THE THOMAS TRACKS

And ELEGANT is in fact the first word that popped up in my mind when I listened to this debut CD of 5BridgeS' for the first time, or in fact, the preceding demo of the same name. Elegant and classy, like Yes' and Genesis' early/mid 1970's stuff. Do words like 'Mellotron', 'Rickenbacker', 'Hammond' & 'Moog' make your heart beat just a little bit faster? Well, here you have it all. This album emanates a true 1976-feeling, but, in contrary to most attempts, 5Bridges manage to avoid it being a mere imitation of the Greats of Old, though it can't be denied that occasionally a kind reminisce to good-old-Genesis appears (the piano intro of 'Firth of Fifth', to name just one).

The band manages to adapt a vintage prog-sound in their long, colourful, elaborate and brilliantly constructed compositions, which all are of a very high quality. Even more, they are accessible & melodic, despite the obvious fantastic technical abilities of each individual band member. So, no 'freaking-out-on-instruments-for-Freaks'-Sake' on this album. In stead, every band member succeeds in keeping the demonstration of technical ability subservient to the flow of the truly enchanting melodies. As it is the case with the Greats of Old, the compositions flow smooth and naturally, and that's in fact a true compliment which I unfortunately can't dish out all too often to bands attempting to make 'vintage prog'.

It's impossible to point out some highlights - all 74 minutes of this concept album is one continuous highlight! The ongoing battles between keyboardist Luke d'Araceno and guitarist Enzo Gallo. The great interaction between Martin Thoolen's pounding Rickenbacker 4001 and Rob van der Linden's subtle drumming (I adore the crisp sound of his cymbals). On top of this, singer/multi-instrumentalist Piet Roelofsen adds extra emotion with his very Gabriel-like voice. Add an almost perfect production job (just a very minor remark: I'd have liked the sound of the Rickenbacker just a bit more prominent in the mix, but hey, I'm a Rickenbacker-freak, so don't mind me, here ;-)), and the final conclusion is obvious:

This is a perfect album for all Ye Classical ProgRock Purists to enjoy! 4.5 stars, give these newcomers a warm welcome, folks.

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