FEARS

FEARS is the 3rd full studio recording by an outstanding Neo Prog band from Switzerland. You can hear the evolution in their sound, but that doesn´t necessarly mean that this album is better than their previous MORE GRAINS OF SAND which was excellent too. They kept the same classic Neo Prog style in the vein of the many times referenced bands in other reviews (Marillion, Pendragon, Collage, etc.),but getting closer to their own sound and the same sensitive musicianship.

This release has the first change in the line-up, seeing the departure of the passionate guitar player Gabriele 'Lele' Hoffman, and i think it could´ve been a very difficult task to fill his shoes, but they did a great job replacing Lele with another high skilled player in the person of Marco Cerulli, similar in his playing style to fit their musical approach but a little further from the almost identical Steve Rothery way of playing by Mr. Hoffman (currently playing in Shakary, another great Swiss band).

What it didn´t change is the trademark of the group in the voice of Luisio Maggini, with his high pitched singing and his strong accent that could be distracting and even annoying for some poeple, not for me that i always enjoy his peculiar performances.Also remains on this disc the dominant playing of keyboardist Philip Hubert (similar to Mark Kelly)which is an important part of the band´s style.

The highlights of the album are: The opener "Soaked" which gives you a wide idea of what the CD will be like, a strong beginning and a cohesive effort of the band where everybody takes an important roll (like in most of the album). "The Missing Spark" continues with the same mood of the inicial track but with more dominant guitar and keys."The Age Of Glass" with different kind of keyboards all over and powerful guitar and a beautiful changing melody. "Daisies In The Sunshine" brings a moment of calm with a nice acoustic moment, a short but pleasant track."The Nineteenth Hole" is a great song with many things going on: a mellow intro, lush keys, changing tempo, varied guitars and ambient feeling."Fear" is one of the best tracks and closes the album in a magnificent way.

Almost free of flaws, i can tell you that you can go wrong with this CD, specially if you like melodic, guitar/keyboard driven music in the most pure Neo Prog style.

4.5 stars rounded to 4 to PA.

Viva el Prog!

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