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.