Phonya is a new Progressive Rock project from Belgium created by Eric Vanderbemden and Bernard Piette, the two co-founders of the Progressive Rock band Ken’s Novel in the mid-1990s. Their debut album “Heli1025” was released on December 18, 2024 and contains 6 tracks ranging from 4 to 14 minutes in length, with Seb Mentior participating on bass and double bass. Opener “Evolution” immediately immerses us in the album’s sounds, centred almost entirely on keyboard and guitar sounds and a minimal rhythm section as the drumming is programmed. Certainly the symphonic guitar and keyboard twists contain interesting ideas, which are however penalised by the lack of incisiveness of the drumming and rhythm section in general. The sounds are modern, departing from classic Progressive but tracing the 90s scene, both in style and in the choice of sounds. Continuing on the sounds of its predecessor, “Let me out!” incorporates more Rock elements, with a hypnotic bass line and lead guitar. The keyboards in the background give an electronic touch, as does the drumming, recreating those 90s sounds through this long instrumental with its atmospheric and dreamy atmosphere. “Breathless” features a solid Electronic sound mixed with Rock elements and forays into Experimentation. Definitely one of the most interesting passages so far in terms of originality and use of electronic drumming sounds. The reminiscences of the Electronic origins are evident with forays into Krautrock and Kosmische Music. The tempo changes and the development of the central theme are interesting, with layers of sounds and modulations and effects used with technique and quality. One of the album’s shortest tracks, “Trans-HUMAN-ce” opens with electronic sounds and orchestrations on intertwining keyboards. In a musical crescendo that exploits the available instrumentation to its full potential, the track increases in intensity with percussive drumming and an engaging, rhythmic sound. Keyboards create dreamy melodies and intertwine with acoustic guitar and orchestrations. The guitar is the protagonist in the first part of “Lunar Sun,” a track that returns to the 90s Neo Prog sound, well developed and with a good keyboard background. In this long instrumental, over 10 minutes long, guitar and keyboards intertwine and alternate solo interventions for the entire duration, with the programmed drumming always in my humble opinion a minus value. The tracklist ends with a two-part epic suite, “The Infinite Game (part 1 & 2),” which enhances the band’s full potential in composition and performance. A long, experimental intro characterises the first part, before evolving into an intense, Symphonic Prog theme with good guitar and keyboard breakdowns, more in the middle than in the previous track. The tempo changes are an added value, and in this track the use of sampled drumming is less decisive in my opinion compared to the rest of the album. This album certainly has some interesting aspects but also some weak points, such as the use of programming, which diminishes the incisiveness of the rhythm section in the more progressive tracks. Very well-constructed Experimental passages and the final suite add real value, as do the more Electronic tracks in the middle section. Overall, an album with some interesting passages and many references to the Neo Prog 90s sounds.
Tracklist
01. Evolution (10:02)
02. Let me out! (06:32)
03. Breathless (04:15)
04. Trans-HUMAN-ce (06:40)
05. Lunar Sun (10:57)
06. The Infinite Game (part 1 & 2) (14:07)
Lineup
Gautier Delco / Keyboards and Bass
Bernard Piette / Keyboards
Eric Vanderbemden / All Guitars, Keyboards and Bass
With:
Seb Mentior / Bass on “Let me out!” and Electric Double Bass on “Breathless”
