AURUM NOSTRUM

With the disappearance of Anglagard, the resurgent prog movement was risking a deadly (or at least crippling) blow, and as if by enchantment came other Swedes picking up where they had left off. Of course, Anglagard was solidly derivative of Genesis, Yes, King Crimson and more, but they had managed (along with the Magna Carta label stablemates) to rekindle the flame of prog. So when Sinkadus came around to fill the empty spot, my first thought was to approve and this album is a very credible retro-prog in exactly the same terms that their predecessor had done before them. Of course, without being mean-spirited, could we have expected anything remotely groundbreaking from the Cyclops label? Not a fan of the label since I have yet to find something I really like (present Swedes excepted) and their catalogue is neo-prog stable. NB: another thing I am not a fan of this label is the artworks of their catalogue, although this one present is acceptable, but nothing more.

So what is the value of such an album? Well, if you are not too picky and enjoy the music purely on its intrinsic value, there are plenty of chance you'll love this album, even if the vocals are perfectible (not speaking of the language, here, but the voices). With a superb Snalblast (Bitter Wind), the progheads gets exactly what he wishes, trons of Mello, great guitar lines, loads of melancholy, drumming a gogo and two women to add to his fantasy: one on the flute and the other on the cello. I don't really think it is necessary to go over the three remaining tracks (all well over the 10 minutes), because you get more or less what you ask for. and in abundance. What do the people want more?... Well maybe, just maybe, what they're not getting. Speaking for myself, thinking out loud, but wanting every proghead to ask themselves this: what about what they are like, the way they would really sound if they were letting go of the formula that they are dispensing us in every track.

So of course, the proghead is bound to love it as he did the first generation (Anglagard and Landberk), but the second generation brought nothing new (as opposed to their predecessor which actually did, in their own manner) and while Sinkadus has lived its course, we are now confronted with a third wave (more from Norway) with Wobbler and Gargamel, which again dish out the same kind of stuff with their slight twists. Yes I like it, yes!! I also happen to love a good real hamburger from the bbq, but let's face it: I want the Cassoulet or the Tartiflette. And this hamburger is maybe not from the golden arches, but it does have a ready-to-eat wrapper around it. And that alone is a bit of a turn-off and takes away a star. Still, I don't know how many hundreds of progheads will love this. Can't blame them, I did too. "Did" being the key word, here.

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