BEACON OF LIGHT

Having originally written a 10 paragraph review, I thought it a good idea to try to follow the advice that I give to Adventure - edit, review, tighten up the loose ends, excise the fat and cut out the needless repetition.

SO here goes the summarized version. Obvious influences are there - Flower Kings, Uriah Heep, some of today's heavier Neo. And there are many occurrences of "prog by the numbers". Unlike the Flower Kings, Adventure are not at a point where multi-part suites extending for 15-20 minutes work. They are decent instrumentalists, but not dazzling soloists.

Something to Believe In is hampered by a few things - 1) Moen's vocals are a distraction to the music, and sounding as if it was taken from a musical or operetta. Please, next album, if you have one, use Henning Mjøen . His voice really adds to the Uriah Heep vibe that comes up from time to time; 2) this is the first place where Adventure could have used a sharp pair of outside ears to trim this suite down. There are good melodies, good playing, but mostly in PT I & PT III. In these two sections, I hear the Flower Kings, and these are two pieces that show the promise that the group may have. Unfortunately, PT II quickly descends into a Spinal Tap version of Symphonic prog. It almost seems the group was unable to decide what & where they wanted to go with this song and just jammed it out and recorded it; 3) as English is not their mother tongue, I would suggest some help with the lyrics as they are trite enough in some places to once more merit Bhikku's comment about being formulaic.

Beacon of Light PT I & IV are excellent mellow melodic songs that would not be out of place on many of today's top Symphonic prog albums, and serve well as intro & outro for this suite. PT II slowly & beautifully builds in intensity & morphs into a fine Uriah Heep mid period prog rocker at about the 5 minute mark, and then slows down to a Return to Fantasy like melody. So far, so good ... this is the potential fulfilled that I have heard here & there in the first few songs on this album. But they go on to play uninspired & meandering music from the 9 minute mark onward , and then the whole of PT III. It's not that these 10 minutes are complete crap, just that the group could well have cut this section down to a few minutes by using the best of it, sharpening the lyrics and bring the album to a close that equals the music in PT IV.

Tracks 5 & 6 - A Crack in the Ice PT I & II bring to mind something like Pallas's debut. Arrive Alive , but not quite. Here I find if the main melodic idea from the first part had been kept, and the first half of PT II omitted that the group would have a very good mid album song that would provide a lead in to the finale.

Emilie's place & Joybringer are this albums acoustic numbers and work fine as filler or as interludes. Anthony Philips & Tull do these well, and Adventure pull them off O.K.

The other two songs - The Swan & Fragile Frame are decent filler. Both are afflicted with Adventure's weakness - a seeming reluctance to edit out the mediocre. So instead of coming out with two good 4-5 minute songs, they turn out two interminable 7 plus minute songs. Indeed, Fragile Frame brings back the early Uriah Heep sound ... acoustic guitar and David Byron like vocals from Henning Mjøen. The lyrics are decent. The choruses that are heavy with the guitars and organ seguing back in to the calm of the acoustic verse. This song, of all the compositions herein, is one that would have needed the least work in tightening it up. Shorten the outro, and work on improving the chorus' hook.

So how do I feel about the album as a whole ? The good stuff is good. Once upon a time, the music buff in me would have been open to checking out their next album. But to a music fan that knows that there is more great music out there than is possible to listen to, ... well ... I would be very hesitant, unless I knew that they aimed for a consistent 45 minutes of music instead of a roller coaster ride between enjoyable & unbearable listening experiences, no matter how epic it may sound to them.

And the best remedy might be that independant pair of ears. Barely a three, and kindly so on the high points I've mentioned. Before buying, best to sample. The two MP3s available here represent the negative, and I would have chosen other samples than those on their site . Maybe they can be persuaded to authorize some of the songs I've enjoyed ...

A nice piece of heavy progressive rock from this Norwegian outfit on their sophomore production.

Drawn out heavy riffs and slow riff patterns form the foundation on most tunes on this venture. Synths and organ swirls behind in the soundscape, and the vocalist has a powerful voice, verging on operatic at time. Rich textures sonic tapestries are woven, with an emphasis on the creation of majestic moods. And the overall mood of this creation is markedly tinged with a 70's feel.

It's a charming acquaintance, not innovative as such but exploring a style of music popular amongst many - in this case with at times really strong resemblance to Uriah Heep as they were in their heyday, albeit heavier and with a few early Kansas-inspired elements thrown in for good measure. A few mellow mood pieces and folk-tinged segments adds variation, adding a slight Camel tinge to the compositions. But first and foremost this disc takes on the sound of Heep and adds a few degrees of heavy flavours to it, and should be of interest to fans of that band in particular.

A new and very nice Adventure!

Again, and I am not tired of saying this, thanks to a site like this and of course it?s members we can listen to more and more music every day, I am saying this because once again I am reviewing an album thanks to one of PA member?s word.

So here I am once more, trying to write a decent review for a band who was unknown to me until a month ago, this Norwegian group called Adventure is here in the realm of prog with very good music, though I don?t know their debut album, I can say they are a talented band. This is their second album which was released this 2009, whose title Is ?Beacon of Light , it features 13 songs, well actually those might be reduced to 7 since there are various themes which are divided in different parts, the album?s length runs around 72 minutes.

And it kicks off with ?Something to Believe? (the first of the divided themes, I mean, there are first, second, and third part?. The first part is the shortest; it is like the album?s intro so we can hear just like a soft piano moment, but immediately after that minute, Something to Believe Part II begins with a very bombastic sound guided by the keyboards making a heavy but symphonic sound, this second part on the other hand is the longest one, reaching almost 13 minutes. The first two minutes are the same, but then vocals enter with a peculiar style reminding me in some moments like if it was featured in an epic film or something like that, some minutes later the music returns as it began, those great keyboards, strong drums and guitars, and great bass lines. Overall, the song has it?s comes and go?s producing in moments a great sensation on me, as I said in the first paragraphs, they are talented musicians, so the music is very good, you will notice when the song turns into a darker one just in order to return again to the heavy symphonic style, I believe I must say that personally, I would prefer an almost instrumental song here, since the vocals are not very impressive or unique.

The third part, after all the bombastic moments, is a very soft and calm song where an acoustic guitar makes you feel more comfortable, you know, after the storm comes the calm. This is a nice short melody but I have to say that when the chorus ?we all need something to believe in? appears, it really reminds me to TFK, after a couple of minutes there is a nice guitar solo.

The next track is called ?The Swan? and it sounds like if it continued the previous song, I mean it could?ve been Something to Believe Part IV, this is a longer track that in my humble opinion could be better if they have reduced it to a 5 minute song, though there are a good instrumentation and nice solos, the first part is kind of boring to me, maybe unnecessary.

Then we have ?A Crack in the Ice? (another song divided in parts, this has only parts I and II). The first one starts with a heavier style that reminds me a bit to some of their fellow Norwegians metal bands, I am not saying that Adventure is playing metal, not at all. That heavy style predominates in the first two minutes before it calms down a little bit, while listening to a nice keyboard background and the guitar playing here and there, at the last minute of this part the vocals enter and then the second part starts, you will notice it when that slow down moment ends and a heavier style appears again. It is obvious that this is the same song, but I believe there was no need of a division, it could have been a 10 minute A Crack in the Ice and that?s it.

Next there is another short song called ?Emilie?s Piece? which is a nice acoustic instrumental song, like an album?s intermission, there is a beautiful flute sound on it.

Following this short song we have ?Fragile Frame? that continues the acoustic guitar style of the previous one, but this time since the first seconds the vocals enters with a more melodic sound, I do not really know if it is the same singer of the first tracks, It sounds a bit different. After that soft first moment, the track becomes a bit heavier just in order to return to the soft style this time accompanied by a flute. A very nice song.

?Joybringer? is another short and acoustic track, the guitar sound is very pure and beautifully accompanied by the flute again.

The last song of this album has to be the title track, and it is divided but this time in four parts. The first one which happens to be the introduction and has a beautiful atmosphere created by synth and flute and after one minute the show begins. Second part starts again with a heavier symphonic style, some spoken words and a great instrumental passage, then the vocals enter again, I love vocals in music, so I believe I should mention again that these vocals are not really my cup of tea. During the songs we will listen to some mood changes, but the style keeps being the same, I mean there is a heavy feeling almost always. The song is well structured and it?s changes have been well received by my ears, so I believe this song in particular is the best of the album, well ?Beacon of Light Part II? I mean. There are some female backing vocals which put something extra to the song, in some parts we can hear to a more emotional band, like if they are really feeling and transmitting what they feel at the moment. Also you cannot miss the guitar solos during the track, they are pretty good. In the last minutes of this part, the song becomes a piano/synth/spoken word track, just before a nice keyboard and soft drumming appear, but wait, they have to end like their style says, with a heavier style. And yes, all of a sudden part III of Beacon of Light begins again with the same predominant style, this time it sounds like a victory music, I hope you understand what I mean, this is an instrumental song. And finishing the album we have Part IV, which is another short piece this time led by a delicate piano sound, along with some electric guitar notes over there, a nice ending.

This is a very nice album by a promising band, there are some moments that I consider unnecessary and maybe plain, but overall their effort is worth listening, though I believe that they can improve in the future.

Final grade 3 stars.

Enjoy it!