Talking about starting on the wrong foot! Opener The End Of Hyde reminded me of a typical UK neo prog band. The kind that puts me off… Fortunately, that connection disappeared as the album progressed. So in the end the main duo of Han Uil and Aldo Adema did manage to capture me with their songs. Both have a history in various Dutch progrock outfits (Egdon Heath, Seven Day Hunt and Antares) as well as production credits.
Take for instance second track Won´t Look Back. Here the sound is modern, with a great organ throughout and inventive keyboard arrangements, and with a vocal approach that is much more to my liking. One Goal opens with a great bass line and also has a more modern sound overall. And in a progrock album the much loved Mellotron can of course not be absent. So Free Men opens with it (and it stays present throughout). Rhythmically a lot of cool ideas are incorporated, as are a lot of dynamics. Another highlight for me is I Can Feel You, where the mainstream rock influences the biography promises, are indeed prominent.
Talking of press info, according to that, the project takes it´s influences from as broad as Blackfield, Pat Metheny, The Beatles, Spock´s Beard, Nick Cave and Pink Floyd. Well I can´t say I hear all that, but then again, I am never good at recalling those when listening to a CD. At the end of the day it is most important to me that I am able to establish a connection and that worked out just fine. So thank you Freia for another wonderful release.
