MARQUETTE

This is the second album from Marquette, the brainchild of keyboard player, Markus Roth who is probably best known for Horizontal Ascension (melodic prog rock) and Force of Progress (instrumental prog, metal, jazz fusion). His approach to this album is to reduce the number of notes being played in the instrumental sections to give it a more mainstream sound, and while the debut was a two-man project with associated guests he says that it has now become more of a group. Although not a concept album as such, it was inspired by the life of Christopher McCandless who travelled through the US with minimal equipment and no money in a quest to become one with nature, and apparently starved to death in Alaska aged just 24.

I know this has been receiving good reviews in some areas, but I cannot help thinking that the best thing about this release is the artwork, which is quite powerful. There are long instrumental sections, which are preferable to the vocals as Maurizio Menendez sometimes sings in a style that is almost talking, and this just does not work for me at all. But musically this contains sections which are almost muzak, often repetitive, and frequently feel forced and laboured. If Roth really has made a conscious effort to make this more palatable to a wider audience, then he really should not have bothered. There are undoubtedly some great musicians playing on this, but for me it really does feel like an opportunity wasted as there is a lack of coherency, and one soon starts to wonder when it going to end. There are a couple of long tracks on here, one at more than 14 minutes and one at 19, but just making them long does not mean they will be any good. It is a shame as there are some really interesting passages and interplay at times, especially when the guitar and keyboards set up some duels and runs, but it is just not enough to make the album sufficiently enjoyable as it lacks cohesion throughout.

"Into The Wild" was inspired by the life of CHRISTOPHER MCCANDLESS, who traveled across the United States with minimal equipment and no money, on a quest to become one with nature, but found a death tragic in the Alaskan wilderness. The story and the lectern are "an example of a coherent search for oneself, for one's own identity" (Markus Roth).

5 years after "Human Reparation" which has not really received the favor of the public here is a new test much more promising. A typical Crossover Prog album that I would classify rather in the eclectic Prog sector, which as its name suggests has some nice surprises in store for us because here the influences are great and the styles varied. MARKUS ROTH, who is not unknown, is at the origin of almost everything ... with his white and black keys he composes all the songs here, keyboardist and drummer on occasion he is a member of two groups with very different aspects: HORIZONTAL ASCENSION (Rock Prog pulling on the melodic) and FORCE OF PROGRESS (Metal Prog / Jazz Fusion). The collision of these two groups will give you a good idea of ​​the production of MARQUETTE. The lyrics are written by MAURIZIO MENENDEZ and sung by himself, assisted by bassist SEBASTIAN SCHLEITER.

The famous German label PPR offers us once again an exemplary production. Let's take a closer look at what this nature offers us ... "No Answer" is a good introduction with its fast and futuristic pace giving the sensation of visiting the planets of the solar system at full speed. An organ and avant-garde synths take us far from the earth, at the approach of a comet the guitars alarm and send us corrosive riffs of hard and metal of all beauties, the adventure continues with many Soothing stopovers, classy piano, keys on synthetic keyboards directing the ship through worlds, silky electric guitar and lento bass invite us to stay in fascinating lands. This cinematic atmosphere could have been composed by the Italian group LA BATTERIA. The session ends with a woman's voice seeming to whisper shamanic or even satanic incantations ... I cut this part each time because it is frankly not pleasing to the ear and irritates me a bit, too bad ... ( 9/10). The odyssey continues with "Seven Doors" simply one of the best pieces of the year! Synthetic violin and flute gently accompany an acoustic guitar, the rhythm becomes stellar with this very present impression of traveling once again in space, solos and riffs of crazy and enjoyable guitars come to be inserted in this setting, we will note a jazzy passage arranged with extreme brilliance. Here is a great lesson in prog that is offered to us, the progressive as we like it, that of KC, PORCUPINE TREE, HAKEN and other legends of the genre (10/10)!

"Criminal Kind" begins with a staging where seems to appear a bunch of bad boys expressing themselves in the manner of FAITH NO MORE for the vocals, mixed with SPIN DOCTOR. There is also TOTO distributing harmonious songs imbued with sweetness, very successful less cadenced parts with intriguing keyboards like a good noir novel. A very clean and eclectic piece (8/10)! "Alexander Supertramp" fishes a little by its lack of originality and complexity despite a dynamic well supported by fast and incisive guitars. Here we spin "mellotroned" metal couplets like a merry-go-round with its incessant loops, it's well done but a little repetitive (7.5 / 10). "Sensuality" arrives with a monotonous voice which sings on its own, an electric piano slowly awaits the arrival of a sparkling carousel of a thousand keyboards preparing to fly away in sidereal and metallic space. These chords full of energy largely exceed the speed limits in force in this zone, the instruments will be confiscated for offense of low instincts called "trash" and for an obvious lack of melody. All kidding aside, MARQUETTE shows us here all his know-how, interpreted with great dexterity (9/10)! "Portrait of Men" tells us about groove sung in a "doomy" way. This song seems well offbeat and does not add anything to the production, and this despite the smooth and well structured arrangements, here the progressive ones will eat away at their brakes before the arrival of the next title ... (6/10).

Ah! We are leaving on a better basis with "Poisoned Homeland". A promising start with a bouncy orchestration in the style of the Québécois group (Canada) CIRKUS. Tungsten scraper and unbreakable drums bringing punch and an extreme stage presence, variations and increases of particularly well-built scores, an acoustic guitar blending perfectly into this scene in the company of a mellotron placed in the right places. We will notice again the intonations in LA BATTERIA for the kinematic side (9/10). "Into the Wild" of the eponymous duration of almost twenty minutes offers us several interesting phases, and it starts smoothly a bit like "Fields of Joy" a song by LENNY KRAVITZ with flute and dry guitar in pastoral colors, entrance of a hammond organ upstream of a piano playing nervously as in a concert hall, Canterburry chords in the mud of ZOPP which invites itself to the party to follow on long calm passages. Jazz verses to the tempo of a muted trumpet, light Latin tunes, then a strong comeback in the KING CRIMSON style "Red" aided by stratospheric guitar solos here and there. In short, you will have understood it MARQUETTE puts everything on the table by showing the potential of the forces present as one brandishes a standard (9.5 / 10).

MARQUETTE is a resolutely contemporary group that designs its music with highly elaborate complexity, a sort of collection that does honor to the progressive scene by approaching genres from all eras with incredible modernism. This album is musically excellent as well as the mix and the production as the influences are numerous without being pregnant, the environments and atmospheres deeply visual as well as the frequent changes of atmospheres. The multilayers of synths are in perfect harmony with the old guard such as the organ and the mellotron, the classic prog is in total symbiosis with this vision of the future which transports us far from our cottages. The instrumental passages of symphonic progressive rock are often associated with metal and touches of jazz in a dazzling cinematic environment, bringing an impressive musical panel by its diversity of genres such as Rock, Canterburry, Hard, Metal, Jazz, Jazz / fusion. A few lengths will not detract from the intrinsic quality of this work, because it is and will undoubtedly remain one of the most successful of the year!

MARQUETTE, band formed by keyboardist drummer Markus Roth and assisted by talented guitarist Sebastian Schleicher of Amberfield, complex orchestral group often with prog metal, metal prog symphonic, retro-prog and jazzy orientations! This 2nd album combines the best of his two previous groups Horizontal Ascension (melodic prog) and Force of Progress (an unprecedented fusion of progressive metal and jazz), an album of which was released at the start of the year, and brings vocal space to certain tracks. The symphonic has its part and makes the link between metal and pure progressive rock. "No Answer" sets the tone by unifying prog metal and jazzy in a remarkable way. "Seven Doors" is one of the two great pieces that may take you far into the prog metal regions, instruments ranging from violin to violin. intimate drawers; Pink Floyd and Camel ring at the corner of the ears; the Philip Glass sound from the start bewitching, the break at 11 minutes with this sinister violin, austere and beautiful at the same time and the sax will not leave you indifferent. "Criminal Kind" denotes with the addition of a voice and jazzy cool tune with an Eric Serra boosted bass. "Alexander Supertramp" changes shape again with a soaring mythological oriental synth and a heavy and surly metal riff. "Sensuality" with this whispered voice in intro leads to an energetic jazzy-progressive incursion. "Portrait of Men" and a second sung title, more jerky phrasing on a raw nursery rhyme, intimate almost funky rock that may explain a little the intellectual excesses of the hero Christopher McCandless in search of the Atman. We are very much in the tradition of a Dream Theater with softer, even ethereal sequences. "Into The Wild" takes place a great and long final progressive instrumental epic like a great journey, an initiatory rite (ah this aria at 4'45 '' why I see GENESIS there !!) where flute, piano, trumpet create a climate made memories going as far as bossa nova at one point; the suite starting with an enlightened and lively composition made of nods to a number of dinosaur groups; At no time have I felt a length in this song and in this album of more than an hour. Neoprog or instrumental artrock with jazzy but very progressive touches, Marquette is a very good group in a vein to be explored, mixing power and varied breaks on a well-known basis to avoid too confusing listening; I was won over and amazed by this simple and innovative genre.

German project MARQUETTE is the creative vehicle for composer and musician Markus Roth. While veteran musician Achim Wierschem was involved in the first Marquette album, as of 2020 Roth now appears to be the sole driving force of this venture. "Into the Wild" is the second album to be crafted under the Marquette moniker, and was released in the summer of 2020 through German label Progressive Promotion Records.

I wouldn't be all that surprised if Marquette's second album "Into the Wild" made it into quite a few of the best of 2020 lists some people enjoy to write down in late December. The compositions are subtly quirky and challenging, but without being overtly so, the musicianship is excellent, as is also the case for mix and production. Eclectic, mainly instrumental progressive rock is the overall name of the game, and those who find music described in this manner to be interesting should give this album a spin. On a small side note, there's a very minor treat in store here for Swedish listeners, one I suspect they'll appreciate when they encounter all three instances of it.

The band is the project of Markus Roth with the help of guitarist Achim Wierchem and others. The first album released in 2015 was showing some potential . The new album has been made with the help of some new guest musicians. The album showcase some great musicianship with Sebastian Schleicher playing some exquisite guitars, and Markus on the keyboard, and piano parts. This album has plenty of long instrumental passages of floating symphonic prog rock with a little dose of metal which sounds modern despite some influence from the old school of prog rock. The compositions here have improved a lot from the first album. ''Seven Doors'' with his 14 minutes push all the right buttons bringing on on a pleasant journey by using many instruments to create a lot of texture to the music. While no violinist is credited here, there is some recorded sound of the violin here. The short ''Criminal Mind'' song brings a new mood in the jazz territory with a bit of cool singing and that haunting keys sound. In the next songs, the band infuses a Prog Metal in the Drem Theater style with some lighter parts by bringing the pace down. That leads to the final big epic, and the title track bringing some beautiful flute and piano parts to set the mood before the music gets many twists and turns like a typical long prog rock song. I give this 4.5 stars.