FLAMING ROW: The Pure Shine (PROGRESSIVE ROCK): review / opinion to read on Music Waves

Progressive rock is cruel. Little mediatized, snubbed by the radios, ignored by current (and past!) trends, it is difficult for bands of this genre, however talented they may be, to have the fame they deserve. Flaming Row, a kind of German supergroup, is (unfortunately) no exception to the rule. After two albums released in 2010 and 2014, it took almost 6 years to polish and perfect the band's third album. "The Pure Shine" is inspired by the book series "The Dark Tower" by the world-famous writer Stephen King.

While the core of the formation is built around a stable quartet, as usual, the band likes to involve renowned musicians from the prog sphere. Thus, nearly twenty instrumentalists follow one another throughout the six tracks: Johan Hallgren and Léo Margarit (Pain Of Salvation), Jimmy Keegan (Ex Spock's Beard, Pattern-Seeking Animals), Dave Meros (Spock's Beard), Nathan Brenton (Neal Morse), José Pepe Jimenez (Carlos Santana) to name only the most famous.

The opus has rock opera arias, with songs sequenced in several parts, a theme that recurs several times throughout the album and many contributors. In terms of pure composition, Martin Schnella's work (vocals, guitar, bass) is colossal. The symphonic and melodic aspect has an important place on the album ('A Tower In The Clouds', the end of 'The Gunslinger Creed'), but it would be a shame to limit this record to this style. Irish flutes join the party on the excellent 'Jake's Destiny', probably the most impressive track on the album. On the middle section, it's even like sharing a banquet with the bon vivants of the Irish countryside, arm in arm, lager flowing in torrents. The end of the track also offers an acoustic dimension with a fingerstyle executed with deft hand. There's also some progressive metal on 'The Final Attempt' with a passage strongly reminiscent of Tool's 'Schism', and almost Disney Metal like on 'The Gunslinger's Creed'.

Vocally speaking, again, the performance is breathtaking. Apart from the remarkable a cappella flights ('A Tower In The Clouds', 'The Final Attempt'), Melanie Lau's voice and the emotion that goes with her fit perfectly into the atmosphere, with a touch of Anneke Van Giersbergen, as on the beginning of 'A Tower In The Clouds' or on the masterful 'The Last Living Member'. The other singers are not to be outdone, and the change of singers gives a very interesting variety to the listening experience.

On the other hand, the songs are very long, one song is 12 minutes long, while others are 14, 15 and 17 minutes long. Given the radical change of moods several times within the same track, maybe it would have been better to cut the album in more tracks, in order to reinforce the concept-album side?

The album as a whole is still remarkable. Impressively rich, "The Pure Shine" borders on flawless, thanks to a fantastic symphonic and melodic dimension. Not to be missed under any circumstances. - Official website

FLAMING ROW

THE PURE SHINE

PROGRESSIVE PROMOTION

PROGRESSIVE ROCK