Andreas Hack of Frequency Drift wasted little time in retooling his musical vision by releasing one of 2022’s finest albums, under the moniker Haven of Echoes, a debut called “the Indifferent Stars”, that left no one ‘indifferent’ to say the least and was critically acclaimed in the prog media. The German multi-instrumentalist had partnered with a tremendous vocalist in Paul Sadler (ex-Spires) and including two Frequency Drift stalwarts in Wolfgang Ostermann on the drum kit and harpist Nerissa Schwarz. The crew remains intact for this 2024 offering, and truth must be said from the beginning, this is a powerful upgrade from the already lofty standards of its predecessor! Comprised of four epic tracks, “Memento Vivere” should top many charts at year’s end, among the very finest selections of an exceptional vintage!
The confidence to launch a new disc with a 17-minute behemoth should be proof enough of natural ability, unshakable confidence and boldly progressing to an entirely higher level. “Non Sum, Non Curo ” will get the ball rolling with a curvaceous electronic introduction that wastes no time in handing the microphone to Sadler, who displays an uncanny ability to hit the pleasure nodes with his mellifluous delivery. The arrangement seems emboldened to transition from softer realms into ravaging elevations of anger, surely a proper reflection on the current social propensity of switching from calm to rage, peaceful to hostile, caring to indifferent. The roller coaster of evolving sonic impressions is masterfully constructed, maintained and delivered, as if to underline the need to forge ahead nevertheless, yet always bearing in mind of the consideration for deep thought before brash action. The human condition seems to enjoy veering close to the edge, often faltering and stumbling, yet somehow dusting off the pain and standing tall once again. This consciousness is detailed in the wide variances of guitar/keyboard nuances and the muscular drumming, as well as the impassioned vocals that give credence to the sounds, evaporating the anguish into a thin vapor that dissipates in the gentle breeze. Speechless.
An exquisite track written by Nerissa, “Ad Infinitum” proposes an endless melody with excruciating celestial vocals, a weeping lament of majestic proportions that touches the heart and the soul. The twinkling harp suggest a profound melancholia steeped in a soporific splendour that transits into a slightly darker realm, with buzzing guitars, howling background choir, and syncopated complexity, before returning to a certain sense of serenity, as the melody returns, anguished and suffering. Astonished.
The murky and veiled atmosphere on the brooding 14-minute epic “It Walks Among Us” treads a new path, with occasional pools of velvet that barely shadows a feeling of impending doom, a melancholic camouflage of a darker purpose lurking, just underneath the surface or even worse, barely beyond the trees. The cacophonic orchestrations underline this hapless quest with disturbing effect, definitely foreboding and frightening, where cussing guitars, sinister noises and a surrendering voice rule the spirit. There is some palpable ‘sturm und drang’ in the mechanical finale, drenched in perspiration and dread. Uncomfortable music for uncomfortable times. Flabbergasted.
Often in progressive circles, artists like to encompass the entire album into a meaningful finale that serves to summarise, and “Assimilation” certainly qualifies as such, which is why it was chosen as the first single. While not necessarily branded as accessible it does promote an optimistic comfort zone that contrasts with the previous track’s utter desolation. Here, the grandiose melody is immediately attractive, the entire vocal off the charts and memorable, as the instrumental platform expands in stature with a brilliant piano memento, a blistering guitar adventure, until the very end where the hushed voices remind us that the peril is never far away. Stunned.
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