it surely would have received an 8 (…) of 10.” READ MORE ARTROCK.SE "(…) när slagdängan The flyer avrundar kvällen är jag och den mycket Sagakunniga pustervikspubliken de första att svära på att vi är på plats även nästa gång gruppen gästar våra breddgrader. Och då får gärna finfina Jono från Gotland uppträda som förband igen. För där har vi en grupp som förstått hur man tar intryck från ovan nämnda band utan att försöka apa efter." (Jukka Paananen, recension av livekonsert Saga + Jono, Pustervik, Göteborg 2 maj 2015 LÄS MER
LIVE REVIEWS Jono + GotlandsMusiken Visby Oct 2015 "I've experienced a lot of music, but nothing - absolutely nothing - is even close to this! I had goosebumps from the first second of the concert to the last two hours later (...). 10/10." Kenneth Gustafsson, Rocknytt Pustervik, Gothenburg (opening act for Saga) "(...) We’d love to see excellent Jono as opening act (for SAGA) again. Here's a band who knows how to be influenced without copying (…)" Jukka Paananen, Artrock

METAL IMPACT (FR)

AOR HEAVEN (GE)

ROCK AND PROG (Argentina)