SEASONS OF TIME

I would like to divide this CD into two parts. The first part (track 1-3) features a band that strongly plays in the vein of Neo-Prog, especially Pendragon comes to my mind: between dreamy and bombastic with Gilmourian guitar (like in Toward The Horizonplay) and a dynamic rhythm-section. Unfortunately the English vocals sound pretty mediocre, with a strong accent, in comparison with the powerful instrumental parts a bit amateurish. The second part (track 4-6) showcases a more adventurous band, with more own ideas.

Heavy guitar riffs (close to prog metal) and voices in the epic and varied Joana.

A sound collage intro, a distorted voice and a raw and hypnotizing climate in Drive To Drive.

And sensitive electric guitar, a variety of synthesizer sounds and a bombastic atmosphere with a tight and propulsive beat in the final track The Last Ship.

A nice and pleasant effort, if you don't mind the mediocre English vocals with a strong accent.

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

Musically the band are a solid neo prog outfit, with quite a concentration on guitars, and it is when they are playing more straight forward rock that they shine. "Plans To Make Plans" is a good example of this, with the backing vocals of Christina Mielke adding a touch of lightness to the overall sound. I definitely prefer this to the last album, and generally the production is good, with some particularly strong bass, but I believe that if they invested in a quality singer then we may be talking about them in a different light. Neo prog fans would do well to seek this out, but it is one to listen to first.

Seasons of Time has made what I'd described as a flawed production with their second full length recording "Closed Doors to Open Plains". The music as such is rather enjoyable admittedly, but the detrimental presence of the lead vocals becomes too much of an annoying feature, at least for me. Those not as concerned with the quality of the lead vocals might find this CD to be an enjoyable affair though, then first and foremost those who enjoy neo progressive rock created in the spirit of the symphonic oriented neo bands from the early 90's.

While the influences from the music of MARILLION, PENDRAGON and other Neo Prog groups is clearly evident, the Germans could produce some beautiful melodies and intense atmospheres, propably helped by the concept story, which is based on deep keyboard sounds and electrified guitar moments, as many bands did at the time.The main theme is developed through 15 short pieces, which can be laid-back, atmospheric, aggressive or bombastic, depending on each part of the story, but the bulk of the album follows a rhythmic style with diverse keyboard moments, including organ, piano and synthesizers, and soft to melodic guitar lines, sometimes with a slight PINK FLOYD aura, especially during the lyrical passages.Close to the trend of the time their tracks contained dreamy keyboard textures, calm piano lines and more flashy synth solos over a palette of guitar-driven ideas with the overall style flirting with compatriots ZIFF and ZENOBIA.A few pieces ended up to be a bit disjointed/uninspired with rockin' leads or slight psychedelic vibes, the same occurs though for a couple of folky tunes, led by a charming flute performance and being among the highlights of the album.

Were Seasons Of Time ready to kick some asses with their debut?I doubt so.But their music was up there with the better-known bands of the style, featuring nervous symphonic moments, good melodies and pompous deliveries.Decent and recommended stuff.

It is almost as if there are two sets of recordings here, with a top notch band recording some great music in a studio, while the vocals have been added from a demo tape. It is incredibly frustrating as if they had turned this into a pure instrumental album then it would actually have a lot more going for it, with neo-prog moving into a more prog metal territory. It has taken them an age to record their second album, but unless they change their approach I can't see there being a great deal of demand for a third. If this was purely instrumental then it would be a 3.5/4 for me, but as it stands then it is 2.5 at absolute best. www.progressive-promotion.de

Opening with the drawn out sound of birds and the great outdoors, "Closed Doors to Open Plains" builds wonderful suspense and anticipation, perhaps a bit too much. However, Seasons of Time has crafted an album of sixteen tracks that tend to be shorter, but all connected. Their interesting themes that seem to have to do with relationships are captivating, especially in the way the emotion comes through in the music,

Indeed, the music is simply fantastic. It's top-notch, top tier stuff. Guitars raise the hair on our necks with searing solos and theatrics, the keyboards are perfectly tuned and expertly composed, the drums are perfectly technical and never pretentious, and the bass is rollicking and foot-stompingly good. Yes, the music, as I said, takes all the best elements and makes them even better. If this were an instrumental album, it would certainly get full stars from me.

However, "Closed Doors to Open Plains" isn't instrumental. Vocalist Malte Twarloh is present, and I wish to high heaven that he weren't. This guy can't sing. It's that simple. His voice is off-key, his pronunciation could use some work and flow, and he simply does not have a pleasant sound. But, it gets worse. The lyrics are truly awful. From the very first verse, you get that feeling. Not only are the lyrics badly written, but they are cheesy and even vulgar at points. For me, progressive music is too classy to resort to dropping f-bombs for no apparent reason. I'm all for it if the situation calls for it, but Dirk seems to drop them for the hell of it. It really ruins the beautiful atmosphere and the overall character of the music.

So, there is a clear division here. Seasons of Time has composed an amazing album. However, they've failed miserably on the lyrical and vocal end of things. Thank goodness, then, that most of the album is indeed instrumental, and there are many instrumental tracks. Dirk isn't all bad, as I enjoyed his work on "Closing Doors", but that's about it. However, the sheer amount of favorite instrumental tracks is staggering, as I just love "Bite the Bullet", "Burning Bridges I and II", "Fuzz & Buzz", "The Station at the Border of the Mind", and others. So, essentially, what we have here is tight music mixed with sloppy vocals and lyrics.

Seasons of Time is still worth your money. This is a definite buy for anyone that loves neo- prog. However, be warned that the album has some unpleasant, rough moments. Though, if you are in it for the music only, you will be thrilled.