REINVENTION

In 1977 Gryphon would disband after making their total flop of an album that was Treason. The years passed and Gryphon was a mere mention of text in the long history of progressive music. It is now the 21st century, specifically the 2010s to be exact. Progressive rock has been getting a lot of buzz from the media, most likely concerning progressive metal bands like Opeth or Dream Theater have a sort of lead within the charge of 21st-century progressive music, plus other bands such as Spock's Beard and Porcupine Tree. It is a pretty good time to be a progressive act, and I think a lot of the members of Gryphon saw this and decided to try their hand at the whole band they had back in the 70s. Such, it was time to see a Gryphon with a modern glow. I was worried that maybe they'd just go into their old ways and continue the bland and unoriginal progressive rock sound from Treason, but the title does not lie. This is a reinvented Gryphon, and my god is it some of the best material they have made since Red Queen.

It may be their most masterfully done album yet. The starting track of Pipeup Downsland DerryDellDanko starts the album back into the familiar territory of their days of old. It has a very similar approach they had with their debut album, but with slightly better sound quality and wit. It gives me Kemp's Jig vibes, which is a song that I do think was one of the best of their first album. The album starts with this song and lets the listener know that the band is back to its folkways, though with some modern tweaks.

The first song was a mere taste of the juicy meal this album has. Continuing the folk attributes of the first song we have Rhubarb Crumhorn. What I love about this song though is the sheer optimism it has. It has this Irish dance folk sound that makes me imagine people dancing around in a wooden bar. It is just incredibly happy and fun and reminds me quite a bit of the harvest season. The beauty of fall is something that always gets to me, and after going on one of the most beautiful drives listening to this song, more specifically this album, I just got washed away with the joviality in the music. This new take on Gryphon's sound is the best we have seen since Red Queen, and the fact this is only the second song adds to the charm this band can have when they do things right.

Back to a more folk swing, we have A Futuristic Auntyquarian, which goes back to the more thought-provoking folk that the band is sort of known for. It breaks away after the fun moments we had with Rhubarb Crumhorn, but instead of it creating a poor taste in my mouth, I get happier and intrigued with how the album goes. The flute is a great highlight of this song, having this Celtic flair to it that makes it almost like a song made by a Piper. The percussion here is also very much a highlight. Small and rhythmic yet extremely well put together to where it fits well with the music. It's like a mix of Red Queen with Midnight Mushrumps, having the folk acoustics of Midnight Mushrumps with the progressive flairs of Red Queen. Some very nice stuff personally.

One of the best songs on the album is up next, that being the 10-minute ensemble of Haddock's Eyes. Man, this song is such a treat. It has a very progressive rock flair to it, but without spoiling the music entirely. It starts with their folk sound until it goes to a folk rock melody then to a groovy and more electric-flavored proggy sonata until it returns to the folk-rock that then goes back to the folk sound and style they had at the start. How it all progresses without forcing any of the more progressive rock stylizations is so refreshing. It is new and something I have never experienced from Gryphon. They are doing their take on this style of music instead of ripping off their contemporaries like with Raindance and Treason, and after listening to those two half-baked albums, it is refreshing hearing this one. They took what already worked and made it better, and that is how I like my Gryphon. Always innovating, trying new stuff, and making it work out in the end. It is some of the best work they have put out in a hot minute, so I cannot deny my infatuation with this song.

We get more excellent progressive folk in Hampton Caught. This song did make me think how far we have come from their lukewarm debut to this song here. They have grown up, had awkward puberty, and are now fully-fledged adults (or old gizzards) they have settled down and completely made their beauty of sound. We get a lot of that charm and wit Gryphon has had over the years and such shows true craftsmanship in the instruments they are handed with. Some excellently done progressive folk rock is done right here.

The strangest title here is Hospitality at a Price...(Dennis) Anyone For? which is also incredibly weird too. It is almost avant-garde in a way but in a good way. It has some very Disney musical vibes. Stuff from The Princess And The Frog or The Aristocats comes to mind due to the theater and almost jazzy wonder. This mixture of their progressive folk and the nice happy sound of a lot of musicals have just made this give me the biggest and dumbest smile. It is just an incredibly fun song that I think has become my favorite off this album. It isn't poppy, it isn't too proggy either, it is completely new. I love it a lot and would love to hear a Gryphon album like it since it just brings an intrinsic beauty to their sound that I never thought was possible.

We return to the more baroque folk prog with Dumbe Dum Chit. I just love how medieval it all sounds, almost like music that'd play in a game of Dungeons and Dragons. Gryphon's music does fit pretty well with the more adventurous side of fantasy. It is some nice Celtic music that is fit for adventure.

With a psychedelic twist, we have Bathsheba, which has an almost soft rock flair without being too soft or too rocking for the standards Gryphon has on this album. The best production here gives me some psychedelic vibes that I didn't expect Gryphon to do. Early today as I am writing this is decided to Agusa's En annan värld, which has a similar psychedelic tinge to the more folky sound similar to here. It is a unique experience, to say the least, and to say the most this album has been the most creative the band has ever gotten in their career.

Continuing onwards we have the second longest song off the album, that being Sailor V. If you thought Rhubarb Crumhorn was very Irish, you haven't heard anything yet. This song just invokes that traditional Irish folk experience so well that it almost makes me want to dance to it funnily enough, even though I am not of Irish descent (heck I am from Spanish and German descent mostly). Oh, and that ending having this almost operatic guitar melody just melts me. It is so well executed, this entire album has been so well made that it just leaves me wanting more. It is whimsical, it is fun, and it is so creative that it has been something I needed since my first listen to Raindance.

We get some more Celtic progressive folk in Ashes. There is nothing much to say about this track, it is just more well-made folk music that I think has an intense charm to it.

Rounding it all off we have The Euphrates Connection. This is a great track to end things off with since it has everything on here. The calm and thought-provoking folk, the whimsical progressive rock, and the lovely progressive folk the band has been using since the dawn of their career. Not only has this whole experience been a redefining moment for the band but saved them from the mediocrity of their last 2 records. This song right here is an emblem of this glorious achievement in their long and winding road, and with every song here being so well made leaves me to believe this is the masterpiece that it should be called. Just really amazing.

Some great progressive folk here. I am satisfied with what Gryphon has done on this album and I want more of it. It is probably one of the most lovely folk albums I have heard to come out of the 21st century, and I am surprised it came from Gryphon of all bands. This 2018 release the band put forth is a shining achievement, and I hope with their next and so far last record they would make something just as good as this. This new Gryphon is as good as ever.