TNNE: WONDERLAND

Hmm. Where to start. I find it very strange that this gets such high ratings, on a progressive rock forum. I do not only listen to old school bands, but I do have a liking for analog sounds, real dynamics and and an overall organic production. I also identify progressive rock as a genre where the music, lyrics and the ideas have several layers, and that one as a listener has to journey into the unknown and battle with the material. The themes of the songs on Wonderland is largely on the cliché side, and I don't find any mystery going on here.

In my ears this also sounds way too artificial and with a very straight forward pop-quality in the melodies and composing, even if there's the odd time signature or break thrown in here and there. Sometimes I get the feeling I'm listening to a machine, especially when I listen to the sound quality of the vocals. It's compressed so much that it almost removes all the humanity in the human voice. Even if this is well played technically, I think that it lacks soul, originality and creativity. In my opinion this is more of a mash up of 80's glam heavy, synthezied pop metal and advertising music, than it is progressive rock.