Showing posts with label Contemporary Progressive Rock Reviews. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Contemporary Progressive Rock Reviews. Show all posts

3/21/2016

Contemporary Progressive Rock Review: Sebas Honing-The Big Shift

Release Date: 24th January 2016
Label: Freia Music

Sebas Honing is a multi-instrumentalist who hails from The Netherlands. Sebas is also a composer and producer, as well as being known for his guitar work in Equisa (prog metal) and 5150, a Van Halen tribute band. Together with his partner, Petra, he also fronts the acoustic duo, Mr. and Mrs. Honey. With all this going on, it makes you wonder where he finds the time to release solo material, with his latest offering being The Big Shift.

This release follows on from Songs of Oceans and Seas, a concept album relating to water, and From Middle to East, another concept album tracing a journey from Turkey, through India and on to Indonesia. The former follows a musical journey through rock/pop to prog rock/metal with the latter combining prog rock/metal with traditional music from the countries the journey passed through.

The band formed to record The Big Shift, also led to the formation of a live band which will have debuted on the 24th of January this year. The four people involved in the recording of The Big Shift were, Sebas (vocals, guitar, bass and keyboards), Petra Honing (lead and backing vocals), Christiaan Bruin (drums and backing vocals) and Tessa Struijs (backing vocals). Christiaan Bruin is also a member of Sky Architect and Nine Stones Close, whilst also releasing solo albums under the name of Chris.

The Big Shift is again a concept album, of sorts, but with a more personal link and relates to change that occurs at various points, such as leaving home, getting rid of fears and the birth of his daughter. The Big Shift is a 15 track album with a playing time of around 62 minutes. Tracks 1 and 15, “Big Shift” and “Lost,” form the shortest and longest tracks on offer, with the former clocking in at 1:12 minutes and the latter running just short of 6 minutes (5:48).

The opening, and title, track, “Big Shift” (1:12) is an atmospheric 25 seconds before the chunky power chords erupt. Some very tasty guitar then takes the track out and into “Life (part I)” (5:13) which is a totally different “kettle of fish.” Subtle strummed guitar leads into an almost faltering, fragile vocal from Sebas, and then the track opens up when Petra’s vocals join in. The track is more band orientated from this point as the music slowly builds and there are some chunky chords before the guitar gets a chance to “run free” with some excellent soaring themes.

These opening two tracks highlight the more melodic, almost pop styled areas of the music as well as the more metallic sections and it makes you eager to hear the rest of the album.

Tracks 3 and 4, “Ditching Fear” (4:15) and “Mercury Retrograde” (4:00) continue this light/dark atmosphere before “OMG” (3:34) blasts out of the speakers as a riff-laden thumper of a track together with a more strained version of vocals. 

“All of You” (4:06) quiets things down by several notches and “Freedom” (4:47) is a slow building track, neither being reliant with the more metallic side of Sebas. “Mild Smile” (4:48) is another of the gentler examples from Sebas although the latter part of the track ramps up the soaring guitar melodies again. “Full 180” (3:04) is a rampaging, thundering track which drives out of the speakers and pummels your ears. 

Cue a total change with the next track, “Flickering Heart” (5:22) which demonstrates the ease with which Sebas can move from the light into the dark, both between, and within, tracks. The penultimate track, “Life (part II)” (4:52) is another thundering rocker before the finale, “Lost” (5:48) which is an atmospheric moody track with bursts of metal to accentuate the sections within the track.

The Big Shift is an excellent album which seems to have used the previous 2 releases as stepping stones to a new level. The Big Shift effortlessly fuses areas of lighter and darker moods across and within the 15 tracks. One moment you are listening to the gentler, laid back music, but Sebas has the ability to “up the ante” so quickly and seamlessly, that you realize you are listening to a musician who is very confident about what he is achieving.

I found The Big Shift an extremely enjoyable 60+ minute listen and would suggest giving the album a few plays. It is unlikely that you will feel any pangs of disappointment.

4.5/5 Stars 

Key Tracks: Life (Part I), All You Are, Lost

Tracks: 
01. Big Shift
02. Life (Part 1)
03. Ditching Fear
04. Mercury Retrograde
05. OMG
06. All You Are
07. Freedom
08. Mild Smile
09. Hometown
10. Full180
11. Flickering Heart
12. Homeless
13. Falling Down
14. Life (Part 2)
15. Lost
 
Jim “The Ancient One” Lawson-Sr. Reviewer Prog Rock Music Talk
March 21, 2016
Review Provided By Prog Rock Music Talk



Contemporary Progressive Rock Review: Sebas Honing-The Big Shift

Release Date: 24thJanuary 2016
Label: Freia Music

Sebas Honing is a multi-instrumentalist who hails from The Netherlands. Sebas is also a composer and producer, as well as being known for his guitar work in Equisa (prog metal) and 5150, a Van Halen tribute band. Together with his partner, Petra, he also fronts the acoustic duo, Mr. and Mrs. Honey. With all this going on, it makes you wonder where he finds the time to release solo material, with his latest offering being The Big Shift.

This release follows on from Songs of Oceans and Seas, a concept album relating to water, and From Middle to East, another concept album tracing a journey from Turkey, through India and on to Indonesia. The former follows a musical journey through rock/pop to prog rock/metal with the latter combining prog rock/metal with traditional music from the countries the journey passed through.

The band formed to record The Big Shift, also led to the formation of a live band which will have debuted on the 24th of January this year. The four people involved in the recording of The Big Shift were, Sebas (vocals, guitar, bass and keyboards), Petra Honing (lead and backing vocals), Christiaan Bruin (drums and backing vocals) and Tessa Struijs (backing vocals). Christiaan Bruin is also a member of Sky Architect and Nine Stones Close, whilst also releasing solo albums under the name of Chris.

The Big Shift is again a concept album, of sorts, but with a more personal link and relates to change that occurs at various points, such as leaving home, getting rid of fears and the birth of his daughter. The Big Shift is a 15 track album with a playing time of around 62 minutes. Tracks 1 and 15, “Big Shift” and “Lost,” form the shortest and longest tracks on offer, with the former clocking in at 1:12 minutes and the latter running just short of 6 minutes (5:48).

The opening, and title, track, “Big Shift” (1:12) is an atmospheric 25 seconds before the chunky power chords erupt. Some very tasty guitar then takes the track out and into “Life (part I)” (5:13) which is a totally different “kettle of fish.” Subtle strummed guitar leads into an almost faltering, fragile vocal from Sebas, and then the track opens up when Petra’s vocals join in. The track is more band orientated from this point as the music slowly builds and there are some chunky chords before the guitar gets a chance to “run free” with some excellent soaring themes.

These opening two tracks highlight the more melodic, almost pop styled areas of the music as well as the more metallic sections and it makes you eager to hear the rest of the album.

Tracks 3 and 4, “Ditching Fear” (4:15) and “Mercury Retrograde” (4:00) continue this light/dark atmosphere before “OMG” (3:34) blasts out of the speakers as a riff-laden thumper of a track together with a more strained version of vocals. 

“All of You” (4:06) quiets things down by several notches and “Freedom” (4:47) is a slow building track, neither being reliant with the more metallic side of Sebas. “Mild Smile” (4:48) is another of the gentler examples from Sebas although the latter part of the track ramps up the soaring guitar melodies again. “Full 180” (3:04) is a rampaging, thundering track which drives out of the speakers and pummels your ears. 

Cue a total change with the next track, “Flickering Heart” (5:22) which demonstrates the ease with which Sebas can move from the light into the dark, both between, and within, tracks. The penultimate track, “Life (part II)” (4:52) is another thundering rocker before the finale, “Lost” (5:48) which is an atmospheric moody track with bursts of metal to accentuate the sections within the track.

The Big Shift is an excellent album which seems to have used the previous 2 releases as stepping stones to a new level. The Big Shift effortlessly fuses areas of lighter and darker moods across and within the 15 tracks. One moment you are listening to the gentler, laid back music, but Sebas has the ability to “up the ante” so quickly and seamlessly, that you realize you are listening to a musician who is very confident about what he is achieving.

I found The Big Shift an extremely enjoyable 60+ minute listen and would suggest giving the album a few plays. It is unlikely that you will feel any pangs of disappointment.

4.5/5 Stars 

Key Tracks: Life (Part I), All You Are, Lost

Tracks: 
01. Big Shift
02. Life (Part 1)
03. Ditching Fear
04. Mercury Retrograde
05. OMG
06. All You Are
07. Freedom
08. Mild Smile
09. Hometown
10. Full180
11. Flickering Heart
12. Homeless
13. Falling Down
14. Life (Part 2)
15. Lost
 
Jim “The Ancient One” Lawson-Sr. Reviewer Prog Rock Music Talk
March 21, 2016
Review Provided By Prog Rock Music Talk




3/05/2016

Contemporary Progressive Rock Review:Golden Caves-Bring Me To The Water

Release Date: 24th January 2016
Label: Freia Music

Golden Caves is an example of the new generation of progressive bands, in that the members of the band were all students at Codarts (Rotterdam) which is an arts university. They met at the institution back in 2013 and got together, releasing a debut EP in the December of the year and then started playing live in and around Rotterdam.

The first single “My Demons Hunt” was issued in April 2015 and then the band shifted their priorities and concentrated on graduating. At the end of 2015, the second single “Bring Me To The Water” was recorded. This appeared as an EP. together with re-mastered versions of earlier material the band had written. The aim of the band is to perform more live gigs this year and to produce a full length debut album in 2017.

Golden Caves is a 5 piece band comprising Alex Ouwehand (guitars), Romy Ouwerkerk (vocals), Eri Stein (drums), Elise Polman (keyboards) and Tim Wensink (bass). Although this is the info issued with the review copy of the EP and listed the band’s website, one of the videos I was viewing definitely had Romy, as she was singing, but was also playing the keyboards in the studio.
The EP. Bring Me To The Water, is a 7 track release with a total playing time of around 34 minutes, with all the tracks falling into the 4+ or 5+ minutes in length.

The opening track on the release, “Bring Me To The Water” (5:01), starts off fairly gently, highlighting the drums and bass in the band (Erik and Tim), and then they are joined by the clear vocals provided by Romy. The band builds to a fuller sound around the 1 minute point with some excellent guitar work by Alex and some subtle keyboards by Elise. The powerful chorus is instantly memorable and the track is a very fine opening statement by the band.

The second track is the first single that the band released, “My Demons Hunt” (4:21) and opens with an almost classical piano theme. The vocals provided by Romy fit the music like a glove and the exquisite guitar themes by Alex complement the atmosphere of the track. This is a slower ballad style track that shows the versatility of the band, and is, again, an excellent piece of music.

“Hey You” (4:56) moves in another direction whilst highlighting the superb bass playing and also heralds a harder, heavier tone to what has gone before. The fourth track “Colors” (5:29) has the soaring guitar and the subtle keyboards tucked in behind, before moving into a gentler, flowing passage with the crystal clear vocals again a highlight, until the heavier element of the band edges in and takes pride of place.

The next track up shows another string to the band’s bow as “Nature” (4:35) has an almost South American feel to the keyboard introduction and this leads into the penultimate track, “Strangers” (5:29). This has more of the excellent guitar work and great voice, forming a superb flowing piece of music with some excellent harmonizing prior to the guitar taking off again.

The finale to the release, “Exhilaration” (4:22), opens with some stunning piano and atmospheric wind effects which are then joined by some chimes as the track slowly builds. The vocals seem electronically treated and the effect adds to the atmospherics of the track. Around the halfway point, the drums and bass are more prominent and as the track ends, the listener is left with the feeling that they have just heard a band that oozes potential.

All in all, Bring Me To The Water is an excellent advert for the band, Golden Caves. The 7 tracks show the range of ability within the band and it leaves this reviewer looking forward, admittedly over a year into the future, to the release of the debut, full length album.

There are superb skills on show from all members of the band, and after a couple of hearings, the subtle hooks on the tracks are firmly embedded into your mind.

Bring Me To The Water is a great release and well worth getting hold of. My simple advice is to hunt down a copy of Bring Me To The Water, buy it and enjoy some excellent modern progressive music.

5/5 Stars

Key Tracks: Bring Me To The Water, Colors, Exhilaration

Tracks:
01. Bring Me To The Water
02. My Demons Hunt
03. Hey You
04. Colors
05. Nature
06. Strangers
07. Exhiliration


Jim “The Ancient One” Lawson-Sr. Reviewer Prog Rock Music Talk
March 5, 2016
Review Provided By Prog Rock Music Talk



Contemporary Progressive Rock Review: Golden Caves-Bring Me To The Water

Release Date: 24thJanuary 2016
Label: Freia Music

Golden Caves is an example of the new generation of progressive bands, in that the members of the band were all students at Codarts (Rotterdam) which is an arts university. They met at the institution back in 2013 and got together, releasing a debut EP in the December of the year and then started playing live in and around Rotterdam.

The first single “My Demons Hunt” was issued in April 2015 and then the band shifted their priorities and concentrated on graduating. At the end of 2015, the second single “Bring Me To The Water” was recorded. This appeared as an EP. together with re-mastered versions of earlier material the band had written. The aim of the band is to perform more live gigs this year and to produce a full length debut album in 2017.

Golden Caves is a 5 piece band comprising Alex Ouwehand (guitars), Romy Ouwerkerk (vocals), Eri Stein (drums), Elise Polman (keyboards) and Tim Wensink (bass). Although this is the info issued with the review copy of the EP and listed the band’s website, one of the videos I was viewing definitely had Romy, as she was singing, but was also playing the keyboards in the studio.
The EP. Bring Me To The Water, is a 7 track release with a total playing time of around 34 minutes, with all the tracks falling into the 4+ or 5+ minutes in length.

The opening track on the release, “Bring Me To The Water” (5:01), starts off fairly gently, highlighting the drums and bass in the band (Erik and Tim), and then they are joined by the clear vocals provided by Romy. The band builds to a fuller sound around the 1 minute point with some excellent guitar work by Alex and some subtle keyboards by Elise. The powerful chorus is instantly memorable and the track is a very fine opening statement by the band.

The second track is the first single that the band released, “My Demons Hunt” (4:21) and opens with an almost classical piano theme. The vocals provided by Romy fit the music like a glove and the exquisite guitar themes by Alex complement the atmosphere of the track. This is a slower ballad style track that shows the versatility of the band, and is, again, an excellent piece of music.

“Hey You” (4:56) moves in another direction whilst highlighting the superb bass playing and also heralds a harder, heavier tone to what has gone before. The fourth track “Colors” (5:29) has the soaring guitar and the subtle keyboards tucked in behind, before moving into a gentler, flowing passage with the crystal clear vocals again a highlight, until the heavier element of the band edges in and takes pride of place.

The next track up shows another string to the band’s bow as “Nature” (4:35) has an almost South American feel to the keyboard introduction and this leads into the penultimate track, “Strangers” (5:29). This has more of the excellent guitar work and great voice, forming a superb flowing piece of music with some excellent harmonizing prior to the guitar taking off again.

The finale to the release, “Exhilaration” (4:22), opens with some stunning piano and atmospheric wind effects which are then joined by some chimes as the track slowly builds. The vocals seem electronically treated and the effect adds to the atmospherics of the track. Around the halfway point, the drums and bass are more prominent and as the track ends, the listener is left with the feeling that they have just heard a band that oozes potential.

All in all, Bring Me To The Water is an excellent advert for the band, Golden Caves. The 7 tracks show the range of ability within the band and it leaves this reviewer looking forward, admittedly over a year into the future, to the release of the debut, full length album.

There are superb skills on show from all members of the band, and after a couple of hearings, the subtle hooks on the tracks are firmly embedded into your mind.

Bring Me To The Water is a great release and well worth getting hold of. My simple advice is to hunt down a copy of Bring Me To The Water, buy it and enjoy some excellent modern progressive music.

5/5 Stars

Key Tracks: Bring Me To The Water, Colors, Exhilaration

Tracks:
01. Bring Me To The Water
02. My Demons Hunt
03. Hey You
04. Colors
05. Nature
06. Strangers
07. Exhiliration


Jim “The Ancient One” Lawson-Sr. Reviewer Prog Rock Music Talk
March 5, 2016
Review Provided By Prog Rock Music Talk