Drifting Sun is a Progressive Rock band that was born in the early 90s and that has released 7 full-lengths and numerous singles, and today is back with some lineup changes. The new album “Forsaken Innocence” was released on October 27, 2021 and contains 7 long tracks plus 1 bonus for over an hour of music. A solid sound that mixes and explores multiple styles of Prog, confirming and evolving the good things heard over the years. The opener “King of the Country” is a track of over 11 minutes, after a delicate intro it immediately comes to life with solid Prog sounds of exquisite workmanship. The vocal is dynamic and the melodies capture the listener, the drumming elaborated and enriched by tempo changes and high-level accelerations. A winning mix of symphonic sounds and pure Progressive energy, immediately immersing us in the atmosphere of the album. The keyboards intertwine perfectly with the guitar and the instrumental sections make you go wild, call it what you want, for me it is simply sublime.a masterpiece. The violin touches the right strings and makes the heart vibrate, I got excited listening to this track, congratulations to the artists involved. After the overwhelming and energetic opnening track “Insidious” begins with softer and deeper sounds, with a very warm and expressive vocal. More in the 80’s Prog style with excellent synth cues in the middle instrumental section and Jargon’s vocalizations, but the intensity increases in the final. The structure is more linear and the track flows pleasant, less drawn and intricate than the previous one, enhancing the songwriting and melodies. Piano melodies that take up the finale of the previous one and the stratified vocal open “Dementium” which combines dreamy atmospheres, Folk-Prog traits to their personal style. Good mixes between guitar and keyboards, and the structure becomes more elaborate and full of tempo changes with the passing of the minutes. The guitar offers a short technical solo in the central part, while in the second part sung parts and instrumental sections alternate with the synth in evidence in the final. “New Dawn” immediately enhances Jargon’s vocal skills, with a passionate interpretation. After the first stanzas, the guitar and keyboards duet in a short instrumental section, before returning to the excellent vocal. In the finale there is still room for a dreamy instrumental closure with the piano, an emotional track and a good performance by Gareth Cole on the guitar. We have come to the first part of the title track “Forsaken Innocence (Part 1),” a suite divided into two parts. It starts with an uptempo rhythm and leading bass lines, with good mixes between guitar and keyboard. Alternating more rhythmic parts with symphonic openings with the addition of violin and folk-inspired parts, the track is engaging. In the finale, the intensity increases with an instrumental section enriched with keyboard and guitar solo cues that close the track with a crescendo. The second part of the suite “Forsaken Innocence (Part 2)” is also the longest, exceeding 14 minutes in duration, it begins with a tight rhythm and fine keyboard weaves. The sounds are full of energy and the melodies at times pompous, a concentrate of Prog with more Heavy features, full of tempo changes and elaborate textures. The keyboards are at the center of the scene, a track that follows the sound of the opening track, very intense, engaging and incisive. Entirely instrumental, it shows all the compositional and executive technique of the band that manages to bring the atmosphere of the 70s to the present day and with a personal touch. Closes the album the shorter track “Time to Go” with 2:28 duration, a delicate intertwining between acoustic guitar and piano and the vocal, leaving us with a positive feeling. The bonus Track “Hand on Heart” that we remember is present only in Vinyl and Digital, is characterized by a solid rhythmic session and a good mix between guitar and keyboards, with the synth in evidence. Elaborated and enriched by tempo changes, it proposes the most energetic sounds of the band mixed with the most symphonic features, a choral vocal that remains in the mind. For those with the version with this track it is a nice addition to an album that is already very good with the base tracks. This band is confirmed to be one of the most interesting realities of the modern Prog scene, proposing a very intense and elaborate album. After the explosive opening track, the next two tracks are softer, but always pleasant to then end the listening in crescendo. The suite that gives title to the disc contains all the details that a Prog listener looks for in a disc, enhancing all the talents of the individual artists and of the band as a whole. A must listen for those who love Progressive sounds, whose sound ranges from softer to harder songs while always maintaining very high quality.
Tracklist
1. King of the Country (11:36)
2. Insidious (8:08)
3. Dementium (9:10)
4. New Dawn (6:48)
5. Forsaken Innocence (Part 1) (10:51)
6. Forsaken Innocence (Part 2) (14:52)
7. Time to Go (2:28)
8. Hand on Heart (bonus track) (4:48) *
* Only for Vinyl and Digital
Lineup
Jargon / Vocals, Keyboards on track 6
Mathieu Spaeter / Guitars
Pat Sanders / Keyboards
John Jowitt / Bass
Jimmy Pallagrosi / Drums
With:
Eric Bouillette / Violin on tracks 1 & 5, Guitars on track 7
Ben Bell / Hammond solo on track 3
Gareth Cole / Guitars on track 4
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