Hope Of Prog

Wow! That's what I call an album!
Already the two previous albums "Aquarius" (2010) and "Visions" (2011) were impressive - with the current album "The Mountain" puts the London sextet 'Hook' (this name I will probably never get used) but you masterpiece before.
The band consists of:
- Ross Jennings: Vocals
- Richard Henshall: Keyboard, Guitar, Backing Vocals
- Charlie Griffiths: Guitars, Backing Vocals
- Thomas MacLean: Bass Guitar, Backing Vocals
- Raymond Hearne: drums, percussion, backing vocals
- Diego Tejelda: Keyboards, sound design, Backing Vocals
The variety of styles and experimentation of the band is almost overwhelming. The total of 9 songs of the regular album showcase just about all facets of the progressive rock: prog metal, Modern prog, psychedelic prog, new art rock, sometimes flavored with jazz nuances. Despite this immense variety of styles and the associated frequent tempo changes, the album is very self-contained. In many respects, I am reminded of the best times of 'Gentle Giant'. Of particular note is the singer Ross Jennings - certainly one of the best in this scene. "The Mountain" will include the end of 2013 certainly one of the three best albums of the year in the category Progressive!
Anspieltipps struck me really hard with this album - maybe: "Atlas Stone", "King Cockroach" or "Pareidolia" ... but really all.
For Vinyl Edition: "The Mountain" will appear as 2-LP album on 180g heavy black vinyl, Foldout cover, reprinted texts on the inner linings. The vinyl edition is complemented by the two bonus tracks "The Path Unbeaten" and "Nobody". Furthermore, the album comes with a CD of the original album. Cover artwork and processing / presentation are exemplary.
Overall rating: Fascinating!
Reinhard Busse