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░ ██ ██ Artist: Crystal Palace ██ ██
▓ █░░ ■█ Album: Dawn of Eternity █■ ░░█
■ █▓▀ █ Year: 2016 █ ▀▓█ ░
█ ▓ Rel. Date: 2016-10-03 ▓ █
▒ ▒ Genre: Progressive Rock ▒ ▒
█▄ ░ Label: Gentle Art of Music ░ ▄█
░ █▄ ░ Source: CD ░ ▄█
░ █▓ Type: Album ▓█ ░
▓ █ Quality: VBR, 44.1kHz, Joint Stereo █ ░ ▓
▓ █ █ ░ ▓
▄ ■ ■ ▓ ■
░█ █░ ▀
█ The heavy prog throne is currently vacant, what █
█ with Porcupine Tree on a seemingly ardent █
█ sabbatical, while Steve Wilson edifies his solo █
█ career and Riverside overcoming the profound grief █
█ of losing their gifted guitarist Piotr Grudzinski █
█ to sudden illness. There seems to be few █
█ contenders, most people eyeing Haken as the █
█ likeliest candidate. There is another band that █
█ has silently built up quite a career but really █
█ hitting their mark with their recent output, █
█ cemented by their 2013 album 'System of Events', █
█ which caught the prog world collective ears and █
█ singed them with some powerful material as well as █
█ some astute guests aiding the cause (Colin Edwin █
█ of PT, Yogi Lang and Kalle Wallner of RPWL). █
█ Blessed with a fluent guitarist in Nils Conrad █
█ (who toiled with fellow Berlin groups Margin and █
█ For Your Pleasure) that album had a few searing █
█ scorchers as well as some slow burning jewels , █
█ namely the expressive "Beautiful Nightmare" which █
█ has rooted itself permanently into my automobile █
█ IPod. I was therefore curious if that tumultuous █
█ release could be even surpassed in intensity and █
█ focus, so I am happy to report that in typical █
█ Teutonic fashion, the discipline has kept them in █
█ line and that 'Dawn of Eternity' is just as █
█ delectable! The line-up has altered only with the █
█ arrival of impressive drummer Tom Ronney and █
█ features guest Markus Reuter and his touch guitar █
█ (heard previously on Herd of Instinct, Ian Boddy, █
█ The Crimson Projeckt, Adrian Benavides albums). █
█ Founding leader Yenz (Jens Sturz) and his bold █
█ bass playing allied with a powerful voice, the █
█ group is a tight, versatile and determined unit. █
█ Franz Kohler's keyboards and synths set the murky █
█ tone on "Dawn" a short and moody intro that █
█ crackles with imminent despair with Ronney's █
█ tectonic drum kit providing some bash. A perfect █
█ set up for the razor-sharp "Confess Your Crime", a █
█ slashing and thrashing 8 minute riff that is █
█ secured by a wildly secure beat, contrasting with █
█ some mellower moments that only serve to elevate █
█ the intensity. The bass scours the underside while █
█ the slippery synths patrol overhead, the rhythmic █
█ guitar assault moves forward like a blitzkrieg █
█ surge, devastating and inexorable. The binary █
█ thunderclaps wreak havoc, smashing ahead █
█ undeterred, as suddenly Yenz squeezes the softest █
█ emotions from his mike, the bass ravaging █
█ sensually. Conrad then grasps the spotlight with a █
█ mercurial electric foray that worms forward, █
█ eventually bleeding, gushing and spewing trickles █
█ of notes with understated elan. █
█ "Eternal Sleep" maintains the pace with a brooding █
█ phrasing, until piano and voice unite briefly, █
█ before welding itself onto the original groove. █
█ The rhythmic tandem hits hard and keeps the █
█ arrangement purring, as Conrad coils into the █
█ horizon with a plaintive solo, resolute and █
█ aflame. A perfect segue to the previous blowout █
█ and just waiting to add the sulfurous "Any Colour █
█ you Need" , another 8 minute masterpiece that █
█ winks at that magnificent epic (Beautiful █
█ Nightmare) on the previous album. This is a █
█ melancholic, highly colored (pun intended) and █
█ extremely shivering piece of modern prog that █
█ captivates, sequesters and then, throws away the █
█ key. Nothing earth shatteringly novel in terms of █
█ creativity, just deeply heartfelt, barely █
█ restrained and passionate and eventually, as when █
█ Ronney muscles through, explosive. These opening █
█ tunes are held together brilliantly, almost like a █
█ suite, erecting a multi-part sonic monument that █
█ deserves plaudits and some stand up ovations. █
█ "Daylight after the Rain" says it all in the █
█ title, as a new chapter is being read out loud, in █
█ briefer and sweeter terms. Acoustic guitar, █
█ saccharine electric leads and echoed voice all █
█ conveying a sense of renewal and shuddering █
█ delight, there is a pastoral, bucolic tinge that █
█ exudes simplicity and restful nuance. The band █
█ sounds quite like fellow Germans RPWL, clearly a █
█ great influence and that is not intended as a █
█ criticism, au contraire. █
█ The extended atmospherics return on "Fields of █
█ Consciousness", giving way to clanging guitars █
█ within a Floydian expanse, a buzzing bass █
█ slaloming between a despondent and echoed voice, █
█ amid cannonading beats. It now becomes quite █
█ apparent that Crystal Palace has achieved a clear █
█ and concision vision of what they wish to █
█ accomplish in terms of modern prog and they are █
█ well-versed in the art of maintaining a sense of █
█ continuity. The rather socially acerbic commentary █
█ on "Hearts on Sale" keeps the sizzle bubbling, █
█ even though the topic matter is rather █
█ gloom-laden, that eternal and elusive search for █
█ happiness, the music keeps pushing all the right █
█ buttons, a coalition of slicing synthesizers and █
█ shearing electric guitars stamp the lyrics with █
█ affirmation, the music obtrusive, obsessive and █
█ poignant. The drums pummel harder than ever █
█ before, a real concussive treat. █
█ The brief 2 minute "Eternity" is intended as a █
█ clever intermezzo before the last three tracks █
█ come into play, coyly brooding and ethereal that █
█ bleeds right into the grandiose riff of "All of █
█ This", a chugging sonic bulldozer, as heavy █
█ guitars, hefty bass, heaving drums and harrowing █
█ synths shove the mood forever forward. Nothing █
█ overtly complex, just rocking prog with method, █
█ vision and passion. █
█ The last two tunes qualify as a mini-suite, easily █
█ bleeding into one another. "Sky without Stars" is █
█ definitely moodier, Yenz delivering a rapturous █
█ vocal, clanging guitars in the nighttime haze █
█ building an arching melody that soars high and █
█ mighty (hints of Anathema). Nils Conrad licks █
█ mightily on his fret board, crafting screeching █
█ emotions that tingle the spine and reach out to █
█ the universe. The final track "The Day that █
█ Doesn't End" muscles forward gently, scouring the █
█ dark expanse of firmament, starless and perhaps █
█ even 'bible black', as the pulsating bass noodles █
█ wildly and slick axe flickerings grab the █
█ attention span. The slowly expiring mood is █
█ breathlessly exquisite. █
█ Crystal Palace, a name to reckon with among the █
█ bullying candidates seeking the top of the prog █
█ podium, and certainly a perfect choice for █
█ muscular and masculine heavy progressive rock. █
▓ ▓
▒ ▒
░ 1. Dawn 2:35 ░
░ 2. Confess Your Crime 8:26 ░
░ 3. Eternal Step 6:32 ░
░ 4. Any Colour You Need 8:20 ░
░ 5. Daylight After the Rain 3:32 ░
░ 6. Fields of Consciousness 6:35 ░
░ 7. Hearts on Sale 6:46 ░
░ 8. Eternity 2:00 ░
░ 9. All of This 5:43 ░
░ 10. Sky Without Stars 5:21 ░
░ 11. The Day that Doesn't End 4:15 ░
░ 60:05 ░
░ ▒ ▒
▓ █ ░ ▓ ░
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