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Monarch Trail - Wither Down CD (album) cover

WITHER DOWN

Monarch Trail

 

Neo-Prog

3.91 | 60 ratings

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The Jester
4 stars Review # 115

MONARCH TRAIL: Wither Down (2021)

I discovered Monarch Trail with the release of their 2nd album, Sand. It was a good album, but in my opinion not as good as Wither Down, their latest one. (Still I haven't heard their debut one though, in order to be able to compare all 3 of them).

Wither Down is a well-made, keyboard-driven album, which I'm sure it will please the fans of modern Progressive Rock, especially if they are fond of keyboards. Ken Baird who - as far as I know - is the band's leader, singer and main composer, created some very beautiful soundscapes, and melodies that can be found throughout the album, as songs or parts of songs.

Furthermore, I like the tone of Ken's voice which I believe it matches the sound and style perfectly, so all good here. If I had to mention a couple of bands that the music of Monarch Trail reminds me of, I would say that to my ears they sound like a combination of early Genesis and Supertramp.

My only complaint is that I would like the guitar to be more involved in the songs, by playing solos or riffs. But further than that, I like the album in general with its ups and downs.

The album's absolute highlight for me is the 10-minute-long title track, followed by Echo, Grand Canyon and the 11-minute-long, Waves of Sound. Concluding this, I would like to say that Wither Down is a very good and well made album, and an excellent addition to any Prog Rock collection. Give it a chance, it definitely deserves it!

The Jester | 4/5 |

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