HOLDFÉNYKERT

My journey with this Hungarian band started with their concept album and now I got my hands on their debut from 2006. Listening to debut albums is always an interesting experience for me, to see, to witness their first steps.

So I did a little research. After You and I disbanded in Budapest, one of the guitarists, Ákos Bogáti-Bokor started recording his material with the help of an indie record company called Rockszerviz. The compositions grew from heavy acoustic roots, so acoustic guitars, flutes and beautifully layered female vocals were the base of this first record. Drummer Domokos Csergő from Romanian band KUMM joined as session musician and the band was ready for the studio work.

Flutes, mellotrons, Minimoog everywhere, clear and shiny female vocals, like the blueprint for the band's style was already there in the beginning, but at first with a bit more jazzy, more folk oriented sound, although there are pretty obvious Yes influences there too.

The big song, Seven is the masterpiece of this album, it's like a Yes song with female lead vocals. I love everything about this composition: its sophisticated rhythm changes, the virtuoso Moog passages, beautiful Mellotron sounds and the fact that it's a great song, not just an overcomplicated prog tune. Highly recommended.

My two other favorites are Hol Vagy and Várj Még, both with a deep melancholy and haunting soundscapes, electric sitar, again, beautiful flutes and Mellotrons... lots of acoustic guitars, which is a perfect fit to the mood of these songs.

Another great highlight is the guitar solo piece If Ever (following the great tradition started by Yes). I haven't heard a strong acoustic solo composition of this level before, especially from a debut album elsewhere. An obvious tribute to Steve Howe. Perfection.

The Holdfénykert album has a distinctive sound to it which can be appealing to lovers of folk oriented prog fans, but of course there are quite a few symphonic prog moments that show the direction the band will go with their next albums.

All in all it's a very strong debut from a band that already had great potential. A 4 star Eastern European gem.