Still very discreet on the web, the Germans of 'Riven Earth' are back with a fourth album after 'Project One' in 2018, 'Space of Time' in 2020 and 'The World is Turning' in 2022. Their cruising speed of an album every 2 years continues with this new baby 'We Got To Get Out', and our three retired rockers continue to offer us what could be described as refined and melodic progressive rock that takes us back a few decades. A little novelty, they have integrated into this album the young singer 'Christina Wouters' who also plays the transverse flute. Accustomed to durations that exceed an hour of listening, their latest opus is no exception to the rule and contains 10 original compositions for 70 minutes of listening.
With the title track opening the album, we are greeted by sounds that remind me of the melodic lines of 'Thin Lizzy' in a more moderate register (the comparison ends there), then, the sung part is very catchy and the chorus particularly catchy. Followed by 'Against The Wall' which slows down the tempo and continues in this delicate melodic rock by offering a new unifying refrain with a good rhythm to be taken up in chorus, then, the long development 'Lucky Got A Gun' brings a good dose of progressive with, first of all, very beautiful vocal arrangements which leave room for an atmospheric 'Floydian' section to then take off in a beautiful rhythmic part with a remarkable guitar solo, the sung parts which follow offering beautiful melodic lines, interspersed with inventive instrumental sections. 'Thru The Eyes Of A Child' is another mid-tempo that offers particularly harmonious melodic lines and a very pleasant melancholic side, then, 'On Word' begins as a ballad with a moving vocal performance by Uli Krücken' which is interspersed with a keyboard solo by guest 'Walesa Petrov' (the composer of this title) and a magnificent 'Floydian' guitar solo, the second part of the title accelerating the tempo to fall back on the finale as the title had begun.
We arrive halfway through, and 'Rifles And Guns' raises the emotional slider a few notches with strong lyrics on the theme of war that always strike innocent populations and, in this title, 'Christina Wouters' and 'Uli Krücken' form a magnificent vocal duet, then, back to more lightness with 'Still Alive' which alternates catchy sections and others more sedate which brings a beautiful diversity to this composition. Follows 'Looking Back', also very original, with a construction based on a catchy central section between two longer parts on a slow tempo with beautiful deep bass bringing an atmosphere of remarkable quiet strength, the 'Floydian' guitar solo in the second part being particularly delicious. Place to 'Dreams' which is the longest composition and which sums up well this very beautiful album by taking us into a progressive symphonic labyrinth and which, over the course of the successions of sung and instrumental parts, keeps the listener in suspense throughout the title thanks to a catchy melodic theme, the vocal harmonies being remarkable and the different solos bringing us back to the first 'Floyds'. 'The Same Old Lies' ends the album by adding a remarkable composition on a haunting tempo giving an irresistible desire to move slowly to the rhythm of the music, the repetitive melody bringing a very pleasant atmospheric atmosphere.
In summary, the Germans of 'Riven Earth' continue to offer us very good progressive rock favouring the soft and refined side of the style, and 'We Got To Get Out' adds itself in good place to the first three opus of the Germans and should please all those who like the progressive rock of the 70s/80s... | |
