THE LAST HORIZON

My second Ukrainian review this week: the Hoggwash debut is an album that I have bought as download many years ago, I don't remember exactly when and why, but the singer and composer William Mackie is Welsh, and around 2007, the year of the album's release I was working in North Wales, so it's possible that I've heard of it then.

William's voice sometimes sounds similar to Peter Gabriel, and some Genesis influence is evident, but it's not the main element in their music. The album opens with a sort of an epic: a 15 minutes track reminding more to YES than to GENESIS. Symphonic for sure.

In the days of a bloody and unjustified war the major chords and in particular the sweetness of the closing track can make us regret about the past. The lyrics of "Under A Rainbow Sky", the third track, is what has pushed me to write this review. I hope I'm not making a copyright infringement in putting here four lines:

We're heading west under a rainbow sky On the move at last and I'm feeling high Cause I'm laughing not crying Yes I'm living not dying

Hearing those words while the Ukrainian cities are under the bombs because the Nation was "heading west" sounds weird to me.

But if we can forget the war for a while, this is a good album, very well composed and arranged, with very positive feeling on which the guitars of the guests Roman Philonenko and David Todua enter here and there with good solos while Antony Kalugin (Karfagen) takes the big duties of keyboard and percussion. The album sound is also enriched by a little orchestra of guests at string, flute, oboe and so on.

I apologize for having paid the right attention to the album only because of the current tragic situation. The album has its own merits, and I've heard that the second Hoggwash effort should be even better.

Let's support Ukrainian and Russian artists: the seconds aren't guilty for what their criminal-in-charge is doing.

Disclaimer: should I have infringed any progarchives policy, please admins feel free to delete this review. I can rewrite it if it's the case.