THE FISHER

LIKE WENDY is the Dutch instrumental project of Bert Heinen, created in 1998. Known from the year 2000, I remember a good neo-prog at MARILLION as references but lacking pure creation. He tells on his 9th album a part of his childhood on the stories of fishermen of yesteryear, hence the title; an album with two great tracks to dive into this sea of ​​foam of memories, it's gone.

"The Fisher (Part I)" with the first of two long tracks from the album, for a Mark KELLY-style intro, set in motion with a crystal-clear, airy, smooth rhythm guitar right in the middle of progressive rock? also reminding me of APSARAS and its reverberating air melodies; drawers there will be some with Floydian sounds, a bluesy break halfway through and stretching guitar notes; fusion David GILMOUR, Nick BARRETT and Gary MOORE, acceleration of notes, return to a slower tempo, meditative, intimate, Genesis synths, passage tinged with spleen, meditation, final on the atmospheric acoustic guitar, on CAMEL for a romantic ballad , very well composed title. "Stormbound" for a rock with a slow tempo, calm voice accompanied by a magical Mellotron and fruity guitars, a little bluesy again, a caviar interlude in short on a very 70's tune. "The Cross" starts off with melodic prog-rock, associating chiseled and fruity guitar with vintage notes of keyboards ranging from Moog to Hammond; sound of Nolan here, delicious atmosphere in fact, Génésisienne on "And Then There Were Three"; the break starts with a fight between frippian guitar and various keyboards, then it starts again with a slide guitar and a sound straight from the 70's, psychedelic. It's simple, it's agreed, it's beautiful too and well composed.

4. The Fisher (Part II) for the second long piece, direct attack with phrased and acoustic voice a la "Animals", then its bluesy, Mellotron again; paf break with the limpid, divine, introspective piano, seagulls, oh yes we come back to the stories of fishermen; the tone is more melancholy, meditative, hovering, progressive in the sense of improvisation. The second part starts in the introspective, the emotional but with a melodic side and solos suites; a little Bjørn RIIS for the meditative progressive cold side; the finale introduces a slightly confusing trumpet, a harmonica reminiscent of the country of the slide guitar, then again these analog keyboards which make the ox with the trumpet! A title more complex than it looks. "Brand New" and a Floydian acoustic ballad, a simple title, refined as if to land smoothly from the boat ride in which we got on well. "Dune" for the extra song in a country crooner variation, acoustic continuing the previous title at the start, which suddenly explodes to change to warm-voice prog rock that you could listen to on a certain Route 66 there; the presence of yet another velvety guitar solo well placed to convert you.

LIKE WENDY places at the start of the year a melodic, symphonic, simple and effective progressive rock sound, agreed and limpid, more in the footsteps of a PENDRAGON or an IQ than a MARILLION. Long instrumental passages that depart from the aforementioned groups to show that Bernt has progressed well and widened his sound space. An album that has nothing to do with its timid previous releases, an almost concept album that hits the prog anthill with big kicks because it's really brilliant, fresh, inventive. A melting pot, an atmospheric, symphonic and melodic rock mix that is worth its weight in gold.