ULTIMA RATIO

Gerd ALBERS benefited from the help of many artists such as Jean PAGEAU (MYSTERY), Marek ARNOLD (TOXIC SMILE, SEVEN STEPS TO THE GREEN DOOR) and Martin SCHNELLA (FLAMING ROW) to release this 3. Ah I forgot Gerd c is this all-Teuton touch to the sound ranging from MOSTLY AUTUMN, ARENA, FLAMING ROW, TOXIC SMILE or the oldest ELOY and AYREON; refined prog with 6 different vocalists and 10 years of intriguing art-rock sound. He released this 3rd concept album talking about the pandemic, on a musical and societal reflection, a dark future transcribed into texts; here it is already the 5th wave and its increasingly inhumane measures. A more modern sound, accessible, less folkloric than its predecessor in which we throw ourselves.

"Ultima Ratio (Pt. I) Prologue" symphonic intro, on prog metal à la AYREON, latent and intoxicating, the title that makes you let go of the watts on your channel, very good start. "New Normality" return of this acoustic guitar bringing a conventional prog metal title on a sound of the latest PINK FLOYD where the singularity comes from the half-phrased, half-raped break confusing for a moment; the fat guitar solo afterwards raises the impression, it goes on VAI, MALMSTEEN, BLACKMORE, in short, only good with a fat and juicy synth as it should be in a hard melodic atmosphere. "Weeks of Sorrow" enjoyable entry on the highlighting of the drums, then a borderline AOR tune on this consensual melodic title well typed 80's for the fact. "Code Red" continues back to the acoustic guitar and the arrival of a feminine vocal pouring into the bucolic ballad which will go crescendo for a colorful finale à la MOSTLY AUTUMN. "Hope" for the acoustic-electric interlude, the title that gives all its letters of nobility to prog in general by editing these little gems.

"Dead-end Street" continues with the title which is likely to make everyone agree: more elaborate, heavier, more nervous, more in the metal prog movement of this decade. Pop verse set back then it goes with this riff that feels good; the heaviness of the air does not make me find analog sounds, which is a good thing after all; it plunges into the melodic metal of the 90's, the reminiscences are not too marked. Little more to the final solo and the magical voice of a great frontman also on his original group. "Depressed Sentiments" for the second romantic-folk ballad where the piano and the choirs can make you think of a watered down ALAN PARSONS , to a MAGENTA, a KARNATAKA, a bit cutesy and long. "Keepers of the Fire" continues with the title river intro sweet spleen with a melodic guitar solo then nervous prog metal break, on a tune reminiscent of FAITH NO MORE or TOKYO BLADE and RUSH for this characteristic phrasing; break again with the calm voice of Jean PAGEAU which brings warmth and velvety, yes we would eat it; his flute fascinates, a slight nod to the GENESIS of yesteryear in fact, the notes become crystalline then it takes off again for the last more symphonic third with this drum pad that never ends; the bewitching finale between soaring notes and mysterious sound filled with spleen, perhaps a hope for a positive ending, in short the perfect title. "Ultima Ratio (Pt. II) Epilogue" completes this set with the encore of the intro, a piece where the musical art becomes a therapy for this low world.

PROJECT PATCHWORK3 is therefore the musical concept that can be listened to easily, almost too accurately. Melodic, soft titles mixed with some more nervous ones can confuse the attentive listener picking up this rather puzzling difference; melodic yes, art rock yes, progressive music well formatted so as not to scare and have a good time, what more could you ask for to forget this pandemic for a while? A very beautiful album which shows that the two protagonists have taken advantage of this imposed confinement and in fact sign a very nice surprise.

It is unusual to read a booklet and realise this is the final album from the artist, as usually they are on a high when their art is finally being made available to the public, and that decision is made at some point in the future. However, Gerd Albers decided some time ago that his project was going to have a life span of three albums and as this is the third, he is sticking to that. While Gerd provides guitars, drums & percussion, backing vocals, he brings in other musicians and singers to assist him in fulfilling his dream, and it would be easy to list who they are and what bands they play with, but instead let us just say there are multiple guitarists, keyboard players and singers, plus a few others. I mean, the name gives it away in that this a project bringing together lots of different pieces which Gerd then puts together as a complete whole.

Instead of containing the lyrics, the booklet instead explains the rationale behind each song, and while we have been talking quite a bit about Covid albums over the last few years when musicians have not been able to be in the same room, this is the first one I have come across which uses Covid as the concept. Everyone will have a different story about their own experiences, and these differ not only between countries but also between different areas ? I work in Auckland, the most locked down city in Aotearoa, yet South Island (where I live) was hardly impacted at all (apart from border closures). Here Gerd attempts to describe the social results of the long-term lockdown situation in Germany and worldwide and whether the consequences of those policies are more serious and long lasting than expected.

It is a project, with multiple musicians and singers, and it very much feels that way so is best to think of as an ensemble performance as opposed to a band. This is crossover prog, wonderfully melodic yet also touching into other areas, most notably Neo, and the use of different singers impacts on the overall sound. Interestingly, Gerd says when the songs were originally written and some of them heavily predate the pandemic and were then adjusted accordingly with "Code Red" dating all the way back to 2015 (wonderful vocals on this by Miriam Kraft by the way). Gerd may have completed his trilogy of works under this name, but they are still out there to be discovered, and this one contains more depth and thought than many.