Engineered by Grobschnitt founder Eroc, the band are formed from the ashes of the neo-progressive band Ulysses. The approach of this, their second album, continues that style with a carefully constructed set of emotional songs although the opener has a biblical concept to it which carries through to later songs in the lyrical undertone of displacement and loss.
The opening track sets the scene of the Jewish exodus with neat development from the slow opening vocal narrative to a slowly growing symphonic march. In "Shockwaves" (and elsewhere) the band sound very like their Dutch counterparts Cliffhanger with the squirting synths, textured keyboard layers and bouncy rhythm accompanied by Falk Ullmann's heavily accented English vocals ('w' is occasionally pronounced with the Germanic 'v' sound for example). "Naked Pale" and "One on One" show that the band can also write in gentler, balladic forms with a strong and memorable hook in the chorus line of the former and delicate acoustic work on the latter (spoilt a little by the repeated singing of the word 'reciprocity' – yeah it does scan well but there's a limit before it gets annoying guys).
The tempo is pushed back up in the following piece, "Cold and Strange", a pounding chase of a rhythm invaded by sudden stop and turn dynamics and typically neo-prog synth arpeggios and climaxes. The wah-wah guitar work which steams in toward the end raises the heat a further notch in arguably the strongest song on the album. A tender synth refrain leads into "Faceless Smile" which gradually builds in a jerky vocal fashion with a sequence of time changes into a more aggressive driving composition, rounded off with a careful slow down in pace and exit.
"We've Brushed" is another contender for best track, featuring several changes in pace and rhythm with pleasant, languorous guitar and vocal interspersed with a menacing bass and keyboard motif. A soaring guitar solo screams into the stratosphere at one point while at others the track falls into a dreamy sequence before that pumping bass motif returns. Marillionesque percussive keys lead into the pleading vocal on "Lost in Grey". A belligerent rhythm takes over with some fine keyboard solos and a repeating guitar theme introducing the memorable chorus melody. There is also a nice acoustic guitar interlude near the end before the track crashes out on its sturdy riff. "Seven Shades" has a mix of climbing and cascading scales on different instruments to introduce the track. Swiss neo-proggers Clepsydra or Aussie band Aragon are brought to mind here with another strong chorus hook.
Overall a worthwhile addition to the neo-prog catalogue in typical North European style.
Track Listing
1. Desert sand
2. Shockwaves
3. Naked Pale
4. One on One
5. Cold and Strange
6. Faceless Smile
7. We've Brushed
8. Seven Shades
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