Do
we really experience in the 00's a
progressive rock renaissance? As far
as I'm concerned the answer is definitely
yes. The last few years there's a
great deal of liveliness on the specific
genre, either from well-known old-dogs
like Rush, Marillion, IQ, Pendragon
(not that all these ever stopped,
but the way I see it wasn't until
lately that more and more younger
fans showed a great degree of interest
on their old and new stuff) or from
newly founded outfits. Even Van der
Graaf Genarator came back with a studio
release after a long period of absence,
clear evidence that the fire still
burns.
What's more encouraging
is that to a greater extent new bands
set sight on that direction, with
the Dutch Silhouette being one of
them. Their self-financed, last year's
debut will travel you a long way back
in time, in the golden era of prog
rock, namely mostly the 70's, and
maybe even make you shed a nostalgic
tear. Their music, as appealing as
it can be, walks a fine line between
Marillion, Genesis and even Pink Floyd.
If it wasn't for the more modern,
polished and clear production, I would
swear that somewhere out there a wormhole
is open and this one came right through
it. The timbre, the tempo, the melancholic
and moving aura that surrounds each
of the nine songs, the trademark sound
of the synths and keys and even the
structure of the compositions bring
in mind a totally different period,
where progressive rock was flourishing,
courtesy of pure and thirsty in body
and soul artists, but that's long-lost
past. Or is it not? Silhouette think
otherwise and they clearly state it
with songs like "Ocean of Life",
"Reunion" and "Long
Distance". A mesmerizing installment
from a band with great, but most of
all impressive, progressive rock potential.
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