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░ ██ ██ Artist: Storm at Sunrise ██ ██
▓ █░░ ■█ Album: Garden of Forgotten Ideals █■ ░░█
■ █▓▀ █ Year: 1999 █ ▀▓█ ░
█ ▓ Rel. Date: 2015-10-10 ▓ █
▒ ▒ Genre: Progressive Rock ▒ ▒
█▄ ░ Label: Gray Sky Music ░ ▄█
░ █▄ ░ Source: CD ░ ▄█
░ █▓ Type: Album ▓█ ░
▓ █ Quality: VBR, 44.1kHz, Joint Stereo █ ░ ▓
▓ █ █ ░ ▓
▄ ■ ■ ▓ ■
░█ █░ ▀
█ Storm at Sunrise showed sheer, full power in their █
█ debut album "Garden Of Forgotten Ideals"! And █
█ don't be afraid that band's leader - Dave Gryder - █
█ started career as drummer/vocalist in trash metal █
█ bands like Heaven's Force & Rotting Corpse. It was █
█ long time ago and he didn't waste these years, but █
█ he learned how to handle keyboard instruments and █
█ even recorded one solo album (under moniker █
█ "Covenant") full of '70s inspired instrumental █
█ symphonic prog. We can't also forget about █
█ guitarist Ernie Myers who started career path in █
█ the late seventies in art rock band "Hands" (where █
█ he came back after Storm at Sunrise was disbanded █
█ by the way). █
█ However this album (and the 2nd one as well) isn't █
█ similar to anything Gryder recorded in the past. █
█ Compared with "Covenant" music is less █
█ complicated, more lively, enthusiastic & █
█ ..."groovy". We can still listen to a wide range █
█ of vintage keyboards, but this time they are █
█ played more in heavy prog/hard rock fashion with █
█ only few symphonic tendencies (mostly presented by █
█ occasional mellotron out-bursts) and in general █
█ Hammond B3 keeps dominant role throughout the █
█ album. Compared with Gryder's past in Christian █
█ (?!) trash metal group "Heaven's Force", his voice █
█ sounds better...but still can be too █
█ "controversial" for lovers of more sophisticated █
█ kind of prog. In fact his voice seems to be more █
█ suitable for stoner rock band, ...but who cares?! █
█ You'll find enough organ/guitar mean riffs, █
█ endless soloing and interplays that would make █
█ happy any prog & hard rock freak! █
█ Let's check the songs one by one: █
█ 1. "Intro" - record starts very unusual with very █
█ soft mellotron waves which imitate flute sounds, █
█ simple acoustic guitar licks and background birds' █
█ voices. Welcome in the Garden Of Forgotten Ideals! █
█ 2. "Jaded" - Boom! Real beginning of the album. █
█ Myers and Gryder hit us in the head with powerful █
█ guitar/organ interplays. After a while vocals come █
█ in and...we have to start become accustom to █
█ Dave's voice which is - as I previously said - a █
█ bit "controversial", very harsh, sometimes █
█ out-of-key and bar-like, but after a while you █
█ will really like it, besides it doesn't sound █
█ completely out of place here. Anyway song is a █
█ fast-rocker with thunderous organ & guitar █
█ soloing. I also love when before 5th minute █
█ keyboard player changes the mood by atmospheric █
█ mellotron waves on which based are tasteful █
█ electric guitar solos. █
█ 3. "Ageless" - another fast rocker with restless █
█ Hammond and guitar attacks. I really like this █
█ short moment in the middle where music suddenly █
█ stops and after a second massive organ solo █
█ fade-in from the background. Near the end of the █
█ track we can also admire - for the first time on █
█ this album - Dave's Moog synthesizer's skills. His █
█ solo is really great, and doesn't let us forget █
█ that it's something more than only 70' oriented █
█ hard rock band, that Storm at Sunrise member have █
█ real ambitions towards progressive rock territory. █
█ Good old pal Rick Wakeman would be proud of this █
█ Moog solo spot I suppose. █
█ 4. "Moonrock" - song begin with cathedral-like █
█ organ waves, but after half a minute guys kick in █
█ again with mean hard rock tune. Unfortunately we █
█ can already realize the biggest problem of "Garden █
█ Of Forgotten Ideals", songs are too similar to █
█ each other. Seems to be created on the same █
█ pattern: fast tempo, loud organ chops, supportive █
█ electric guitar & bass rhythms followed by █
█ extended organ/guitar interplays. But man, they do █
█ it really good! You can feel spirit of golden era █
█ of prog and hard rock in their compositions. And █
█ the most important: most of the tracks hide some █
█ surprises and unexpected signature changes, which █
█ don't let us become bored at all. For example I █
█ love middle part of "Moonrock" with jazzy █
█ percussion and beautiful Fender Rhodes piano. █
█ Sounds like taken straight from "Riders on Storm"! █
█ Also closing Hammond solos are breathtaking. The █
█ only complaint is the bassist who plays the same █
█ line over and over again during Dave's █
█ aforementioned show-off in the second part of the █
█ song. █
█ 5. "Heavy Rock Revival" - another mid/fast tempo █
█ rock'n'roll with - something I started to call - █
█ calm screaming (a bit like vocalist try to scream █
█ in high register...but he's completely incapable █
█ of...). Style of the song is similar to the █
█ previous ones. It sounds like Jon Lord or Ken █
█ Hensley would become a member of Texas hard █
█ rock/southern rock band, but in the same time █
█ decided that he will be the leader and throw-in █
█ many elements of more ambitious music. I like █
█ it...but why bassist has to play the same line all █
█ over again 90% of time is beyond me... █
█ 6. "No Good For One" - this one is a bit █
█ different. It's more mid-tempo track with █
█ interesting, "broken" rhythms. I really like when █
█ in middle part of the song Gryder starts to play █
█ clavinet which fanatically support his organ █
█ excesses. █
█ 7. "Hellspawn" - this song is another fast rocker █
█ which wants to crash your skull with mean Hammond █
█ chops and killing guitar riffs. However the most █
█ enjoyable is last minute of "Hellspawn", when Dave █
█ & Co create truly horror-like atmosphere with █
█ Gothic organ, sparkling acoustic piano and - the █
█ most important - loud mellotron waves which can █
█ bring real shivers. █
█ 8. "Top Heavy" - the shortest & simplest song. █
█ Typical hard rock in the vain of Deep Purple Mark █
█ II. But Dave Gryder isn't Ian Gillan... Song █
█ finishes with short moaning of some woman... █
█ 9. "Morning Sun" - one of the longest songs in █
█ this album brings another portion of dirty organ █
█ chops, gritty electric guitar squeaks & furious █
█ drum beats. I like very much second part of the █
█ song with more atmospheric Hammond soloing with █
█ nice piano in the background. A bit Procol Harum █
█ alike. █
█ 10. "Pussy Cat" - another decent rock'n'roll piece █
█ with thundering drums. Organ/guitar interludes █
█ will blast your brain for sure. █
█ 11. "I Just Want to Celebrate" - my favorite song █
█ of this band! In fact I wasn't so surprised when I █
█ later found out...that's old '70 song originally █
█ performed by American psych/soul band "Rare █
█ Earth". It only support my theory that guys from █
█ Storm at Sunrise are much better musicians than █
█ song writers. Anyway "I Just Want to Celebrate" █
█ has ultimately catchy rhythm & melody (bouncy?), █
█ and if you didn't tap your foot along with the █
█ music so far, you'll surely do it now. Even Dave's █
█ voice seems to be the best here and bass player █
█ shows that he can provide truly suitable lines. █
█ 12. "From Cradle to Grave" - and here comes "the █
█ epic" of the album. Only 8:34 minutes but it's █
█ truly the Magnum Opus of "Garden Of Forgotten █
█ Ideals". It starts as a typical (proggy) █
█ hard/stoner rock, but from 4th minutes real fan █
█ begin! At first mad organ solo, next comes Led █
█ Zeppelin influenced guitar solo followed by my █
█ favorite fragment: great melodic mellotron waves █
█ which can easily remind early King Crimson staff. █
█ After that short, chaotic drum solo and another █
█ electric guitar attack. Bu it's not the end 'cos █
█ Dave prepared "cosmic" Moog synthesizer solo which █
█ is followed by another mellotron entrance. Whole █
█ album finishes with beautiful waves of this █
█ fantastic instrument. █
█ To sum of everything: Storm at Sunrise on their █
█ debut album provides us satisfactory amount of █
█ non-stopping gritty Hammond organ blasting █
█ (absolutely every song on this record include █
█ organ solo!), electric guitar riffing and decent █
█ drum work. It's a true gem for all fans of '70 █
█ hard rock & heavy prog (Uriah Heep, Deep Purple, █
█ Birth Control, Led Zeppelin, Atomic Rooster, Black █
█ Sabbath, Bloodrock, Frumpy), and young stoner █
█ metal lovers will also find something to enjoy █
█ here. █
█ If you like this music, you should also check 2nd █
█ album of this formation - "The Suffering" - which █
█ include "more of the same". Another must have for █
█ you is band called "Blood of The Sun" which █
█ features the same organist (but he doesn't sing █
█ and play drums there). Other new bands with █
█ similar retro heavy-prog style: BigElf, Wicked █
█ Minds, Black Bonzo, Cosmic Nomads, Standarte, The █
█ Divine Baze Orchestra, The Mystick Krewe of █
█ Clearlight, Darediablo, Spiritual Beggars, Hammers █
█ of Misfortune, Archangel, Mikromidas, Siena Root █
█ and many others. █
▓ ▓
▒ ▒
░ 1. Untitle 1:01 ░
░ 2. Jade 7:29 ░
░ 3. Ageless 6:04 ░
░ 4. Moon Rock 5:53 ░
░ 5. Heavy Rock Revival 6:05 ░
░ 6. No Good for No One 6:42 ░
░ 7. Hellspawn 4:43 ░
░ 8. Top Heavy 3:51 ░
░ 9. Morning Sun 7:30 ░
░ 10. Pussy Cat 5:07 ░
░ 11. I Just Want to Celebrate 4:54 ░
░ 12. From Cradle to Grave 8:33 ░
░ 67:52 ░
░ ▒ ▒
▓ █ ░ ▓ ░
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