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Dec Burke - Life in Two Dimensions CD (album) cover

LIFE IN TWO DIMENSIONS

Dec Burke

Neo-Prog


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4 stars DEC (lan) BURKE, British guitarist and member of the well-known group FROST *, is also a founding member of the British group DARWIN'S RADIO and DILEMMA; good, powerful, almost greasy prog metal narrating themes of loss, hope, and today's race to materialism; complex, powerful, progressive rock, melodic rock ballads for his 4th album composed during confinement again. We note in fact his style prone to guitar drift on a strong and warm voice. Note members of PENDRAGON, PAIN OF SALVATION, DILEMMA and COSMOGRAF as luxury companions.

"Life in Two Dimensions" on the prog rock track of the stadiums, nervous enough to stay upright, soft enough to dance arm in arm! Chorus in chorus which ogles pop-rock, memory on BON JOVI. "Emergency" much more nervous to the point that it can recall the devastating riffs of PRETTY MAIDS, fast and incisive rhythm as indicated by the title which is eyeing on the CHEAP TRICK. "Sister X" follows at the same tempo, frantic riff bordering on hard 80's; a prog break appears at the end to justify belonging to this very open current. "This Time" and a cool ballad that plunges into the JOURNEY and others FOREIGNER, the charmeuse repetitive rhythmic acoustic guitar; a strong solo reminds us that it is often on the ballads that we find the most beautiful; the warmly melancholy cello finale gives it a pleasant touch. "Sunlight" and return to a prog rock metal sound with a playful air playing on the thundering bass bringing the title to tunes known in our subconscious.

"Love Steel" ROGUE MALE, MOTORHEAD in the distance; it smells like the 80's with a clear and fast tune, metallic, it's basic; you would expect a 'stadium' title and then a prog variation suddenly comes without realizing it! Attention more complex than it seems, the final guitar solo holds up well. "Energy" passes like a letter to the note with a river tune and a guitar solo that flows naturally. "Fly with Broken Wings" on a mid- tempo, jerky air, ballad again à la FOREIGNER; I give this as an example to try to indicate to you where you are going to start, the current sound, fast, more rhythmic, fruity, heavy metronomic length. "Paper Fortress" with its piano intro, go a little souvenir from the "Images" of SAGA; the track then goes off to a melodic rock ballad almost in frenzied slow, the DEF LEPPARDs come to mind on their emotional ballads; halfway through, the break a little messy, complex with hard riff, heavy bass and twirling synths all giving way to a deluge of notes for his guitar; a little nod to the rhythmic drums of "The Knife" by GENESIS or DEEP PURPLE, you will quickly understand. "Trap Door" for THE title, 10 intense minutes that go by quickly, a bit of the madness of DEVIN TOWNSEND, psyche synths, rising notes, which have difficulty getting out of the speakers because it is so compacted; we then go on a ballad posed for a while before setting out again on the frenzied final.

DEC BURKE didn't invent anything I can tell you, but he wrote a bitch ... good melodic prog rock album. Recent fresh sounds that eye the 80's without falling into it, we are in the reminiscences exclusively. A rock album which gets better towards the end with more progressive drifts and which suggests that a little more long tracks would have made a major album; I prefer the second dimension of the second side with a little more of everything, the last 3 being just perfect.

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Posted Friday, September 17, 2021 | Review Permalink

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