Reviewed by ProgCat on 06 Oct 2009
Mangrove was established in 1995,when Rolad van der Horst and drummer Joost Hagemeijer met at highschool somewhere in Holland. They were all fans of
Camel,
Genesis and
Yes and wanted to perform good neo progressive rock. The band now consists of Van der Horst on guitars and vocals , Chris Jonker on keyboards , Pieter Drost on bass and drums is tractated by Joost Hagemejer. This album,
Mangrove’s 4th has more influences of
Marillion &
Genesis as ever before. Rolad’s blistering guitar performance also gives a clear
David Gilmore feeling. The good vocals may at times remind of
Neil Morse. The album has6 long symphonic compsitions, all of high class within the symphonic neoprog genre.
Track by Track Descriptions:
- Daydreamer's nightmare 14:19 - Starts out in a very Pink Floydish way. Phideaux is also recalled. Excellent vocals and a great arrangements. A very melodic song that has it all;great guitarlines byvan der Horst and massive keyboard arrangements that shifts from a quiet to a more bombastic impression.
- Time Will Tell 18:30 The longest track of the album could actually have been on any of the later Pink Floyd albums. When that is said Mangrove have their own creative arrangement and this is another beautiful arranged composition. Chris Jonker shows outstanding keyboardsplaying on this long,instrumental opus.
- Love And Beyond 4:16 A nice,short melodic, more poppy song with Camel/Kayak influences. A beautiful intro with nice vocals by van der Horst - quite remissent of Neal Morse. Again great guitars both electric and accoustic.
- Reality Fades 6:56 Neo prog at it's very best. Long melodic and symphonic neopassages. The music flows away, changes from bombastic keyboards to more quiet parts. Synthetic choirs fit nicely into the overall texture.More outstanding guitarplaying by van der Hoorst.
- Beyond Reality 9:02 - The title track starts with a quiet piano introduction; after a minute the excellent guitars takes over. Very much like the sound of Camel's Andy Latimer. The vocal parts bored this reviewer slightly at parts, however, as long as the instruments are performed with outstanding skill, this gives an overall good impression.
- Voyage r14:39 - Kayak influences but also the swedish band Act comes to mind. Again highly creative arrangements with shifting phases and a great variation of moods.
The synthetic layers of sound by Chris Jonker fit nicely in with the outstanding guitar performances by Roland van der Hoorst. Another excellent track!
Beyond Reality is an outstanding album and
Mangrove's best to date. If you like the bands mentioned above Mangrove should absolutely be checked out . This album has ProgCat's highest recommendation !
Beyond Reality
