GARDEN OF EDEN (E)

Ixion is a project by the Dutch musician Jankees Braam. He has a job as a computer programmer, but in his spare time he is the sound engineer for the Dutch bands S.O.T.E., Knight Area and Ulysses, among others, and he is a multi-instrumentalist. He plays the bass, bass pedals, guitars and keyboards. Garden Of Eden is his third album. On this cd he plays together with former members of his band Sangamo and with singer Michael Hos (Ulysses), Gerton Leijdekker and Peter Boer from S.O.T.E. and with ex-S.O.T.E. member Emile Boellaard. The other guests on this album are Eveline van Kampen (Illumion), guitarist Sylvester Vogelenzang de Jong, singer Esther Ladiges (Illumion, Unicorn), keyboardist Gerben Klazinga (Knight Area), Linda Faber on cello, Martijn Bos on the grand piano and Irma Vos on violin. For the recordings the Knight Area studio was used among others and Peter Boer did the mastering. All compositions, lyrics and artwork were done by Jankees Braam, as well as a good share of the recordings. The album opens with a very diverse track: a majestic, keyboard-driven prelude, then some disturbing beeps and radio noise, followed by a beautiful bombastic instrumental piece with lots of keyboards, violin, guitar, bass pedals and drums. Next part is a rather mellow symphonic piece, sung by Michael Hos. It could easily have been Knight Area or Ulysses and the synth solo by Klazinga is a nice one that reminds me of the sound of Eloy. The intonation however, is rather extraordinary and far from the simple E, A and B chord structures. There are several transitions where the key is changing with half a tone for example, but still the music sounds very pleasant altogether. I'm not too fond of Hos' vocals, although I must emphasize that's even more personal than my opinion about the music. Especially the part in this track but also in some other tracks, where he has to sing in the upper limits of his reach, well, I just don't like it. In the mix it sometimes feels as if the vocals are not blending with the music very well, but that instruments and vocals are totally different entities instead of the sound of a band. Edge Of Insanity is in the same vein but obviously with different melodies. A lovely tune is My Princess, My Queen. It has a catchy melody, an opening by the cello and a nice combination of keyboards, lead guitar, bass, bass pedals and gentle drumming. This one's well sung by Hos. Storm has two faces: one is the more jazzy side sung by Esther Ladiges and the other is the more proggy side sung by Michael Hos. About halfway there's an interlude by piano and an almost classical piece with piano, cello, bass pedals, synth and a mellow-tuned guitar. Ladiges sings very emotional with a powerful voice; the music returns to the first theme. A mix of Eloy and Knight Area can be heard in Comfort Zone, sensitively sung by Ladiges. The Virus is yet another intriguing composition. An instrumental opening is followed by a rather complex piece, sung by Hos. It has a lovely chorus, think of Arena for instance, but with John Jowitt playing only his bass pedals. It has a fine guitar solo by Vogelenzang de Jong. The first thirty seconds of the title track reminds me a bit of the first minute of Changes by Yes from the album 90125, but Braam switches to an awesome combination of a jazzy feel with piano, Ladiges' voice, gentle guitars and drums with the symphonic bombast of the heavy bass pedals and the classical influences of the violin. The final track shows influences of S.O.T.E. and thus it's no wonder that it has a complex structure with both very melodic parts and less 'easy to swallow' material.

It takes a few spins before the music can get to you and I certainly think this is not an album for each and everyone interested in melodic prog. Fans of S.O.T.E. and Ulysses can't go wrong and I'd advise anyone with a preference for bass pedals to check this album out. It's music with a distinctive style, daring because it's rather complex, not always easy listening but my compliments for Jankees Braam for his perseverance and for sharing his musical thought with us. An elaborate and honest album, progressive in the real sense, that's what Garden Of Eden is for me.