| ......................................THE BAND AND RECORD OF THE MONTH |
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| . | JULY 2009 |
| Comments:
I consider Mangrove as a band with a colossal and amazing musical sound that, is sure to get our special attention. The music from this band is always in a constant state of emotion, since their first work, the band plays a stunning Symphonic Progressive Rock style, with an inspired musical performance. All the arrangemets have a variety of sounds, always going to different musical passages, incredible and atmospheric solos of keyboards, that constantly dominate all arrangements in accordance with an awesome and intense guitar solos, including a fantastic rhythm on the drums, concluding with melodic and vibrant vocals. "Beyond Reality" is a magnificent demonstration of symphonism, layered with melodic and atmospheric textures, the six tracks on the album are fairly consistent in quality. You must definitely listen "Daydreamer's Nightmare", "Time Will Tell" almost 19 min of a pure moment of magic musical delight, "Reality Fades" and "Beyond Reality" both full of amazing guitar and keyboard's solos, and closing with "Voyager", in my opinion, the best song on this album. The music from Mangrove, follows in the same style such as the bands "Yes", "Coda", "Genesis", "Like Wendy", "Finch", "Lady Lake", "Egdon Heath", "Camel", "Odyssice" and many other Symphonic Progressive Rock bands that we know and love. In fact, "Beyond Reality" is an amazing and unique journey from the beginning to the end. Brilliant, fantastic, and amazing work, highly recommendable... The
line-up on Mangrove band are:
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MANGROVE
Driven
by the passion for writing exciting music and longing for the stages to
show their ability to perform it with an almost touchable intensity Roland
van der Horst (guitars, vocals) and Joost Hagemeijer (drums, vocals) felt
in 1998 that the time was right to form a band and bring their project
‘Brainstorm' to life. The first demo recording "Massive Hollowness"
was the first achievement of these passionate musicians of the group which
was then renamed "Mangrove".  The year 2001 secured the perfect band: some months after Pieter Drost (bass) completed the rhythm section with his distinctive bass sound, Chris Jonker (keyboards) completed the sonic palette with the keys. Writing sessions started and resulted in the rather successful release "Touch Wood" in 2004. The foundation for the typical Mangrove sound was built. But it was the 2005 concept album "Facing The Sunset" which grabbed the attention of many fans of pure Progressive Rock within the scene. "Facing The Sunset" was even awarded as best album of 2005 with the "Prog Award" by IO Pages, a leading progressive rock magazine. Beside the stage favorite "There Must Be Another Way" this album with four long tracks ends up with the climax of the exciting 21-minute epic "Hidden Dreams". Mangrove onstage is a synonym for emotion, passion and intensity but surely also for exploding energy. The interaction with the audience perfectly applies to the charismatic front man Roland van der Horst. His contagious stage performance gets the attention of the fans and the press. All of these elements helped to gain an excellent live reputation throughout the years. The music is characterized by the variety in tempo and dynamics, with modest passages but also heavy symphonic eruptions. This oiled machine can bring the sensation of seventies giants like "Pink Floyd", "Genesis", "Yes" and "King Crimson" back to life. But always blended with the typical distinctive Mangrove sound they claim their own unique spot in the (live) music scene. The listener is carried away on a musical journey. The 2006 double live album "Coming Back To Live" summarizes a brilliant Mangrove period with a cross-section of the first three albums. The continuous growth of Mangrove’s fan base and winning the ‘iO Pages Prog Award’ gave a strong impulse to impressive performances in The Netherlands, soon followed by Belgium, Germany, Poland and England. In 2009 Mangrove released the long expected and stunning new studio album "Beyond Reality". The title seems to fit the great expectations of the band very well. On this album the development of a professional approach, songwriting capabilities and the moments of virtuosity are clearly showed off. Beside the epic tracks like "Daydreamer’s Nightmare" and the vivacious "Voyager", there is the title track "Beyond Reality" which inherits everything of a classic rock song suitable for a wide music loving audience. With this new album, Mangrove intends to make a clear statement: pushing the limits in an amazing way. Driven by where it all started with: passion for the music. |
New
Release
"Beyond Reality" 01)
Daydreamer's
The album was written, arranged and produced by Mangrove, recorded at Studio Lobbes, Opende (NL). Mixed and mastered by Mangrove at The Music House, Apeldoorn (NL). To get in contact or, If you would like any other information, you must visit Mangrove's friend via their Myspace site. |
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For
more information and every thing about the band, please visit MANGROVE
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