AVADANTE

Okay you saw the picture of the band beside their bio here ? They look a little too happy don't you think ? Especially the bass player. Not sure what he's up to. Anyway these young Australians have really come up with a gem on this their first release called "Avadante", in fact the only negative I can come up with is the cover art. Not that I mind it of course but to me it doesn't suit them or the music they created. A minor complaint. The music is all instrumental and clocks in at a tidy 33 minutes. Man I have to tell you, there were times when I was moved by what I was hearing and also the sound quality could not be any better.

"Introduction" is just that as we get some atmosphere and spoken words before "Discovery" kicks in with a vengence. It does settle back with some nice souinding guitar. Everything sounds so good here. Very uplifting. Emotion 4 minutes in. "Avadante" is powerful and crisp sounding as the guitar comes in playing over top around 2 minutes. Great sound here with that powerful under-current. Kicking ass before 4 minutes then a calm descends. Love the synths here. It kicks back in to end it. "Comatose" is laid back with a Post- Rock vibe. It turns fuller 2 1/2 minutes in with the guitar outfront soloing tastefully. It then calms right down before 4 minutes with piano to end it.

"Revelations" features a nice heavy drum led section early on. The bass joins in and now I know why he's smiling. This guy can dig deep man. Amazing sound here. It kicks in after a minute. A calm before 2 1/2 minutes then it builds quickly to a heavy sound. The organ comes in late with some nasty runs. "New Eyes" is so uplifting as they just let it fly in a repetitive manner. "Reflections" starts with relaxed guitar as liquid keys join in. Drums arrive and it all kicks in after 2 minutes. A calm 4 minutes in with some drum outbursts then it turns heavy. It's almost dreamy before 6 1/2 minutes. A calm with nature sounds ends it and we can hear someone walking and taking it all in.

Just a fantastic recording that pushes all the right buttons for me.