GARDEN OF EDEN

Ixion's lates album to date from 2009 named Garden of Eden is another worthy album and is another concept album after the excellent Talisman few years before, a thing that must be congratulated, because to make concept albums are not an easy task and specialy when we talk about progressive rock concept albums. So, the concept as far I get it is about how peoples from new generation from year 2019 reach to conclusion that they have nothing left to eat becaue all small farmers and lands are gone , and replaced with factory and large industry all is steril that's why the continent Europe become "The Union". Again Braam is the main man he compose all the music, make the concept and even the art work of the album, so a complex and gifted musicis who is also involved in bands like Knight Area, S.O.T.E or Ulysses, he manage to gather on this release a great line up again formed by impressive list of twelve guest musicians from Knight Area, Ulysses, S.O.T.E, etc. The music here offered is not far from previous album, but little diffrent in places, the sound is fat, the hammonf played by Knight Area keybordist Gerben Klazinga is ecellent, some great parts very well interluded with guitar ones made by Ulysses guitar player Sylvester Vogelenzang de Jong. The sound and music in general here is towards neo meets some more harder edge but without being metal or something alike some symphonic arrangements are melted with the rest giving a very epic feel overall. The music also includes plenty of symphonic textures that will surely delight progressive lovers, with no more then 3 guitar players involved here making hte sound and all realy moody and great. Soaring guitar and noodling synth lines are all over here with grandious choruses like on Golden Cage the opening track, no more then 13 min of high class prog music. Again some cello is included to give a certain atmosphere like on Edge Of Insanity with symphonic touch make a real treat to listen. Throughout I like this album, maybe not as solid and powerfull like Talisman but almost there, the vocal parts are to me the less enjoyble parts, but not bad at all, only less great as before, becaus ethe instrumental passages are top notch. Fans of Ayreon, IQ, Arena combined with epic attitude must give this band a try because they worth it big time, very under rated and unnotic band, realy a shame. 3 - 3.5 stars for this one.