HERETIK VOLUME II: THE TRIAL

"All rise for the entrance of the Judges", a solemn voice claims with serious kindness to a crowd than is soon to be provided a feast of restless prog symphonic bombast. The bombast spreads its multiplying nuances all over the entire repertoire, fills each and every second of each and every track with musical magic and splendorous virtuosity. For their Heretik project, Nathan Mahl has severely lessened the jazz factor that had played such an important role during their early days (particularly their "Parallel Eccentricities" album), in order to let their symphonic facet prevail in a most absorbent manner - Guy LeBlanc's compositions and prominent role as keyboardsman set the pace, the frame, the ambiences and the façade for this enormous display of old- fashioned pompous prog. Since he assumes the leading role in the band, his individual style is crucial for the building of the band's overall sound: his major influences are Moraz, Bardens and Watkins, with a kind of Wakemanesque taste for charged keyboard ornamentations (something that he never delivers to an over the top level). The opening 23-minute track 'Entrance of the Judges / Malleus Maleficarum' serves as an initial manifesto of the musical ideology that works here: countless motifs cleverly sequenced, fluid mood shifts, odd time signatures most of the time, superb playing and well-crafted interplaying, heavily orchestrated synth layers and harmonies, impressive solos on keyboards and guitar, a solid rhythm section. in a few words, the prototypical prog-head's dream made real through LeBlanc's vision. So, this is not mere technique and skill, but an exposure of high-caliber musical imagination whose beauty requires a demanding amount of attention from us so it can be properly appreciated. 'De Praestigiis Daemonum' kicks off with a somewhat harder edge in the introductory riffs and counterpoints, but it won't take long before things get more frontally melodic, at times reminding me of Watkins-era Camel and HTM. 'Heretik Part IV' keeps going for the melodic prog factor, at times taking it a bit further. It includes Spenard's best guitar solos in the album, all of them powerful, even explosive at some point, yet well comprised within the track's overall melodic spirit: in fact, this track and the following one are where he is given more room to occasionally steal the limelight. 'Ad Judicium' brings the hardest edge in the album, with the band complementing the harshness of the guitar and organ parts with the foundation of a solid jazz-rock tempo. The closure 'Moral Values Part II' basically summarizes the pompous tendency of 'Entrance / Malleus' and the most overtly melodic facet - the ethereal finale, with vocals delivered by LeBlanc's wife, fades out with a pleasant evocative air. A nice finale for an excellent album: "The Trial" is one of the most brilliant symph prog efforts for this new millennium.