FLOOD

This second album by Everon picks up where Paradoxes left off. Few things have changed (actually hardly anything has changed!), except that this album has more of a neo prog feeling to it than it's predecessor, and even though they still play that sophisticated music, I find this album less inspired than their debut. I still have a hard time telling songs from one another, except for the excellent first two songs (actually one song divided in two parts), "Under Skies... of Blue", a multi layered keyboard song with an anthemic feel to it, 'Very Own Design', which is reminiscent of the first song on Paradoxes (and also reminiscent of Detroit proggers Tiles), fast-paced, hard rocking and catchy, "Cavemen" and album closer "Flood", a very atmospheric number that virtually takes you under water (complete with submarine sonar noise and aquatic feel) including a surprisingly fitting sax solo courtesy of Clark Kent (not the one from Smallville, or Krypton for that matter).

The musicianship has increased in quality, but I think the songwriting is a little bit less interesting this time around. The songs have good arrangments, but some parts sound a bit too mechanical, a bit static. Oliver Philips gained a bit more confidence on vocals but has yet (at that point) to create catchy vocal melodies such as the ones found on 'Bridge'.

So a good album, by no means bad, but not essential. The best is yet to come.