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░ ██ ██ Artist: Barock Project ██ ██
▓ █░░ ■█ Album: Skyline █■ ░░█
■ █▓▀ █ Year: 2015 █ ▀▓█ ░
█ ▓ Rel. Date: 2015-10-10 ▓ █
▒ ▒ Genre: Progressive Rock ▒ ▒
█▄ ░ Label: The Merch Desk ░ ▄█
░ █▄ ░ Source: CD ░ ▄█
░ █▓ Type: Album ▓█ ░
▓ █ Quality: VBR, 44.1kHz, Joint Stereo █ ░ ▓
▓ █ █ ░ ▓
▄ ■ ■ ▓ ■
░█ █░ ▀
█ Well now. I'm amazed. Seriously. I had a hunch █
█ something interesting was going down when the band █
█ began to push the new album on their FB page way █
█ before the release date. They clearly seemed █
█ genuinely excited about what they had created, and █
█ that's always a strong signal. I just loved Coffee █
█ In Neuk├╢lln, an album that took me totally by █
█ surprise and bowled me over, so I tuned my radar █
█ to the BP frequency with high hopes. █
█ The news: Skyline goes and exceeds its █
█ predecessor. Kudos, guys, congratulazioni! The two █
█ things I found most remakarable about Cofffee... █
█ are very much present here as well: the band's █
█ strong own identity (they sound like no one else, █
█ which is a medium sized miracle these days) and █
█ the stunning self- assurance in their █
█ musicianship. This is not a flashy prog metal █
█ virtuoso stance, it's more a steady "yes we can - █
█ and we will" kind of attitude. █
█ So, during the course of the album we're treated █
█ to myriads of moods and styles, and I absolutely █
█ love the way they can shift from classic prog to █
█ hard rock to classical to piano jazz within a song █
█ and still keep the song coherent and together all █
█ the way. Sometimes they take conscious risks of █
█ going overboard with this multi-genre approach, █
█ but those moments (e.g. "Overture") are so joyous █
█ and in-your-face bold that I cannot but be █
█ delighted with every musical logic defying stunt. █
█ Waiter, I'll have what they're having, please... █
█ The entire effort is so focused and so well █
█ produced (the soundscape is alive and vibrant █
█ enough to please even the analogue enthusiasts) I █
█ get a sense I'm listening to a concert instead of █
█ an album. And that's a compliment, a very strong █
█ one. █
█ To summarize: Skyline continues where Coffee... █
█ left off. The basic style is pretty much the same █
█ but there's much more variation, the band's █
█ confidence has gone through the ceiling, the █
█ string arrangements are simply gorgeous and the █
█ distinctly Italian melodic sense is the icing on █
█ the cake. If this is not a classic-to-be, I have █
█ pretty much misunderstood prog. █
█ █
█ --- █
█ █
█ I am at a stage in my life where I feel I have █
█ saturated my acquisitions of new prog rock acts to █
█ my collection as I often feel I have so much good █
█ stuff to listen to, but hardly enough time to do █
█ so. Also after years of mostly buying and █
█ listening to prog rock, I feel it's time to invest █
█ a bit more into other genres. But then and now I █
█ see a name of an unknown band on the Prog Archives █
█ and out of curiosity, I utelise the internet to █
█ quickly listen to some excerpts just to see if I █
█ am missing out on something. Mostly I notice, no, █
█ I am not missing out. Sometimes however I stumble █
█ upon something where I immediately know, I have to █
█ get this. This happened about a month or two ago █
█ when I noticed the Name Barock Project in a news █
█ snippet on PA announcing a new album coming up. I █
█ checked out the band on iTunes with their █
█ predecessor to Skyline, Coffe in Neuk÷lln, and █
█ without hesitation clicked on Buy. I fell in love █
█ with the beautiful Coffee album and when Skyline █
█ came out, I decided I need this too. This time I █
█ also ordered the album as CD. █
█ Skyline delivers a great sounding, fresh and █
█ uplifting melange of musical styles, genres and █
█ influences. I find the classification under █
█ "Neo-Prog" on this site a bit misleading. Sure, █
█ there are Neo-Prog elements to be found, but it's █
█ definitely not the dominating sound or style which █
█ the four young maestros deliver here, nor on their █
█ previous album. For the sake of putting Barock █
█ Project into a sub-genre box, I would rather chose █
█ "Crossover-Prog". █
█ What is delivered on Skyline is Prog Rock with █
█ classical or barock influences, some jazz █
█ intermezzos, some hard rock, some symphonic, some █
█ folk, and neo-prog signatures. ELP and Jethro Tull █
█ influences on the band can be heard and the vocals █
█ remind me a lot of two German bands, Everon and █
█ Alias Eye. But despite those influences and █
█ comparisons the band sounds quite original and █
█ unique. The overall feeling of the music is █
█ positive and uplifting and very melodious. █
█ Although this is definitely not an album to prove: █
█ "Look, how many note we can play in a second", █
█ there is no denying that something musically █
█ mature and virtuosic is happening here. As much as █
█ the instrumental skills (and I am including the █
█ flawless vocal delivery here) are evident, the █
█ four Italians demonstrate to an almost higher █
█ level their ability of compositional skills. I █
█ cannot find any weak track here, every track in █
█ itself is a little captivating piece of art that █
█ entertains and moves me. █
█ As far as 2015 concerned my favourite Prog release █
█ this year and I am sure in the long run, this will █
█ remain an album I will return to with great █
█ regularity as it represents a perfect example of █
█ what good, melodious, excellently performed and █
█ well arranged Prog should sound. █
█ █
█ --- █
█ █
█ Gawd, this album gets better every I listen. I've █
█ upped my old rating of 82 to 90 and now 96. Total █
█ Masterpiece. I was wrong and now I'm glad I was █
█ wrong. Puts me in my place. █
█ For background info, refer to band bio's and █
█ further reviews so that you can glean all you can █
█ about the Barock Progect. I'll tell you one thing █
█ for sure. I'm glad this handsome bunch of talented █
█ men didn't defect to POP Music. Don't doubt it for █
█ a moment. These guys could be the bee's knees of █
█ popular Italian groove pop! But no! The boys of █
█ Barock Project stayed true to their souls. █
█ Speaking of righting wrongs, Skyline is my first █
█ experience with Barock Project, and I had a █
█ wonderful time checking out an outstanding █
█ Neo-Prog band. █
█ Early Bird reviewers have already christened █
█ Skyline a masterpiece! I understand how songs like █
█ "Silence of Our Wake" and "Skyline" would have █
█ Neo-proggers chanting Masterpiece! Masterpiece! █
█ Other songs float in the ether between amazing and █
█ ho-hum and hum some more, when suddenly off screen █
█ charges a flute like a medieval knight on █
█ mescaline mare to rescue Repunzel from the Mundane █
█ dark corners of wedding beds profaned! Groovy bass █
█ lines swooped in devouring ice scream drums and █
█ decadent dreams on cusps of buttercups, bunions, █
█ and banshees. █
█ After further trips I realized I must reassess my █
█ rating. Skyline is 90 stories high. Is Skyline a █
█ Masterpiece. Yes and no. If you are a █
█ Neo-Proglodyte? Yes!!! Yes, A resounding Yes! █
█ Skyline is a futuristic neo-prog masterpiece! █
█ However, if Death Growls increase your listening █
█ enjoyment , then I advise you to steer clear of █
█ Barock Project's resplendent vocals, weaving █
█ stories of the longest sighs, intertwining █
█ swirling guitars in between luxurious and velvety █
█ keyboards. █
█ Prog-Police will spy sniplets of Skyline Songs █
█ reminiscent of lineups of the usual suspects of █
█ Caveman Prog. Round up ELP, Tull, and Yes... But █
█ no! The usual suspects don't overstay their █
█ welcome. █
█ I don't know much about other projects by Barock █
█ Project but I do know...This album is ORIGINAL! █
█ 95% of the time I couldn't put my finger on who █
█ Barock Project reminded me of. █
█ I asked friends to guess "The Band"...Nobody █
█ could, nobody did!... It's not that my friends are █
█ devoid of Prog Rock Pedigrees! My friends got █
█ their papers, yet they barked back at me, █
█ " Too original to hazard a guess...Must we go thru █
█ this again? I don't want to guess anymore, just █
█ put one of those CD's in my Christmas █
█ stocking...Oh Omphaloskepsis, dash off and get me █
█ a decadent blue cheese stuffed olive martini! █
█ Omphaloskepsis? As if that's your name. " In my █
█ original review I gave Skyline a 82/100, but after █
█ further listenings I correct myself. █
█ █
█ Best songs are "Spinning Away", "Tired", "Skyline" █
█ and " Silence of Our Wake" █
▓ ▓
▒ ▒
░ 1. Gold 8:39 ░
░ 2. Overture 3:39 ░
░ 3. Skyline 10:20 ░
░ 4. Roadkill 5:59 ░
░ 5. The Silence of Our Wake 10:47 ░
░ 6. The Sound of Dreams 2:22 ░
░ 7. Spinning Away 6:05 ░
░ 8. Tired 9:57 ░
░ 9. A Winter's Night 4:37 ░
░ 10. The Longest Sigh 7:52 ░
░ 70:17 ░
░ ▒ ▒
▓ █ ░ ▓ ░
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