OVER

I never know what to expect when one of my favorite bands loses a member. Will it change what I love about the band? Will it make them even better? Frequency Drift lost their vocalist Antje Auer, a real shame if you ask me. She had such a clever, detailed style of singing. In steps Isa Fallenbacher, then, and I'm not sure what to expect, especially considering Antje was one of my favorite female vocalists.

My worries have subsided. Not only is Isa an amazing singer, but she also uses much the same style, much to my comfort. If it's even possible, though, I even feel that Isa's voice is more delicately clear, too. All in all, she's a perfect match in every way, as her emotive voice proves. The sorrowful lyrics require someone with both strength and control, and Isa nails it with elegance and grace.

If you are not familiar with Frequency Drift, the band plays what they call "cinematic progressive rock". It is indeed cinematic with big, sweeping atmospheres and percussion, but delicate ethnic-inspired melodies. On this album, the band doesn't seem to miss a step. They seem rather comfortable with Isa at the reins.

Not only has the band adapted to the presence of a new singer, but I feel that the band has produced some of their best music to date. They pulled out all the stops and produced their most eclectic album yet. The variety of instruments on "Over" is simply staggering. Everything from harps and violins to flutes and cellos to wavedrums and violas are present. It lends to the band's sound immensely, as each and every track seems to have something special about it. On top of that, Andreas and Christian on keys and guitars are not overshadowed by the array of instruments. They perform amazing guitar work, even stepping into shoegaze a bit, and the keys are as vital as ever. I'm so impressed right now; I'm grinning from ear to ear. Frequency Drift is completely original and completely unlike any other band, and somehow they've managed to push the boundaries even further.

I do admit that one thing disappointed me on this album. "Over" features a change in direction in drums. The previous albums had such an interesting drum sound with melody- enhancing blast beats that were perfectly placed. I kept waiting for them, but they never came. However, my disappointment didn't last long, as I realized that the new direction was more eclectic, as there are far more percussive instruments in play with a far more mature style of writing.

The album begins with "Run", an exciting taste of the album. A slow and delicate melody builds up to a powerful climax of guitars and keys. Amazing! However, the album really reaches its stride when it begins "Wander". From this track on, "Over" is quite possibly one of the best albums I've ever heard. "Wander", "Driven", and "Release" fire on all cylinders with an eclectic mix of instruments and incredible instrumentals. The interplay is astounding, honestly.

However, the best track on the album is "Memory", one of the best songs I've ever heard. I'm not exaggerating here. The catchy lyrics and melody crash headlong into an extended instrumental full of eclectic collaboration. Swirling percussion meets soaring keys and fantastic guitar work, including an outstanding solo. It's a song unlike any I've heard, even from Frequency Drift. The sheer height of the song should impress any listener. Then, after such a monumental track, the band ends the album with a soft, quiet, beautiful outro as if to say, "Think about that for a few minutes".

Frequency Drift has crafted what may be their best album. In fact, I'll go out on a limb and say that it is definitely their greatest. From the beautiful melodies to the mature songwriting, and from the eclectic focus to the churning instrumentals, "Over" is a progressive masterpiece of gigantic breadth.

There's a whole new Prog genre that began around 10 years ago that I like to call (for some weird reason) Alt Prog. It's characterized by almost no Rock, lots of Ambient music and loads of Pop. It's a genre that seems to be more and more popular but it simply doesn't click with me.

The German band Frequency Drift lies in this category and even more on their new album, the recently released, on the Gentle Art Of Music label (from RPWL), Over (2014).

There was a big fuzz over their last album, ? Laid To Rest (2012), with lots of great ratings and reviews, I gave it a try and it didn't click, it was good, but far away from being that awesome. The new album, Over (2014), seems to me to be part of the same path as Nosound Afterthoughts (2013) (review here: progarchives.com/Review.asp?id=954909). Everything's alright, everything's ok, everything's so? normal. Doesn't really go anywhere.

The instrumental seems to be the same medium tempo all the time, no clever bits, many background music. The female vocals are there, in the spot, but the voice, always the same melodic line, the same melodies, and too much on Gothic Pop Metal for my taste. A couple of tracks ('Sagittarius A*' and 'Memory') have some interesting and more Rock moments, but that's all. On top of that the album is too long (over 75 minutes) and it seems it'll never end. Sure it's a good album, especially if you like bands like Anathema or Nosound. For me?. Just one more ok record that doesn't really progress.

Music, what a beautiful world, never ceasing to amaze, stun and caress. This inherent capacity to medicate and involve the mind in a positive and pleasurable manner is what makes it so celestial and necessary, as I cannot imagine a day without prog, what a tepid penitentiary that would entail, condemned for evermore to wander in the din of modern life, aimlessly and soulless!

Both 'Ghosts' and 'Laid to Rest' were monumental recordings, laden with spectacular jewels that only enthuses further upon revisits, burrowing deep into the music starving psyche and staying the course. This is perhaps their dreamiest yet heaviest release yet, heavy not in metal terms but perhaps in 'ominousness'. The spectral quality has always been present, especially on the aptly indicative 'Ghosts' album, but here things go spiralling into the misty ether. This German band keeps continuously evolving, musical chairs filled by a stream of newcomers, especially when talking about the microphone stand. Firstly, RPWL's former drummer Phil Paul Rissettio and current guitarist Kalle Wallner are featured here as the rhythm section, with the latter providing the 4 string direction. After the incredible Katja Huebner, the sensational Antje Auer and now, new lead lung Isa Fallenbacher showcases her talent, all quite similar in style and range with slight variations. Isa is closer to Magenta's Christina Booth and she fits in perfectly with the spookier themes developed by the Hack brothers Andreas on keys and Christian, the guitarist. The instrumentation continues to be lush and grandiose, less drums and more percussion, brooding viola and cello adding emotional depth and strong classicism, as well as some Celtic harp tinges. There will be no unanimity with Frequency Drift prom the prog pundits, as it's a polarizing form of band proposing a highly cinematographic/soundtrack-ish backdrop for their intense craft, something that has to be accepted and acknowledged, in order to appeal. Some critics may find it a bit sedate and infused with a 'sameness', but it's their style! A very typically un-German style, by the way! These musicians rely on dense atmospheres, colliding organic sounds with modern twists, intoxicating sonic hypnosis that requires a willingness to be seduced. Fans of FD actually aspire to achieve that seduction throughout the recordings, as this music needs to be heard in its entirety, in order to permeate the melancholic soul.

Some pieces are immediately attractive, such as the whirlwind "Saggitarius A" with its repetitive chorus of "invincible and insatiable", but the glittering electric harp adds an intensity that just keeps giving. Then place the haunting "Suspended" right behind with its muted and magical guitar rasp, the screeching high vocal (hey there Kate!) dancing between the drum beats and veering into harsher domains, that's when you really get what FD is all about! The completely unexpected mixed in with their brooding spectral instrumentation. Christian lets a blistering solo fly through his fingers, giving this arrangement a lot of bravado and texture.

The vocal brilliance of "Wander" jumps right out from the speakers, offering a very Magenta feel , fused with FD trademark quirkiness (yeah, the harp again giving a tingling feel to the arrangement), as well as some marimba-like percussion played by Jesper Joris , bloody brilliant! Pause for reflection, a Japanese-style finale only befuddles further. Just plain incredible creativity.

The next four tracks keep the pressure on unabashed, the foot firmly on the pedal, constantly introducing fun elements like the fluttering synths and the insane drumming on "Driven" or the neo-Arabic droning chorus on "Release" that features the use of a 'duclar' (a German wood clarinet), tin whistle and a chromatic harp (is it made out of chrome? Nah!). But the apotheosis is reached with the phenomenal epic 10 minute "Memory", a sultry and captivating slice of sheer beauty, crystalline perfection and complete capitulation. Isa really kills it here, showing us a voice that captures a musical moment perfectly, pushed along by a magical flute and kick-ass riffs that chug like some forgotten Tull album. This is perhaps FD's crowning achievement, a mesmerizing piece that has all the prog goods, in whole and in its parts, adorned with a whopping synth solo straight out of the Tony Banks academy. Bombastic, evocative and breath-taking, this is some music! Screeching guitar solos supplied by guest Martin Schnella, amid a mellotron-infested sonic jungle, I mean, can it get better than this? Me thinks Nein!

FD has a knack of leaving a glorious final impression and here they do not disappoint, with the shivering fragility of a voice, a piano and a harp. The medieval-tinged song is called "Disappeared" and I, along with many other fans hope that Frequency Drift never disappear from our collective minds and continue to offer such dazzling music.

5 heavenly terminations

I had not, I must be honest, heard of German outfit, Frequency Drift, until I happened to listen to this, their latest work, on the excellent website, Progstreaming, a couple of weeks ago. As has happened on more than one occasion, what I heard was so good, it was not long before the cd had arrived in the post. It will not be that long, I suspect, before I expand my collection with more of the band's work, because this is a special album.

From the belting riffs of opener Run, to the gorgeously expansive wall of sounds heard pretty much everywhere, with the magnificent use of the electric harp first heard on Once, but utilised throughout the album, with traditional harp, penny whistle, acoustic guitars, flutes, all combing with electrical rock instruments, this band produce a sound which is extremely difficult to categorise, and is, in reality, rather unique.

Them is the best example of a very catchy tune that is, also, a rather challenging listen, with lush harmonies against a backdrop of multiple instruments creating a very symphonic soundscape. The extended instrumental closure is thoroughly modern, perhaps reminiscent in parts of Radiohead, with added orchestration. A huge amount of change occurs in just under eight minutes, and this is a feature which is happily repeated throughout the entire work.

They are not adverse to giving us tunes which, in a world of musical justice, would be monster commercial hit singles. Sagittarius A* is, perhaps, the best example, being very catchy and a delight.

Suspended is the type of track Tull would almost certainly produce now if they were starting out as a young band. Very commercial at its outset, it has a magnificent flute interspersed with more crashing hard rock riffs, and morphs into a crashing wave of riffs and futuristic sound effects.

Release has an almost sinister edge to it, with sharp and biting female harmonies mingling with a deceptively simple piano lead, before the track once again morphs, now into a New World cornucopia of desert sounds that entrance and beguile you. When the pace picks up at the end with the introduction of a ghostly electric guitar riff, you lose all sense of doubt as to where this lot are coming from. They simply exist to create musical landscapes, and are utterly majestical in doing so.

This is truly confirmed by what I regard as one of the finest epic tracks I have had the pleasure of hearing, the incredible Memory, which is ten minutes of the lushest music you will ever hear. From the opening bars of Isa's descriptive and mournful vocals, to the orchestration, to more Tull-esque manoeuvrings, including riffs Barre would be proud of, to keys which do remind one of latter day Banks, to expressive guitar riffs, to the wonderfully expansive symphonic sounds that the band are so adept at, this is a track which simply brings joy to the listening soul, and they have also pinned down the key to such tracks, in my opinion; they know when to stop, they know that such tracks can continue simply for the sake of length, and this does not, and is all the better for it. Memory is, like the album as a whole, a track which will live in my memory, and be played many times, for a long time.

Over is an album which is a joy to listen to, from an outfit I am very pleased and proud to now have as part of my collection.

Four stars. Quite excellent and very highly recommended to those who like......well, intelligent music. I can put it no better than that.

The female fronted Frequency Drift offer mostly gloomy, introspective rock based around mood, drama and emotion, in some ways along the lines of bands like White Willow (though not as folk driven), Paatos and Kurki. Little traces of indie rock, Post Rock, electronica and symphonic gestures frequently show up on `Over', their fifth album, with ethereal female vocals supplied by new leading lady Isa Fallenbacher, and also supported by Agathe Labus. With frequent blasts of brooding heaviness and moments of hair-tearing intensity, the focus is always on accessible arrangements, with a rich variety of instrumental stretches always carefully executed to achieve maximum emotion instead of show-boating for the sake of prog rock clichés. Crossover-styled prog has rarely sounded so vital and full of potential as it does here, and the band have delivered a highlight of 2014!

`Them' is the first real standout piece. A Massive Attack `Teardrop'-like quality ticks throughout before a memorable pleading chorus from Isa lodges itself firmly in your brain. Despite a chiming musical-box like pretty opening, `Adrift' soon twists to a snarling vocal from Agathe, bringing all sorts of sinister sounds. Electric harp and cello weave together with Isa's dreamy multi-layered harmonies on `Wave', marimba glistens and bass murmurs throughout the restrained `Wander', `Release' is a creeping middle-eastern flavoured gothic ballad, and album closer `Disappeared' a delicate and wistful piano reflection.

Special mention must go to the sixth track `Suspended'. Despite a fairly conventional mid- tempo rock structure for the verses, dangerous slinking electronics and darting flute over heavy Porcupine Tree guitar posturing (think the way that metal middle in `Arriving Somewhere But Not Here' first snuck up on you!) quickly crashes through, but it's really all about the insanely catchy stadium-sized chorus! A bit of a modern classic! Also impressive is the way that band effortlessly glides through the ten minute `Memory'. Gentle synth passages, weeping cello and violin, heavy guitar riffling and darting RIP-styled flute huffing and an exquisite vocal from Isa all blend perfectly together. Listen for the way her voice drifts away in the second half that leads to a grandly symphonic, overly retro-prog/vintage Genesis flavoured Minimoog and Mellotron outro that strangely sounds like nothing else on the rest of the disc!

There's only very slight missteps along the way. Sadly, after a promising ambient electronic opening and piano tip-toes in the middle, `Sagittarius A' instead settles on a forced indie-rock tune with a repetitive and tedious chorus. `Driven' is a catchy pop/rocker with a lead vocal that's just a bit too pretty, but thankfully a cool instrumental break in the middle around electric harp and programmed electronic loops gets it through.

Although perhaps overlong, this is melodic, song-structured modern progressive rock at its best. There may be numerous female fronted progressive related bands operating these days, but Frequency Drift are without question the most subtle, elegant and intelligent. The band are also one of the few that stands a chance making a sort of commercial crossover that the likes of Porcupine Tree and Anathema have done, perhaps even with more of a female audience, so let's see what the future holds for this talented band!

Four stars.

German band FREQUENCY DRIFT was formed back in 2006, and released their debut album two years later. Since then four more studio albums have been released by the band, all of them through different labels for some reason or other. "Over" is the most recent of these, and was made available through the German label Gentle Art of Music at the start of 2014.

It's kind of weird to describe a long album that uses and visits as many different styles of music as this one as fairly uniform in sound and style, but that is still the case. From almost pop music at times to classical chamber music, a touch of jazz on one occasion, pastoral intermissions, post rock oriented escapades, some riff-driven instances closer to hard rock and even metal can be found. Electronic passages closer to Tangerine Dream have their place, and even a run through a more or less vintage sounding symphonic progressive rock is present. Still, the end result is an album's worth of atmosphere rich, fairly similar music. Dream-laden, melancholic, occasionally dark, beautiful, compelling and strangely enough with a strong impression of a uniform sound throughout. An album that merits a check by those who enjoy subtly exotic, compelling music that strays outside of the common and expected boundaries of progressive rock.