BOTH WORLDS

I feel a bit sorry to give this album only 2 stars because it's actually quite a nice melodic pop- rock record with some prog traces, but evaluated as a prog album it really does not deserve more. Imagine gathering the most melodic-pop fragments of bands like Pendragon, Jadis, Iluvatar and even a bit of Fish-era Marillion (the title track starts with an arpeggio reminiscent of "Lavender") and making a collection, and you get an idea of what this album sounds like.

All the songs are very melodic and pleasant, easy listening without requiring concentration, the voice of singer Alex Toonen is good, the production is good, there is enough variation in tempos and moods, and the sound is typical neo-prog, but it does not offer much more than this.

It contains a few prog elements here and there but too few to be really considered as proper prog rock. If the guys would have developed these musical themes in a bit more elaborated and proggy way, this album could be a respectable contender to other neo-prog bands like Jadis, Illuvatar or Clepsydra, but as it is, it remains mostly in the category of pop-rock.

The instrumentation is correct but not complex, with only the guitar trying to make something a bit more interesting (a very little bit).

If your girlfriend (or boyfriend) does not like prog and you are looking for some compromise music which she will like and you will not dislike too much, this album can be a good option.