TEMPLATE FOR A GENERATION

A band that includes two members of Grey lady Down (bassist Sean Spear and keybords man Mark Westworth) but the main character here is Declan Burke. The guy is a good singer and tremendous guitarrist. Their first album didn´t move me enough to write a review. It had its moments, but clearly they lacked focus and a strong musical direction. Those problems were solved with Template For A Generation. In fact, they seem to buld a new genre: neo metal. The music is harder than your ordinary neo prog, but not as heavy as most prog metal acts like Symphony X , neither so complex.

Template For A Generation has only 3 tracks and 44 minutes of music, but it´s pretty strong work, with some great guitar work from Bruke, fine keyboards and a strong rhythm section. The sound reminds a little of the more progressive side of Dream Theatre (around the time of Metropolis Part II, to be more precise). Actually I was quite surprised of how they were so successful in scaping that style´cliches and building a sound of their own. The right production also helps a lot.

conclusion: a band to watch for. Their evolution from the first album is enormous and certainly they are very promising. It is powerful, emotional music with lots of good melodies and no unnecessary displays of virtuosity: it is technique used for the bigger picture. 4 stars at least.

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Posted Friday, September 25, 2009 | Review this album | Report (Review #241430)

Just did the review of Darwin's Radio's debut Eye of the World and already revealed that this successor was more spectacular in my believe and that's the best way to put it I guess. The firm sound of the band was already shining through on the debut but is even much more obvious on Template ... Besides this the songs are more epical and slightly better worked out here though I really believe this was already very much ok on Eye of the World.

The opening song The Illusion is Freedom is pretty mindblowing at first few listens but after 10 times I started to doubt if it would stand the test of time but that could also be a personal thing. It's a slightly overwhelming track at the beginning, starts to calm halfway but then it appears to be building up for an impressive finale. I'm really curious right now what I will think of this one in two years time or so. The other two tracks are a bit shorter and somewhat less impressive but still of roundabout 4 star level to me.

I can conclude with more or less the same statements as with the debut: if you like heavy accessible neo prog this one ought to be checked out. If you want more original and challenging prog you can leave it though. Still an excellent release in my book. 4 stars.

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Posted Sunday, November 15, 2009 | Review this album | Report (Review #250687)

Neat sophomore effort from this UK act, sure to please most anyone with a love for long, epic tracks and the heavier part of the Neo-Prog universe.

And while the opening track The Illusion Is Freedom is a bit too much prog-by-numbers for my personal taste, a nice but predictable multisectioned epic with distinct Genesis influences, the following two numbers was much more interesting as far as I'm concerned.

Blending in metal elements in a pretty similar (but better!) manner like Sylvan did a few years ago, these two ventures explore a darker musical universe. With a distinct guitar theme shared with the bass on Breathe It In and several intriguing instrumental motifs for final effort Age of Broken Reason, both these numbers are very well made affairs. Somewhat unpredictable too, which is a nice bonus.

And while there's nothing truly original to be found here, this is an enjoyable effort nontheless. Especially if you're fond of metal-tinged Neo, obviously.

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Posted Sunday, December 6, 2009 | Review this album | Report (Review #254631)

Now here's a great idea - do a prog album of one 20-minute song and a couple of 10-minute plus songs. Put this album at the top of my listening queue! Darwin's Radio Template for a Generation exists at an intersection of neo-prog (good melodies and Pink- Floydian spacey breakdowns), melodic power ... (read more)

Report this review (#1008165) | Posted by Progrussia | Monday, July 29, 2013 | Review Permanlink

I love to see proper independent CD releases. No record labels, no mass amounts of information...just the basics. This band I got interested into mainly because of the name (what...it's a cool name). So, I decided to give it a listen, and...I loved it. They where the perfect formula for me at ... (read more)

Report this review (#943089) | Posted by arcane-beautiful | Friday, April 12, 2013 | Review Permanlink

A truly fantastic piece of work Darwin's Radio's second album is a record containing only three songs, each over 10 minutes, but none of them feeling the length at all. A spectacular display of how neo-prog is really not just an 80's fad of synth solos and flashy vocals. The opener, "The Illus ... (read more)

Report this review (#799462) | Posted by Gallifrey | Friday, August 3, 2012 | Review Permanlink

Wow, well if this band isnt just the breath of fresh air that prog rock needed, Darwin's Radio are a Neo-Progressive rock band from England with a prog metal touch here and there, now being a huge fan of Neo-Prog myself they looked like an excellent wee band, so i bought this album online, and i w ... (read more)

Report this review (#282654) | Posted by FarBeyondProg | Wednesday, May 19, 2010 | Review Permanlink

There was so many releases this year that I had almost forgotten about Darwin's Radio. So today I sat down and listened to this album and I was pleasantly surprised! The strength of all the three songs is fantastic, they flow extraordinarily well together, all-in all a great release. The opening ... (read more)

Report this review (#257636) | Posted by Dunn Khan | Thursday, December 24, 2009 | Review Permanlink

This album is an unsung classic of 2009 and a HUGE step forward from their previous album Eyes Of The World, which had it's moments (Erase...Rewind, Lapse Of Sensation, The Vast Within) but was a bit uneven. I heard "Breathe It In" from the Classic Rock Presents Prog mag's CD and wasn't that impr ... (read more)

Report this review (#240371) | Posted by Embryo | Sunday, September 20, 2009 | Review Permanlink

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