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░ ██ ██ Artist: Silhouette ██ ██
▓ █░░ ■█ Album: Beyond the Seventh Wave █■ ░░█
■ █▓▀ █ Year: 2014 █ ▀▓█ ░
█ ▓ Rel. Date: 2015-05-03 ▓ █
▒ ▒ Genre: Progressive Rock ▒ ▒
█▄ ░ Label: Freia Music ░ ▄█
░ █▄ ░ Source: CD ░ ▄█
░ █▓ Type: Album ▓█ ░
▓ █ Quality: VBR, 44.1kHz, Joint Stereo █ ░ ▓
▓ █ █ ░ ▓
▄ ■ ■ ▓ ■
░█ █░ ▀
█ Imagine killer guitar riffs like vintage Saga, █
█ fueled by a supple keyboard wizard and a steely █
█ tight rhythm section that spares no prisoners. █
█ Sounds pretty promising, no? Well, that's what you █
█ get with Dutch band Silhouette, whose previous █
█ work 'Across the Rubicon' was a critical success, █
█ on their new recording 'Beyond the Seventh Wave'. █
█ What made its predecessor so attractive was the █
█ incorporation all the ingredients above into a █
█ song writing ethic that produced some entertaining █
█ neo-prog, flexible yet muscular, agile and █
█ attractive. This hard act to follow syndrome is █
█ sometimes fraught with dangers of exaggerated █
█ expectations but that only makes it easier to █
█ analyze in proper context, and only if you truly █
█ enjoy their style. █
█ Erik Laan is the name of the ivory tickler and he █
█ profoundly impacts the dense sound that can be █
█ delicately romantic only minute with precious █
█ piano colorations and darn right snarling with █
█ fiery organ and synth barrages the next. Legendary █
█ Dutch keyboardist Ton Scherpenzeel (Camel, Kayak) █
█ is given a cameo opportunity, so needless to say █
█ there are plenty of symphonics here. The ballistic █
█ guitars are split between lead vocalist Brian de █
█ Graeve and newbie Daniel van der Weijde, giving █
█ plenty of meat and flesh to the arrangements, █
█ while the propellant tandem of bassist Gerrit-Jan █
█ Bloemink and phenomenal new recruit Rob van █
█ Nieuwenhuijzen on the drums, provide added █
█ acceleration. █
█ The material is perhaps not as strong as on the █
█ previous masterpiece but there are some expressive █
█ mini-epics presented here, such as the 2 part 'Web █
█ of Lies' (14 and a half minutes of bliss), the █
█ tremendous 10 minute + 'Lost Paradise', the █
█ disturbing 'Devil's Island' and the title track. █
█ Toss in some exciting snippets and a █
█ flabbergasting instrumental 'Escape' and you █
█ finish off having a wholly acceptable segue album █
█ to an unassailable previous gem. █
█ The grandiloquent 'Web of Lies part 1' kicks off █
█ with a muscular disposition, a memorable chorus █
█ within a thumping melody, tortured by a Saga-like █
█ instrumental platform for soloing, Laan in █
█ particular doing some serious damage on the █
█ warbled synthesizers, while the dual guitars █
█ assist in the assault, vaulting a tricky solo to █
█ boot. Part 2 alters the mood by introducing some █
█ lovely cello amid acoustic guitar adornments, █
█ massed mellotrons adding fuel to the impending █
█ fire, as the mighty drums roll on like some █
█ cannonade, urging even more desperation in the █
█ vocals. Very entertaining epic, hovering near █
█ fellow Dutchman Ayreon territory. The elegant █
█ piano outro is sublime. █
█ 'In Solitary' is a piano-led beauty, typical of █
█ the neo-prog school of delicate balladry, █
█ garnished with some illuminating electric guitar █
█ passages, celestial flute and romantic vocalizing. █
█ Both Laan and De Graeve handle the lead vocals, █
█ though I personally prefer the latter's more █
█ passionate delivery. As with Rubicon, I feel De █
█ Graeve should be the main (if not only) lead lung █
█ but that is not my call to make. Great simple █
█ tune. The entirely instrumental 'Escape' is a █
█ bruising monster, explosive drums, reverberating █
█ bass and simply titanic guitar and keyboard █
█ interventions make this a sizzling intermezzo. Van █
█ der Weijde throttles his guitar with manic █
█ abandon, Laan screeches on his synths like a █
█ modern day Manfred Mann, yes it's heavy and █
█ powerful and I like it! █
█ The 10 minute + 'Lost Paradise' smoothly entrances █
█ the bedazzled listener with lovely Spanish guitar, █
█ the velvety vocals seem only to be inspired to aim █
█ for some distant utopia, 'dreaming of running █
█ away'. A luminous e-guitar slithers into the █
█ gentle fray, soon to be joined by a mellifluous █
█ synth foray. This little exchange goes on, like █
█ two lovers intertwined, impervious to any set of █
█ pre-determined rules. The mood actually increases █
█ in modulation, so as to almost become a cry in the █
█ night. Things get pretty perspiring, as the █
█ howling guitar rages into the deeper horizons, █
█ trembling and sizzling with little restraint. A █
█ churlish organ creeps in, spookier than Dracula's █
█ teeth, you just gotta admire the sweeping beauty █
█ of it all. Sweeping beauty? It's time for a kiss! █
█ 'Betrayed Again' is so overtly Genesis, you can █
█ only smile in admiration. A sweeping keyboard █
█ melodrama that serves only to announce the next █
█ epic, the majestic 'Devil's Island'. Inspired by █
█ the infernal penal colony in French Guiana and the █
█ book and movie Papillon by Henri Charriere , 'Le █
█ bagne de Cayenne' was an Alcatraz-like prison of █
█ hopelessness and despair, nowhere to escape to, █
█ just resignation and eventual miserable death. █
█ Typical prog subject matter, all that would be █
█ missing is a reference to Alfred Dreyfus, the most █
█ illustrious prisoner. As such, the music is dense █
█ like the Guyanese jungle, sweltering and █
█ pervasive, with hopeful reprieve coming with its █
█ ultimate demise in 1953. █
█ The title track is a rambling affair, pretty aptly █
█ defining this crafty Dutch band style, namely a █
█ bright, crisp and exalted take on neo-prog, █
█ nothing lame or by the numbers. This piece in █
█ particular navigates the two extremes quite well, █
█ voyaging between sweet and wild, turning on a dime █
█ if required. Brian de Graeve shines on lead █
█ vocals, his high-pitched voice exemplifying the █
█ passion within his soul, contrary to what previous █
█ reviewers have stated, I do not find his voice █
█ 'forced' but I will admit that Erik Laan's can be █
█ a bit pushy on occasion. █
█ 'Wings to Fly' ends this fine affair, an intense █
█ cry for freedom and liberty, well-performed and █
█ loaded with passionate detail. Violin and cello █
█ provide coloring to an urgent and imperative █
█ chorus, a classy bit of entertaining music. █
█ A perfectly acceptable follow-up to Across the █
█ Rubicon, great artwork, production and a █
█ well-paced set list of fine neo-progressive █
█ nuggets. █
▓ ▓
▒ ▒
░ 1. Prologue 2:32 ░
░ 2. Betrayed 1:42 ░
░ 3. Web of Lies - Part I - The Vow 8:19 ░
░ 4. Web of Lies - Part II - The Plot 4:30 ░
░ 5. In Solitary 6:16 ░
░ 6. Escape 5:14 ░
░ 7. Lost Paradise 10:19 ░
░ 8. Betrayed Again 1:24 ░
░ 9. Devil's Island 8:55 ░
░ 10. Beyond the Seventh Wave 7:39 ░
░ 11. Wings to Fly 5:09 ░
░ 61:59 ░
░ ▒ ▒
▓ █ ░ ▓ ░
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