Ah, yes, the third instalment of Henry Meeuws (songs, keyboards), also known as Medea. And since a lot of people I know are involved, it gives me a lot of pleasure to listen and write about the album. Just dropping some names here: Igor Koopman – drums, Frank de Groot – bass, and on vocals Ernst le Cocq d’Armandville, Joss Mennen, Rob Laarhoven, Sandra Peeters and John “JayCee” Cuijpers. So some rock, some metal, some alternative and some prog coming together.
And ofcourse prog is what is on offer here. From opener Aurora Overture, with a hint of Kansas in the violin, to closer Northern Light. A total of 12 songs and a playing time just short of 70 minutes. The first thing I noticed was the sound of the album. The Rock Inc studio managed to elevate the album into the premier league. It is transparent, with awesome sounding orchestrations, and still enough punch in the guitars to let it rip. And all the vocalists are prominent in the mix.
On to the music then. As you will expect the range of influences is broad. As I mentioned before, the orchestral parts sound very convincing, and they add a lot of sizzle to the songs. Throughout the CD melodies come and go, and whether flute, violin, cello, keyboards or guitar, all are effectively used to add colour.
I am sure no one expects the album to be instant. This needs to be played a couple of times to sink in. And then you have an album that shines. Lush arrangements keep giving you new discoveries. Very well done!