V

Brighteye Brison from Swden was founded in 2001 and released four studio-albums between 2003 and 2011. And now anno 2019, after 8 long years for the fans, here's the new album simply entitled V. I am only familiar with their third effort entitled Believers & Deceivers from 2008, so it took more than 10 years before I had my second musical encounter with Brighteye Brison. Was it worth waiting that long? Yes!

1. The Crest of Quarrel (12.31) : It starts with a long intro featuring sound effects, then Minimoog flights in a tight mid-tempo beat, gradually turning into a slow rhythm. To me the music sounds as a blend of symphonic rock (vocal harmonies and Hammond like Yes), Neo-Prog (tight beats, song oriented) and AOR (Eighties Styx and Kansas). Next a slow rhythm with lush strings, a pumping bass, Hammond waves and warm vocals and vocal harmonies, very melodic, harmonic and accessible, with a pleasant colouring by Minimoog flights and guitar riffs. The final part is bombastic with again the Minimoog, vocal harmonies, powerful guitar and tight rhythm-section.

2. V (17.27) : First an impressive intro with the unsurpassed vintage sound by the Minimoog and Mellotron violins, along fiery guitar. Then a tight beat, embellished with piano, rock guitar and pitchbend driven synthesizer flights, again very pleasant and accessible. Now the music turns into very inspired by Yes its worldwide hit single Owner Of A Lonely Heart, the spirit of this song reigns over the entire composition: a swinging rhythm with rock guitar, vocal harmonies, heavy guitar riffs, like "modern prog meets AOR". Next majestic Mellotron violins, and then interplay between acoustic guitar and the distinctive Theremin, topped by vocal harmonies, an original musical idea. During the rest of this epic composition the music alternates between symphonic rock, Neo-Prog and AOR, coloured by tasteful work on vintage keyboards (Hammond, Minimoog and Mellotron) and harder-edged guitar, it sounds dynamic, melodic and harmonic, the atmospheres shift from hypnotizing to bombastic. In the compelling final part a Bach inspired Hammond solo and heavy guitar with howling runs (Malmsteen, Blackmore and Vai come to my mind), this band knows how to please its fans!

3. The Magician Chronicles - Part II (36.52) : Brighteye Brison now goes to the extreme with this mega epic composition, and presents the most symphonic rock inspired music on this album ( but it also borders with Neo-Prog and AOR at some moments). From the Rick Wakeman inspired intro with the mighty church organ sound and Minimoog flights to the bombastic final part featuring vocal harmonies, a moving electric guitar solo and a lush Hammond organ sound. In between cascades of flowing shifting moods, from dreamy and slow rhythms to mid-tempo and bombastic. This is wonderfully coloured by strong vocals (and lots of vocal harmonies), excellent harder-edged guitar work, vintage keyboards (a lot of 'Minimoog Extravaganza', along Mellotron, Hammond and Hohner clavinet), the distinctive Theremin and varied piano play. The music evoke the sound of bands like Eighties Yes, The Flower Kings, Glass Hammer and Spock's Beard, also very melodic, harmonic and accessible.

Brighteye Brison has delivered a very tastefully arranged album that will please those progheads who like Old School oriented symphonic rock that borders with modern prog, Neo-Prog and AOR.

This review was recently published in a slightly different version on the Dutch progrock website Background Magazine.

It has been quite a while since I last heard anything by this Swedish band, so long ago that they are in Volume 1 of my books containing my reviews from 1991-2006, when I reviewed their second album 'Stories' and raved over it. This is their fifth release, as one may have guessed, and in the last 13 years there has just been the one line-up change with drummer Erik Hammarström replacing Daniel Kåse. The rest of the line-up is still Linus Kåse (piano, electric grand, synthesizers, saxophones, vocals), Per Hallman (organ, Mellotron, clavinet, synthesizers, vocals), Kristofer Eng Radjabi (bass, Taurus, Theremin, vocals, synths) and Johan Öijen (guitars). Yes, you read that right, two keyboard players with the welcome use of not only piano and organ but also a Mellotron, while there is also a Theremin being used (and it can easily be heard at certain points, being musical as opposed to just creating a noise).

Multi-layered, with vocal harmonies being an essential major part of their music, it would be easy for one to believe this is over-egged and can become too sickly, but the guitar cuts through when the time is right (both as an acoustic and powering electric). There are just three songs on the album but given the shortest is more than 12 minutes in length, and the longest well in excess of half an hour, there is never any danger of feeling short changed. Complex and complicated, yet somehow also incredibly entertaining and enjoyable from the very first listen, this is a superb release. I remember 'Stories' making a big impact on me and I do wish I hadn't lost touch over the years, but this is a real return to form. It may have been eight years since their last album, 'The Magician Chronicles - Part I', but they have announced they are back with a bang. Their last three albums were all on Progress Records, which I don't think is active anymore since the sad passing of founder Hansi Cross in August 2017, but in Bad Elephant they have found a new home. Let's hope it isn't so long until the next one, as symphonic, layered, beautifully arranged yet still rocky music like this deserves to be heard.

I've heard this group compared to Yes and Genesis, but to me they sound more like Kansas or Starcastle, albeit with Yes and Genesis aspirations. And it's for this reason - - the group's conscious and transparent channeling of 1970s symphonic-prog bands - - that I'd classify V as neo-prog.

Although Brighteye Brison imitates the sound of 1970s Genesis and Yes, only a few specific passages of V strike me as directly derivative. In this sense the band is more like Kansas than Starcastle. The originality here is largely constrained to original twists on the classic symphonic sound, especially on the thirty-seven-minute (!) 'The Magician Chronicles - Part II.' At 3:13 on that track, for example, the song moves out of an energetic opening, closely resembling the 'Waiting for the Sun' by the Doors, into an acoustic-guitar-led vocal movement even more closely resembling the first verse of Yes's 'Machine Messiah.' Soon an analog- sounding synth noodles over the guitar, à la Yes's 'And You And I.' Later there's a piano part reminding me of the the verse of Styx's 'The Best of Times.' But most of 'The Magician Chronicles - Part II' more indirectly reflects Brighteye Brison's influences. For example, several instrumental sections echo Genesis, while several vocal parts bear a passing resemblance to Asia.* But to be fair, if this track is a pastiche of classic styles, it's a very creative pastiche, skillfully executed.

Despite its length, though, 'The Magician Chronicles - Part II' isn't really a single, cohesive work; to use another Yes comparison, it's a series of related songs with distinct beginnings and endings, like Side A of Fly From Here - - not a long-form suite like 'The Gates of Delirium.' There's evidently a detailed storyline going on here, but I couldn't find the lyrics online, and no liner notes accompanied my (electronic) copy of the album. (There is a Part I, by the way, constituted by the three songs on the band's prior album.) Unlike the five songs that comprise the 'Fly From Here' suite, the pieces of 'The Magician Chronicles - Part II' sometimes seem to be sequenced randomly, and some of the repetition appears to add little more than length.

The other two pieces on V, 'The Crest of Quarrel' and the title track, are cut from the same cloth, although each is a bit more original, and, at twelve and seventeen minutes respectively, they're more focused than 'The Magician Chronicles - Part II.'

In all, V is an enjoyable album, even if wears its influences on its metaphorical sleeve, and even if its centerpiece is a bit overlong. I'll bet that neo-prog fans will appreciate this one as much as will eclectic-prog aficionados.

*as much as I feel that, in general, Brighteye Brison is reflecting 1970s progressive rock, the specific examples I'm reminded of actually range from the late 1960s through the early 1980s.

BRIGHTEYE BRISON is a Swedish group that was high on PROG foundations origins as GENESIS, ELP, YES, GENTLE GIANT (which I always read as much harm to their base despite his musical energy) and later Magellan or THE FLOWER KINGS. He also took more northern groups as influences ANEKDOTEN, Landberk and was able to introduce himself themes for WOBBLER more recently. In his titles often drawers, one can if one tends a little ears hear reminiscences of TOTO, ALAN PARSONS PROJECT, YOSO and even some basic agreements in the eternal touches everything JOE JACKSON. Do not forget that one of the musicians worked in ANGLAGARD too. Suffice to say that hand on complex sounds of epic symphonic structures with wagons, musical jolts, vocal harmonies and stellar arrangements, while keeping a cool frame by his willing breaks returns. In short, Brighteye BRISON released his 5th album entitled "V"; it is with "stories" in 2006 that I became acquainted with their music being inveterate fan of GENESIS, but that we do not care, let's get to what this latest installment in the belly and do not tell "it is my understanding it is a revival of GENESIS YES, it's good I see where it will take me if I listen to" listen, not read! (Please !!!) let's get to what this latest installment in the belly and do not say 'that's it I realized it is a revival of GENESIS YES, it's good I see where it will take me if I' listening, "listen, not read! (Please !!!) let's get to what this latest installment in the belly and do not say 'that's it I realized it is a revival of GENESIS YES, it's good I see where it will take me if I' listening, "listen, not read! (Please !!!)

3 titles, 3 titles for more than 66 minutes of music, then you install: 3, 2, 1: 'The Crest of Quarrel "starts thus with the shortest title, the one with the newest sound in my opinion; Here the sounds remind me MAGELLAN and last time of the great GENESIS with the tunes of "Duke" for example YES and often maligned, one after 76, shorter but more technical in my opinion. Otherwise, we are dealing with an anthology of notes taking to a prog universe by combining convolutions times phrasing, musical then both at the same time; it's beautiful, intense, almost epic and the end of melody 11'35 '' will remind you a little dinosaur which bit them in their cradles! "V" and 17 minutes Air intro flirts on the YES time "Owner of a Lonely Heart" and then start up to 1'35 '' makes you surrender; sound mix, it's even a riff hard limit, but very quickly to 4 a break with synth organ and accordion support from a guitar arpeggio attracts the ear; it put the voice to melt the most recalcitrant to guitar solo enjoyable, the organ always in the background putting pressure on the memories; then a return with this bass to the "Steppin 'Out" JOE JACKSON even CHRIS SQUIRE done from that title to the austere territories prone to daydreaming. Back with part phrased almost too conventional and a tour guitar then climb to synth-piano solos. A little further, it is to the organ T. BANKS one is brought with digressions almost jazzy at times, to bring even further in the time of proto-prog? Personally, it reminds me the rhythm breaks on "90125" thereby avoiding long trademark titles ... YES !! Yessien

"The Magician II Chronicles share" or following the penultimate album for just 36 minutes musical maze, for the most gross way, the most archaic, the most violent too; to digress notes bringing the neophyte to fall naked before so much innovation, for one who follows and knows just a wonder to see the dial and associate sounds with melody tunes of large groups mentioned above! ... at 3'15 '' I thought they were going to sing "yes" as on one of the albums of their master out. Well, what if it is that this title is as a letter in the mail with a succession of rhythms, tunes quite different from each other and a voice repeating the common thread to avoid too disperse. There are plenty of sounds more or less heard by my ear which adds nicely to being seduced and conquered. Note also that snub to 9'30 '' to YES symphonic and air 12 'necessarily somewhat reminiscent of "The Gates of Delirium" Roine STOLT even at that time, so reprocessed BRIGHEYE BRISON and break dreamlike; there is even the "Supper's Ready" a little further is that the ears are for their anvils and hammers other! There is also bombastic tunes, festive, a little medieval who would go so well for Soundtrack Film! Around 25 minutes another tense at the organ that melts again, once we remained unmoved. And to drive the point (and not the anvil if you have followed) a little further I will let you wait for the piano 24'50 '' which leads you to the referral of the organ of 25'10 "for a moment ambience Cathedral spleen. The voice again and again a little gypsy tunes and good jazz guitars association from shoving the place given to the organ. Hop! And about 32 minutes still air "Steppin 'Out" (yes I fell in small and yes I like it !!) to recalibrate the title and starting toward a final rock with his guitar before and powerful choruses. That's it, it's over! yet the tune of "Steppin 'Out" (yes I fell in small and yes I like it !!) to recalibrate the title and starting toward a final rock with his guitar in front and powerful choruses. That's it, it's over! yet the tune of "Steppin 'Out" (yes I fell in small and yes I like it !!) to recalibrate the title and starting toward a final rock with his guitar in front and powerful choruses. That's it, it's over!

Well, what about that huge CD? Oh, great for descaling pregnant; to make a small regression too long on the 70s version of Hammond organ, spleen, joyful sadness, go an oxymoron by one !! For the rest, focus, sound there is very good but I'm missing a little more personal to bring this group at the highest level. In fact I find this very good album, incorporating the best original groups without repetition either, but I lack a bit of pure creation.

This Swedish quintet is one of the better examples of retro-prog. The sound is unashamedly rooted in 1970s giants like Yes and Genesis, and they remind me a lot of the better moments of Spock's Beard. The music is filled with lush synths and organ, and the guitar has a noticeably modern style of distortion to it. While the songs are often in progressive rock's usual serious tone, there are lighter, fun moments sprinkled throughout. I do have some critiques, though. The vocals are competent on most of the album, but a few passages sound weak. Additionally, this album is just so damn long. I know this is a common gripe, but the closing song is nearly 37 minutes long (and that's after the combined 30 minutes of the first two songs), and it is really, really, really difficult to make a song that long consistently engaging. They do their best, but it does leave me looking at my watch occasionally.

Review originally posted here: theeliteextremophile.com/2019/06/20/odds-ends-june-20-2019/