After nearly 20 years, North Carolina's progressive rock act Land of Chocolate returns with Your Finest Hour, roughly an hour's worth of new music that proves to be a formidable follow-up to 2004's Regaining the Feel, and arguably might be their strongest effort yet. The line-up for the album is comprised of:
Jonn Buzby / keyboards, vocals
John Covach / guitars (1,3,4,6,12)
Brian O'Neill / guitars (2,5,7-11)
Gerald Wilson / bass
Wesley Hare / drums
As much of the material of Your Finest Hour was being worked on at various stages over the years, John and Brian have gone in and put the finishing touches on these recordings in order to make this the full-fledged third album from Land of Chocolate. As such, it's a very focused, cohesive set of material, with tracks like "This Beautiful World", "Your Finest Hour", "Poison the Root", "The Currents of You", "Movers/Shakers", and the soaring "Helpless" being a few of the highlights. With Buzby's brother Chris being a member of Echolyn, it's not surprising that some of the characteristics of that band bleed in a little bit here, as Land of Chocolate's use of counterpoint and lush vocal harmonies owe a great deal to the music of Gentle Giant, a band that has clearly influenced both groups. Fans of expert keyboard and guitar arrangements will be in for a treat, as Buzby, O'Neill, and Covach have really contributed some fine playing here, and the rock-solid rhythms are also well done, especially on the majestic "Air". And, it needs to be said, John is a fine, fine singer.
Overall, Your Finest Hour was worth the wait, and those who might have forgotten about Land of Chocolate now have reason to experience their melodic prog-rock music all over again.
Track Listing
1. Movers/Shakers (4:49)
2. This Beautiful World (7:24)
3. Your Finest Hour (4:39)
4. A Rae of Hope (2:38)
5. Helpless (5:10)
6. The Currents of You (5:46)
7. A Deep Breath (2:35)
8. Air (4:53)
9. Meaningless Trip (5:54)
10. A Stark Reminder (2:38)
11. Poison the Root (6:22)
12. Threatening to Unwind (5:06)
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