END OF ILLUSION

Although currently listed on this site as Brazilian, Anders Helmerson was in fact born and raised in Sweden, where he recorded this his first album. While he dedicated some three years of his life to the album, it did not find commercial success leading to him heading west, initially to Canada, and subsequently to Brasil (and eventually to London where he now resides). When interviewed for this site in 2010 (www.progarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=75872), Helmerson recalled of this album that "in the business I was known as the guy who did the most expensive Swedish record production after Abba"!

Although "End of illusion" is credited to Helmerson, who is the main composer of the work, it is actually performed by a band which includes guitars, bass and drums to supplement the main keyboards sounds.

Helmerson is listed on this site under the Symphonic prog banner, but he himself describes his music as Prog Fusion. The reality is probably somewhere in-between. There is no denying that Helmerson's compositions can be less rigid than the demands of a symphonic badge might require, but his music does have a quasi-orchestral style to it. Helmerson is a keyboards player, his preferred sound being comparable with that of Patrick Moraz, especially the latter's earlier solo works. Most of the time, it is synth which dominates proceedings, although other keyboards are also featured, the Emerson ("Tarkus") style piano on "Rising Mind" being a notable example.

The album is nominally divided into 14 tracks, but these are simply sections of the whole. There is no gap between the tracks, and indeed often no instant change of theme at the dividing point. It is necessary therefore to consider the album as a complete piece. On that basis, this is an impressive work. I do confess that at times I find myself wandering off when listening to the album, if I have a criticism it can seem a bit one dimensional at times. Still well worth a listen though.

For many years, this would be Anders Helmerson's sole album. He even left the music industry for several years, but returned to recording in 2002 and become positively prolific when releasing a third album in 2010.

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