FANTASY

Through the years we heard about some musical families playing and recording a number of different musical styles: pop, country, folk, soul, jazz, etc. I guess most people here will remember names like The Jackson 5, Hanson, The Cowsills or The Osmonds. But progressive rock? Well, now we got it! In this case they are the Benders from Sweden. The core members of the band are father Mats (keyboards), mother Anna (vocals), son Mattias (drums) and daughter Johanna (percussion, harmony vocals). They decided to record some of the songs mats Bender has been writing for many years. Fantasy is the result of that where they are helped by their crafty friend Henrik Björlind (guitar, synth, violin, accordion and flute). The other members of the band are Peter Wetterberg (bass) and Per Danielsson (lead guitar).

The music here is a delightful melodic symphonic rock with generous doses of jazz, folk, swedish popular music and even some celtic flavors here and there. It´s hard to compare them to any other prog act because they are already showing a strong personality, even if the many influences are easy to see (Pink Floyd, Genesis and the like....). The CD is quite varied and very well produced, featuring Mats Bender´s fluid keyboards lines, Anna´s strong and beautiful vocals, Mattias versatile drumming and Johanna´s nice harmonies. Guitarrist Danielsson is another highlight with his melodic, creative solos while Björlind adds the folkish bits.

Over 70 minutes fo prog music. All the tracks are good, with no fillers. It´s hard to point out a highlight because of the different styles of each song, but certainly the 26 minute title track will appeal to progheads in general.

If you´re into the scandinavian prog scene (or melodic symphonic prog in general) this is surely a must have. Introitus delivers a music that has several shades and forms, some are light and bright, some are more dark and gloomy, but none is weak. Anna Jobs Bender is a fantastic singer that can handle just about every style they pedal. I loved the way she delivered the words, with beauty and conviction. And the (many) instrumental parts are just as fine.

Rating: since it is only their first CD, I will give it 4 stars. For they have the potential to go much further. Excellent addition to any prog rock music collection. This is a great find!

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