Out of the ashes from Belgian symphonic rock band Isopoda now rises Fossil Evolution. And where Isopoda was often referred to as the Belgian Genesis, FE is based on seventies prog and the neo prog of more recent decades. Besides that, the band is a real family affair as it is centred around Isopoda’s Arnold De Schepper (bass and vocals) and his 3 sons Arne (drums), Maarten (guitar, keyboards and vocals) and Wouter (guitars), with Pieter de Groeve on keyboards.
While listening to this it was obvious to me that the previous Genesis reference is still audible. Mainly in the arrangements of the keyboards, just start the disk with Beautiful Colours and you will know what I mean. The title track that follows has a good melody and a slightly more modern approach. All songs have a lot of moods and time signature changes. But with 6 songs clocking in at almost 50 minutes, that is pretty obvious in this genre. In Next Time the guitars are more heavy, albeit without things getting aggressive. Which brings me to my main concern, in my ears it all sounds rather safe. It is well played and produced, but could have benefited from a bit more risk and energy at times.
Yet I am sure genre aficionados will get exactly what they are after.