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░ ██ ██ Artist: Elements ██ ██
▓ █░░ ■█ Album: Monument █■ ░░█
■ █▓▀ █ Year: 2015 █ ▀▓█ ░
█ ▓ Rel. Date: 2016-02-07 ▓ █
▒ ▒ Genre: Progressive Rock ▒ ▒
█▄ ░ Label: Cyborg Music Limited ░ ▄█
░ █▄ ░ Source: CD ░ ▄█
░ █▓ Type: Album ▓█ ░
▓ █ Quality: VBR, 44.1kHz, Joint Stereo █ ░ ▓
▓ █ █ ░ ▓
▄ ■ ■ ▓ ■
░█ █░ ▀
█ Elements is a Dutch progressive rock band from the █
█ The Hague region in the province called Zuid- █
█ Holland. The band released its first album on the █
█ 19th of June in a nice venue in Vlaardingen called █
█ De Kroepoekfabriek. The current line-up has █
█ existed since early 2014 and the members are: RenΘ █
█ Alblas (guitar), Joost Donkersloot (bass and █
█ vocals), Sander de Jong (drums) and Kees van █
█ Oosten (keyboards). █
█ The album is in memory of former drummer Govert █
█ Jan Repelaer van Driel who's responsible for all █
█ lyrics but hasn't been able to enjoy listening to █
█ them on the album because he lost his fight █
█ against cancer, at the age of just 35, before the █
█ release. It's nice that in this way he still gets █
█ posthumous recognition for his work. █
█ The music reminds me mostly of the 80s prog of █
█ Pendragon, IQ, Pallas and Marillion (Fish-era). █
█ The vocals of Donkersloot also has a touch of Nick █
█ Barrett (Pendragon) at times. As usual in prog █
█ rock it's mainly all about the guitar and █
█ keyboards, and both are in good hands with █
█ musicians Alblas and van Oosten. █
█ I liked the guitar soloing in Intimacy and I Miss █
█ You, where keyboard player van Oosten also shows █
█ his skills. Ongoing Circle Of Life has a Floydian █
█ feel, and Symphony For The Nerds has a nice █
█ keyboard intro. The longest track, Imprisoned █
█ Angel, has some beautiful keyboard sounds and █
█ great guitar work, just like us proggers always █
█ enjoy. █
█ The only point of criticism is that the production █
█ could do with a bit more dynamics. It sounds a bit █
█ flat. This is a nice debut by this new band which █
█ gets better every time you listen to it. They are █
█ not (yet) in the premier league of Dutch prog █
█ bands like Knight Area, Silhouette, Sylvium and █
█ 'oldies' Kayak, but that might change with future █
█ releases? There are already new songs in the █
█ pipeline for a second album, so lets wait and see. █
█ Meanwhile enjoy listening to their first work. █
▓ ▓
▒ ▒
░ 1. The Ongoing Circle of Life 6:57 ░
░ 2. Intimacy 5:48 ░
░ 3. Values 6:34 ░
░ 4. Your Way 4:34 ░
░ 5. I Miss You 7:15 ░
░ 6. Looking Back for Tomorrow 4:48 ░
░ 7. Symphony for the Nerds 5:55 ░
░ 8. Imprisoned Angel 8:48 ░
░ 9. The Edge of Time 4:39 ░
░ 55:18 ░
░ ▒ ▒
▓ █ ░ ▓ ░
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