APPROACH

I was surprised no one had a written review on this album yet. I am somewhat new to Von Hertzen Brothers music as I tried out their most recent "Love Remains the Same' album after some great reviews. I was not disappointed at all and it spurred me to check out the "Approach" album. So here I am about 20 listens deep and wanted to chime in on this overlooked gem.

Unlike their most recent output, "Approach" took me longer to get into. I left it in my car stereo for 3 weeks straight to make sure I was giving it a fair shot. I left it alone for about a month and when I came back it never sounded better. The music is definitely crossover prog and some might be disappointed my the lack of text book progressive elements and technical overload, but they more than make up for it with the varied song writing and wonderful vocals. The vocals seem to be at the fore front when it comes to Von Hertzen Brothers music. That is not what I am used to within progressive rock as the music is usually the focal point and the vocals are an added element that blends in. I don't say that as a bad thing at all. There's a reason why the vocals stand out, it's because these guys can really sing well. Again, excellent singing is usually the exception and most of the time you need to overlook the vocals in spite of the great music. Not here. So if you didn't catch my point, here it is: These dudes can sing! What a great change of pace this is.

The music is very modern sounding and very accessible, although there are surely hints of influences from the progressive bands of yester year. I normally don't listen to too many commercial sounding prog bands because most I have heard leaves me wanting more. Von Hertzen Brothers seem to effectively sound polished, commercial, indie, catchy and most importantly keeps my level of interest and entices me to return for future listens. The highlight songs for me are "Disciple of the Sun" and "Endlessly." Did I mention the vocals and harmonies are great? So I wanted to give these guys the proper review and praise because this band seems very overlooked. I would recommend this to album to anyone, not just proggers who visit this website. 4 stars for a job well done and look forward to more to come!