NOCTURNE

Recently, I had a dream about a young kitten walking into my garden. It was a peculiar kitten, fluorescent orange-pink, like a glow-in-the-dark kitten. It actually scared me a bit. When I woke up, I thought about what had happened the day before that could have influenced this dream. Suddenly, it hit me.

I had been listening intensely to "Nocturne", the third album by Scottish progressive band The Emerald Dawn and because my Apple TV displays the album cover and song titles, I had been staring at the image for an hour. The artwork, created by vocalist/keyboardist Tree Stewart, depicts an intriguing passage of branches illuminated by the moon. The whole scene is rendered in bright blue and milky white colors, like a glow-in-the-dark forest. Bingo.

The association with the concept of fear is quite obvious, but I can't figure out the connection with the kitten. It certainly has nothing to do with the music of The Emerald Dawn, which is far from gentle. On this album, the band delivers a dark, almost ominous variation of their passionately delivered 1970s-style prog. Like their previous albums, it is characterized by a lot of atmosphere and a distinctive, jam-based sound that extends into long tracks. "Nocturne" stays true to this course.

The album is preceded by a short prologue with spoken words and it is advisable to approach this epic drop with an open mind. Let's go.

The first real song is the instrumental As Darkness Falls, featuring a fantastic drumming performance by Tom Jackson. Guitarist Ally Carter unleashes his defining riffs on this groove, creating an atmosphere that hovers between dark wave and gothic. Meanwhile, Stewart breathes life into the song with a torrent of neo-prog-inspired keyboard solos and it is this combination that captivates.

In the following Moonlight, we hear a mighty and beautiful guitar monument accompanied by exquisite piano playing. Midway through the song, the focus briefly shifts to these delicate piano melodies. How beautiful a dark forest can be.

In The Dead Of The Night is another prime example of imagination, a song that takes you to the darkest path in the forest. Don't be surprised when a lustful tenor saxophone appears. Let yourself be overwhelmed by the bombastic keyboard passage and don't ignore the fretless bass guitar. Need some guidance? There's plenty of Steve Hackett-like guitar playing to keep you on the right track. Towards the end, the song features well-crafted guitar passages with ascending tones. The vocals are distinctive here, although their role is still somewhat limited.

However, the closing track, The Child Within, is filled with them. In this beautiful epic, Stewart takes the microphone, adding great value to the music. When she starts singing, it intensifies the music tremendously. It is over twenty minutes of extraordinary allure, enhanced by the sound effects of church bells and rain, leading to an impressive finale.

The album cover of "Nocturne" immediately reveals its unique aura. I even dreamt about it. Well, indirectly.

Orginally posted on www.proegenrock.com