It’s with 'Achim Wierschem' that we continue the series of progressive rock albums 2019 with his project 'Ape Amplitude' because the German participates in a lot of other projects like 'Flaming Bess' (see here), 'Mindmovie' (see here), 'Marquette' (see here) or 'Horizontal Ascension' (see here). With 'Peter Zahn', he released 'Escape Routes' which is a fully instrumental and conceptual opus based on the observation that reality is often stranger than fiction. The title of each composition thus addresses a serious subject with the first title 'A Long and Painful Path', which deals with migrants who are ready to risk their lives in the Mediterranean to escape from their country : musically, divided into 4 parts for a total of about 33 minutes, we are embarked on a rich and sought-after progressive rock, often atmospheric in the style of big bands of the 70's like 'Pink Floyd' or 'Yes' with massive use of keyboards and beautiful 'Gilmourian' guitar solos. Overall, the titles are peaceful and melancholy such as 'Last Exit Suicide', 'Dopeland', 'The Drinker', 'Escape to Women's Shelter' or 'Requiem for a Dying Planet' with tempos unfolding slowly their melody but we can also note more progressive constructions like 'Turning My Back to the City' or 'Virtual Reality' in a rhythm more sustained embellished with electronics. Note the last title 'A Little Light of Hope' which, after all these black enough titles, ends the album on a note of hope with a beautiful melody that grows throughout the title. In summary, this new project by 'Achim Wierschem', although the theme is quite dark, demonstrates all the talent of this composer who offers us endearing tunes and, 'Escape Routes' is an album that should please all those who like long instrumental developments of progressive music... | |
