DARWIN 2: A FROZEN WAR

DarWin is a progressive rock infused exploration into the future of humanity and the difficult world around us, supercharged prog metal, it says. Darwin is a collection of musicians ranging from Darwin to Phillips, Bissonette, Sheehan, Govan, Howe, Sherinian who have played in TOTO, BECK, VAI, MR BIG, LEE ROTH, ASIA, DREAM THEATER or STEVEN WILSON. It's their 2nd album coming out that features edgy tracks with heavy guitars and grooves; the musical frame leaves it in sound and progressive regions well worked.

The "Nightmare Of My Dreams" amazed me with the very texture of the piece mixing instruments including the enjoyable Guthrie solo, climates to the superbly introduced violin, 7 minutes which send you to purgatory for redemption due to a world going into an infernal spiral. "Future History" and its superimposed voices, this melodic guitar tune which makes you travel beyond the time of the said song, losing you in a meander of the most beautiful effect. "Eternal Life" intro with slide guitar à la Ry Cooder for an 80's FM track, ballad to set a stadium on fire, far from what is currently possible; easiest track to awesome or enjoyable guitar solos and synths, yours to see, that get you going. "A Frozen War" stunned me with this bewitching riff that becomes very fat and edgy, better than a good AYREON riff that is to say, a track that goes easily with a slightly simplistic declining end on the other hand. "Another Year" is the AOR or FM track from the 80s revisited with melody and chorus, female vocal addition to get on the radio waves, oh yes I forgot your own radio; aerial solo, airy, suave as the voice! The album is also available in LP with poster and covers of songs from the 1st album plus two from this EP. The album was composed separately in view of the current pandemic, all pulled together to deliver an instants-time, detailed, dramatic musical track with many progressive drawers. A heavy rock with basic choruses superimposing vocals to give more warmth and giving pride of place to individually worked solos, giving time to time. A much more complex and delicious album than it initially sounds, but considering the crowd inside it almost makes sense. Darwin makes us dream and hope it is already unexpected in these dark times.