CRYOGENESIS

The interest of creating the Ixion project was born in 1999 for Dutch composer/keyboardist Jankees Braam, when he watched a TV programm about cryogenics, the freezing of humans or human parts and its side-effects.He started writing down material for his own band Sangamo, but as the group split up in 2000 he was forced to finish his work alone.In search for some musicians to perform his music he ended up with an experienced line-up: Almost the whole S.O.T.E. line-up - Gerton Leijdekker on guitars/vocals, Peter Boer on cello/contrabass, Menno De Vries on drums, Martijn Bos on keyboards, Esther Ladiges on vocals - , Gerben Klazinga on keyboards and Jeroen Hogenboom on guitars, both from Knight Area, Peter Everts on vocals (later with Taurus & Pisces) and Maaike Breijman also on vocals.Braam performs on vocals, keyboards and bass.The ''Cryogenesis'' album came out independently in 2004.

The extended line-up of first-class Dutch musicians and singers is not the only impressive thing about this album, because the music is also great with many interesting moments and the album as a whole is perfectly composed, albeit a bit unoriginal, following a type of Neo Prog-ish AYREON-like Rock Opera with narrations, operatic vocals and dreamy lyrical parts.Influences range from MARILLION, DREAM THEATER, MAGELLAN, EXPLORERS CLUB and THE FLOWER KINGS, creating a heavier version of modern Symphonic/Neo Prog with bombastic, orchestral moves, nice melodic textures and shifting climates.Braam prooves to be an excellent composer, achieving to combine orchestral soundscapes with angular guitar attacks and dreamy keyboard-driven passages with comfort.The cast of talented singers provides a fine depth of lyricism and expression in an album that deals with a sensitive, deeply scientific issue.Full of grandieur and majesty, the instrumental work ranges from decent to magnificent with clever breaks from powerful themes to ethereal breathes, while the sound is always rich and dense.Production is absolutely great, helping the concept to flow easily.There are very strong links with the Dutch Neo Prog movement of the age with BRASSE being possibly the closest comparison, as ''Cryogenesis'' holds many symphonic elements and heavy, orchestral lines throughout.

Very good debut by an excellent composer.Cinematic Neo Prog with occasional blinks to heavier territories is the best description that comes to my mind for ''Cryogenesis''.Strongly recommended, among the projects that need some attention...3.5 stars.

CryoGenesis is the first album by the Ixion project of bassplayer and keyboardist Jankees Braam. With help from six musicians and four singers known from the Dutch music scene to record this concept album, I think it`s one of the best concept releases I have heard so far this year. The concept story are about the psychological and social problems of a woman who was in CryoStasis (frozen) for 500 years. She is brought back to life again and is cured from her fatale disease; That is when the problems begin...

By visiting Ixion`s website you can read the whole story there. The project Cryogenesis started already back in October 1999, when Jankees was watching a program on TV regarding CryoGenics (the freezing of humans or human parts). By this time Jankees played in a Symphonic Rock formation called Sangamo, and the idea was that this band was ment to be a part in the Cryogenesis project. In summer 2000 the band split, and Jankees started to search for a new home for Cryogenesis, and the project Ixion was started. With a couple of friends from Sangamo and all the members from S.O.T.E., the recordings started in November 2000 and was finished in January 2004.

Jankees Braam has really managed to put together a very interesting project with Ixion and the concept album Cryogenesis. It`s always interesting to sit down and listen to projects like this, with four great singers and a bunch of great skilled musicians, Jankees has succeeded in all ways. The music from Ixion can best be described as a mixture between Symphonic rock and Progressive rock with a relaxing and dreamy feel. When I for the first time sat down and listened to Ixion I thought I heard influences from bands like Marillion, Yes, Arena and Xinema.

The album starts with the over ten minute long song The Gamble, and the first 1 minute and twenty seconds is a beautiful part with piano, string arrangements and synths. The song takes another direction when the guitars comes in, but it slows down again before the vocals comes in. The use of the two female vocalists Esther Ladiges and Maaike Breijman is very good and comfortable to listen to and you will get a dreamy feel when listening to songs like The Gamble. All the way through, the album changes much and it will take you some time before you get into the songs,but they are perfectly arranged, composed and performed and I can promise you that you will like this CD if you enjoy listening to Camel, IQ and Ayreon. Song number three is sung by Peter Everts and Gerton Leijdekker, also these two guys are great singers. It is on songs like this I especially think I can hear a bit of the influences from Marillion. My favorites on the CD are the very symphonic oriented Rebirth and the more progressive song Syndrome and the last song The Sleep.

I am very impressed over this CD and I can strongly recommend it for fans of Symphonic Progressive Rock and related. 4 Stars