WHEN THE DUST SETTLES

Although I thought I had quite some knowledge about the dutch prog scene thanks to some friends in there (hi Erik & Henk!), I had never heard about this band till very recently when I found this CD totally by chance in a friend´s house. It amazed me that such talented and strong group is hardly mentioned on the many prog forums I visited. Nevertheless, it is always good to discover such fine piece of work.

The production of the album is very good, and I was amazed to find that Salmon is only a quartet. They play like a seven member outfit! Their sound is a good mix of many different influences played through some modern hands. There are hints of Yes, Genesis and others, but generally they have a sound of their own. Their Gentle Giant-like harmony vocals are some of the more tasteful and beautiful I have ever heard: it fitted their style like a glove. Much better then a lot of groups that seem to try emulate GG without ever grasping that legendary band´s knack for the simple tune (yes, behind all their complexity GG knew all along that less is more!).

The CD has no highlights, all the songs deserve a careful listen. The tracks are quite varied and yet retain a cohesive whole. Even if it is not perfect, When The Dust Settles shows that Salmon has both the chops and the songwriting skills to become one of prog´s most proeminent acts to appear in latter days. If you, like me, never heard of Salmon, then there is still time to find this little symphonic gem. I´m looking forward to hear their future works. Highly recommended.