SEEDS OF THE DREAM

Very good symphonic prog band from Japan. Ex Vermillion Sands Yoko Royama (vocals, flute, recorder) is of course the star here, but the band is, too, very talented and skilled. Their music is difficult to label, since Seeds of the Dream is a varied and versatile affair. The first track, Footprints, for instantece, is a prog/jazz rock/fusion not very far from other japanese groups like Outer Limits. The only difference are Royama´s soft vocals. But from then on the music becomes more melodic and symphonic, in the vein of the likes of Renaissance, Magenta and Quidam

The use of instruments like the violin, flutes, and accordion in addition of the more common keyboards, bass, drums and guitars give their arrangements a broader, more interesting and colourful pallete of sounds. Some japanese folk roots are also quite present throughout the CD. Vocals are both in english and japanese. Production is top notch. Their songwriting is also of note: as varied as it is, all the tracks flow evenly and work very well as a whole. There are no fillers and I always hear this CD without skipping single track.

I was really surprised by this CD. It´s fine symphonic prog rock with a definitive japanese flavour on it. I hope Theta will release another work like this one soon.