SIGNS

I haven't come across a great many bands from Belgium, but I am really glad that I have come across this one as this is a fine debut. This is very approachable prog rock, but with the emphasis more on the melody and classic rock stylings as opposed to complicated complexity. In some ways they remind me of the long lost The Covenant, but with more keyboards. The vocals are powerful and much more in rock fashion as opposed to being anything extremely fancy. While the music is punchy and powerful it was the lyrics that caught my attention the first time that I played it. Guitarist and lyricist (and most of the music as well) Geert Fieuw has a way of grabbing attention on a myriad of subjects, whether it be about the first World War, media, or the story of a person who can see events in the future. But for me the highlight is "Freak Show" where fairground music and an announcer lead us into the music world as they see it "Moving on from town to town, Gotta get the message heard, Gotta keep the music going on, Won't you spread the word? They say we're out of format, they tell us that we don't belong, Insist that we are out of fashion, Gotta prove them wrong".

In an email, Geert told me the following: "The Visionary" is about Nostradamus and his '99 prediction of the eclipse, seen from his point of view. Obligatory, we read one of his quatrains at the end of the song. (How Cliché eh ?) But ... in "Icons", the same voice reads something too .. in the second verse we sing "collapsing towers, as foretold" .. and in the bridge the same voice reads out the so-called prediction for 9-11.. However .. that one is a hoax, it's not even a quatrain (3 phrases, not 4) .. So beware of double hidden meanings meant to set you on the wrong foot". This is punchy radio friendly progressive classic rock that deserves to be heard by a much wider audience. It is a very accessible fun album and one that lovers of melodic rock would do well to investigate further ? it really is a goody. www.beyond-the-labyrinth.com

Feedback #89, 2006