From the still smoldering ashes of the peculiarly titled Dutch band Nice Beaver, this new line-up, where only bassist Erwin Scheijgrond comes in as a newbie, offers a new slant, and a new moniker, as 10 long years have gone by since the pertinently named “The Time It Takes” album. The core of expert guitarist Hans Gerritse, keyboardist and vocalist Erik Groeneweg and drum master Ferry Zonneveld is highly experienced and rock solid. I am thrilled to announce that these leopards have not altered their spotted camouflage one bit, preserving their pleasant dam building style as Hans and Erik alternate on the microphone with ease, each also manning their instruments with overt facility. Here is one more debut band launching their career with an epic opener, seems to be the new-fangled fad in progressive rock, and I certainly am not complaining (I don’t as a rule, anyway) .
The title track is a chip of the old log (excuse the flippant pun, I cannot help myself) , as if emanating from On Dry Land, Oregon or the afore mentioned third opus. While not reinventing or revolutionizing their brand of heavy and accessible prog, they certainly have a sound that is easily recognizable from many polders away. The electric guitars are crisp and profound and the keyboard work mostly decorative, while the husky vocals retain a distinctive sonority that copies no one. The mid-section shift allows for a subtle progressive detail that cannot go unnoticed.
The unashamedly seductive “That Girl” and its natural companion the sizable “Miserable With You” (notice the replacement for ‘without’), one being admiringly reflective and the other laced by crushing disappointment, are both entertaining enough to warrant a thumbs up, especially the latter with its extended bluesy solo on the fretboard. With a breezy disposition initially , the melancholic “Home” weaves a roller coaster ride that turns into heavy tremors, the guitars in particular choosing incandescent streaks that rage malevolently. The pleading vocals skirt the outer edges of anguished despair, distant choir and clanging phrasings, with stop and go rhythmic accelerations. Gerritse delivers a stuttering solo that makes the seagulls flee in terror, leaving Scheijgron’s bass to pick up the feathers.
Keeping the thematics in line with the appropriate comeback “And I Love You”, a deliriously spooky organ embraces a loopy bass caress, the disgruntled guitar hanging around to agitate the jealousy, setting up the impassionate vocal declaration of worship by a clearly pained lover. The agonizing solo drips with tension, picking up a jangly direction with nerves frayed, unsure of the outcome of putting one’s feelings on the firing line.
The cosmic symphonics come into play on “Space Cadet”, a slow burning groove is set into place, cautiously developing into a moving lament, where their organic musicality can express itself within the tight confines of their style. The electric guitar remains the focus of all the adventure sonically, and thankfully Hans Gerritse is a fine musician of the highest order, using a myriad of effects on his pedal board to further the sizzle.
A new beginning, with a solid core crew is to be applauded, providing another chapter in progressive rock, cleaning up the oceans and rivers already polluted with way too much wreckage and trash.
4 minesweeping otters