ALTER ECHO

The general assessment for this, Alter Echo's sole album, is... mixed, to say the least. The little material I had heard from the album just prior was awesome and I couldn't wait to jump in. And thanks is due indeed to VinylProgRock on Instagram (who has an excellent and interesting vinyl collection of Prog, as you would expect). He had posted a good 20+ of his favorite albums from 1978, and then, starting to talk with him in direct messages thereafter, he pointed me this way.

From the get-go, speaking as a fan of Symphonic Prog, Gentle Giant, Pop Rock and the Second Wave of Prog in general, how am I not supposed to love what I'm hearing?! The second time today where I could very easily mention the most excellent Happy the Man, whose debut self-titled album was released around the time this was written. Perhaps it's not as complex... and sure, it's poppy and seeks [and succeeds] to be infectious--as someone else pointed out--but weren't your favorite classic Prog bands doing the exact same thing at this time and in their absolute heyday? Hi. Can I please have one boring, run-of-the-mill album with nothing to grab onto or appeal to me or the average human person with ears? Like, I just do not know what some of y'all go on about. Get over it and have a good time for once haha.

"Gulnat Vatten" shows off their chops, for sure. Great main riff on the guitar. And everyone is on fire; the drums are fresh and bright, the guitar playing is great, and the keyboards are just as impactful now as they would have been then. I also like the vocals, really. You never know what you're going to get in this department from non-English speakers (I don't really mean in quality, but in tone and inflection and stylistic choices which may generally be perceived as 'unusual'). There's no reason this song alone shouldn't be heard.

Definitely on the poppier side is "Stämman", but Pop Rock or not, this is some excellently performed material. And come on! Give me some damn hooks! What am I gonna do? Complain about having something sweet to bop my head to? [Sorry I'm still thoroughly annoyed at some of y'all.] Great vocals and melodies; awesome solo. Excellent song. Starkly juxtaposed is "Eremiten" with bright, overlapping guitars and soft vocals. It slowly opens up into this other kind of beauty, with wide padding keys and lovely synth soloing.

"Innan Strax Före" starts off with sawtooth soloin' and very cool, heavier guitar leads. Such fun music. This definitely has a Gentle Giant thing, sure, but also maybe something comparable to Kansas or... Yes? There's also some cool little mallet trills. It won't not appeal to Zappa fans; we're definitely still in that symphonic camp, of course. Hard to explain exactly what I'm hearing, but the way it lays down before the end is so cool.

With the keys on "Axel I Stan", my mind immediately went to Supertramp. If I had no idea though, as I nearly mentioned above for another song, I would have guessed that this was Italian haha. And perhaps it's this broadly European (neo-classical/neo-Romantic?) approach that is so unAnglo-American. This is also one of the first moments, especially these bits between verses, best heard after 2:00, that I hear Genesis in these bones, too. Great rhythm, great compositional knack. Once again a juxtaposition with an acoustic number, this time it's the English-sung "Daffodils". And I think I do agree, it's not so great. The guitar is lovely though: it rolls and flows. Lovely guitar solo, too. I'm a sucker for this sort of thing, really, being a fan of America (yes, the band) and Folk Rock since I was a kid.

"Tänk Om" is another sort of poppy number, but still with that classic Prog in them bones. Some Gentle Giant in there, the way it sort of overlays with the drums, guitar and keys. The guitar tone and the main melody even sounds specifically like Gary Green. It's really quite cool. A less favorite number for vocals, though. I think it will please well enough. In, at first, a somewhat similar feel is "Oleg". I'm sure it's just the fact that we live in a new world technologically speaking, but I can't help but think this track must be some kind of proof that they were aware and fans, too, of what I've considered 'New Prog' (I usually list The Flower Kings, Echolyn and Big Big Train, for those unaware of the term--I somewhat reject its use per the Wikipedia article [I must admit now, this is due to a misunderstanding and misremembering of things]--Wikipedia refers to it somewhat accurately as 'Third Wave' and New Prog as something altogether different). This is our first instrumental track, certainly hearkening back to when they (presumably) would have been hottest (and... ya know... younger).

Yet another shift is "Hem - Prelude", soft and acoustic, yet backed with these New Agey sorta keys. It's really lovely and ethereal. Certainly not mad at it, and it certainly is designed (fairly well) as a hype-up for "Hem" proper (not what I was expecting it to be, at the start...). "Hem" doesn't offer a whole lot besides beauty (and I know you might think that's a compliment and, admittedly, in a way it is haha), but it does pick up nearing minute 2. It's dancy, I guess. I'm not sure as of yet of its overall, greater appeal... Immediately much more appealing is "Jordbon". Again, that Pop-Proggy sort of thing that GG did back when. But also not. Some nice vocal harmonies herein! My ignorance felt it a Latin-esque jaunt... I'm now not so sure.

Finally, we have "Falska Banor" [to wrap up this abhorrently long review], moreso looking to GG in tone and mastery over claustrophobia. This one is a maximalist's dream! Nearing minute 4 is this awesome laxing of the rhythm, with great instrumentation and composition (more the Yes or Genesis thing). And to say that this is bookended well is certainly an understatement. One of the best tracks of the whole to close things out, and so a great match to the opener.

Share this ALTER ECHO review

Social review comments () BETA

---

---

Review related links

• Send comments to DangHeck
• Report this review (#2691054)
• Buy ALTER ECHO music online with PA partners
• Show all ALTER ECHO MP3/Stream
• Go to ALTER ECHO page for videos, full discography with ratings, reviews and much more
• Go to Alter Echo page for more details, where to buy and ratings/reviews
• Search the Forum for ALTER ECHO related discussions