[Review] Drowning Steps – The echo of a distant past

Drowning Steps is a Brazilian Symphonic Prog band led by the duo Caio Claro and Tiago Pierucci with two albums to their credit, the latest of which is “The echo of a distant past” released on February 21, 2020. Containing 6 tracks, all of medium to long duration that offer a mix of styles that ranges between softer and more powerful songs influenced markedly by the ’70s Prog with an eye on modern sounds. The duo makes use of the collaboration of several artists for the realization of the songs thus completing the lineup. The opener “The source of immagination” introduces us to listening with a massive organ intro which then turns into dreamy acoustic guitar and synth melodies, the keyboards alternate creating interesting layers. After the introductory song “Gold through my eyes” it begins with an imposing Prog theme and a warm and expressive vocal on symphonic melodies with the keyboards and guitar protagonists. A soft song that at times, however, with precise and sudden changes acquires power and increases the intensity with a solid load-bearing rhythmic session. The instrumental part is of quality, following the sounds of the golden years of the Prog, a track of fine workmanship. “Where is my life” is a more acoustic and soft piece, where the symphonic aspect prevails at the expense of the elaboration of the theme which remains a little sacrificed, a passage that is still pleasant. The keyboards add pomposity to the track, however it does not have a rhythmic session. “The inner silence” between atmospheric keyboards and an effected vocal begins with a pleasant intro this third song that with a tempo change guides us towards a more energetic and rhythmic piece. The bass creates excellent lines between rhythm changes that embellish the track by alternating quality symphonic openings with more majestic moments with the orchestrations on the keyboards, mainly instrumental is another good test. “Affected” is another passage of just over 3 minutes with acoustic guitar and keyboards on which a warm and well-balanced vocal stands out, a song that dampens the tones between the album’s Prog raids. The final track is the title-track “The echo of a distant past” which begins with atmospheric effects and then enters a vocal once again engaging and very warm, the atmospheres are initially darker. With the entrance of the instruments, electric guitar and rhythmic session, the song becomes more energetic and electric and the organ and the synth take the sound to another level, always maintaining darker melodies. A change leads us to the second part of the song where both the more aggressive vocal and the incursions of keyboards and electric guitar make this song one of the highest moments of the album. The calm returns in the end and the track closes. A good album, well structured and performed where all the instruments collaborate in the success of a sound imbued with Prog atmospheres, full of pleasant ideas with a vocal always on the piece. Mainly composed of Symphonic Prog, it does not lack more energetic and electric inserts with pompous and load-bearing keyboards, another good test for the Drowning Steps, which confirm the good things heard in the previous one.

Tracklist

1. The Source Of Imagination (3:50)
2. Gold Through My Eyes (7:41)
3. Where Is My Life (5:27)
4. The Inner Silence (8:45)
5. Affected (3:07)
6. The Echo Of A Distant Past (9:31)

Lineup

Caio Claro / Vocals, Acoustic Guitar, Nylon Guitar Solo (track 3), Electric Guitar (tracks 2, 6), Arrangements and Sound Manipulation 
Fabricio Mendonça / Drums, Percussion and Shaker 
Henrique Oliveira / Electric Guitar (track 2) 
Leonardo Gonçalves: Bass Guitar (tracks 2, 4) 
Léo Skinner / Bass Guitar (track 6) 
Tiago Pierucci / Keyboards, Synthesizers, Effects, Organ, Piano, Background Vocals (track 2) Arrangements and Sound Manipulation 
Vinicius Batista / Electric Guitar (tracks 4, 6)

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