KALEIDOREAL

KALEIDOREAL is the brainchild of Lars Granat, a progressive rock aficionado and multi-talented guy from Sweden. Definitely an allrounder, one can say, because he handles diverse instruments, composes, produces, and after all offers a decent singing voice on top. Thus he has the possibility to manage almost everything on his own. A benefit in many cases, especially if you're intending to produce an album which is running highly personal. And so, on this occasion in 2020, he deals with something very important in life, his family. This means the project KALEIDOREAL returns with a concept, and as a solo outfit in the strictest sense.

Here we have a unit that needs attention from the first to the last minute, necessarily should be taken in one go. The album is consisting of seven songs with 55 minutes playing time in total. A gentle balladesque start with piano and acoustic guitar, but soon you will notice what's going on furthermore. Technically prolific, the ambitious concept showcases complex and melodic heavy rock compositions, without any lapse. The absolute album highlight comes last, the title track. Lively bass lines, and great organ play as well as lovely Mellotron snippets in between.

Lyrically seen this is not a case for everybody probably, though musically and on the production side there's nothing to be desired, really. No, the progressive rock genre won't run dry. As long as new musicians like Lars Granat are appearing on the scene again and again, who will continue to deliver such passionate music stuff. Admittedly 'Love's Bright Light' is announced to be the final KALEIDOREAL statement. But he already has new plans and ideas how to go further with a real band.

Released in November of 2019, "Finally See Myself" is a Heavy prog band from Sweden. The band was formed in 2017, so it fairly new to the game. The founders were Lars Granat (guitarist), Sebasiten Johammer (drums), and Rikard Rynoson (vocals). They released their debut in 2018, and after recruiting a few more members, have returned with this sophomore album.

Interestingly enough, Granat came from a heavy metal outfit, Johammer from an alternative rock band and Rynoson from a pop band. However, their combination has created a prog band that shows a lot of promise. This new album from them consists of only 3 tracks, but two of those tracks are quite long. "Finally See Myself" is 9 minutes long while "Some Take to the Stars" is 18 minutes.

The original trio have returned for this album with Granat also taking on the keyboards. Along for the ride this time around is David Kalberg helping out on drums, percussion and nose flute, Bjorn Granat on bass and Bill Hubauer guesting on an organ solo on "Finally See Myself".

As I said, this band shows a lot of promise, and that is shown through the very impressive progressive tracks, the excellent guitar work and the splashes of keys, organs and synths to give the music more depth. While the title track that opens the album is great enough, a track full of vocal and instrumental emotion, it also remains fairly accessible and easy to enjoy.

The 2nd track "Some Take to the Stars" is, of course, the real centerpiece to the album, and since it takes up more that half of the total run time, it definitely comes through showcasing the bands talent for making melodic, yet progressive music. The music is full of great guitar hooks, organ fills and ever changing meters and moods. It easily goes from smooth and silky passages to energetic and heavy sections with ease. Another thing the band has going for it is the fact that Rikard is an excellent singer, his vocals are easy to follow and listen to, and fit the Neo-prog style quite well. Granat also supplies ample guitar solos that are well composed and played. I imagine that this music sounds a lot like what Styx might have sounded like if they progressed beyond "The Grand Illusion" instead of moving towards more radio friendly songs, except for the fact that more standout synth and keyboard moments would probably been involved, and that is the only thing really missing here. Among all of the great guitar work, the band would do well to recruit a designated keyboardist. They do try though, as they do make time for a keyboard solo in the middle of their epic track.

The third track is the slow and emotional "Hopelessness" and is quite a bit shorter at only over 5 minutes. It consists of an atypical song structure with vocals accompanied simply by keys. The song moves from emotional highs to thoughtful sections, and it demonstrates the ability of Rikard to direct a full song almost on his own by his voice.

This is quite an excellent album with two minor issues, the lack of standout keyboard sections and the shortness of the album at only 32 minutes. With those things, this could very well have been a 5 star affair. However, these things should not keep you away from this album because I feel it still deserves a listen as I can see it appealing to prog lovers, including Neo-prog enthusiasts. The music is clear and well performed, the vocals are excellent and upfront. While it is true it might be just a tad heavier than your typical Neo-prog, it isn't at all overly loud or heavy, but quite easy to listen to. Definitely an album for lovers of Marillion or Transatlantic, but also possibly of interest to those that like just a little heaviness in their prog like The Pineapple Thief or possibly even Porcupine Tree. Definitely a 4 star album.