I love writing reviews! Why? Because occasionally, I get a record to review that surprises me to a large extent. That was certainly the case with The Form Of The Good, the second effort of the American progressive rock group Deluge Grander. A concept album about, and I quote here, ‘the over estimation of differences between urbanism and naturalism by modern philosophical paradigms … or something like that.’ This almost completely instrumental album, that last almost an hour, takes us in five tracks to great symphonic heights. The sound quality might not be completely up to par, because the album was sell-financed and -produced, but the level of musicianship is beyond any dispute. It all comes together in the 19-minutes centrepiece Aggrandizement, which contains haunting melodies, classical support by an orchestra and enough tempo changes to keep things interesting. However, don’t forget the other songs. After a relative short and quite start in Before The Common Era things develop quickly in The Tree Factory which sounds like a lumberyard with workers on speed. Common Era Caveman gives the listener some time to catch his breath before Aggrandizement erupts. The title track ends this album on a relative high note, tempting you to push the repeat button. That’s how good it is... ****André de Waal (edited by Peter Willemsen) Where to buy? |
