NEW HORIZON

It took a while, but today I am capable to present my humble review... What specific references should be found on CD 'New Horizon' if you go to this release featuring the twelve cuts? A pastoral opener 'Slow Fanfare' belongs to the instrumental type of sympho-prog overture that brings a classic Genesis-like vibe. On the other hand, it's a case of influence rather than imitation. The muscular track 'Destiny' runs through the dynamic rhythm and strong melodicism matched with the paradigm of Uriah Heep (John Lawton era). To be honest, I got a dual feeling about 'Horizon Suite' which contains the radically different movements. The first four minutes offer a sort of mellow composition featuring gentle piano, fragile vocal courtesy, tasty guitars, delicate keyboards and pleasant rhythmic backdrop. By contrast, the next part suddenly turns into overly aggressive hard-rock orgy accompanied by narrative inputs. There's no wonder that I savor the former and dislike the latter. After that, the potent outing 'Eirene (Goddess Of Peace)' which holds the captivating lead vocals, multiple harmonies, swirling keyboards, excellent guitar lines, competent bass and tight drums. Then, Adventure lean towards 'You Belong' bearing the stylistic parallels to Blind Guardian. Despite of its brief duration, superlative interlude 'With Tears In Their Eyes' manages to touch my heart and soul. The longest plot on the disk, 'Lighthouse' embodies kinda a cross between Uriah Heep, Jethro Tull, Deep Purple and Genesis. The subsequent, fast track 'Here To Stay' sounds like a melting pot of the piercing guitar attacks, vintage keyboard layers, stirring bass loops and competent drum work. Unfortunately, this fruition was spoiled by the awful voice of female lead singer. I also have some scepticism concerning two following songs, as both of them ('Nothing Will Change' and 'In Search Of (A New Life)' are sticking to the formula of trivial pop-music. That's not quite right with the progressive rock album. Being a penultimate item, the short interlude 'For the Fallen' has mainly a nice combination of soothing piano and spoken narration. The final track 'Refugees' is another nod to Uriah Heep (late 70's). To conclude.. You may find the critical remarks above somewhat redundant, but they are here for a very simple reason - comparing with the previous album by Adventure, CD 'New Horizon' has a handful of drawbacks. Nevertheless, it's a decent effort as a whole.