OUT OF THIS WORLD

The exquisitely arpeggiated piano intro to the title track lets everybody know from the very beginning that this classic Dutch outfit is back, and in the best form. And not only the instrumental prowess is back with them, but also the melodies, the tasteful (and tasty) arrangements and that fine pop craftmanship delivering great songs.

Having said that, it doesn't mean that there's few or nothing for the prog ear in this album, on the contrary: the good melodies take off and reach great high in the interplay and in the always sensible vocals. And the best part is that this happens with each and every track, you don't have to digest a lot of fillers in order to find just a couple of listenable tracks. The whole album flows nicely in a high level of musicianship, it never leaves you just waiting to see if the next track can save the day.

As a sample of the more basic, song-oriented material, give a listen to the track 14 Cary. As for the more epic content, go for the opener, and the tracks 3 Under a Scar, 6 Critical Mass, & 13 A Winter's Tale. The closer, even when brief, is a great symphonic moment.