Phonya: Heli1025

With a little work and a couple of different decisions, this album could have been so much more than it is.

Phonya is a new Belgian instrumental band headed by Eric Vanderbemden, formerly of the neo-prog group Ken’s Novel. He plays guitar, keyboards, and bass, and is joined by his old bandmate Bernard Piette, also on keyboards, as well as Gautier Delco on keyboards and bass. In addition, bassist Seb Mentior appears on a few tracks.

Notice which instrument is missing there? Yes, drums. And that was the biggest mistake the band made. The drums are sampled, very obviously so, and once I heard them on the first track, I was unable to shake hearing them throughout the album. Which gets to the second mistake: The album lacks power where it could benefit from it. There are keys all over the album, and they’re great at times, but there’s too little guitar to complement them and no drummer to add personality and vigor.

This album feels cold, which is a shame because they were shooting for just the opposite. The title, Heli1025, refers to an old radio that Vanderbemden found in his aunt’s house. The band says that its sound and look “brought them back to a time where the world was not flooded with images and when sound helped to create emotions; a time where the listener was able to create his own images. This concept fitted perfectly with the spirit and the essence of Phonya’s music.�

I wanted to immerse myself in this album in just that way, but I couldn’t. Still, there is enough standout playing at times to warrant three stars, showing how close the band was to making a very good album.

Track Listing
1. Evolution (10:02)
2. Let Me Out! (6:32)
3. Breathless (4:15)
4. Trans-HUMAN-ce (6:40)
5. Lunar Sun (10:57)
6. The Infinite Game (14:07)

Added: February 5th 2025
Reviewer: Aaron Steelman
Score:
Related Link: Band @ Bandcamp
Hits: 156
Language: english

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