Quite a surprise to find out about a new Abel Ganz album. Not that I am an avid follower of the band, but still, have some titles and of course the band will forever be known for launching the career of Alan Reed (ex-Pallas).
And listening to this was quite full of surprises. I mean, sax? Orchestra? Brass? Flutes? World music? Folk? Prog? But then it dawned on me, this IS prog! After all, here we have a band that is not afraid to experiment and tries to bring songs that hit home. On whatever foundation they are built.
So the orchestral opening of Illusions Of Grandeur is setting the scene. The 5 following tracks are all part of the song Obsolescence. Together clocking in at over 20 minutes we have an epic on our hands. And to me it is also epic because of the emotional delivery in various parts. Beautiful music! Various moods and shifts and grooves, but all glueing well together. And this is not even the only epic track…
The world music element is most prominent on Heartland. If you like a surprise, this is one. And I like it! Thank You is a folky proggy classic rock tune that is pretty contagious. You probably get by now I like the 72 minutes of music where variation is key.
I say a job well done and I hope we get to hear more of the band. Welcome back!