Marek Arnold – Biography
I knew I wanted to be a musician at the tender age of four – so at five the recorder was tormented, and at eight the clarinet. Constant reinterpretations of the old masters suggested early on that I would never make an adaptable orchestral musician – so at fifteen the saxophone, and shortly afterwards self-taught keyboards, widened the musical horizon. The real turning point came with synthesizers and the good old Atari – long nights produced song after song.
Still unsure stylistically, I began a music degree (sax, clarinet, education), which I completed five years later – and in whose very first semester one album drew me into precisely the genre I could devote the least attention to in a saxophone and jazz course: progressive rock. So there was nothing for it but to use the black & white keys to realise my ideas.
A little later I found a prog rock comrade-in-arms in Daniel Zehe – the hour of birth of „Toxic Smile“, the band that gave me the most wondrous (and fullest) moments to date – from a Korean tour (the first album came out on BMG Korea and brought us overwhelming experiences and undreamt-of commotion) to orchestral arrangements. From 2009 the band’s albums appeared on the label „progressive promotion records“ (2009: EP „Overdue visit“, 2011: CD „I`m your saviour“, 2013: CD „7“, 2015 the closing concept album „Farewell“ – one song, one album!), after „M.A.D.“ (BMG Korea, 2001), the CD „RetroTox Forte“ (Famous Kitchen, 2004) and the DVD „in classic extension“ with orchestra and choir (2006). Toxic Smile finally took their leave in April 2018 at the Artrock Festival Reichenbach. The albums are still distributed, partly as re-releases, on my Bandcamp page among others, while stocks last.
Having joined the swing outfit Passage back in about 1998, I slowly found my way into jazz as well (a few years later I even bought my first jazz album!!!) Today Passage is a sought-after live band whose unusual trio line-up covers a wide spectrum of musical styles in its own distinctive acoustic sound.
www.passage-band.de
In the years that followed I stretched out my feelers in many stylistic directions, playing keys in bands from rock to metal and in a duo with the singer Anne Trautmann, as well as sax with sooshee (jazz meets hip hop), TV-Junkies (film music), Coloured Rain (gospel, soul), under the pseudonym Horst in the Horst-Schmidt-Combo and in other bands. At present I also play with Swing Kon.Action (since 2013) and, since 2017, in the literary-musical programmes of „Die Stiehlblüten“ as well as the Beatles project „Three of us“.
From 2007 I worked with the pop/rock project „gabria“ on the debut album „every moment, every minute“, released in 2011. In 2012 the new band project „CYRIL“ grew out of that band; in April 2013 it released its debut – a progressive concept album under the name „gone through years“ – and in 2016 brought out the follow-up „Paralyzed“. The third album „the way through“ appeared in April 2019. CYRIL left project status for the first time in 2019 in order to play live at a few festivals. The most recent album „Amenti`s coin – secret place pt.II“ continues, as a gripping concept album, the story of a long track from „Paralyzed“ and was released in 2022.
www.cyril-band.de
Back in 2004 another interesting crossover prog band project came together with musicians from the most varied backgrounds – the debut album by „seven steps to the green door“ appeared in August 2006 and won the German Rock and Pop Award in two categories straight away. The follow-up „step in 2 my world“ was the first album I produced at the B`side-music studio and came out in 2008 on the renowned scene label „progrockrecords“. The next album „THE?Book“ is a concept album on a rather polarising subject and appeared in October 2011 on PPR. In 2012 an interactive iOS app for „THE?BOOK“ was programmed, combining game, e-book and music app in a novel way. September 2015 then saw the fourth studio album „Fetish“, with guests including Arno Menses (Subsignal), Dan Mash (Maschine), Steve Unruh (Resistor) and Luca Di Gennaro / Antonio Vitozzi (Soul Secret) – the band’s most successful album to date. Almost inevitably, 2016–2017 brought a tour for the album that took us to some of the largest European prog festivals, among them Night of the Prog (DE), Crescendo (FR), Artrock Festival (DE) and Summers End (UK). Afterwards we worked on the second part of the THE?BOOK concept with the American lyricist George Andrade, in part with international guests such as Pete Jones (Tiger Moth Tales, Camel) and Luke Machin (Maschine, Tangent) and many others. The album appeared in 2019 under the name THE?LIE and was again received enthusiastically in the scene. The third part of the trilogy finally appeared in May 2024 and brought the concept to an impressive close after thirteen years, including a luxurious 3-CD earbook.
www.ssttgd.de
Since 2009 I have been working as keyboardist and saxophonist – and in part as co-composer – on a very interesting prog metal project by the outstanding Harz guitarist and producer Martin Schnella. The project’s debut concept album „Flaming Row“, with illustrious guests from the international prog and metal scene, saw the light of day in 2011; 2014 brought the much-noted follow-up „Mirage – A Portrayal of Figures“. In 2011–2013 Flaming Row also convinced live on stage with a ten-piece line-up. After a longer creative pause the third album „the pure shine“ appeared in 2019, and in 2025 the fourth, „Keeper of the scriptures“. Like its predecessors, this album too has a top-class cast, including members of Haken, Shadow Gallery, Ayreon, Blind Guardian and Pain of Salvation.
Since 2010 I have been working with the British songwriter Guy Manning, recording saxophones for his last three albums. At present we are working together with Sean Timms (Unitopia, Southern Empire) in a joint band project called „DAMANEK“. The debut album „On Track“ came out in 2017, the second album „In Flight“ as early as 2018 on GEP. After a rapturously received first appearance at the Summers End Festival in 2016, Damanek finally toured Europe and the UK for the first time in 2018. The third album appeared in January 2023, accompanied by outstanding reviews. A joint UK tour is planned for 2027.
www.damanek.com
From 2010 to 2012 I was, alongside my Toxic Smile colleagues Larry and Robert, a member of the East German art rock legend „Stern Combo Meissen“ – an honour and a challenge in equal measure! After twenty-four years the band released a new album in 2011 called „Lebensuhr“, to which I was able to contribute three tracks. Since 2018 I have again been co-writing new songs for Stern Combo Meissen, and I am glad to be able to carry on the tradition of the band’s „old works“ together with them. In 2020 the band’s new album „Freiheit ist“ appeared, for which I was able to write, provide lyrics for and co-produce six tracks, in part together with Manuel Schmid. I was also able to contribute a composition to the successful EP „Die Himmelsscheibe von Nebra“.
I have been working with that same current singer of Stern Combo Meissen, Manuel Schmid, since 2013; Manuel contributes to „Cyril“ among other things, and as early as 2014 I wrote a new track, „Kein einziges Wort“, for the Stern Meissen album released that year. In 2016 Manuel’s solo album „Seelenparadies“ appeared, to which I contributed several tracks. Since then there have also been concerts together. One of them was recorded and released in 2017 under the name „Deine Liebe und mein Lied“. On 14 December 2018 – as, incidentally, my fiftieth CD release – the first joint album „Zeiten“ appeared, accompanied by many live shows with Manuel all over Germany. The album was also received with great enthusiasm in English-speaking countries and played on the radio. From late 2020 we were already working on another album, which appeared in October 2022 under the name „ZIELE“ and attracted unexpected attention. Alongside television appearances on mdr and airplay on public radio stations, the tour „Zeiten – Ziele – Zukunft“ is currently running successfully. The new album „Zukunft“ is due at the end of 2026; the advance single „Ich will raus“ was released digitally on 12 June 2026, with a professional music video and, for the first time, on vinyl.
In May 2014 I was given the honour and the opportunity to join the new band „United Progressive Fraternity“, formed around the former members of the Australian prog band „Unitopia“, and to work on the debut album. In autumn 2014 I went on a European tour with the band. The second album „Planetary Overload – Pt1 – Loss“, on which I again collaborated, appeared in April 2019 with the involvement of many well-known musicians, authors, scientists and climate researchers.
At the end of 2016 I was asked to contribute as a guest to the German progressive rock project „Karibow“. The collaboration on the 2017 studio release led to the opportunity to support the band live on keys and sax on their 2017 tour (DE, FR, UK).
In 2018, in collaboration with the organiser of the Artrock Festival Reichenbach, work began on the „Artrock Project“. After first realising the festival anthem „STAY“ with many international guests, the idea arose to continue this project conceptually with many international stars of our scene. The first new release, in 2021, was the single „Come away with me“ with the singer Zeynah and musical idols including Adam Holzmann, Laurence Cottle, Craig Blundell and Jane Getter; in parallel a complete album was already being worked on. It finally appeared, highly praised and much noticed, in July 2023 on the renowned German label TEMPUS FUGIT with more than forty further international guest stars, among them Derek Sherinian, Marco Minnemann, Peter Jones, Arno Menses, Alex Grünwald, John Macaluso, Lars Lehmann, Luke Machin and Sebastian Lanser. October 2024 then already brought the second release under that name, a „Triple EP Collection“ with all versions of the previously digital-only singles from the album plus three new songs, including one with the RITUAL / KAIPA singer Patrik Lundström. I am currently also working on the next full album, due at the beginning of 2027.
In 2025 I put together the new band „The Artrock Project“ from friends and musical companions, which made it possible to realise a new musical vision: bringing the music of Toxic Smile, ssttgd, CYRIL and Marek Arnold’s Artrock Project together live in a condensed, more intimate and exciting performance.
www.artrock-project.de
I began teaching keyboard, saxophone and clarinet right at the start of my studies. Since 2006 I have been responsible at the Jugendkunstschule Waldenburg (within the European Gymnasium) for saxophone, clarinet, keyboards, recorder and music production courses; I lead ensembles, contribute to the very interesting band-class concept and look after the school’s recording studio.
www.jks-waldenburg.de
At www.bside-music.de I offer studio services (including recording, mixing, mastering, commissioned compositions and arrangements). I regularly take part in interesting releases by bands, artists and projects – some of them very well known – above all in the art and progressive rock field, among them Subsignal, The Samurai of Prog, Project Patchwork, Karibow, Manning, Psychic for radio, Nitewalk, Frank Bode, In Vertigo, Argos and Lichtzeit. I count myself fortunate to work regularly for well-known colleagues on editing and mixing as well; among other things I was able to edit and mix the albums for our „Die schönsten Balladen aus dem Land vor unserer Zeit“ programme (see below).
Early in 2024 came the first tour with Dirk Zöllner, Manuel Schmid and André Gensicke – the concert programme „Die schönsten Balladen aus dem Land vor unserer Zeit“ is devoted to the wonderful song repertoire of East German bands and artists away from the absolute mainstream – songs by Holger Biege, 4PS, Hansi Biebl, LIFT, Karat, Veronika Fischer, Stern Meißen and R. Lakomy among others – and was immediately received with enthusiasm and almost completely sold out. So from 2025 we went on extensive tour again, this time with a new release in our luggage (a double CD and triple vinyl of the recording of the 2024 tour), which I was able to edit and mix. In 2026 the second large tour already began, this time with well over twenty almost entirely sold-out concerts, and with the second album in our luggage – this time with two original compositions by Manuel Schmid and Marek Arnold and lyrics by Dirk Zöllner in the style of the 1970s works in the programme. The „Balladen“ programme grew from an idea into an established and deeply emotional live project – we could not be happier about it.
Since March 2024 I have been hosting and producing the German-language podcast for the online music magazine „STONEPROG“ under the name „STONEPROG PODCAST – das Proggeflüster mit Marek Arnold“, with illustrious guests from the prog and art rock world, including names such as Steve Rothery (Marillion), Thorsten Quaeschning (Tangerine Dream), Marco Minnemann, RPWL, Marco Glühmann (Sylvan), Andy Kuntz (Vanden Plas) and Helmut Hattler (KRAAN), to name only a few.
