CELEXA DREAMS

KYROS is a group born under the 1st name of SYNAESTHESIA with Adam WARNE at the helm; a gifted young man who mixed musical structures from IQ, FROST, ARENA and above all from PORCUPINE TREE. He combined modern alternative sound with forward synths until he changed his name to KYROS (revival plus other bands claiming the name!) Bringing more experimental sounds, from the alternative avant-garde in my opinion, based mostly on energetic riffs mounted on a prog new wave rock base; a kind of creative breeding ground with atmospheres smelling good 80's pop on progressive drifts, a dream of imagining SIMPLE MINDS, DURAN DURAN or ORCHESTRAL MANEUVRES IN THE DARK getting into prog in their time; from MUSE and Steve WILSON in the background. A rather radical change which may put off some fans of the dino-prog genre because the sound here is much more modern and playful. This album is the 3rd CD, the 6th if you count their EPs and singles. The title speaks of course about this little miracle molecule supposed to treat depression.

'In Motion' opens the way with a pop-prog-new wave track from the 80's; a dancey and funky borderline track with keyboards and bass forward, the percussions completing the fire; electronics are put on the pedestal and one wonders which band we are listening to; It's confusing and the solo sax finishes us off until a very SIMPLE MINDS comeback in fact even from DURAN DURAN. 'Rumor' starts from the same very dancing, energetic bases and also with very strong sounds, especially at the percussion level; the chorus hooks immediately, the keyboards become airy, clear, crystalline, Adam's voice syncopated which can put you in a trance; I find here that KYRIOS allows itself to explore even more danceable sounds than what LEPROUS has dared to do recently, but much better personally than the mistakes of NO-MAN. 'In Vantablack' tumbles with one of the two flagship songs more than 10 minutes away: we are irremediably far from SYNAESTHESIA who flirted with PORCUPINE TREE, ARENA or IQ; here the atmosphere is much more cheerful, lively and less introspective; this title takes you on the road with the whole group and the relentless progenitors of the origins can only be amazed by the gradual drift that this title transpires; a few touches of FRANKIE GOES TO HOLLYWOOD or her son over there, the synth-trumpet that asks you questions, a low limit disco, then a mid-term drift that becomes pornstar, crazy, intoxicating, which makes your hair stand on end of your hair (I hope you still have some !!), in any case this drift is purely orgasmic and asks only to be listened to as soon as it ends; the final fits more into a neo-prog concept with piano and soft voice which reminds me of certain melodies typical of GENESIS there; the final return is more symphonic and raises questions about the direction of the group which has just released one of the most beautiful pieces of the year 2020, bluffing and astonishing! 'Ghost Kids' for a chained interlude, one of the strengths of this extraordinary group, and a sidereal atmosphere followed by a guitar solo from elsewhere, and we continue on 'Phosphene', a slow ballad which rises in crescendo with voice forward, a step forward to reconcile, a trompe l'oeil title filled with musicality, heavy, dense and overwhelming; a title that allows you to rest your ears without getting lost.

'Technology Killed The Kids III' a sequel to 'Vox Humana ', also chained, a plus for this album and for the group, which makes you dream of listening on stage, SF track at the start, calmer track, intimist alerting on the dangers and abuses of the web; a sudden musical rise with heavy riffs which suddenly reminds me of certain titles of the master ZAPPA, a few notes of NINE INCH NAILS even, a little more hard XTC with this well-chiseled chorus, a little even of GENESIS 'Duke' or 'Abacab', the end becomes spellbinding with a machine gun riff which denotes and makes you forget the rhyme imagined at the beginning. An occasional explosion of heaviness, creativity and unpredictability I read somewhere, that's it. 'Sentry' arrives with an ethereal, airy track, mixed voice, heavy rhythm but definitely pop, a bit of RUSH that we have forgotten too much as a progressive flagship group, HAKEN of course in its prog drifts and a lot of fruity notes VOYAGER, melodic prog-metal surfing on TOTO, DEPECHE MODE and ETERNITY X, even also a few touches of OCEANSIZE, electro-pop-prog all that! 'Two Frames Of Panic' leaves him on a purely Bellamyian sound with MUSE right in the ears! The style also draws some notes on the QUEEN rock opera which in fact prolongs the resemblance, the instruments are put forward with always this debauchery of rhythms syncopated a little in the final genre of fireworks.

'UNO Attack' continues on the same line with forward synths then incisive guitar limit djent at times; my god what sound anyway; here a frenzied instrumental track which synthesizes even more everything that may have been created in recent decades, in fact I would even say distill instead of synthesizing because we have here the best in concentrate, so it is no longer a simulated university or a bis-repetita from another group, or even a fusion, just a musical distillation to give music of the gods. 'Her Song Is Mine' ends the album with a romantic and nostalgic piano ballad, a voice out of context, an end of film title, er end of CD or digital album, both soft and ready to go in more explosive regions; a title which brings us back to the concept album, a song which can remind a little of the end of the film 'Brazil' with its innocent little ballad; a title taken apart which denotes but which here puts the PROG in the spotlight for the musical opening, just go for the last souvenir on a little JAPAN to make you think, just before the very pompous and airy final chorus. Please note the following silence also comes from the album!

KYROS extends its musical ranges and no longer offers only memories of groups in which we were able to bathe, he composed here an impressive innovative sound synthesizing and distilling the substantive musical marrow. An exciting experience with new music which adds to prog in general another drawer, that of electro-pop-new wave- prog. Sound that may remind you of RUSH, GENESIS, KINO, SIMPLE MINDS or DEPECHE MODE, passing by Steve WILSON or MUSE, it's still amazing. This openness can only be applauded even if I deeply regret the sound of SYNAESTHESIA. Finally, this album after deciphering may simply be one of the best releases of the year, no matter what because this synth-pop synthesis brings a new prog drawer into the ever-growing world of PROG.

Prog Wave? Fantastic album! If you are a fan of Tears for Fears this album is a no brainer. One of the best Progressive Rock/New Wave hybrids I can think of that is not a Tears for Fears album. What's most surprising is this is 2020 and emulates the 80's perfectly only with a Progressive Metal surge in the guitar work. Lots of deja vu moments as this album will remind you of everything from Peter Gabriel & Genesis, to Duran Duran and The Fixx or something of that sort.

In Motion, Rumor, In Vantablack, Phosphene, & Sentry all being tracks that emulate 70's driven Progressive Rock and 80's New Wave mixed in a soup. In Vantablack being the most impressive track of all.

In Vantablack being an unpredictable epic roller coaster. You get Prog, Wave, and Metal going back and forth. You won't hear a song like this on any other album. This song alone may be the price of admission.

Having grown up in the 80's and having listened to many albums that tried to do something similar to this I am blown away by what this album accomplishes. Sure there were Prog albums with New Wave in it. Saga, King Crimson, & Twelfth Night come to mind. Even Rush to a much lesser extent. New Wave acts who had albums with strong Prog influences Simple Minds(early), Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark(early), Japan, Talk Talk, China Crisis, The Cure, etc. Roxy Music helped pioneered both genres. Tears for Fears being one of the most successful and prominent Progressive Pop bands to ever walk the earth. I think this album is the best Prog Wave album Tears for Fears never did.

Definitely not for purists. Many Prog fans actually prefer this over 80's Neo-Prog while others the complete opposite. To each their own I guess. This was one of my favorite albums of 2020 and I definitely never expected to hear anything like this ever again unless it was a Tears for Fears reunion.