TRIBUS

Heavy Prog? No, absolutely not! I am very much into Heavy Prog since the mid-Seventies, from Uriah Heep, Deep Purple and Vanilla Fudge to Atomic Rooster, Led Zeppelin, Ayreon and of course Rush, but I can hardly trace any Heavy Prog hints. I can imagine that The Windmill is not easy to pigeonhole because this Norwegian band (rooted in 2001 and produced only 3 albums until now) easily switches from early Seventies Genesis (twanging acoustic guitars and flute) to mid-Eighties IQ (hypnotizing with Mellotron violins and moving electric guitar). Or Camel inspired, from dreamy with flute to a slow rhythm with a moving electric guitar solo. And the music is loaded with twists and turns, musical ideas and a variety of instruments, from swinging jazzy piano to powerful saxophone and from Spanish rock guitar to a capella singing and a folky tin-whistle, it all happens in the strong epic opener The Tree (almost 24 minutes). So we can enjoy symphonic rock, Neo-Prog, Rock Andaluz, folk rock and jazz, but no Heavy Prog.

And how about the other 4 compositions?

Storm (10:05) : First a slow rhythm with soaring keyboards and wonderful flute and acoustic - and electric guitar, halfway bombastic with howling electric guitar and intense piano. Then dreamy with piano and mellow saxophone, followed by a bombastic part with moving electric guitar and sparkling piano, and in the end a churchy organ. It all sounds very flowing and compelling, wonderfully arranged.

Dendrophenia (4:34) : Catchy rock guitar riffs, then a tight rhythm with vocals and mellow Hammond, to me it sounds like AOR.

Make Me Feel (9:39) : A slow rhythm with flute and lush Hammond, then dreamy with flute and piano, along warm vocals. In between some more bombastic eruptions. Then harpsichord and flute and propulsive guitar riffs, with howling electric guitar. Finally up-tempo with fiery rocky electric guitar and dynamic rhythm-section and some flute.

Play with Fire (4:34) : Dreamy with acoustic rhythm guitar and flute, then a slow rhythm with flute, Hammond and pleasant vocals (male and female) and flute traverse and slow synthesizer flights, like "folk rock meets melodic rock", with hints from Camel, Solaris and Jethro Tull, but more song-oriented, very catchy and cheerful.

So hardly any Heavy Prog moments, apart fromMake Me Feel and Dendrophenia with rock guitar. The Windmill is a band that delivers a very melodic and harmonic eclectic sound, wonderfully coloured with a wide range of instruments, often between dreamy, slow rhythms and some bombastic or harder-edged moments. Although it's not really my music, I am impressed by their compositional skills and how they have found their way between symphonic rock, Neo-Prog, melodic rock, folk rock and AOR. I think it is most close to Neo-Prog, it's no coincidence that Karl Groom (Threshold, Shadowland and Strangers On A Train) did the mixing and mastering of this CD.

My rating: 3,5 star.

P.s.: Other new interesting bands that are not on PA: The Adekwaem (Neo-Prog), Laura Meade (from IZZ, eclectic), Encircled (Neo-Prog), Fizbers (Eclectic) and Dean Baker (from Galahad, excellent electronic).