SNOWTORCH

What an album... It's just incredible how Phideaux managed to create another consecutive masterpiece after the great - Number 7. But this time even more accomplished and completed than before. The progress of the band over the years is remarkable and that brings to a construction of a perfect and flawless album with potential classic statute/presence in the future. I hail Snowtorch and wish it long stay among TOP PA albums list. In fact, the result of the progress of the band is better and better albums all over the years. But from here... to eternity!!!

The expressiveness of the album is the main impression in me! So pure and majestic pictures and ideas combined in hyper-advanced songwriting abilities of Phideaux Xavier. There's not spoiled places or professional void around the album. Little emptiness is usual even for a 5 star album, but not in here. The sound continues to evolve, too. With perfect musicianship and a lot of instruments implemented in it, Snowtorch inflames the human imagination with supreme arguments of combination and flirtation between its themes and motifs into the suites. The heavy organ and keyboards as whole are the divine thin (and sometimes not so thin) line all over the album.

In terms of subgenres inclusion, it is quite different to its predecessors and departs almost completely from Phideaux's early gothic/psychedelic sound and decreases significantly Pink Floyd/Mike Oldfield influence. Snowtorch is mainly symphonic prog album (one of all time bests) with art rock twist. As my title displays, it's like ode to progressive rock, because Snowtorch uses lots of the means of expression of progressive rock. It's classic prog produced in 2011, without imitating a tangible 70s band or direction. As our respectable PA user JoeMcK said - it's Snowtorch, but not A Passion Play. I would add - it's not Palepoli by Osanna, it's Snowtorch by Phideaux. I make the comparison, because of the equal structure of both albums.

Of course, it's impossible without influence from earlier bands. It's always been like that. My brain detected most notably ... I won't say band names, because in Snowtorch's case without imitating, it would be inappropriate. I shall just strongly recommend the album to all fans of english and italian symphonic prog, art rock and folk rock. As a conclusion I would say Snowtorch is one of the most accomplished and balanced contemporary album (if not the most) in the world of progressive music!

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