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Review:
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This Belgian formation is rooted in 2005 when Hans
'Mac' Six and Sjoerd 'CAP' Bruyneel stopped their activities
in Marsta Blasta (in which they played both together for
many years) and decided to found a new band named New-Prophet
in order to realize their musical dreams to make melodic
rock with progressive influences of the known Seventies
and Eighties bands. While Hans switched from guitar to bass,
drummer Rudi Lins and guitarist Stéphane Landtmeters completed
New-Prophet. The first rehearsals and jam-sessions started
in spring 2005 in the own "WAMP-studio"(Without Any Musical
Pretension) and within a couple of weeks already, this resulted
in promising new songs. Due to different musical ideas Stéphanes
decided to quit the band but fortunately Frank Debruyne
soon joined, on the same day after placing the advertisement
on the internet, and turned out to be a gift of heaven.
And a mutual present….. as Frank, as a big prog-rock fan,
was also for a long time in search for a band playing his
favorite kind of music. A first try-out was given on the
night of September 24th in Vlamertinge only a few months
after Frank's entrance in the band.
The unanimous very positive and excited feedback was
only a confirmation and proof that the band was on the right
track. To answer the continuous demands for demo's and CD-material
by fans and organizers and taken into account the empty
wallet of the band, it was soon decided to try to record
and produce an own record in their WAMP studio. Armed with
only a cheap laptop, a stereo soundcard, one condenser mike,
a free software Cubase program, but with a good pair of
ears, a new challenge started early December 2005 for Mac
: the recordings for the 5-track demo The Feeblemindedness
Of The Inept And The Ignorant. Meanwhile the first gigs
were booked, the first CD-reviews appeared, all with positive
feedback. Recordings of the many new compositions started
between December 2006 and mid 2007 and from April 2007 the
first results of the new recording were presented as the
promo single An Introduction To Monsters with the songs
The Blessed One and The Vast Machine. Finally late 2008
the debut CD entitled Monsters was released as an own production.
- On their debut album our Belgian neighbours scout the
borders between melodic rock, Art-rock, neo-progressive
rock and symphonic rock with a very powerful and accessible
sound. The first part of Monsters (tracks 1-5) contains
songs that alternate between melodic rock and neo-prog,
embellished with strong solos and good musical ideas like
an exciting Savatage-like break and a fiery guitar solo
in The Vast Machine, orchestral keyboards and a sensational
synthesizer solo in (March Of The) Boneless and a swirling
Hammond solo and jazzy saxophone in Man Without A Name.
Listening to these songs bands like Seventies Saga and Styx
and early Marillion come to my mind. The second part of
Monsters showcases more elaborate and varied compositions.
First the wonderful ballad Song X with some heavy eruptions
featuring splendid work on keyboards (Moog, Hammond) and
guitar. Then the outstanding track 911 Pianoid that delivers
an exciting mid-tempo with propulsive interplay between
piano and guitar, a moving Rotherian guitar solo and a sensational
break with a Saga-like duel between guitar and keyboards,
goose bumps! But the absolute highlight of this CD is the
long and alternating final composition The New Prophet (6
parts, almost 21 minutes), you can enjoy: a spectacular
Moog synthesizer solo, an Alex Lifeson inspired guitar solo,
an interlude with Fender Rhodes electric piano that sounds
like “New-Prophet Goes Riders On The Storm”, a piece with
exciting heavy guitar riffs and bombastic keyboards, topped
with a compelling final part delivering majestic strings
arrangements, sparkling piano and vocal harmonies, concluded
with tender piano and a mellow church-organ sound, awesome!
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I am looking forward to witness their gig on the Symforce
III festival, last year Belgian band Hypnos 69 impressed
me, I am sure that Neo-Prophet will make friends!
www.progwalhalla.com
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