Twisted Illusion is a young band from Manchester, UK that offers a Prog Rock genre with many facets and influences and personal traits. In 2021 they proposed an ambitious project divided into 3 parts, the first of which “Excite The Light: Part 1” released on September 3, 2021 and containing 5 songs between 4 and almost 14 minutes in duration. The album opens with the title track “Excite The Light” which starts immediately strong with garnitic guitar riffs and a tight and solid rhythmic session. The vocal is dynamic and intense alternating solo parts and other choral parts, creating refrains that remain in the mind for a long time, recalling the vocal setting of AC / DC. An engaging track, which ends with a good guitar solo. “No Compromise” is characterized by an intro with stratified guitars, the intensity increases with the passing of the minutes and the song comes alive with AOR atmospheres. Tempo changes alternate more melodic passages with more 80s-style Hard’n’Heavy passages with an intense solo in the finale. Percussion and acoustic guitar open “Medicated Society” to which electric guitar inserts are added creating a dreamy and delicate atmosphere. The track evolves by alternating hard guitar riffs and more melodic passages with a warm and expressive vocal, well developed and performed far from the Prog sounds. “Sycophant” is the most delicate track on the album, featuring acoustic guitar and a soft choral vocal. The album ends with the longest track “Twisted Illusion” with over 13 minutes of music that begins with a melancholic guitar arpeggio and a vocal full of pathos. The tempo changes are an added value of the song, with well developed instrumental sections that mix heavier traits with the Neo Prog. Elaborated and well executed is the best song on the album in my humble opinion and the one that best expresses the Prog side of the band. A disc with different facets, the more AOR ones and with 80s sounds of the first songs, with some forays into Hard’n’Heavy and the more Prog ones of the long final track. The band has a good technique and the songs are pleasant, but they distance themselves a little from the Progressive sounds that I expected. A pleasant and fluent listening that has its strengths in the guitar and in the voice, the rhythmic session is solid but not too elaborate. I’m curious to hear the next chapters of this project.
Tracklist
01. Excite The Light (7:07)
02. No Compromise (4:38)
03. Medicated Society (8:11)
04. Sycophant (5:09)
05. Twisted Illusion (13:52)
Lineup
Matt Jones / Vocals, Electric Guitars, Acoustic Guitars
Saxon Davids / Vocals, Electric Guitars, Acoustic Guitars
Mark Wagstaff / Vocals, Bass, Fretless Bass (1,3-5)
Philip Shacklady / Drums, Percussion
Andy Gotteri / Keyboards
With:
Chris Norris / Bass (2)
Tom Atkinson / Guitar Solo (end of 3)
Daniel Moran / Vocals (1, 3)
Will Shaw / Vocals (1)
Kim Jennett / Vocals (4)
