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Ireland? I had never thought of it before, but obviously this beautiful country has little or nothing to do with progressive rock. Yet, Dead Heroes Club are here to change all that with their second self-produced album, which nods to all those legendary 70's prog bands without being derivative. That's right; their sound has almost no similarities to the neo-prog scene, as it has to their 70's icons, although they are not of great innovation. What really makes them differ is the two following things mainly: first, the soulful and certainly noteworthy vocal performance of Liam Campbell, which could be described as "Peter Gabriel meets Van Morrison" and, secondly, their shamelessly vintage aesthetics. Interestingly enough, Campbell's voice carries a touch of a dreamer and this exact way of singing adds a depth of feeling to the narrative nature of the songs. Virtuosity exists not for destroying songs structure just for the prog of it, but only to allow them to shine. This isn't just another concept record, as lyrics spotlight current issues. All in good measure. DHC's aforementioned aesthetics are based upon clever use of synths, limiting guitar solos to a (more than usual nowadays) restricted role. And that's alright with me. Talking a bit more about the pros, we should focus on "Stranger In The Looking Glass", one of the most haunting melodies I listened to last year. Plus, the excellent cover artwork by Ted Nasmith (J.R.R. Tolkien's illustrator). If the closing track has had some more surprising changes than it actually has on offer, this album would have been beautiful from start to finish. Not groundbreaking, but beautiful all the same. To sum it up, fans of Genesis, Pink Floyd and King Crimson will find themselves at home.
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