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DELUSION SQUARED II

Delusion Squared

Crossover Prog


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Delusion Squared Delusion Squared II album cover
3.86 | 149 ratings | 8 reviews | 15% 5 stars

Excellent addition to any
prog rock music collection

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Studio Album, released in 2012

Songs / Tracks Listing

- Providence :
1. Double Visions (6:33)
2. Necrogenesis (7:01)
- Primordial Sin :
3. Faith Mission (6:39)
4. Recipe For Disaster (7:55)
5. Verdical Paradox (4:10)
- Revelation :
6. Revelation (7:26)
7. Abduction (5:43)
- Atonement :
8. Naked Solipsism (6:00)
9. Unexpected Messiah (8:07)

Total time 59:34

Line-up / Musicians

- Lorraine Young / lead vocals, guitars
- Steven Francis / guitars, keyboards, drums
- Emmanuel de Saint Meen / keyboards, bass, backing vocals

Releases information

CD self released - DS-fel-12 (2012, Europe)

Digital album

Thanks to thomen0815 for the addition
and to projeKct for the last updates
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DELUSION SQUARED Delusion Squared II ratings distribution


3.86
(149 ratings)
Essential: a masterpiece of progressive rock music(15%)
15%
Excellent addition to any prog rock music collection(35%)
35%
Good, but non-essential (38%)
38%
Collectors/fans only (6%)
6%
Poor. Only for completionists (5%)
5%

DELUSION SQUARED Delusion Squared II reviews


Showing all collaborators reviews and last reviews preview | Show all reviews/ratings

Collaborators/Experts Reviews

Review by Nightfly
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR Honorary Collaborator
4 stars Delusion Squared have followed up their 2010 debut with this impressive release with the original title of II. Having missed out on their previous album I tracked it down on Spotify and even with only a cursory listen I can confidently say that this one is a significant improvement with much stronger melodies. Clearly a return to their debut is in order, this apparently being a continuation of the concept started there.

It's very much a modern sounding prog album. Despite some heavy guitar work the album has quite a trippy vibe much of the time and is highly melodic and easily accessible. The keyboard work apart from piano is very much synth driven creating atmospheric soundscapes and textures for much of the time. Nevertheless the music has a warm feel aided by considerable use of acoustic guitar and the icing on the cake, the sweet and syrupy vocals of Lorraine Young. While the album has it's heavier and more up tempo moments, opener Double Visions and Necrogenesis being prime examples it's on the mellower and more reflective songs that Young's gorgeous voice can really work its magic and it doesn't get any better than the piano driven Veridical Paradox which is immediately followed by the equally compelling Revelation and Abduction.

The band play well and by being a trio all have to assume more than one instrumental role which they manage admirably. The only downside of the album whilst having a decent production, suffers no doubt because of a limited budget, from a horrible synthetic drum sound. This is clearly not an acoustic kit; electronic drum pads obviously being used. That's a real shame as it's the one blemish on a really great album. Delusion Squared are definitely a band to keep an eye on but would I imagine have to expand to contemplate live shows without resorting to backing tracks. This I'd say they need to do if they wish to reach a wider audience and with the talent on show have plenty of potential to do that.

Review by Conor Fynes
PROG REVIEWER
4 stars 'II' - Delusion Squared (8/10)

Though I cannot say I was one of the lucky few to discover DELUSION SQUARED upon the release of their debut in 2010, I was at least made aware of the band through a healthy buzz about this French act's promising sound. Although female-fronted prog and metal bands seem to come wholesale nowadays, DELUSION SQUARED offers listeners an exciting and distinctly modern take on prog that builds upon the success of their first. Blending the strange with the accessible, 'Delusion Squared II' has left me wanting more from the trio.

DELUSION SQUARED does not innovate an entirely 'new' sound in prog rock, but they are eclectic and distinct enough to make them difficult to concisely describe. The songwriting is dominated by Lorraine Young's highly melodic vocals, yet- in opposition to the majority of prog rock-related bands who go down that route- there is no sense of them pursuing an AOR, or 'tame rock' sound with their music. Young's vocals have a pretty sound to them that might not sound out of place on an indie pop LP, but the music is constantly morphing into new exciting shapes. With that in mind, I may describe DELUSION SQUARED as a band defined by an uneasy balance; a balance between catchy vocal hooks and schizoid songwriting, between its electro-ambient soundscaping and quasi-metal riffing, its frightening sonic density and stunning melodies.

The highlight of 'II' is certainly Lorraine's voice; it sounds angelic, and above all, distinctive. Far too often, I find that female voices in prog rock and metal tend to fall into a generic category. Aided in small part due to her cute French accent, Lorraine Young carries a charm with her powerful vocal delivery. The instrumentation by comparison is quite challenging, and- as previously mentioned- is constantly changing up its pace, even transcending the boundaries of style. Within a single song, listeners may expect to hear everything from metal, to ambient, to pop and vintage-inspired prog rock. With musical ideas being tossed around wildly, it becomes difficult to pinpoint particular songs as 'highlights', although the mini-epic 'Necrogenesis' and the tender 'Naked Solipsism' stand out for their stirring melodies. For all of their ambition however, DELUSION SQUARED's production feels the strain of so much activity. Although it may simply be that Lorraine's vocals are mixed a touch too highly, the instruments occasionally feel drowned out by one another, although in a sense this only serves to emphasize how textured the band's sound can get. Suffice, DELUSION SQUARED are one of my favourite discoveries so far of the year. They are are wonderful demonstration of what prog rock can do even almost half a century after its birth.

Review by Windhawk
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR Honorary Collaborator
4 stars French trio DELUSION SQUARED was formed in 2009, and made their debut with a self-titled CD in 2010. "II" is their second full length production, and was also released by the band itself, in February 2012.

With "II" Delusion Squared concludes the story cycle they started to explore on their debut album in a fine manner, the story and music both maintaining the high quality of their first CD. Existing fans should be satisfied quite nicely with this production, and to those not familiar with this band, I'd recommend lending an ear or two to it if you tend to like bands like Porcupine Tree or tend to find artists described as modern art rock to be to your liking.

Latest members reviews

5 stars The first album from Brittany based Delusion squared emerged in 2010 and impressed immediately on several fronts. It was a deeply involving concept album with a strong sci- fi/ecological theme, pitting the power of Mother nature against the evils of modern technology. The trio's music sounded my ... (read more)

Report this review (#775695) | Posted by Salignac | Friday, June 22, 2012 | Review Permanlink

5 stars The Joy of progressive music is the never-ending opportunities for exploration and experimentation - the idea that music should make an attempt to break boundaries rather than be restricted by them. Delusion Squared delicately blend neo-progressive elements with a sci-fi concept that will intrig ... (read more)

Report this review (#733466) | Posted by bernfoot | Friday, April 20, 2012 | Review Permanlink

5 stars The first time I heard this album in its entirety and immediately jumped onto progarchives and awarded it five stars without hesitation. After a few days of listening to Delusion Squared I and II virtually non-stop, I maintain my initial rating and more so! Where the first album maintained an ether ... (read more)

Report this review (#656034) | Posted by Richens | Monday, March 12, 2012 | Review Permanlink

5 stars If the music business was anything like it was before the digital rape that is now, new talent scouts would be scrambling over one another to sign this band as the new Rush, Porcupine Tree or Evanescence. Delusion Squared II follows up with equal greatness to their fantastic debut album Delusi ... (read more)

Report this review (#652086) | Posted by Hector1966 | Friday, March 9, 2012 | Review Permanlink

5 stars Fans of modern prog can't swing a dead cat these days without hitting a hot, up-and-coming "female fronted" band. The sub-sub genre arbitrarily ties together a slew of groups with only the gender of their singer in common. Some are folky, some are more technical, some sound like Yes, some sound like ... (read more)

Report this review (#640935) | Posted by mitchgo | Saturday, February 25, 2012 | Review Permanlink

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