UNDER A NEW SIGN

The huge success of the debut pushed Gerben Klazinga to gather a group of musicians, so Knight Area could perform live.The first gig in Holland was followed by performances in France, Germany, Belgium, highlighted by the participation at the 2005 Nearfest.Step by step Knight Area grew into a normal band.Mark Smit was now the permanent singer and former Cliffhanger Gijs Koopman (bass) and Rinie Huigen (guitars) brought some needed experience in the prog league.What more reasonable for Knight Area to record a second full-length album.''Under a New Sign'' was finally released in 207 on Laser's Edge.

Little seems to have changed regarding the style of the band.The trademarks of the debut are still present: A crystalline production, a rich and modern symphonic sound and plenty of bombastic parts.The band, obviously influenced by the modern Neo Prog approach of ARENA and PENDRAGON, sounds a bit heavier than on ''The sun also rises'', evolving into metal-like passages with strong guitar riffs.But the overall approach remains typical of the Dutch Neo/Symphonic Rock school.Among the familiar and grandiose synthesizer flights Mr. Klazinga throws in a good amount of Mellotron waves and organ runs, indicating Knight Area are still grounded on the Classic Prog field despite their ultra-modern sound.Guitars range from these powerful energetic leads to nice and sensitive almost FLOYD-ian soloing.And the band always keep a great momentum throughout the album between melody and heaviness.Knight Area's music seems to contain it all: From pleasant melodies to virtuosic solos and from huge symphonic passages to dramatic vocal offerings.Lack of personality is definitely an issue, as their sound cannot escape from the sound of the Neo Prog legends such as IQ, ARENA and MARILLION.

Quality musicianship by a group of talented Dutch musicians.Well-crafted, well-performed and sufficiently inspirational, ''Under a New Sign'' has plenty to offer to fans of contemporary Prog with enough retro setbacks.Strongly reccomended, and even more if you can't get enough of the style...3.5 stars.