This is the debut album from German band Crayon Phase, who describe their music as being “located somewhere between Neo Prog and New Art Rock, between epic and 13/8, between rock out and listening closely. The music reflects a wide range of sounds and atmospheres: sometimes melodic and playful, then back to hard rock, sometimes epic, sometimes dynamic, often complex and tricky, but also straightforward and intuitive.” They state that they are influenced by classic bands such as Genesis and Yes through Marillion and Saga, up to Spock’s Beard and Porcupine Tree. When the album first started I was convinced that I was listening to an instrumental act, and was somewhat surprised when vocals made their presence felt, some four minutes into a six minute song.
It didn’t take much longer for me to wish that Frank Wendel had stock with providing additional vocals and that the band had indeed stayed as an instrumental, as although some of the keyboard sounds being used are more than a little dated at times, I felt that the band just sounded so much better when he wasn’t singing. There are instances when he is trying to cram just too many words into a line – it may have scanned well in German, but that doesn’t mean that it will do the same in English. Also, there is something about his vocals that I just can’t take to, and having plyed this album a few times to be able to write about it I sincerely doubt if I will ever listen to it again.
www.crayon-phase.de
