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Review:
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This Finnish four piece band was founded in the early
Nineties, in 1992 Ageness released their debut CD Showing
Paces, followed by Rituals in 1995 and Imageness in 1998.
Then it became very silent until this year (2009) because
Ageness have released a new album entitled Songs From The
Liar’s Liar. The band features three original members: Tommy
Eriksson (vocals, keyboards and guitars), Kari Saaristo
(drums and percussion) and Jari Ukkonen (bass guitar) along
Speedy Saarinen (guitars and vocals) and guest musicians
Matti Kervinen (from other Finnish bands Kataya and Pax
Romana) on keyboards and backing vocals and Jukka Kulju
on the distinctive Hammond organ (in the track Liar’s Liar).
To me this strong new album sounds as a kind of ‘Art-rock-opera’
with a lot of variety, good musical ideas, an excellent
rhythm-section, lots of harder-edged guitar work, wonderful
keyboard play, including an important role for the Mighty
Tron and, last but not least, inspired vocals with a slightly
theatrical undertone at some moments. The climates range
from mellow with twanging guitar, warm vocals and tender
piano or a sound collage to a tight up-tempo rhythm with
fiery guitar and propulsive drums or bombastic with emotional
vocals and lush keyboards. My absolute highlight is the
long final composition Liar’s Liar: it starts dreamy with
beautiful piano and vocals, followed by a compelling atmosphere
and then … there is a silence of a few minutes, concluded
with a splendid final section featuring a heavy and bombastic
climate with intense violin-Mellotron, biting guitar, thunderous
drums and powerful vocals, very exciting!
This is the best Ageness ever made (way from being a
mediocre Genesis clone as in the past) and interesting for
fans of symphonic rock, neo-prog and SeventiesArt-rock (elements
of Bowie and Queen).
Rating: [3 of 5 Stars!]
Erik
Neuteboom
Progwalhalla.nl
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