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The Reasoning - Adverse Camber CD (album) cover

ADVERSE CAMBER

The Reasoning

 

Crossover Prog

3.26 | 44 ratings

From Progarchives.com, the ultimate progressive rock music website

lazland
Prog Reviewer
4 stars The brand new LP from South Wales band, The Reasoning, this is a cracker. Recently highlighted on a BBC Radio Wales session, which I'm sure won them lots of new fans, the band will be familiar to fans of both Marillion & Fish, who they have supported on recent tours. However, whilst fans of both will continue to warm to this band, that statement is not to say that they only appeal to neo prog fans, or that their music is somehow derivative, because neither statement is true. This band have created their very own sound, and Adverse Camber continues that trend very strongly.

There is all sorts for prog fans to enjoy here. There are some extremely heavy passages, interspersed with warm, melodic passages, and through it all rises the beautiful voice of Rachel Cohen, a singer who is growing with stature and authority at every turn.

An extremely good example is the second track, The Nobody Effect, where her gentle and warm vocals take charge of a track laden with fantastic heavy riffs. This will appeal to fans of bands as diverse as Rush and Mostly Autumn, and I especially love the chorus. The heavy riffs could, in another band, create an atmosphere of doom & death, but not with this band. In fact, I find the entire album to be exceptionally uplifting.

Tracks such as The Thirteenth Hour move along at an incredible pace, with vocals, harmonies, rhythm, and bass section combining to produce a prog masterpiece. The acoustic set was very good, but to appreciate the band as they really are, the full, electric versions have to be heard.

No track on the album is longer than 8 minutes, but all somehow have an epic feel. Through The Now, at 7:53, is a very good example. This is a more melodic track, and Dylan Thompson & Rachel combine vocals to ethereal and marvellous effect. There are some wonderful guitar licks, with mandolin thrown in to great effect. This track also gives a great example of the uplifting feel to the whole album - "On this journey through the now, Don't be scared to look down, There's a time and a place to wear a smile upon your face". Indeed. The track closes with the most gorgeous guitar solo, overpinned by vocal screams. Epic in intent and execution, this is a true classic of modern prog.

The quieter mood also comes through on Script-Switch Trigger, which again features some gentle and ethereal vocals, this time with a melodic and ballady background. Matthew Cohen's bass guitar is especially strong on this track, played almost in a Squire fashion, by which I mean the instrument is played as a lead instrument, rather than mere rhythm backing. The guitar solos here complement the track, rather than being an exercise in playing for its own sake. This track builds towards a huge denouement, a wall of sound created, before falling back to its gentle acoustic start.

The heavier feel returns with the album closer, 14. Another bright and lively track, this is a solid closer.

This album is more than a worthy follow up to the deservedly highly rated Dark Angel. It is an important progression from that album. This band are beginning to create a unique sound and attitude to their music, and I would highly recommend it to all prog followers reading this review and visiting the site.

This is an excellent addition to any prog collection, and worthy of a 4 star rating, although 4.5 if I could give such a rating.

By the way, eagle eyed CD buyers will see Mrs Lazland and the reviewer given a credit by the band, following a competition we entered to have our photograph taken for the CD cover. My thanks to the band, Graemeh, and Rushfan4 for this.

lazland | 4/5 |

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