GLORY OF THE INNER FORCE

Finch isn't as well known as Focus, Supersister or even Earth & Fire, but it should be considered to be one of the best groups of Dutch progressive rock. Arguably the most technical band to arise in this era; it has the amazing neo-classical jazzrock shredding Joop van Nimwegen on guitars, the fast-playing and melodic Peter Vink (Q65, Knight Area) on bass, Beer Klaasse on drums (in the style of Andy Ward) and the classically trained Cleem Determeijer on organs and synths. The band sounds like an even more intense instrumental version of Camel's 'Mirage' period with added touches of jazz, which makes the band interesting for listeners of symphonic prog. The bass-lines of Peter Vink have that Yes-like presence. The lengthy composed guitar solo's by Van Nimwegen are of a unique skill, I don't even think Jan Akkerman could have played them without seriously working on it. The four instrumental tracks are all amazing and full of ideas, though without a singer or instrumental story-line they remain a bit hart to relate to. The band does rock out a lot. 'Glory of The Inner Force' is a proud - if not cocky - prog rock album of amazing musicians. The recording quality is reasonably good, though I would be interested in buying a vinyl re-master with a bit more low-end. Fans of fusion, symphonic and eclectic prog beware.