EMERGENCE

Visible Wind is a progressive rock band from Montreal. The influences are quite varied. The lead singer has a bit the John Wetton's voice. The sustained electric guitar riffs are quite hard rock. Some modern keyboards, combined with the rhythmic guitar, sound a bit like Saga around 1980, especially on the first part of the "Sweet perdition" track and on the progressive bit of the "We'll meet again" track. The drums can be VERY complex and elaborated. The tracks do not all sound the same. The graceful New Age track "Interlude" contains celestial acoustic string instruments, birds sounds and magic modern keyboards, sounding a bit like Vangelis' "Oracle of Appollo". There is a track sung in French: the more commercial "Face a la television". "Salesman #13" is more prog hard rock oriented, having less modern keyboards, like a good distorted organ. The more ordinary "Nemesis" relies on very complex bass and drums, with slightly Crimson-esque rhythmic electric guitars: I find the lead vocals to be too repetitive on this track. "Winter night" has very catchy piano and lead vocals: the electric guitar solos sound a bit like the Pink Floyd's "Time" solo. The too short "Cryptarythm" has excellent short clean guitar notes a la Pendragon and Marillion. The rhythmic guitar on the hard rock "At the end of the road" sounds a bit like Steve Vai's work with David Lee Roth. The mellow last track, "We'll meet again", is very catchy and addictive: the moaning electric guitar high notes sound like the Pink Floyd's "Breathe" track, and the other electric guitar sounds like the Alan Parson's "To one in Paradise" track. The track are unequal, and the REALLY OUTSTANDING PROGRESSIVE moment is the first 7 minutes of the "Sweet perdition" track: everything on this track is impressive, and it clearly reminds SAGA at their best, in a more refined and progressive manner.