Progressive veterans The Tirith have returned with a successor to their 2013 debut album; Tales From The Tower. After their debut, which consisted of songs that went back to their youth. This time A Leap Into The Dark holds true collaborations of both initiators guitarist Tim Cox and vocalist, bass player Richard Cory. Returning drummer Carl Nightingale closes the ranks of the British progressive trio. For the record, Paolo Iannattone adds keyboard parts to several tracks on the album. Even though the new album should take their music to a more modern era, regarding the info on the CDs inlay; the term Power Prog is used, I still think The Tirith combines classic rock in the vein of bands like Wishbone Ash with old school neo progressive rock vocals. Take the album's opener; A Leap Into The Dark / The Autumn Of Our Days which shows the combination of both mentioned styles. On the other hand, the input of Tim Cox guitaristic escapades has increased. Which is something that suits the new compositions. The album's epic; The Nostalgia Sequence is the musical highlight on the album for me; long solo parts and fine keyboards support the melancholic vocals. A Leap Into The Dark has proven a worthy successor for The Tirith's debut and I think both the classic rock scene as well as the old school neo progressive fan will find something of their likings. Personally, I would have preferred some spiced elements to light up the music. Now we have seventy minutes of music: very pleasant to listen to, but perhaps a bit predictable. ***+ Pedro Bekkers (edited by Tracy van Os van den Abeelen) Where to buy? |
