FORSAKEN INNOCENCE

DRIFTING SUN or Pat SANDERS' baby for almost thirty years (1994 exactly). The man from CHESHAM who is no longer in CHESHAM has just moved from an Anglo-French training to a Franco-English training with a Greek touch! This one is none other than John "JARGON" KOSMIDIS best known for being the brilliant frontman of VERBAL DELIRIUM and author of a superb solo album in 2020.

The accomplices present are the two French Mathieu SPAETER, faithful six string players since the excellent "Twilight" in 2017 and Jimmy PALLAGROSI behind the drums, original session man and who has since spread into numerous progressive and non-progressive groups (ZIO by example). The only British member of the group remains, and there is no point in introducing Mister John JOWITT.

Friend Pat spoils his audience by offering us almost seventy minutes of music and what music we are going to see and hear. "King of the Country" opens the hostilities and it is what we call an epic with its eleven and thirty-six minutes, one of the highlights of the album (9/10), magnified by Mathieu's guitar SPAETER and the violin of a distinguished guest in the person of Eric BOUILLETTE (one of the leaders of Nice from NINE SKIES). Same fight, same level and even better for my personal taste with "Insidious" magnificently sung by John KOSMIDIS, vocals alternately powerful or with emotional restraint, a title in the great tradition of the emblematic pieces of DRIFTING SUN, watered down by the sumptuous piano and synthesizer parts by Pat SANDERS, it feels like "Safe Asylum" (10/10).

"Dementium" which follows, seemed to me a tone lower, but given the level of what preceded, this is somewhat normal, a tone lower does not mean bad in my eyes, just less exciting, despite Ben BELL's pioneering solo on the Hammond organ (8/10), perhaps it lacks additional instrumental breathing space? Delicate and old-fashioned ballad "New Dawn" highlights Gareth COLE's six-string, a piece with strong lyrical potential, worthy representative of a classy and classic neo-prog (9/10).

Ladies and gentlemen, now for the London peplum of this "Forsaken Innocence" with the eponymous piece and its more than twenty-five minutes. Maestro Eric BOUILLETTE on the violin to begin the affair, it's chiadé as we say at home, supported by the friend JARGON and his tone of voice skillfully deposited and by turns beguiling or more energetic while the master of the room SANDERS himself sends us heavy with his multiform or protean keyboards if you prefer, it's classier but the meaning is the same!

As I can't write a book for just one title, here's what I found while digging with my skillful little hands apart from what I just wrote above: magnificent violin (fourth then eighth minute, pure KANSAS downright then tenth to close the first part), loose piano (sixth minute), six strings of Mathieu SPAETER telluric worthy of a John MITCHELL therefore ultra melodic despite its power (ninth minute): the second part now....guitars and keyboards in fusion from the start, John JOWITT who concretes like the great bassist that he is (IQ "Ever", "Dark Matter" and "Frequency" I have never appreciated "Subterranea" no one is perfect. ...) and Jimmy who beats like hell on his drums! (10/10)

The piano/vocal of "Time to Go" is too short and the concluding place "Hand on Heart" too basic for your favorite columnist to be judged honestly. A final word on the remarkable and very gleaming production of this "Forsaken Innocence", listen to LOUD on your new speakers, what do you mean you haven't received them yet? DRIFTING SUN, the album of ultimate consecration, will the future tell us? Indispensable to my eyes and ears, as you will have understood. First publishing at : profilprog.com