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Brighteye Brison - V CD (album) cover

V

Brighteye Brison

 

Eclectic Prog

3.71 | 69 ratings

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patrickq
Prog Reviewer
3 stars I've heard this group compared to Yes and Genesis, but to me they sound more like Kansas or Starcastle, albeit with Yes and Genesis aspirations. And it's for this reason - - the group's conscious and transparent channeling of 1970s symphonic-prog bands - - that I'd classify V as neo-prog.

Although Brighteye Brison imitates the sound of 1970s Genesis and Yes, only a few specific passages of V strike me as directly derivative. In this sense the band is more like Kansas than Starcastle. The originality here is largely constrained to original twists on the classic symphonic sound, especially on the thirty-seven-minute (!) 'The Magician Chronicles - Part II.' At 3:13 on that track, for example, the song moves out of an energetic opening, closely resembling the 'Waiting for the Sun' by the Doors, into an acoustic-guitar-led vocal movement even more closely resembling the first verse of Yes's 'Machine Messiah.' Soon an analog- sounding synth noodles over the guitar, à la Yes's 'And You And I.' Later there's a piano part reminding me of the the verse of Styx's 'The Best of Times.' But most of 'The Magician Chronicles - Part II' more indirectly reflects Brighteye Brison's influences. For example, several instrumental sections echo Genesis, while several vocal parts bear a passing resemblance to Asia.* But to be fair, if this track is a pastiche of classic styles, it's a very creative pastiche, skillfully executed.

Despite its length, though, 'The Magician Chronicles - Part II' isn't really a single, cohesive work; to use another Yes comparison, it's a series of related songs with distinct beginnings and endings, like Side A of Fly From Here - - not a long-form suite like 'The Gates of Delirium.' There's evidently a detailed storyline going on here, but I couldn't find the lyrics online, and no liner notes accompanied my (electronic) copy of the album. (There is a Part I, by the way, constituted by the three songs on the band's prior album.) Unlike the five songs that comprise the 'Fly From Here' suite, the pieces of 'The Magician Chronicles - Part II' sometimes seem to be sequenced randomly, and some of the repetition appears to add little more than length.

The other two pieces on V, 'The Crest of Quarrel' and the title track, are cut from the same cloth, although each is a bit more original, and, at twelve and seventeen minutes respectively, they're more focused than 'The Magician Chronicles - Part II.'

In all, V is an enjoyable album, even if wears its influences on its metaphorical sleeve, and even if its centerpiece is a bit overlong. I'll bet that neo-prog fans will appreciate this one as much as will eclectic-prog aficionados.

*as much as I feel that, in general, Brighteye Brison is reflecting 1970s progressive rock, the specific examples I'm reminded of actually range from the late 1960s through the early 1980s.

patrickq | 3/5 |

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