EXCAVATIONS OF THE MIND

Exceptional debut from this young Dutch band. The music seems to come right from the classic era of Prog, but the approach and sound are very modern, striving for optimal effectiveness and not afraid to combine dazzling songwriting with catchy melodies.

The most fitting description for me would be Eclectic Prog, as the band shifts effortlessly from spacious Floydian melodies to jumpy technical passages that recall VDGG and Gentle Giant, often catching the listener off-guard and not afraid to put in some theatricality, Kletzmer folk melodies or rocking heaviness. But as mentioned, the sound is very modern, not dissimilar from Porcupine Tree or Demians.

As plenty of others have pointed out the compositional mastership is simply brilliant, so instead of trying to rephrase that thought in a lavish double paragraph, I'll spoil the fun by pointing out the one weakness I have found in this album. Luckily it's a point where the band can easily improve on with the next releases, but the weak link for me are the vocals; not the melodies as such, which are all verystrong, but I lack some conviction and confidence in their delivery. I'm sure it's just some growing pains that will go away from performing this material live. Another point is that the English vocals are quite heavily accented and at times that diminishes my enjoyment, especially on the more theatrical spoken work moments.

Apart from one minor gripe this is a stunning album that every lover of classic prog should get their hands on right away. Recommended!