SPEKTRUM (E)

Spektrum is a new all-star band from Sweden featuring Hansi Cross (Cross, guitars, keyboards), Olav Andersson (Grand Stand, keyboards, acoustic guitar, vocals), Göran Johnsson (Grand Stand, drums, vocals, guitar, keyboards), Göran Fors (Galleon, bass, Taurus pedals, vocals) and the female vocalist Lizette van Panajott. All five band members have been involved in writing both the music and the lyrics, so it's obvious that soundscapes and structures we are familiar with from Galleon, Grand Stand and Cross can be recognized. Undoubtedly all the above-mentioned bands had Genesis from the mid-seventies as their main source of inspiration and that is exactly what we can hear on this debut album. The only thing that is quite different is the singing of Van Panajott who probably was inspired by Alanis Morisette. Her voice gives the bombastic symphonic architecture a more poppy and modern feel to it and she expresses a lot of variety in the use of her voice too. Highlights are the instrumental track Perpetuum Mobile and the Porcupine Tree-like track Ivory Tower. If you neglect the very short overture Spektrum, the album features six tracks from five to nine minutes in length and it would have been nice if it would have been a little longer though. The last track Chemical Release resembles Los Endos by Genesis a little too much to my taste. However, this eponymous album by Spektrum is a very nice symphonic CD by a group of talented musicians. Hopefully the band will be able to put out a second album with less obvious Tony Banks-like keyboards and Steve Hackett-like guitars. They should be able to do so.