FORSAKEN INNOCENCE

The heavy neoprog band Drifting Sun was founded in 1994 by keyboardist Pat Sanders and bassist Manu Sibona (a.k.a. Manu Michael). Both musicians left their homeland of France to try their luck in the United Kingdom. Initially, two albums were produced before the band went on hiatus from 1999 to 2013. After that, they released four excellent albums with a new lineup, in which keyboardist Sanders and guitarist Mathieu Spaeter, in particular, made their mark. But then! In the fall of 2021, "Forsaken Innocence," their seventh album, was released. A band surpassing itself is impressive, but this is extraordinary. "Forsaken Innocence" is a stunningly good work of art.

The album features a dream lineup, and just hearing the epic opening track King Of The Country will have you agreeing wholeheartedly. The vocals throughout the album are provided by Verbal Delirium frontman Jargon, and you might be surprised: he sounds even better with Drifting Sun than with the Greek band. His vocals are not only warm and expressive, but he also frequently delivers catchy melodies, as heard in the opener. Guitar and keyboards in King Of The Country showcase their remarkable ability to add color to the music. At times bombastic, at other times reminiscent of Mark Kelly's (Marillion) keyboard riffs, the piano sparkles to bring light into the dark music, there's folk with a guest role for Eric Bouillette on violin, and a thunderous guitar solo passes by. The music is richly layered, making the vocals a true delight. This also allows the bassist to push his abilities to the limit, and with none other than John Jowitt on board, you can expect quality to be assured. There's another musician to get excited about: drummer Jimmy Pallagrosi. His decisive playing already made a great impression on Franck Carducci's live DVD, a spectacle in which guitarist Spaeter also shines.

Next, Drifting Sun presents Insidious, which, thanks to a strong vocal line, can be considered one of the album's standout tracks. Everything good about this band sounds even better here. This could be described as a heavy version of Echolyn, something like that. The track features a beautiful interlude with broken chords on the electric guitar and fairly high wordless vocals. The way the band exits this passage is top-notch.

After the swirling Dementium, featuring guest player Ben Bell on the Hammond organ, and the somewhat lighter New Dawn, the band delivers the two-part title track Forsaken Innocence. More than 26 minutes of prog heaven, wow. Part one is stunning: a well-oiled sequence of musical brilliance, with a jewel of a guitar solo as the highlight. I should note that none of the musicians show off, which is most evident in the instrumental part two.

The album closes with the light Time To Go, at least the regular CD version. The digital and vinyl versions include an extra track. Hand On Heart lasts four minutes, but I'm so attached to the seven-track disc that I'm trying to keep that extra track at bay.

Timeless material.

Orginally posted on www.progenrock.com