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Frequency Drift - Over CD (album) cover

OVER

Frequency Drift

 

Crossover Prog

3.88 | 221 ratings

From Progarchives.com, the ultimate progressive rock music website

lazland
Prog Reviewer
4 stars I had not, I must be honest, heard of German outfit, Frequency Drift, until I happened to listen to this, their latest work, on the excellent website, Progstreaming, a couple of weeks ago. As has happened on more than one occasion, what I heard was so good, it was not long before the cd had arrived in the post. It will not be that long, I suspect, before I expand my collection with more of the band's work, because this is a special album.

From the belting riffs of opener Run, to the gorgeously expansive wall of sounds heard pretty much everywhere, with the magnificent use of the electric harp first heard on Once, but utilised throughout the album, with traditional harp, penny whistle, acoustic guitars, flutes, all combing with electrical rock instruments, this band produce a sound which is extremely difficult to categorise, and is, in reality, rather unique.

Them is the best example of a very catchy tune that is, also, a rather challenging listen, with lush harmonies against a backdrop of multiple instruments creating a very symphonic soundscape. The extended instrumental closure is thoroughly modern, perhaps reminiscent in parts of Radiohead, with added orchestration. A huge amount of change occurs in just under eight minutes, and this is a feature which is happily repeated throughout the entire work.

They are not adverse to giving us tunes which, in a world of musical justice, would be monster commercial hit singles. Sagittarius A* is, perhaps, the best example, being very catchy and a delight.

Suspended is the type of track Tull would almost certainly produce now if they were starting out as a young band. Very commercial at its outset, it has a magnificent flute interspersed with more crashing hard rock riffs, and morphs into a crashing wave of riffs and futuristic sound effects.

Release has an almost sinister edge to it, with sharp and biting female harmonies mingling with a deceptively simple piano lead, before the track once again morphs, now into a New World cornucopia of desert sounds that entrance and beguile you. When the pace picks up at the end with the introduction of a ghostly electric guitar riff, you lose all sense of doubt as to where this lot are coming from. They simply exist to create musical landscapes, and are utterly majestical in doing so.

This is truly confirmed by what I regard as one of the finest epic tracks I have had the pleasure of hearing, the incredible Memory, which is ten minutes of the lushest music you will ever hear. From the opening bars of Isa's descriptive and mournful vocals, to the orchestration, to more Tull-esque manoeuvrings, including riffs Barre would be proud of, to keys which do remind one of latter day Banks, to expressive guitar riffs, to the wonderfully expansive symphonic sounds that the band are so adept at, this is a track which simply brings joy to the listening soul, and they have also pinned down the key to such tracks, in my opinion; they know when to stop, they know that such tracks can continue simply for the sake of length, and this does not, and is all the better for it. Memory is, like the album as a whole, a track which will live in my memory, and be played many times, for a long time.

Over is an album which is a joy to listen to, from an outfit I am very pleased and proud to now have as part of my collection.

Four stars. Quite excellent and very highly recommended to those who like......well, intelligent music. I can put it no better than that.

lazland | 4/5 |

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