REALM OF SHADOWS

ALBUM REVIEW
It seems to me that Knight Area gets a little better with each release...Even if they had lost two members along the way (including one of the Klavinga brothers), the new release shows the band still growing strong and the songwriting maturing even more. While I can´t really say it is a masterpiece, there is little doubt that those guys from Holland are on the right path to deliver something like that anytime soon. The band is much tighter, the arrangements are more concise and they are now sounding very much like their own. It is always good to see a good group finding their way of delivering good, melodic prog with passion and conviction. I specially liked how the members are sounding better and still they are team players: every instrument comes and goes at the right time, with no unnecessary display of virtuosity. I especially liked Gijs Koopman´s bass lines, very precise and reminding me of the great Chris Squire. The keyboards are very well the lead instrument (echoes of Genesis around the time of Wind & Wuthering are quite recurring here), while the guitar is a little subtle, but very well played. Mark Smit´s singing is getting better with each release. The production is quite good too. All in all I found Realm Of Shadows to be a fine CD with some great moments and no fillers to be find. Nothing new or groundbreaking here, but still excellent, beautiful music. If you´re into neo prog, or melodic music in general, this is a must have. (T.Moura)