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░ ██ ██ Artist: Evership ██ ██
▓ █░░ ■█ Album: Evership █■ ░░█
■ █▓▀ █ Year: 2016 █ ▀▓█ ░
█ ▓ Rel. Date: 2017-04-16 ▓ █
▒ ▒ Genre: Progressive Rock ▒ ▒
█▄ ░ Label: Atkinsong Productions ░ ▄█
░ █▄ ░ Source: CD ░ ▄█
░ █▓ Type: Album ▓█ ░
▓ █ Quality: VBR, 44.1kHz, Joint Stereo █ ░ ▓
▓ █ █ ░ ▓
▄ ■ ■ ▓ ■
░█ █░ ▀
█ A promising, aesthetic combo have come here █
█ finally with their debut creation. Deep heavy █
█ complex musical theater is launched continuously █
█ from the beginning till the end of dark rumbling █
█ ground titled "Approach". Yes their musical █
█ approach sounds in the similar vein of Dream █
█ Theater or other Neo-Prog precursors but wondrous █
█ gigantic for their debut. And their enthusiasm for █
█ creation can be heard via the longest, dramatic █
█ track "Flying Machine", that gives us rhythm █
█ complication, beautiful melody lines, and █
█ something of musical and "mental" stability. █
█ Their sound diversity can be caught in the very █
█ beginning of the first "Silver Light" too. We the █
█ audience would get veiled in such a mystic ethnic █
█ surrealism and powerful voices based upon █
█ well-matured delightful chorus. The melody lines █
█ might have the same atmosphere we have listened █
█ somewhere but let me say it should be fine they █
█ were not so sticky for musical / rhythmic █
█ complexity. On the other hand, "A Slow Descent █
█ Into Reality", as other suites are, can divided to █
█ a couple of pieces, and some internal music █
█ bridges are not unnatural nor artificial at all █
█ ... that's the reason their soundscape can be █
█ easily digested into our brain. █
█ Their chorus, instrumental works, and musical █
█ point of view are not only vivid but also cold as █
█ ice. Contrary to typical Neo-symphonic melodic █
█ basis, their sound seasoning variation is █
█ obviously superb. Afraid they could release more █
█ excellent creation than the debut shot in future █
█ ... nah no concern needed. They will do such a █
█ fantastic work like this. Let me give them a great █
█ applause. █
█ █
█ --- █
█ █
█ Shane Atkinson is the man behind this album that █
█ is the work of 8 years. He composes, writes and █
█ plays many instruments, but he has received some █
█ help from others musicians. The beginning of the █
█ cd is very strong with some intense vocal █
█ harmonies and some music that is on the melodic █
█ side of Progressive Rock with sometimes a heavy █
█ edge reminiscent of old Americain Prog with some █
█ spark of the British's sound of the Neo Prog █
█ bands. All this music is embellished with some █
█ lush orchestrations and choirs. The multi-part █
█ compositions go from the atmospheric to the █
█ dramatic with dazzling vintage organ and █
█ mellotron. The influences from the past are there █
█ and cover a lot of ground.The vocals and the music █
█ in the song "Evermore" are in the pure Queen █
█ style. The epic "Flying Machine is not without █
█ reference to the band Mystery with a mix of █
█ classic rock and Progressive Rock. The song goes █
█ back and forth between acoustic parts and electric █
█ ones. There is a nice flow throughout the █
█ different parts of this cd. The songs contain many █
█ hooks, and also some moving progressive rock █
█ moments that keep you engage. It's just the right █
█ balance between the simplicity of rock music and a █
█ more complex Progressive Rock. I had the same █
█ uplifting feeling listening to this cd of the one █
█ I had when Sean Filkins (ex-Big Big Train) █
█ released his solo cd.The man has a lot more █
█ material for others albums. I just hope that we █
█ don't have to wait another 8 years to hear it. So █
█ let's take the journey to the world of Evership, █
█ you will love the ride! █
█ █
█ --- █
█ █
█ This has been an incredible year for me in keeping █
█ up with releases of 2016. Someone wrote that he █
█ felt prog was currently in a slump, but not from █
█ my point of view. Not only have I brought home a █
█ couple of dozen albums this year that ranged from █
█ really good to superb, I even found an album that █
█ I would have given six stars to. By November it █
█ was time to decide which of the several albums I █
█ had my eyes on would become my final order for the █
█ year. I narrowed it down to three difficult █
█ choices and in the end chose Evership. And what an █
█ album! I feel as if I have found a second six star █
█ album. And the coincidental thing is that I heard █
█ about this album through a review written by the █
█ musician behind my first six star pick. Previously █
█ he had praised Tiger Moth Tales "Cocoon" and I had █
█ to agree with him. So I decided to trust his █
█ opinion again and I am sure glad I did. █
█ Forget the track by track review or even █
█ mentioning favourites in detail. This is a prog █
█ album that clicks perfectly with me. It has █
█ dramatic, dynamic, complex music as well as █
█ wonderful vocal melodies. It has crashing, █
█ thundering, parts with rolling toms, swooshing █
█ synthesizers, and pounding guitars. It also has █
█ delicate acoustic and piano beauty. I feel the █
█ album is an emotional ride between excellent and █
█ blissfully mind-blown. If any part is not either █
█ of these then you know by the music that we are █
█ building up to it. There's heavy and light, modern █
█ and seventies/early eighties. █
█ In short, I'll give you this: it's like Dream █
█ Theater's beautiful moments meet Queen's passion █
█ and drama meets Boston's more dynamic music with █
█ some Supertramp. █
█ Or an analogy: this is like eating gourmet █
█ confectionery in the dark on the first listen. You █
█ don't know what you are going to taste next but █
█ each bite has delightful surprises. █
█ But it's not just the music. Vocalist Beau West is █
█ the kind of singer that prog needs. He sings like, █
█ well, a lot like Freddy Mercury and James LaBrie █
█ combined. His voice is powerful, soaring, █
█ soul-shaking and then soothing and soft. A █
█ vocalist of any less talent wouldn't be able to █
█ bring out the drama in the music as well. Mr. West █
█ is the kind of singer that the seventies gave us █
█ and somewhat a rare bird these days. █
█ And now for me, the second great surprise of █
█ Evership. Composer and multi-instrumentalist Shane █
█ Atkinson used to be in a band called Curious █
█ Fools, and wouldn't you know it, I have the debut █
█ album of 1994 buried in a box of CDs. I bought it █
█ in a Christian book store way back then and when I █
█ later was getting rid of a lot of my old Christian █
█ CDs, I felt I couldn't part with Curious Fools. █
█ Labeled alternative rock, some of the songs were █
█ just so freaking good. So I still have it, and you █
█ can count on me digging it up and getting it into █
█ my iTunes library real soon. █
█ Which brings me to the final words of my review. █
█ This album needs to be heard on a really good █
█ audio system. It is sure to blow a lot of people █
█ away! █
█ █
█ --- █
█ █
█ The front cover art may be reminiscent of Kansas, █
█ but it's Tennessee that prog duo Evership hail █
█ from - by way of the 19th Century, if their █
█ promotional photos are anything to go by. Between █
█ their theatrical image, the tripped-out cover art, █
█ and that mean band logo, this is certainly a band █
█ who want to declare to the world that they're prog █
█ and proud of it, and that extends to the music on █
█ this debut album of theirs. █
█ Whilst in terms of atmosphere it's on the lighter █
█ and more uplifting side of prog, in terms of █
█ technical execution multi- instrumentalist Shane █
█ Atkinson and the sprinkling of guest contributors █
█ certainly establish their credentials here, whilst █
█ Beau West's vocals allow for some nice vocal █
█ harmonies to be used and show that he's mastered █
█ the prog frontman's key skill of sounding profound █
█ and emotive whilst singing about weird nonsense. █
█ On paper, then, it's a good mixture, but I did █
█ find my attention wandering here and there, and █
█ there were plenty of moments on the album where it █
█ felt like musically they didn't have much of an █
█ artistic goal beyond ticking as many of the prog █
█ checklist boxes as possible. It's a nice little █
█ album which will tickle the fancy of most prog █
█ fans, but I can't help but think that this is just █
█ the beginning for Evership. They've proved here █
█ that they can use the prog rock toolbox - now it's █
█ time to see what they can build with it. █
▓ ▓
▒ ▒
░ 1. Silver Light 9:25 ░
░ 2. A Slow Descent into Reality 12:39 ░
░ 3. Evermore 10:11 ░
░ 4. Ultima Thule 10:28 ░
░ 5. Flying Machine 13:44 ░
░ 6. Approach 1:58 ░
░ 58:25 ░
░ ▒ ▒
▓ █ ░ ▓ ░
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