WITHER DOWN

MONARCH TRAIL is releasing this 3rd album at the end of the year, a Canadian neo-prog group that had passed through the cracks of my musical net, good returns thanks to the networks and I immerse myself in their discography, thinking of IQ for the synths, MARILLION for the atmosphere, the rest I find a singular sound apart.

"Wither Down" for an orchestral instrumental, a crystal clear piano and it goes well. "Echo" and "Canyon Song" follow on melodic neo-prog, very beautiful and quite monolithic. "Waves Of Sound" with a Mellotron and a few notes phrased in French give a reverberating title of ample notes, with a soaring sound level and leading to reverie. Megalopolitana "then arrives for the river title of 15 minutes in the jazz-rock instrumental variation; reminiscences of Banks from GENESIS emerge for a while then an acoustics of divine Steve COCHRANE; the final will be a succession of more or less rapid notes leaving the meditative and introspective side to the highest. "All Kinds Of Future" ends the album on another neo-classical instrumental with easily identifiable piano and horn; neo musical allowing to settle down, breaks worked to help to leave far, the final returns by the starting piano.

MONARCH TRAIL is therefore releasing an album of excellent quality, very symphonic and in a classic neo-prog vein. It's very beautiful, the keyboards are well forward, the atmosphere leads to travel through large sound spaces, bringing warmth and reverie.