STAGING THE SEVENTH WAVE

In 2014, Dutch band Silhouette released their fourth studio album, 'Beyond The Seventh Wave'. In 2016, they were filmed and recorded performing the album in its entirety, and this has now been released as a DVD and CD set, along with a few additional songs on the DVD. They wisely had a few additional guests make appearances, the most important of which is an additional guitarist who was there for the whole set (he did try to stay at the back of the stage and out of the way), who assisted in providing some additional heaviness to proceedings, allowing Daniel van der Weijde to provide some delicate solos on his seven-string guitar.

Although their sound is more in common with bands such as Saga than IQ, I did keep being reminded of the former in the way they set up the stage, the use of a backdrop film throughout, a keyboard player who also provides superb vocals when needed, and a rhythm section that just keep it locked down so that the others can take centre stage. Brian de Graeve has a gentle vocal style, never showing any strain, while Erik Laan uses a myriad of keyboards and sings in a similar fashion, so that when they harmonise they do so with aplomb.

This is a powerful album, with lots of drama and dynamic shifts in the music as they tell the story of what happens to the main character (which has been reproduced in the centre of the digipak so that even those who haven't heard the original knows what is happening). Somehow, I have managed to miss all of Silhouette's albums apart from 2012's 'Across The Rubicon', a situation I am going to have to address. The concert footage is well filmed, with multiple cameras and angles, and this is a great introduction to the band.