After a nine-year hiatus the US prog metal band Edensong returns with Our Road To Dust, their first album crafted as a quartet, consisting of James Byron Schoen (guitars, vocals), TD BenBen Towers (bass guitar, vocals), Barry Seroff (flutes) and Nick DiGregorio (drums). Edensong play a blend of folk rock, prog rock and prog metal and this new album is much heavier and features a lot more melodic hooks then on their previous album Years In The Graden Of Years, which was released in 2016. Our Road To Dust's opening track is the ninety second instrumental Of Ascents, which feels more like an interlude or intermezzo than an introduction actually.... The Illusion Of Permanence, the first "real" track of the album features a rather dark and obscure melody with some flute passages that lighten up the song; so, it is a kind of Dream Theater meets Jethro Tull song. These Old Wounds is also "dominated" by Seroff's flute playing, while Black Crow has beautiful vocal harmonies - check out the a capella intro - and some awkward flamenco guitar passages. Next up, Hall Of Statues is "heavier" and displays some more aggressive tones, with complex and tangled guitar riffs galore. Wykkr Basct features an awesome guitar riff, and this track is packed with heavy prog musical elements, while a guest violinist adds some extra folk elements for sure. Finally, the title track ends this album, and it is the best song of the album, as this one perfectly mixes the folky and heavy sides of Edensong in almost eight minutes. The title track is fresh, bold and filled with melodic sensibilities, ending this great album in a more than excellent way. Listening tip: Hall Of Statues. ***+ Martien Koolen (edited by Dave Smith) Where to buy? |
