Huis (Canada): Neo/Symph (probably...!)

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I say probably because the album isn't due until January 15th 2014, so we only have teasers to listen to at the moment. 
From http://www.huisband.com/: 

Huis ("home doors" in french, and "house" in dutch) is a five member musical project officially formed by Pascal Lapierre and Michel Joncas at the end of 2009, after an oustanding and inspiring trip in the Netherlands.
At that time, we decided to put on tape (read hard drive!) some ideas we had in mind since a long time. Over time, three other talented musicians, William Régnier, Sylvain Descôteaux and Michel St-Père, joined the band, each one bringing a special touch to Huis’ sound.
Sylvain Descôteaux - vocals
Michel St-Père - guitars (also of the band Mystery)
Pascal Lapierre - keyboards
Michel Joncas - bass, bass pedals, keyboards
William Régnier - drums, percussion

The 'Despite Guardian Angels' album is released by Unicorn Digital on January 15th 2014

Tracklist:
1. Beyond the Amstel
2. Haunted Nights
3. The Last Journey
4. Oude Kerk I
5. Lights and Bridges
6. Little Anne
7. If by Morning
8. Oude Kerk II
9. Write Your Name
10. Salvation
11. Garden of Dust

Total time: 73:00

A review by Robert Dansereau at http://www.progmontreal.com/eng/main_eng.html:

"Despite Guardian Angels is the first album by Montreal prog rock band Huis. The band is composed of an excellent gathering of seasoned veterans of the Montreal music scene including Michel Joncas on bass, Pascal Lapierre on keyboards, Sylvain Descoteaux on vocals, William Régnier on drums and Michel St-Père on guitars. Formed in late 2009 by Michel and Pascal, with Sylvain, William and Michel joining the band more recently, the quintet hit the studios early in the summer of 2013 to record their sensational debut album. The CD will be released in early January.

Despite Guardian Angels incorporates all of the staples of a great prog rock album, including lush instrumentation, odd time signatures, sharp tempo changes, well balanced, omnipresent keyboards with hammond, moog and mellotron tones, mesmerizinc compositions impeccably interpreted, highly cohesive, never going overboard on the symphonic side, and with Michel St-Père's elegant and tasteful guitar work throughout. The album as a whole flows incredibly well between the vocal and instrumental components.

The musical themes explored on this album range from medieval sounds inspired by Alan Parsons, to snappy and energetic rock compositions, all the way to soaring melodic symphonic prog rock, and features a well-balanced mix of ballads and rhythmic compositions, with strong classic progressive rock roots, but sill remakably original and refreshing.

Highlights are the excellent instrumental compositions Oude Kerk I & II featuring fantastic guitar solos and a great rhythm section, and the stunning Little Anne showcasing Sylvain's melodious vocals, with a serene intro that builds into a lofty crescendo. There are no long epics on Despite Guardian Angels, with track lengths ranging between 3 and 9 minutes, a total of 11 tracks clocking at 73 minutes.

What a wonderful new musical discovery! Fans of highly melodic symphonic progressive music will enjoy this new album thoroughly. Highly recommended!"

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Huis/109589689069419

Some samples:

https://soundcloud.com/#huisband (two samples - same streams as in the tubes below):

Really looking forward to this one!  

Edited by yam yam - December 18 2013 at 21:17

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yam yam Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Forum Senior Member Joined: June 16 2011 Location: Kerberos Status: Offline Points: 5814	Topic: Huis (Canada): Neo/Symph (probably...!) Posted: December 18 2013 at 20:49
	I say probably because the album isn't due until January 15th 2014, so we only have teasers to listen to at the moment. From http://www.huisband.com/: Huis ("home doors" in french, and "house" in dutch) is a five member musical project officially formed by Pascal Lapierre and Michel Joncas at the end of 2009, after an oustanding and inspiring trip in the Netherlands. At that time, we decided to put on tape (read hard drive!) some ideas we had in mind since a long time. Over time, three other talented musicians, William Régnier, Sylvain Descôteaux and Michel St-Père, joined the band, each one bringing a special touch to Huis’ sound. Sylvain Descôteaux - vocals Michel St-Père - guitars (also of the band Mystery) Pascal Lapierre - keyboards Michel Joncas - bass, bass pedals, keyboards William Régnier - drums, percussion The 'Despite Guardian Angels' album is released by Unicorn Digital on January 15th 2014 Tracklist: 1. Beyond the Amstel 2. Haunted Nights 3. The Last Journey 4. Oude Kerk I 5. Lights and Bridges 6. Little Anne 7. If by Morning 8. Oude Kerk II 9. Write Your Name 10. Salvation 11. Garden of Dust Total time: 73:00 A review by Robert Dansereau at http://www.progmontreal.com/eng/main_eng.html: "Despite Guardian Angels is the first album by Montreal prog rock band Huis. The band is composed of an excellent gathering of seasoned veterans of the Montreal music scene including Michel Joncas on bass, Pascal Lapierre on keyboards, Sylvain Descoteaux on vocals, William Régnier on drums and Michel St-Père on guitars. Formed in late 2009 by Michel and Pascal, with Sylvain, William and Michel joining the band more recently, the quintet hit the studios early in the summer of 2013 to record their sensational debut album. The CD will be released in early January. Despite Guardian Angels incorporates all of the staples of a great prog rock album, including lush instrumentation, odd time signatures, sharp tempo changes, well balanced, omnipresent keyboards with hammond, moog and mellotron tones, mesmerizinc compositions impeccably interpreted, highly cohesive, never going overboard on the symphonic side, and with Michel St-Père's elegant and tasteful guitar work throughout. The album as a whole flows incredibly well between the vocal and instrumental components. The musical themes explored on this album range from medieval sounds inspired by Alan Parsons, to snappy and energetic rock compositions, all the way to soaring melodic symphonic prog rock, and features a well-balanced mix of ballads and rhythmic compositions, with strong classic progressive rock roots, but sill remakably original and refreshing. Highlights are the excellent instrumental compositions Oude Kerk I & II featuring fantastic guitar solos and a great rhythm section, and the stunning Little Anne showcasing Sylvain's melodious vocals, with a serene intro that builds into a lofty crescendo. There are no long epics on Despite Guardian Angels, with track lengths ranging between 3 and 9 minutes, a total of 11 tracks clocking at 73 minutes. What a wonderful new musical discovery! Fans of highly melodic symphonic progressive music will enjoy this new album thoroughly. Highly recommended!" https://www.facebook.com/pages/Huis/109589689069419 Some samples: https://soundcloud.com/#huisband (two samples - same streams as in the tubes below): *Really* looking forward to this one! Edited by yam yam - December 18 2013 at 21:17

Andy Webb Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Special Collaborator Retired Admin Joined: June 04 2010 Location: Terria Status: Offline Points: 13298	Posted: December 20 2013 at 20:49
	Well, there's no album so there can't be an addition just yet. I suggest bringing them up again when the album is released. Sounds promising.


yam yam Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Forum Senior Member Joined: June 16 2011 Location: Kerberos Status: Offline Points: 5814	Posted: January 17 2014 at 18:19
	Well, the album has now been released Worldwide...We should find out which team gets the pleasure of evaluating this fine band very soon indeed!

Andy Webb Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Special Collaborator Retired Admin Joined: June 04 2010 Location: Terria Status: Offline Points: 13298	Posted: January 17 2014 at 18:29
	Neo sounds like the best bet, I'll alert the team.


apps79 Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Special Collaborator Honorary Collaborator Joined: March 15 2007 Location: . Status: Offline Points: 1551	Posted: January 19 2014 at 13:04
	Added to Neo: http://www.progarchives.com/artist.asp?id=8678
	When the power of love overcomes the love of power,the world will know peace... listen to www.justincaseradio.com , the first ever Greek Progressive Rock radio

yam yam Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Forum Senior Member Joined: June 16 2011 Location: Kerberos Status: Offline Points: 5814	Posted: January 19 2014 at 14:54
	Wow! - That was quick work!!

yam yam Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Forum Senior Member Joined: June 16 2011 Location: Kerberos Status: Offline Points: 5814	Posted: January 24 2014 at 22:10
	Some more tracks have been uploaded to Youtube, so for anyone not already familiar with this fine band: Edit: The album is also on progstreaming: http://www.progstreaming.com/_wb/pages/play-album.php?activeAlbum=00637+-+Huis+-+Despite+Guardian+Angels Edit 2: The uploader of four of the new YouTube tracks has decided to make them private, so I have had to remove them again. Edited by yam yam - January 31 2014 at 21:28

Clepsydra Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Forum Senior Member Joined: March 14 2006 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 494	Posted: January 31 2014 at 19:43
	MASTERPIECE! One of the BEST I have heard in years!

Duke of Rother Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Forum Groupie Joined: March 04 2013 Location: Windsor, UK Status: Offline Points: 99	Posted: April 07 2014 at 13:26
	Very good.