'Haven of Echoes' is a new progressive rock project which was put together by 'Andreas Hack' of the band 'Frequency Drift' and who boarded with him, harpist and keyboardist 'Nerissa Schwarz', drummer 'Wolfgang Ostermann' (both also 'Frequency Drift') and singer 'Paul Sadler' ('Spires' and in solo here). They offer us a first studio recording 'The Indifferent Stars' which takes us into progressive rock which is obviously close to 'Frequency Drift' with sought-after constructions implementing rich arrangements in an atmosphere combining melancholy and serenity, the singing of 'Paul Sadler' quite high pitched bringing a very particular emotion and is close to the range of Einar Solberg' from 'Leprous'.
With 6 compositions between 5 and 12 minutes, the album begins with 'Sirensong' which introduces us to the melodious singing of 'Paul Sadler' in a quiet atmosphere, the vocal and instrumental arrangements being of great beauty and the final bringing a poignant side. With its very beautiful introduction highlighting haunting percussions, 'Orator's Gift' follows by offering us beautiful melodic lines and the instrumental break at the end of the title shows all this beautiful work of progressive research, then, 'Stasis' continues in this atmosphere merging the airy vocals of 'Paul Sadler' with a deep-sounding piano that completely overwhelms us. More energetic in its introduction, 'Endtime' then moderates the subject with a song of extreme sensitivity that literally carries us away and the lull in the middle of the title between the two sections punctuated by a sweet melody is simply divine, the finale returning to a haunting and almost hypnotic sequel. Punctuated by a few drum beats, the slow procession 'The Lord Giveth…' raises the emotional slider even further with 'Paul Sadler' which gives us, on multiple occasions, that little shiver of pleasure so characteristic, the instrumental section in the second part adding again to this intense force and constitutes my favourite of this very beautiful album. And to conclude, the long development 'Let Them In' unfolds a last gripping composition in several drawers made up of multiple breaks and rhythmic changes embellished with arrangements featuring classical instruments such as a flute, a piano or strings and which offers us a last vibrant performance by 'Paul Sadler' and a very beautiful guitar solo, the melodious finale ending this magnificent progressive epic in a very beautiful way.
In summary, for those who know the progressive metal of 'Leprous', we could say that 'Haven of Echoes' is a bit the counterpart in progressive rock, and we understand why 'Andreas Hack' chose 'Paul Sadler' because he has this gift to bring a palpable emotion to these magnificent compositions... | |
