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EMERGENCE

Visible Wind

Neo-Prog


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Visible Wind Emergence album cover
3.07 | 31 ratings | 6 reviews | 10% 5 stars

Good, but non-essential

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Studio Album, released in 1994

Songs / Tracks Listing

1. Sweet perdition: (14:27)
a) Emergence
b) Sweet perdition
2. Interlude (1:35)
3. Face à la télévision (4:34)
4. Salesman #13 (4:32)
5. Nemesis (3:34)
6. Winter night (4:32)
7. Cryptarythm (1:50)
8. At the end of the road (3:51)
9. We'll meet again (6:29)

Total Time: 45:24

Line-up / Musicians

- Stephen Greysens / vocals, keyboards
- Luc "Bébert" Hébert / drums
- Claude "Fuji" Rainville / electric & acoustic guitars
- Dr. Louis Rayban-Roy / bass, Taurus pedals

Thanks to ProgLucky for the addition
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VISIBLE WIND Emergence ratings distribution


3.07
(31 ratings)
Essential: a masterpiece of progressive rock music(10%)
10%
Excellent addition to any prog rock music collection(29%)
29%
Good, but non-essential (45%)
45%
Collectors/fans only (16%)
16%
Poor. Only for completionists (0%)
0%

VISIBLE WIND Emergence reviews


Showing all collaborators reviews and last reviews preview | Show all reviews/ratings

Collaborators/Experts Reviews

Review by loserboy
PROG REVIEWER
3 stars On VISIBLE WIND's 3rd album they took a slightly more guitar-driven sound than found on their previous albums, offering a slightly new direction to contrast. Having said that, this album shines for this music lover with strong attention to progressive rock details... syncopation, shifting time signatures, strong musicianship and clever song writing. Line up included Luc Hebert (drums), Louis Roy (bass, Taurus pedals), Stephen Geysens (keyboards, vocals) and Claude Rainville (guitars) who deliver a acute album not unlike the aura of Canada's SAGA. The mood on this album also takes quite a shift from softer ballad- like compositions to all out hard rock elements. Songs are sung in both English and French on this charming album from one of Canada's underground Progressive Rock bands.
Review by greenback
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR Honorary Collaborator
4 stars Visible Wind is a progressive rock band from Montreal. The influences are quite varied. The lead singer has a bit the John Wetton's voice. The sustained electric guitar riffs are quite hard rock. Some modern keyboards, combined with the rhythmic guitar, sound a bit like Saga around 1980, especially on the first part of the "Sweet perdition" track and on the progressive bit of the "We'll meet again" track. The drums can be VERY complex and elaborated. The tracks do not all sound the same. The graceful New Age track "Interlude" contains celestial acoustic string instruments, birds sounds and magic modern keyboards, sounding a bit like Vangelis' "Oracle of Appollo". There is a track sung in French: the more commercial "Face a la television". "Salesman #13" is more prog hard rock oriented, having less modern keyboards, like a good distorted organ. The more ordinary "Nemesis" relies on very complex bass and drums, with slightly Crimson-esque rhythmic electric guitars: I find the lead vocals to be too repetitive on this track. "Winter night" has very catchy piano and lead vocals: the electric guitar solos sound a bit like the Pink Floyd's "Time" solo. The too short "Cryptarythm" has excellent short clean guitar notes a la Pendragon and Marillion. The rhythmic guitar on the hard rock "At the end of the road" sounds a bit like Steve Vai's work with David Lee Roth. The mellow last track, "We'll meet again", is very catchy and addictive: the moaning electric guitar high notes sound like the Pink Floyd's "Breathe" track, and the other electric guitar sounds like the Alan Parson's "To one in Paradise" track. The track are unequal, and the REALLY OUTSTANDING PROGRESSIVE moment is the first 7 minutes of the "Sweet perdition" track: everything on this track is impressive, and it clearly reminds SAGA at their best, in a more refined and progressive manner.
Review by ZowieZiggy
PROG REVIEWER
2 stars The first two albums from "Visible Wind" were moderately good. Truely symphonic on their first, and harder on the second. Which direction do they have decided to go for their third opus ?

If the album would be of the caliber of the opening number "Sweet Perdition", then we should be prepared for the best. This is their longest song so far (almost fifteen minutes) and it is a great song. The first instrumental portion is gorgeous. A true epic. Intrigant choir and lush keyboards to start. It is more on the Neo-prog edge later on (almost heavy at times - very much "Arena" oriented).

This section features lots of theme changes : it is really a great piece of music. Rhythmy but melodic it shows a band in full cohesion and very much inspired. Vocals as well are on par : a powerful voice (but no shouts) will perfectly fill its role.

After this excellent song, the short "Interlude" is only there to put our ideas back together so that we can be ready for the other great songs. Well, that's the best scenario. Because the quality will seriously decrease as if they put all their efforts in "Sweet Perdition".

"Face à la Télévision" is the Frenchie one of the album (they did a similar thing on their previous release). The hard direction noticeable in the opening track is even more present. There will be good instrumental parts featuring heavy guitar sounds.

This tendancy is even more investigated during "Salesman", "Nemesis" and "At the End of the Road". These ones are frankly heavy prog, dull and uninteresting.

It seems that the band does not really know in which direction they need to go because "Winter Night" and the closing number "We'll Meet Again" are quiet and mellow. Only the latter can be considered a good song. Nice and peaceful melody which is a complete contrast with the overall mood of this work.

This album is for sure not a great one. It's a pity that they couldn't repeat several track as inspired as "Sweet Freedom". Maybe next time ?

Two stars.

Review by b_olariu
PROG REVIEWER
3 stars A moderatly known band from neo prog zone coming from Canada with 5 albums in thier pockets so far. Emergence from 1994 is a good album whwre the arrangements a la Marillion, specially in guitar parts melt very well with their own twists resulting a fairly decent album to my ears. The voice is ok, nothing groundbreaking but fits more then good in the music sound and some very intresting instrumental passages are present. A more guitar oriented album then previous two but aswell the keybords are present more or less on each piece giving a more eleborated sound. The opening track is for me the best Sweet perdition, nearly 15 min of pure bliss, the instrumental parts are killer in the first 9 min when enter the voice, excellent musicianship and atmosphere. The guitar is superb on this track giving a Floydian influencewith spacey solos, the keyboards aswell are killer here, what a damn solid tune in the end. The rest of the pieces are ok, nothing is bad but nothing is really impressive like the opening track. Visible Wind remind me in places with germans High Wheel in manner of aproaching the neo prog zone. So, good towards great in places but definetly not as solid and inventive as their ext opus Narcissus who is their best work for sure.
Review by apps79
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR Honorary Collaborator
3 stars Line-up shakes were not a strange fact for Visible Wind.After the release of ''A moment beyond time'' Philippe Woolgar left the band (he later released the solo album ''Duo de ciel''), but he was instantly replaced by Claude Rainville.Third album ''Emergence'' was recorded in a country house during the spring of 92' and released two years later indendently by the band, even if a couple of reissue by major labels are around.It appears to be concept work around a desperate salesman losing his passion for life, empty of any motivation or ambition.

The development of ''Emergence'' is pretty weird.It opens with one of the most complex pieces written by Visible Wind, the 14-min. long ''Sweet perdition''.Not complex in a King Crimson way of course, but this is definitely a great piece of music, showcasing Visible Wind at their most symphonic, only comparable to the sound of COLLAGE and the likes, evolving from bombastic, symphonic keyboards to laid-back, lyrical moments and containing some nice and suprising twists and, as expected, some melodic guitar work.The following few tracks, although not that ambitious, maintain the good composing quality, lyrical depth and atmospheric colors, for which the Canadians were known for.These go in a typical Neo Prog path, but appear to be heavier and more pounding than anything produced by the band before, sometimes reminiscent of Swedish act GALLEON, with exciting grooves, keyboard breaks and very energetic guitar and bass.After the middle there is certain turn towards the style displayed by the band during its early years, a late-70's GENESIS feeling is evident throughout with emphasis on lyrics, downtempo rhythms, background synths and mellow guitars, while melody becomes eventually a priority during the farewell moments.Always well-crafted material, even if the energy is held down a bit.

Great work.The long, opening track alone is a good reason to buy the album, but fortunaely the rest of it is also pretty nice as well.Definitely among the controversial works by Visible Wind, which I personally loved at the end.Strongly recommended...3.5 stars.

Latest members reviews

3 stars ***1/2 This is a somewhat frustrating album because the superb opening track promises so much more than the rest of the CD actually delivers. Sweet Perdition (14.27) begins Emergence in spectacular fashion - suggesting that this album might be the masterpiece that Visible Wind have seemed ca ... (read more)

Report this review (#156205) | Posted by barp | Saturday, December 22, 2007 | Review Permanlink

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