Acclaimed Dutch progressive rock band Focus has released a new album titled 8.5 (Beyond The Horizon)
Focus became popular with a series of popular songs and instrumentals that crossed over into the mainstream: “Hocus Pocus”, “Sylvia” and “House Of The King”. After the reunion of Focus and the release of the Focus 8 album, the band toured the world and was introduced to new musical styles and influences such as jazz and Afro-Brazilian music. The line-up on this album includes Thijs Van Leer, Pierre Van Der Linden, Bobby Jacobs and Jan Dum E.
The sessions for the album were all recorded in between South American tour commitments during 2005, and every track is a previously unreleased composition by the members of Focus or producer Marvio Ciribelli.
The album features all-star Brazilian musicians including Arthur Maia and Mario Seve.