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Gentle Art Of Music / Soul Food - [Release date: 14.06.24]
So, what happens if the two finest progressive rock bands in Germany get together (with a number of special guests) to make a progressive rock album?
The answer is you get the best of both worlds.
So, what’s happened here is that Marco Glühmann, vocalist of one of said bands (Sylvan), has put together a ‘solo’ album drawing together members of Germany’s other great prog band, RPWL, to realise this project.
The fact that the three hired guns from RPWL are exceptional musicians helps ‘A Fragile Present’ become so much better than the sum of its parts.
Kalle Wallner is a superb guitarist whilst Yogi Lang (keyboards) and Markus Grützner (bass) are no slouches either.
Add in pop-ups by Billy Sherwood (Yes) and no other than Steve Rothery (Marillion) and you can consider the cake iced.
It’s always difficult for members of well-established bands to throw off the shackles and come up with something different – and yes, of course you can hear Sylvan, but the coming together with RPWL has delivered an album that either band would be pleased to add to their body of work.
Twelve tracks, and unusually for a progressive rock album, nothing clocks in at more than six minutes – it doesn’t have to – everything that needs to be said is said, everything that needs to be played is played – and all with a minimum of padding.
Opener ‘Hear Our Voice’ is the statement of intent – with its pounding riff cut with nice acoustic, it gives all involved a good workout and sounds very RPWL with Yes-like harmonies and stellar guitar from Wallner.
Anthemic choruses are the order of the day together with soaring keys and exceptional fretwork on ‘Never Say Goodbye’, ‘Reach Out’, ‘Faceless’ and ‘Look At Me’.
I have to say that things go a little ‘meh’ in the middle with ‘For A While’ sounding for all the world like ‘No One Can’ from Marillion’s ‘Holiday’s In Eden’ album and ‘At Home’s unfortunately trite lyrics such as – “my arms wait for you” and “my love will warm you up”. No. Just no.
Things pick up again with the almost rap-like ‘Black The Shade Out’ and ‘One Last Time’s heavy-as-hell riff and lovely chorus.
‘Life Is Much Too Short’s acoustic cadences and restrained vocal herald more frets-on-fire guitar work and the spacey, ear-worm keyboard riff of ‘Running Out Of Time’ set up closer ‘My Eyes Are Wide Open’ – keyboard-led with a superb vocal from Glühmann, all topped off with a classic guitar solo – courtesy of Mr. Rothery.
In all, and despite its squidgy middle, an excellent debut solo effort, enhanced with pristine production and exceptional musicianship throughout.
Fans of both bands can invest with impunity. ****
Review by Alan Jones
Just a note to vinyl-heads – the vinyl issue is short of two tracks, presumably due to time considerations, but, bearing in mind it’s probably twice the price of the CD you might well feel short-changed.
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