7 Ocean: Son of Sun

7 Ocean is a progressive rock band from Belarus. They formed in the late '80s and released a series of cassettes in their home country. In between 2008-2016 they have released five CDs including their latest Son of Sun.

In the band are Sergey Starosotsky (vocals), Oleg Grinevich (guitars, bass), Alexander Elefsky (keyboards) and Alexander Sofiks (drums).

The band play melodic progressive rock and symphonic prog that is very easy on the ears. Keyboards and guitar are used in equal measure and the playing is quite good. If I had to complain about one aspect of this album it would have to be the lead vocals. While Starosotsky does not have a horrible voice his delivery is a little monotone and one dimensional. It isn't a deal breaker for me but for some it may be hard to get around. That and the fact there is a language barrier (vocals are in Russian) doesn't help matters either.

Pretty acoustic guitar begins "City of Sun" with tasty background keyboards. The sound is light and airy and very pleasant to listen to. So as not to get too comfortable the band unleashes bursts of guitar but the sound is still quite bright and uplifting. Next up is the instrumental "Ascension", the disc's best track. The guitar riffs are edgier and the keyboards are moody and trippy and the groove is rock solid. I really like the darker sound on this one. "In the Cave" is another nice track, quite dreamy and melodic. Organ and piano flesh out the sound and Grinevich lays down one of his best guitar solos on the disc, very lyrical and melodic.

The epic track "Old Woman's Story" is over seventeen minutes long and while a good track some of the transitions are a little rough for my liking. That said, the guitar work is very good throughout with a variety of phrasings and tasty solos.

All in all Son of Sun is a nice progressive rock album but I am not sure if this will garner much attention outside their native Belarus. That said, if melodic prog is on your radar and you don't expect to be blown away by new sounds this album should be to your liking. Released on the MALS label.

Track Listing:
1. City of Sun (8:43)
2. Ascension (5:17)
3. In The Cave (6:27)
4. Old Woman's Story (17:16)
5. Disappearance (8:32)

Added: August 7th 2016
Reviewer: Jon Neudorf
Score:
Related Link: Band's Official Site
Hits: 2576
Language: english

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