The Voyage was
originally released in 1982 (after being recorded in 1979), and is a
classic example of the symphonic, melodic progressive rock that emerged
from Europe in the seventies. As with that style of music, the music
consists of vocals (in English) and fluid guitar leads over layered
keyboards, churning out minor chords. The best comparison would probably
be to Rousseau, themselves a seventies-revivalist band, and, perhaps
Camel and Sebastian Hardie. Clocking in at a little over 70 minutes, A
World Of Difference is the second release by the Dutch band, whose music
is very much in the melodic, symphonic progressive mode. They have
modernized their sound somewhat, and shortened the compositions a bit,
but still retain the melodic sensibilities that characterised their
first release, The Voyage. As a result, they can be compared to Saga,
who, within the format of shorter tracks, were able to tailor their
tracks to retain the "progressive" nature of their music. Another point
of comparison would be latter-day Kayak, whose music could be best
described as "progressive pop." The last track, just short of 16 minutes
in length, is very much in the vein of the music of their first
release, and closes out the music on a high note.Their first album The
Voyage, originally recorded in 1982 and re-released on CD in 1991,
features a rich, full sound with colorful melodies, excellent vocals,
and a full range of dynamics. Their instrumental approach falls
somewhere between the Belgian band Machiavel and latter period Camel.
Most of the tunes change tempo and feel regularly, and in general the
sound is not hard, but it does cook nonetheless; Lots of guitar and
keyboard exchanges, with extended instrumental passages, big pedal bass
sound, and plenty of very original ideas. Line-up / Musicians Ardie Westdijk/keyboards,vocals Aad.v.d.Valk/bass pedals, harmonica,bass,vocals,synthesizer Gerard Lock/drums,percussion,vocals Arjen Westdijk/guitars,vocals Discography The Voyage 1982
1.Helix Harmony 2.Asgarith's Song 3.True Or False 4.The Voyage 5.Daily Things 6.Battle Of Somme 7.The Melody 8.Five O'Clock
