PROMISE OF A NEW MOON

Third album from this Eastern Flemish trio, and their very efficient Southern fried-stoner boogie RnR is showing signs of progginess. The Houtmayers pair are still dishing out power chords and incessant drums, while bassist Vanlear provides an exciting background, sharing the keyboards work with the guitarist. There is the odd sax line thrown in by Steven Marx, but apparently he doesn't get much else to do, something that would change in later albums. With a rather brown "automobilic" artwork, this album shows the group getting more experience and outbreak of the prog zits, which should lead them to maturity..

Indeed, when listening to the first few opening tracks of the album, one can detect a Southern rock that oozes Spin Doctors (circa the phenomenal Pocketful Of Kryptonite) meeting some progmetal group ala Royal Hunt or Angra. Much of the group's finesse is in the tightness of their arrangements and the shorter songs are really concise. As soon as the tracks get a little longer (the 8-min+ Devil Knows My Name and its successor Burning Ambition) the groups cannot hide their will to let it all hang out and go into extended Jam Rock. And when the 7-min+ These Are The Dreams breaks out, the prog comes out blowing out a superb jazzy space rock. No one doubts that with a title like Kaleidoscope Voyager the musical adventures will follow and indeed, the dark rock goes into a slow Anekdoten-like groove before the all-too rare sax takes a blow and the superb 7-mins+ instrumental Dragondance is the second highlight of the album. Weirdly enough the groups chooses to close on an atypical track Married To The sea, which closer to new wave than anything else: a cross of Stranglers meeting Talking Heads and

OK, soooooo... Hypnos 69 can also play goofy new wave stuff.. I'm not sure it was wise to ruin this album by proving they could. Better think straighter next times, Jongens. Outside that slight dumb slip-up and a Southern-fried boogie start, Promise Of A New Moon is definitely an album that's worth your time and investment, especially if you like your classic rock fresh and varied.

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