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Wake Up Call

a Studio Release
by: Cross
Release Year:
2012
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Added To Proggnosis on: 10 Feb 2012
Last Updated on: 15 Feb 2012 by: DBSilver

Track Listing 

  1. Human resolution (9:06)
  2. Remembrance (1:10)
  3. Falling beyond (11:15)
  4. Racing spirits (4:38)
  5. Waking up (17:55)
  6. Now (10:07)

Performer Credits  


Hansi Cross
guitars, keyboards, lead vocals
Lollo Andersson
basses, taurus, backing vocals
Tomas Hjort
drums, percussion, backing vocals
Mats Bender
keyboards
Jock Millgardh
vocals
Hannah Sundkvist
electric violin

Reviews


review by: MJBradySweden's Cross has steadily built a fairly extensive catalog of quality progressive rock music, and has somehow stayed under the radar to this point. Here in 2012 the band has released Wake up Call. Yet another fine output from this band. To describe the music of this band to those not familiar, using the much maligned tag of Neo-Prog comes into play, I am using the tag in the most positive sense here, as a "New-Prog" not the Less-Prog conotation.  Now that my clarity of definition has been applied, this band has a nice smooth approach, very soothing while combining subtle elements of complexity, enough so, that the music will keep you focused, and relaxed at the same time.

There are six songs that complete the full cd, four of which are of fairly epic length, as has been my experiences with other Cross releases, the music always maintains it's place in progressive rock, yet one word always comes to mind when I find my way through their style of progressive rock, and that is Pleasant.  It's always a pleasant listening experience to hear this bands' music, lot's of lush synths, soft touch drumming, melodic and unoffensive vocals, beautiful melodies of lyrical expression, and as stated, just enough complexity to keep you from getting lulled into anything too predictable.

Band leader Hansi Cross has been battling a bout with Tinnitus, a hearing impairment, which as you may guess is a bad situation for a musician/producer/sound tech. Hansi gives a thorough briefing on his experience trying to beat this problem here (http://www.progressrec.com/curing-tinnitus.html), back to this cd. At this point, with what experiences I have had with the band Cross,  think this is by far their best output, I really enjoyed the direction they were taking with the song 04-Racing Spirits, a short yet sweet instrumental tune that featured some of the musicians better abilities, other songs feature the same kind of forays, taking the band away from the lush world of atmosphere and into the world of virtuosity, something I believe most die hard prog fans love to hear from their favorite bands.

Nice cd here, no real warm up period necessary, everything flows nicely from song to song, melodies are easy to remember, and the sound is very well produced and balanced. I sure am happy to have learned that Hansi Cross feels 80% cured now from what sounded like a possible end of his music life. And I am also happy to hear that his is continuing to build on a solid catalog progressive music.

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