BRIGHT HORIZON

Bright Horizon is one of the forgotten and unnoticed neo prog bands coming from Italy with one album released in 2005 named Oneiric reality. Well, if the instrumental parts are ok, even great in places, some of the vocal arrangements are dull and drag the overall enjoyment of the music. NOt a fantastic album , but has some great monets like opening instrumental Libertango , great in this context it sounding almost like a metalized neo prog, I think Mr. Piazzola would be proud of such cover. Another worthy tune is the lenghty 9 min + Les Mystères du Château hanté, I think the best tune of the album, the rest are only ok. As far as I know this is a concept album about Shinta's spiritual journey from an oneiric state to a frightened reality, an intresting story as the art work of the booket provide aswell. All in all decent album, no more then that, for fans of Pendragon, Knight Area, or such. 3 stars.

Bright Horizon is one of those quirky rock bands which offer up something a little different than the standard progressive fare. The delicious intro Libertango begins the "journey" with a splendid mix of melodic keyboard and guitar work but the real opening of the album is the hard rocking swagger of Burning Hope- a track which rocks from the start.. The bridge picks up a notch and the chorus turns sonically monstrous, with heavy, layered guitars and a strong, aggressive lead vocal. Virtually all other tracks have their excellent points as well: "Daybreak" is a swift mover, "The Shade of the Hill" is a pure melancholic song with a delicious leading piano, the nine-plus minutes of "Les mystčres du chateau hanté" has a cool orchestral part and a very catchy metal riff with an extraordinary rhythm section. A good ballad ("Illusion meets reality" ) has been included too on "Oneiric Reality". This softly song allows Rock to showcase a more melodic and passionate side to the vocal talents of Gabriele Toralbo. "Abitta Funky" , as the title suggests, it's a Very upbeat, funky groove track. A nice change indeed! With "Discophobia" and "Opposite Symmetry" the band moves back to a darker sound. ( "The Shade of The hill") Definitely I really have enjoyed this album ..Bright Horizon brings a flashy style of progressive rock. I think that Oneiric reality is a Cd that all the lovers of good music should snap up immediately. A great offering for the fans.

Bright Horizon put out a great debut album indeed. This Italian band is an introspective group, exploring the complexities of the human being .Their Oneiric Reality is for those who appreciate variant musical styles. Each song is a bit different than the other, exploring the unknown territory between heavy metal and progressive rock but also between funky rock and classical music! The music they play, is at times heavy, slow, melancholic but always intelligent and that's about all the description you should need. Let's start with "Libertango", an amazing short instrumental progressive tango that rivals the original song for greatness. Absolutely fantastic. The second track "Burning Hope" could be a single because of his powerful melodic vocals and of his fast and awesome, final riff . I've really liked the Mimmo Garofalo's solo. The following track, "Daybreak", is quite the opposite: delicate, with quiet guitars, a brilliant flute solo and soft harmonies, makes you realize this band is not a one trick pony. "The Shade of the Hill", Based on the Gabriele Taormina's piano, is a dark track that combines deep lyrics ( also in Italian language) and very atmospheric guitars. The singer Gabriele Toralbo made a great work on the chorus of this song. "Les mystères du chateau hanté" is certainly the musical magnum opus of the lot, with a plaintive classical feel that fits the lonely lyrics perfectly. An "opera" that lasts more than nine minutes. The level of playing on here, in particular hearing the three musicians playing complex lines in unison, will grab hold of anyone. Combine that with a great metal hook, and you've got something in many ways overwhelming. "Illusion Meets Reality" is the ballad of the release with a nice piano and a cool bridge harmony. The other two tracks on the album called "Abitta Funky" and "Discophobia" are actually different from their other material. The first one is a great funky rap/jazzy song! The second one recalls the Brand X 's conceptual vein. The last song "Opposite Symmetry" is a fine finale, theatrical in a very condensed way and Toralbo's vocals shine here. A highly listenable progressive-rock album, don't miss it!

Innovative concept album from this Italian band. All the groups are derivative of others in some way or another, but the most interesting bands fuse their influences into their own, instantly recognizable, sound. Bright Horizon do this very well. "O.R" is their first self- released Cd (after a demo called "Daybreak", recorded 4 years ago). The songs now are definitely more engineered. A lot more instrument sounds and technical alterations make Oneiric Reality a breakaway album. The first track, "Libertango" is the instrumental introduction. A fine cover of Astor Piazzolla performed in a outstanding way by the band. "Burning Hope"is an up-tempo, with a catching vocal intro, and an equally catching chorus, Maiden's style. This song has a certain angry and aggressive attitude .The third track, called"Daybreak", is a "pumping bass" kind of song, where the rhythm is dominated by a cool bass note, although the song also has a "mysterious" middle part ( with words taken from the Dante Alighieri's Divine Comedy). With "The Shade of The Hill" and Les Mystères du Chateau hanté" we're in the Soundtrack's area with many variations of atmosphere ( from fast to slow and vice versa) in these songs. . A nice piece of work! "Illusion meets reality" is a powerful and emotional ballad while songs such "Abitta Funky"or "Discophobia", although if they're very different from the other stuff of the release, fit well in the album musically. This is the best Bright Horizon's virtue. "Opposite Symmetry"is the closing chapter of the album, a beautiful, solemn and melancholic song. A good start indeed from a band that is hard to encompass in standard music phraseology.

Oneiric Reality is a concept piece concerning 'the Shinta's spiritual journey from an oneiric state to a frightened reality' - an idea that is extended by the booklet artwork.Musically, the band certainly isn't afraid to explore many audible horizons.Libertango stands as a good scene-setter, mixing a cool Parisienne vibe with a more strident tango rhythm leading into the sharp contrast that is the driving guitar and pretty-straight rock of Burning Hope.Next the listener is moved to another horizon where Daybreak mixes ethnic chants and drums with steel guitar and a more balladic neo-prog. We remain in a balladic frame of mind as we move off to The Shade Of The Hill - although here the piano features rather than guitar.The album's centre-piece is Les Mysteres du Chateau.Split into four parts, it has a classical structure with a 'virtual orchestra'. A harp sound works well, giving a sort of Clannad vibe, while elsewhere there's a sorta Pain Of Salvation-meets-60s prog rock thing going on.Illusion Meets Reality is a melodically strained neo-prog workout, before we go off in all sorts of directions with the final three tracks. Abitta Funky is just that - progressive jazz funk with a bit of rap.Discophobia is also just that - a Vangelis-style dance tune that coverts into a slice of progressive indie rock! The guitar and piano work is good throughout and Toralbo's voice manages to cope with the myriad of styles that the band attempts.Likewise, the band doesn't really fit into any category - something that can be a major disadvantage when trying to grab the attention of a label.Bright Horizon deserves credit for trying to mix some unusual styles and the end result can never be accused of being predictable.