SELFISHNESS - SOURCE OF WAR & VIOLENCE

Robert Beriau is a very skilled multi-instrumentalist and composer from Canada. Beriau made a name on the musical local scene a few decades ago and appeared in various musical projects. This third solo album has been published in 2008 by his own music company. For the occasion it features various international guest musicians. Conceptually this album reflects a serene and comprehensive meditation on various sources of human conflicts, global violence and inequality which prevail nowadays in a burning "world-society". It expresses a a certain fear, anxiety for a near future but it is also supposed to deliver a message of hope and humility for a better existence. Musically speaking we are in common, familiar musical territories: This album is an achieved balance between 70's classic proggy influences and mellow prog metal. We can also notice the presence of quiet spaced out rockin' passages. Agoraphobia starts with one of the most metallic-furious compositions punctuated by detached-suspensful guitar leads. Terrorism: a two actors play is an interesting piece which is musically a strange medley between VDGG-ish nervous emotion and moody-plaintive background synthscapes. Blind Heart is a sonic soundscape including a nice, dreamy-like acoustic guitar-piano duet . Hoping on the next generation closes the album with a complex collision of musical styles, from ambient jazz to mainstream epic metal and proggy melodic interludes. No so strong, innovative or challenging but beautifully composed, constantly moving with the aspiration of the ancient prog-ish time.