At the beginning of June "Stranger Fruit" is the brand new 16 song studio album of the rock sensation "Zeal & Ardor"! Mixing blues, gospel and soul with hard music opened up a world full of possibilities for Manuel Gagneux alias Zeal & Ardor. Originally intended as a one-man experiment, the immense interest and praise of the critics for Zeal & Ardor and the debut album Devil Is Fine ensured that the project grew into a full-fledged and internationally touring band. After months of isolation to work on new songs for Stranger Fruit, Gagneux went to the studio with producer Zebo Adam and mixer Kurt Ballou (Converge, Kvelertak, Nails). Although the finished sound is bigger and more powerful than its predecessor, it still sounds unmistakably Zeal & Ardor. The multifaceted yet closed nature of the 16 songs on Stranger Fruit aims to encourage the listeners to dig a little deeper and to find a very personal meaning in their words. In contrast to the first album, these songs deliberately aim to play each other off lyrically and musically. Although the work foams with rage, it has the deeper intention to unite, not to divide. And it wants to call for action rather than inertia. Elements of dark melancholy are softened by hope. On the surface, the album tells small, stand-alone stories. In the depths, however, references to Goetia, Yoruba and obscure occult literature, as well as their history, are also hidden. Including the singles "Gravedigger?s Chant" and "Waste".
