I had already liked the first two albums of the Americans of 'Evership', 'Evership' in 2016 and 'Evership II' in 2018, and their third album was released in May 2021. Still led by their leader 'Shane Atkinson', they have concocted this time a concept album worthy of the biggest names in progressive rock of the 70s which is inspired by the book of ' Harold Bell Wright 'from 1910 and which tells the story of a pilgrim who sets out in search of the truth and which is an allegory on life, religion and on how we perceive all these matters. We therefore find long developments that make us think of well-known names and it is the 'Kansas', 'Emerson, Lake & Palmer', 'Yes' or even 'Styx' (and so on) that come to spirit, all this with modern arrangements that give even more scope to these epic compositions.
This materializes from the first title 'The Pilgrimage', over 10 minutes long which has three parts and takes us on a progressive saga in which we advance with happiness and which, after a long remarkable instrumental part, offers us a beautifully sung part with a melody which remains engraved in your head and which reminds me of the atmospheres of 'Mystery'. Follows the short 'The Voice of the Waves' with a restful atmospheric side, then, 'Crownshine / Allthetime', with its introduction close to 'Kansas' is also an admirable patchwork of a rich and refined progressive with the use of an alternation between calm parts on the piano and others more energetic with the electric instruments, the keyboards being preponderant and bringing the binder to the whole, the melodic lines of the sung parts being just as addictive as those of the first composition and the sounds reminding me of 'Uriah Heep' in some places. With 'The Tower', it is still a long development with more of sung parts that shows all the vocal talent of 'Beau West' in a new melody that brings us back again to the sounds of the 70s, then, 'The Voice of the Evening Wind' continues in an atmospheric atmosphere close to 'Vangelis', the vaporous singing being quite in the same register as that of the Greek. It is with 'Yettocome / Itmightbe' that we hold the longest track which borders on 17 minutes and which offers us an epic sequel in which we abandon ourselves completely by letting ourselves be drawn into the different nooks and crannies of this labyrinth always very melodic sounds, and, it is with the beautiful ballad 'Wait' that the 'Beatles' would not have denied that we end this very beautiful album in a light atmosphere.
In summary, This latest studio recording of The Americans of Evership 'is remarkable from start to finish and takes us back decades with modern sound and very beautiful instrumental and vocal arrangements which, without a doubt, should make of 'The Uncrowned King: Act 1' a concept album to add to the ideal collection of any amateur of progressive rock and join the multiple opuses of the big names of this style of the 70s... | |
