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░ ██ ██ Artist: Drifting Sun ██ ██
▓ █░░ ■█ Album: Safe Asylum █■ ░░█
■ █▓▀ █ Year: 2016 █ ▀▓█ ░
█ ▓ Rel. Date: 2017-06-13 ▓ █
▒ ▒ Genre: Progressive Rock ▒ ▒
█▄ ░ Label: self-released ░ ▄█
░ █▄ ░ Source: CD ░ ▄█
░ █▓ Type: Album ▓█ ░
▓ █ Quality: VBR, 44.1kHz, Joint Stereo █ ░ ▓
▓ █ █ ░ ▓
▄ ■ ■ ▓ ■
░█ █░ ▀
█ Bands playing neo-prog inspired by the 1980s work █
█ of Marillion, Pendragon and IQ aren't exactly thin █
█ on the ground, but Drifting Sun stand out of the █
█ crowd on Safe Asylum with how capably they are █
█ able to produce beautiful moments comparable to █
█ the most emotive heights that their neo-prog █
█ inspirations could evoke at their prime. Guitarist █
█ Dan Storey in particular deserves praise for █
█ adding a darker and harder-edged tone to █
█ proceedings which helps Drifting Sun carve out a █
█ distinctive musical sphere for themselves, whilst █
█ Pat Sanders deserves to sit next to Mark Kelly and █
█ Clive Nolan in the pantheon of neo-prog █
█ keyboardists. █
█ █
█ --- █
█ █
█ Drifting Sun is one of those bands that have come █
█ up on my radar recently, intrigued by some of the █
█ reviews that speak very highly of their quality █
█ neo-prog as well as the rather interesting █
█ history. Keyboardist Patrick Sanders is actually a █
█ French national who, along with bassist Manu █
█ Sibona tried creating a band called Drama in his █
█ home country but that name was already taken by █
█ Eric Azhar and his mates. Pat then went to Canada █
█ (Quebec for a while) and then established himself █
█ in the UK, founding Drifting Sun in 1996, █
█ surrounding himself with top notch local British █
█ musicians. "Safe Asylum" is their fourth release █
█ and it's a real jewel, taking into account that █
█ for neo-prog to be brilliant, it requires fabulous █
█ instrumental prowess, a concise vision and █
█ stylistic delivery. These pro players are a █
█ well-rounded team, led by Sanders' arsenal of █
█ keyboards, guitarist Dan Storey has both grit and █
█ fluency in his sharp technique, drummer Will Jones █
█ provides a rock solid foundational rhythm to the █
█ arrangements, while vocalist Peter Falconer owns █
█ an immediately attractive set of vocal chords. I █
█ am not familiar with their previous releases but █
█ if "Safe Asylum" is any kind of barometer then I █
█ look forward to having all their highly rated █
█ prior albums in my collection. █
█ A stirring 8 minute+ piece kicks off the █
█ proceedings, "King of Hearts" is the owner of █
█ sensational contrasts, a suave universe where soft █
█ melodic passages that exude charm coalesce with █
█ powerful surges, a myriad of rhythmic alterations, █
█ chock full of bombastic keyboard swerves and a fab █
█ vocalist who strangely reminds me of Lou Gramm of █
█ Foreigner fame, a unswerving compliment if I may █
█ say! What a way to kick off an album, exciting, █
█ frenzied, slick and bluesy emotions are all there █
█ to stun into silence! █
█ "The Hidden Truth" keeps the delicate sound of █
█ their thunder blasting along, this time a lot █
█ smoother groove with choppy, almost jazzy rhythmic █
█ pulses and a delectable melody, sung to utter █
█ perfection by Falconer. Storey peels off an █
█ intricate and extended axe solo, laden with █
█ emotive gulp, a slowly built sizzle that bites the █
█ melodic hand that feeds it, blending in acoustic █
█ guitar when needed, all the while helped along by █
█ the sublime synths and ornate piano. Drummer Jones █
█ is in the spotlight with his deft wrists doing █
█ some nifty tricks. █
█ The longest track here , the dreamy "Intruder " █
█ clocks in over 10 minutes and is definitely a █
█ highlight track, showcasing all the accumulated █
█ strengths that exude from these rather stellar █
█ craftsmen, a particular attention to a shrieking █
█ vocal that will 'shiver me timbers", sincerely █
█ frightening and deliverer of goose bump emotions. █
█ The keyboard and guitar interplay are reminiscent █
█ of the legendary Mick Rogers-Manfred Mann duo, █
█ hitting notes like two power tennis sluggers, █
█ smashing, lobbing, volleying and acing like no █
█ other. The ominous lyrical content is equally █
█ interesting, dealing with sombre subject matter, █
█ submerged in dark and moody atmospheres, like some █
█ distant hurricane waiting to destroy. █
█ A moment of respite is needed after all that █
█ urgent experience, the delicate "Alice" is █
█ initially led by piano and voice. And what a █
█ voice! Peter Falconer hits a higher register than █
█ previously thought, a bucolic ballad in a very █
█ English style, about some 'pretty girl', all █
█ innocence and desire, fueled by a gorgeous, █
█ violin-led orchestral passage that has a █
█ Beatles-like hue that cannot be ignored. █
█ Absolutely spellbinding! Four tracks in and you █
█ can already tell this will be a masterpiece! And █
█ of course, if there is an "Alice", there must be a █
█ "Wonderland" not too far away and the 8 minute █
█ segue fits perfectly into their creative █
█ development, a darker universe of more complex █
█ symphonics, a measured pace with a huskier voice █
█ from this fabulously talented vocalist! A dreamy █
█ piano sequence is then followed by a harder guitar █
█ rampage, a slick organ in tow as the rhythmic █
█ section heightens the propulsion with a surging █
█ vocal that pants and emotes like no other. Pat █
█ then twirls and dances with his guitar partner, █
█ who blitzes with the best, lightning fast and █
█ hyper bluesy. Bold, insistent, confident, sizzling █
█ and proud, this is truly another sublime track on █
█ a truly remarkable release. █
█ The yearning towards the divine comes across on █
█ the appropriately named "Gods", proprietor of a █
█ ridiculously perfect melody, celestial chorus and █
█ that eternal contrast between soft and hard, as if █
█ defining the links between Heaven and Hell, █
█ gloriously majestic and enchanting. Once again, █
█ Falconer's pipes really do wonders, a modern-day █
█ Hercules of the microphone. █
█ Back to darker expanses with the stark █
█ "Desolation" and its companion piece █
█ "Retribution", perfectly highlighting the unique █
█ methodology of doubling up songs in pairs, █
█ paralleling their sonic palette philosophy as well █
█ as the obvious symbiosis between soloists. 'Close █
█ your eyes' Peter intones in a broken monotone (the █
█ man can sing, bellow, wail, whisper and shout). █
█ Will Jones does his best Chris Slade imitation █
█ (another compliment), pummeling his skins with █
█ apparent ease and effect. A torrid fretboard solo █
█ ensues, shoved along by a pugnacious bass, █
█ slithering synth and driving organ. Delirium! I █
█ really cannot help seeing the comparison to a █
█ modern and proggier version of Manfred Mann's █
█ Earth Band, circa "Bombers & Nightingales". That █
█ is another compliment of the highest standard! █
█ The super short guitar solo is just pure █
█ "Emphasis", a lovely wink and nod. This tremendous █
█ disc is finished up with a gorgeous piano-driven █
█ instrumental piece "Vagabond", Pat firmly in the █
█ thin beam of the spotlight, his synths not far █
█ behind, while Dan Storey introduces his thrilling █
█ wah-wah pedal to the mix, caressing his instrument █
█ with conviction and unabashed zeal. █
█ One of the finest recordings one is to listen to █
█ in 2016, a kaleidoscope of crystalline █
█ instrumental interplay and stellar vocalizing, █
█ within songs that have both depth, thunder and █
█ emotion. Lovely artwork, great sonic production █
█ and a truly first rate package. This just might █
█ finish on top of my 2016 list, as I would have a █
█ hard time imagining anyone else knocking this one █
█ lower. It's a 'safe asylum'. █
▓ ▓
▒ ▒
░ 1. King of Hearts 8:46 ░
░ 2. The Hidden Truth 6:30 ░
░ 3. Intruder 10:45 ░
░ 4. Alice 7:33 ░
░ 5. Wonderland 8:36 ░
░ 6. Gods 6:08 ░
░ 7. Desolation 5:29 ░
░ 8. Retribution 3:56 ░
░ 9. Emphasis (For Sienna Joy) (Bonus Track) 1:12 ░
░ 10. Vagabond (Bonus Track) 3:40 ░
░ 62:35 ░
░ ▒ ▒
▓ █ ░ ▓ ░
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