Fraktal is an Instrumental Progressive Rock band from Dresden in Germany, consisting of 4 members. The new album “Mondbesteigung” was released on January 17, 2022 and contains 4 long running tracks, in which the band develops long textures and instrumental plots. The album opens with “Elfen” which begins with atmospheric keyboard sounds and guitar arpeggios, with a slow rhythm session and a deep bass line. The sounds of the band are dreamy and delicate, with the guitar as protagonist and a good background of orchestrations on the keyboards. In the central part the intensity increases with good mixes between keyboards and guitar and the sound that becomes more energetic, enriched by tempo changes. The following track “Stahlkarton” begins with dark keyboard melodies, and then intertwines with more Atmospheric and dilated sounds that imprint the band’s sound. The dreamy traits blend with the more Rock, creating the style that distinguishes the band, skilled in the tempo changes to move from more Prog parts to softer ones. Continuous tempo changes enrich the piece, with more Heavy passages and others more symphonic, with good mixes of guitar and keyboard and an elaborate rhythmic session. Here we come to the title track “Mondbesteigung” which is also the longest track on the album, with over 13 minutes in length, characterized by an intro with atmospheric sound. A rhythmic and delicate drumming and guitar arpeggios develop a song that has its strong point in the tempo changes, enhancing the ability of the band to pass from heavier sections to more symphonic ones with ease. The guitar and keyboards follow one another and intertwine in the solo parts, creating long instrumental textures with refined sounds. The album ends with “Schleierwatte” which is the shortest track, however exceeding 5 minutes in duration, characterized by a distorted and scratchy guitar that is intertwined with the piano. The intensity increases with the passage of the piece which in the second part becomes more pompous with the entry of the orchestrations. A band that mixes different genres and styles, creating their own personal sound with Progressive traits with Atmospheric veins and dilated sonoritò. The long duration of the tracks allows the band to develop long solo and choral textures, enriched by tempo changes. An album recommended for lovers of the most modern sounds of Prog, with long instrumental tracks and forays into Atmospheric sounds.
Tracklist
01. Elfen (07:00)
02. Stahlkarton (12:37)
03. Mondbesteigung (13:16)
04. Schleierwatte (05:28)
[…] [REVIEW] […]