Second album for this veteran crew (lots of mature proggers expressing themselves lately from Holland, must be the water), the debut dutifully anointed with meritorious praise. Might as well name them all, beginning with vocalist Max Gilkes , Edwin in ‘t Veld on electric & acoustic guitars, keyboardist Ron Moser, Frank “Fish” Ayres on slide guitars & spoken word, bass player Nick McQuire and finally Timothy van der Holst on the drums, as well as production. For those who enjoyed the first album, you may be relieved to know that this second effort is from the same mold, a softer variety of neo-prog that will never require a visit to repair the eardrums, preferring a more accessible disposition and atmosphere.
The title track will fool you for a second with its breezy title, as its actually pretty bold, guitars kicking off the festivities, rapidly carving out a melody with a rather forceful lead vocal, as Max Gilkes can belt dramatically with the finest, newcomer Ron Moser shining on the synthesizers, the solo particularly in harmony with both the mood and the melody.
Still no mellow fluff, as “Paint it Red” does contain ‘too much information’ as all the instrumentalists are busy with a flurry of notes, no one more so than bassist McQuire who runs rampant, like a lizard gone berserk. After the initial flurry, the transition into a hyper melody, voice effects and angry narration seals the deal on a rather unexpected rant. So much for marketing the album as ‘lighter than air’, though not exactly death metal either.
“The Wolf” is at the door, banging rather hard on the wood and metal planks, with the screeching guitars, greasy keys and a strong pulse holding the fort. The lead axe solo is suitably slick, the thrilling voice theatrically succinct, in between the background howls that shiver the skin, and an overall creepy feel.
With a title evoking a famed Roman goddess, “Juno” stamps the empirical wax seal on the musical parchment, the Hammond work exceptionally well thought out with seldom used tonalities, lots of noisy effects and an underlying gloomy percussive procession, like a legion on the march. Its thoroughly bombastic, the rumbling bass guitar a thrill , a guitar acting like a centurion’s sword slashing flesh, easily a top track here up to this point.
The band cleverly maintains the dramatic pressure with a similarly explosive track, with its anti-war messaging, sandwiching booming cannonades with a lull in the fighting flute that quickly gets drowned out by the recurring counter-attack assault. The finale is the acrid mixture of gunpowder, cordite and carnage, as expressed by some meaningful vocals that touch the nerves.
After two emotionally bruising tracks, only a slight respite is to be heard with the hyper bucolic and very green fields of Albion atmosphere of the appropriately titled “South of Cockham Wood”. Here, the pied piper is the prancing flute, interlaced with consequential vocals that harken back to quieter climes, perhaps a youthful recollection, piano glitter and a pastoral effect entwined. Its very British folk, something that the Strawbs in their prime could have composed, what with the glorious electric guitar splurge, heightened chorus with choir effect keyboards. They are pulling on my heartstrings now.
In what can only be viewed as a faultless segue, the previous silk continues with a velvety touch on “I’ll Be Gone”, keeping this rustic temperament on going. This is the longest track here, a hair short of 6 minutes and naturally, the tempo gets elevated into a gradual vortex of melodic upsurge, whilst keeping a modern feel, such as the oblique guitar solo, the bubbling synth undertow, the rabid bass and a woodchopping drum attack. Waving handkerchiefs as Max chants “I’ll Be Gone” is a testimony to the attention to detail expressed by the musicians on this album. .
The grand finale “The Beautiful Lie” is perhaps not a porky (Brit for fib) but most definitely beautiful, armed with a killer foundation of dense rhythmic interaction, off the chart vocal performance, a scintillating guitar solo that sobs like a baby in agony, and a repeated chorus exuding both passion and pain, this is quintessential neo prog at its finest.
I must admit I liked their debut album, but this is definitely on a different level, I daresay, even pedestal. Every single track is worthy of not only praise but applause. I think I actually love this album and plan to give more spins as soon as possible.
4.5 ballooning anvils