AMONG THE ELEMENTS

It's a shame that this album got so little attention when it was released in 1996. To me this is a little gem in the melodic/neo-prog rock sector and even 12 years after its release I am still surprised by the quality of the songs. The songs range from catchy melodic rock tunes (I Can't follow) over beautifully orchestrated piano-driven ballads (Angels) to elaborate prog rock monoliths (Among The Elements). Noticeable are the outstanding vocal melodies interpreted by René Jobig (there are some really memorable chorus lines on this album, which is something not many prog rock bands manage to put down on their records) and the beautifully warm keyboard/piano sounds by Bjorn Tiermann. It is quite hard to come up with any comparisons because this excellent blending of a pop appeal to vocal melodies, a warm AOR production and complex progressive rock song structures is quite unique, but I guess the band can be stated to sound like some sort of a mixture between the early-Hoghart-era Marillion and some of the catchier Arena tunes. Highly recommended!