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░ ██ ██ Artist: Profuna Ocean ██ ██
▓ █░░ ■█ Album: In Vacuum █■ ░░█
■ █▓▀ █ Year: 2016 █ ▀▓█ ░
█ ▓ Rel. Date: 2017-01-03 ▓ █
▒ ▒ Genre: Progressive Rock ▒ ▒
█▄ ░ Label: Freia Music ░ ▄█
░ █▄ ░ Source: CD ░ ▄█
░ █▓ Type: Album ▓█ ░
▓ █ Quality: VBR, 44.1kHz, Joint Stereo █ ░ ▓
▓ █ █ ░ ▓
▄ ■ ■ ▓ ■
░█ █░ ▀
█ ôYou can either be a victim of the world or an █
█ adventurer in search of treasure. It all depends █
█ on how you view your life.ö û Paolo Cuelho █
█ █
█ Well, to quote Mr Cuelho once more, ôIÆm an █
█ adventurer, looking for treasureö, and the █
█ treasure I seek is music, not any old music but █
█ music that can move you and stir your soul, music █
█ that can ask questions and then answer them with █
█ amazing clarity. █
█ If I can take some liberty with the original █
█ quote, maybe you are a victim of the world if you █
█ have to listen to the dirge that is anodyne, █
█ bubblegum chart music. This is music that is only █
█ ever created for commercial gain and not for █
█ passion or just because it can be brought to life █
█ and it is anathema to me. █
█ It can take a while to unearth a true gem and, on █
█ a recent short hospital stay, I had an interesting █
█ conversation that became somewhat an analogy of my █
█ musical treasure hunts. █
█ While laid on the hospital bed I struck up a █
█ conversation with the gentleman opposite who just █
█ happened to be an avid metal detector devotee who █
█ would spend hours on a cold and frosty day █
█ criss-crossing fields searching for that elusive █
█ big find. █
█ While never unearthing anything of large value █
█ himself he went on to avail me of the many great █
█ finds that his fellow detectorists had come across █
█ and, while having the interminable wait of any █
█ hospital visit, I came to see how it actually █
█ coincided with how I will listen to hundreds of █
█ albums to find that one peach of a listen. █
█ Well, my friends, my travails of 2016 havenÆt █
█ taken long to reveal an early musical gem, Profuna █
█ OceanÆs æIn VacuumÆ and what a jewel it is! █
█ ôProfuna Ocean is a contemporary progressive rock █
█ band from the Netherlands, founded in 2008. With █
█ their sequences of thought out compositions, █
█ vivacious melodies and powerful rock sounds their █
█ music constantly takes the listener on a musical █
█ trip and introduces him of her to the musical █
█ world of Profuna Ocean.ö █
█ Or so says the PR material that came with the █
█ album, the band consists of Fred den Hartog █
█ (drums), Raoul Potters (vocals, guitars), Arjan █
█ Visser (bass guitar) and RenΘ Visser (keyboards) █
█ and they self released their first album æWatching █
█ the Closing SkyÆ in 2009. æIn VacuumÆ was released █
█ through Freia Music and sees the band refining and █
█ redefining their own unique sound. █
█ To be fair, I was blown away on first listen as an █
█ imposing riff awash with heavy guitar and swirling █
█ keyboards introduces Thousand Yard Stare with no █
█ unnecessary frippery. This then breaks into a █
█ stylish melodic section with nicely harmonised █
█ vocals a la Steven Wilson before thundering into a █
█ dynamic chorus where the keys and flared out █
█ guitar take centre stage again. The music grabs █
█ you from the start and RaoulÆs dulcet tones are █
█ perfectly matched, whether playing the melodious █
█ troubadour or hard-edged rocker. Throw in an █
█ aggressive, hard rock infused solo and some almost █
█ deviantly classy instrumental sub-sections and you █
█ are left mightily sated by this excellent album █
█ opener. The question is, can the rest of the album █
█ keep up the incredibly high standard? I find █
█ myself transported back to the grunge days of the █
█ early 1990Æs with the fuzzy guitar and dynamic █
█ drums that open Awakening, a really upbeat and █
█ aggressive track where the vocal gives it an edgy █
█ feel. The melody is really catchy as it dances █
█ across your mind and the staccato riff that █
█ underpins the verse has you up on your █
█ metaphorical toes. I really enjoyed the nostalgic █
█ feel of Nirvana and Pearl Jam that emanates from █
█ every note, although this track has more smile and █
█ less frown at its core. █
█ Hanging in the Balance has a feel of alternative █
█ rock to it, the pensive introduction is all █
█ guitars and keyboards before a halting vocal takes █
█ over, a touch of early Foo Fighters perhaps? █
█ Although the chorus seems to come straight from █
█ the 80Æs with the harmonised vocal and elegant █
█ keyboards. There is an undercurrent of intensity █
█ running throughout as the drums drive this █
█ energetic track along. Raoul Potters shows he has █
█ an incredible variety to his vocal delivery, his █
█ voice perfectly matched to the individual feel of █
█ every song. There is a polished note to the █
█ delivery and the mix, mastering and production █
█ without it losing any emotion or feeling. The █
█ instrumental interlude in the middle of the track █
█ builds in intensity, keeping you on the edge of █
█ your seat as you await the next step, a █
█ trance-like section that evokes the feelsome █
█ progressive rock of bands like Riverside, Votum █
█ and Vly. The skill of these accomplished musicians █
█ has to be heard to be appreciated as they take you █
█ on a sonorous journey through your mind punctuated █
█ by perfect chords and notes. This track then seems █
█ to segue into yet another direction and style, one █
█ inhabited by the giants of progressive and █
█ symphonic metal, punctuated by soaring guitar runs █
█ and stuttering riffs before coming back full █
█ circle to finish on the sharp guitar and keyboard █
█ tones of the introduction. Losing Ground is sassy, █
█ sharp and smart from beginning to end with a funky █
█ guitar riff and polished drums leading the chase. █
█ This then opens up into a harder-edge chorus where █
█ the vocals, guitars and keyboards swell up and hit █
█ you hard before that snappy verse grabs your █
█ attention once again. These guys know how to take █
█ influences from all sorts of genres and mould them █
█ into a cohesive whole, one that is definitively █
█ Profuna Ocean and the surprises come thick and █
█ fast as they bounce around like a pinball machine. █
█ It never gets dull and always feels fresh and █
█ innovative, you need more than one listen to pick █
█ up every nuance and snippet that is included and █
█ you never stop smiling or nodding in █
█ acknowledgement at what the band have created and █
█ delivered for our delectation. Thunderous guitars, █
█ powerful drumming, swathes of elegant keyboards █
█ and the ever present bass combine to knock you █
█ over with a sonic boom of immense proportions, you █
█ just laugh, pick yourself up and return for █
█ another helpingà. █
█ Turn down the intensity a few notches and enjoy █
█ the lush tones of Ghost. Earnest vocals and a █
█ delicate guitar note pluck at your heartstrings as █
█ this delightful track soothes your soul and allows █
█ a peaceful interlude from the high energy █
█ excitement of what has preceded it. I found myself █
█ rapt in attention as each note danced across my █
█ aural receptors. This track has a grace and █
█ tenderness deep at its heart and leaves you in a █
█ state of ethereal calm, quite beautiful. This █
█ release has impressed me at every turn but the █
█ highlight for me is the next track, the █
█ magnificent Beautiful Sunrise. It begins with a █
█ seriously compelling and dominant riff that rides █
█ roughshod over everything in its path, attention █
█ grabbing all the way, underscored by a mysterious █
█ feeling keyboard tone. Now you have taken notice █
█ it pulls back into an absorbing piece of music █
█ that wouldnÆt be amiss on any of the classic █
█ Porcupine Tree albums. Slightly halting vocals on █
█ the verse, accompanied by intricate █
█ instrumentation, followed by a captivating chorus █
█ with lush harmonies and music, all intelligently █
█ produced and delivered. This is musical education, █
█ you feel that your whole life and being is █
█ enriched by every listen, I must have put this █
█ track on repeat for 4 or 5 plays deducing every █
█ slight insight and gradation as the brilliant █
█ keyboards take centre stage before the track █
█ graduates into an sophisticated and inventive █
█ instrumental section dominated by a dexterous █
█ guitar solo. This is where the bandÆs creativity █
█ really takes flight and leaves you slack jawed. █
█ IÆm sure that Profuna Ocean will admit readily to █
█ their influences, as would most bands, but itÆs █
█ what you do with them that counts. As the song █
█ comes to a close it goes a bit psychedelic on you █
█ for a minute before it confidently strides off █
█ into the distance, satisfied in a job well done. █
█ The title track In Vacuum is a dramatic, cinematic █
█ instrumental that holds your attention as this █
█ great release moves into its final phase and track █
█ Clean Slate which opens with a seriously addictive █
█ toe-tapping riff and confident drums, RaoulÆs █
█ vocals are precise and determinate though the █
█ verse before they deliver a heartfelt and █
█ compelling tone to the chorus. Grunge, alternative █
█ rock, progressive rock, hard rock, you name it, █
█ they are all thrown into the crucible and melted █
█ down to deliver Profuna OceanÆs signature sound. █
█ The influential guitar break and dreamlike synth █
█ section, once again, paint a precise picture in █
█ your mind as this innovative band continue to █
█ inventively mix their musical metaphors to █
█ perfection and with superb results. At times it █
█ wanders off into a more relaxed vista but it isnÆt █
█ long before the hard-riffing guitars come and grab █
█ the track by the scruff of the neck and set it █
█ back on its obdurate trajectory once again. ItÆs █
█ like having four musical seasons in one song but █
█ ones that dovetail perfectly to deliver an █
█ experience that leads you to the water to drink █
█ time and time again. As the song and album come to █
█ a close there is another fantastic piece of guitar █
█ work that makes the hairs on the back of your neck █
█ stand up before everything starts to slow down and █
█ a plaintive piano note runs things out to the █
█ final note. █
█ So we are only in January and I have had a █
█ proliferation of great music land at Progradar █
█ Towers already. There have been some absolutely █
█ dazzling releases but, for this music writer, the █
█ best of the lot has been Profuna Ocean. A more █
█ hard-edged and aggressive take on Progressive Rock █
█ but one with a beautiful fragility hidden below. A █
█ brilliant start to the year, this is one release █
█ that could possibly have been my album of the year █
█ if it had surfaced in 2015, as it is, it will take █
█ something rather fantastic to top it now! █
▓ ▓
▒ ▒
░ 1. Thousand Yard Stare 7:19 ░
░ 2. Awakening 4:54 ░
░ 3. Hanging the Balance 13:30 ░
░ 4. Losing Ground 8:00 ░
░ 5. Ghost 5:09 ░
░ 6. Beautiful Sunrise 10:37 ░
░ 7. In Vacuum 1:11 ░
░ 8. Clean Slade 11:42 ░
░ 62:22 ░
░ ▒ ▒
▓ █ ░ ▓ ░
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