VEIL

Well, to be honest, this is my first musical encounter with the highly acclaimed Drifting Sun, while they have released already 8 studio-albums, 7 rated between 3.83 and 4.16 here on PA, between 1996 and 2024 .... oops! During my first listening session I got more and more excited, and concluded that I must have missed something by ignoring Drifting Sun for such a long time. These are skilled and experienced musicians, composing varied and elaborate songs, coloured with strong work on guitar and keyboards, and topped with inspired vocals. What a discovery for me, and what a nice surprise that Neo Prog Rhythm Section featuring Jon Jowitt and Fudge Smith, I have seen them so many times with their bands IQ and Pendragon.

The music.

Veiled (2:00) A short but wonderful blend of tender piano play, an orchestral keyboard sound, Minimoog, choirs and moving guitar, in a mellow atmosphere.

Frailty (12:05) A dynamic sound, shifting between dreamy and bombastic, with strong work on guitar and varied keyboards (synthesizers flights, powerful organ and tender piano), topped with inspired vocals (at some moments slightly theatrical). Finally a sumptuous climate with emotional vocals, howling guitar and choirs, to me it sounds like a mini rock opera, very well done.

Eros And Psyche (5:12) First a duet between beautiful Grand piano play and dreamy high pitched vocals. Then a slow rhythm in a bombastic atmosphere, featuring spacey synthesizer runs, powerful guitar riffs, and harder-edged guitar with moving runs. And finally again tender piano. What an excellent, very elaborate song, these guys know how to please the progheads.

The Thing (7:49) The first part alternates between dreamy, slow rhythms and bombastic, embellished with soaring keyboards, choirs, a flashy synthesizer solo and moving guitar runs, topped with inspired vocals. Halfway a long and moving guitar solo with biting runs, embellished with choirs, wow! In the second part mainly a bombastic climate, again with excellent guitar play.

2-Minute Waltz (2:00) Awesome Grand piano work, between tender and sparkling, I love this, variety and musical ideas rule on this album.

Through The Veil (5:45) It starts with powerful Hammond organ and fiery guitar, fuelled by a powerful rhythm-section. Then a slow rhythm with strong vocals, followed by a tight mid-tempo with Hammond. Now the music has turned into a dynamic and powerful sound, impressive, topped with strong vocals. In the second part a synthesizer solo and heavy and howling guitar runs. This bands deliver a good balance between song-oriented and instrumental parts.

The Old Man (5:44) First a dreamy atmosphere, with melancholy vocals. Then synthesizer flights join, in a slow rhythm and a bombastic sound, topped with inspired vocals. The music is coloured with piano and synthesizer. The tension builds, and culminates in heavy guitar solo, with biting wah-wah pedal driven runs. Finally dreamy with twanging guitar and soaring keyboards, wow, what an exciting composition!

Cirkus (6:34) I am delighted about the way the band has translated the title into music: a cheerful and catchy climate, fuelled by a dynamic rhythm-section, and embellished with strong, slightly theatrical vocals. In the first part a moving guitar solo and flashy synthesizer runs, then a female choir joins, in a sumptuous atmosphere, again like a mini-opera. Finally a dreamy climate with tender piano and violin, what a wonderful contrast with the rest of this captivating and dynamic song.

For those (many) progheads and symphomaniacs who are not into Neo-Prog, give this new Drifting Sun album a try, this band sounds like Neo-Prog Plus, way more elaborate and varied than the average Neo-Prog music.

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