After 'Sabaton' who released the 'The Great War' in July 2019 (see here), and in another style of music, the Dutch of 'Knight Area' released an album on the landing of the 2nd World War, named 'D-Day'. 'Heaven And Beyond' was for me one of my favorites albums of 2017 (see here) but this new album is musically quite distant.First of all, it's a concept album and, therefore, the music had to be in sync with the chosen theme and overall, as each composition relates a fact related to the landing of June 6, 1944, the style is powerful with more saturated guitar riffs, a much more aggressive bass approaching the sounds of metal and an impressive work on keyboards that often bring the dramatic side and this from the first three titles 'New Horizon', 'Overlord' and 'Blood On The Risers'. About 'The Landing', we come back to a poignant symphonic rock that starts quietly and that increase in power quite rapidly and unfolds a catchy melody with a beautiful guitar solo in the 2nd part. Then, with 'Omaha Beach' the emotional intensity is at its height with the remarkable singing of 'Jan Willem Ketelaers' which gives goosebumps repeatedly. We return to a heavier style with 'Rememberance' in a more epic style then, 'When I'll Be With You' is the album title in a very theatrical and melancholy style with a beautiful duet between the pianist 'Robby Valentine' invited for the occasion and 'Jan Willem Ketelaers'. With 'Wings of Time', it's still a powerful composition but in a rather slow tempo giving off a real emotion and a remarkable rhythmic section of 'Pieter van Hoorn' and, 'March to Victory' which starts with the broadcast in English of the German capitulation, is a progressive title with several overlapping parts and a beautiful instrumental part in the end of the title and a very nice solo of keyboards, the album ending with an epic 'Freedom for Everyone' celebrating the freedom found after the war and whose chorus stays in the head the last notes spent.
In summary, with 'D-Day', the Dutch Knight Area are much more than a simple album because the facts relate to the duty of memory and we can not remain insensitive especially since the compositions are sublimated by a magnificent interpretation of the whole group with obviously a special mention to the performance of 'Jan Willem Ketelaers' which transmits a real emotion throughout this album... | |
