D’AccorD
D’AccorD III
Karisma Records
2014
Having listened to the band’s previous album, “Helike”, I knew what I was going to expect. Even though “Helike” had left much to be desired, I’ve focused on “D’AccorD III ” to see if there was any change or not.
Thankfully, the band has better up. They also decided to go for more and somewhat short tracks instead of very long, tiresome ones. That was the first good sign on behalf of them. The other thing which left me with mixed emotions is the sound which is rather good but a bit too “retro” for my liking. Yeap, the band adores the 70s prog rock era and that’s obvious. Many bands are in the same league these days and they go for an “oldie” yet fresh sound. Anyhow that ain’t much of a problem to be honest.
The band’s “obsession” for acts like: Genesis, Yes, Jethro Tull, Pink Floyd and King Crimson among others still overwhelms their own music themes. You see it takes more than a skillful instrumentalist to play prog rock music. The progressive players of the 70s (and after) were very intelligent and strong songwriters… they combined different elements harmonically and their tempo/music changes were very smart in generally. So, “following” in a way that old recipe doesn’t make you so much of a “progressive act”… if we consider the fact that progressive means evolution. Hence how much “evolution” is there when you emulate something that has been done 40 years ago?! That is not only valid for D’AccorD alone, but for the majority of today’s bands which state they play progressive music influenced by the 70s & 80s.
“D’AccorDIII ” is a solid release for the 70s prog rock freaks. It’s a step ahead compared to the previous release and it shows that the band has spent those three years between the two releases for their own improvement. They just lack that ‘X’ factor that will help them break their own barriers and go further…
Thankfully, the band has better up. They also decided to go for more and somewhat short tracks instead of very long, tiresome ones. That was the first good sign on behalf of them. The other thing which left me with mixed emotions is the sound which is rather good but a bit too “retro” for my liking. Yeap, the band adores the 70s prog rock era and that’s obvious. Many bands are in the same league these days and they go for an “oldie” yet fresh sound. Anyhow that ain’t much of a problem to be honest.
The band’s “obsession” for acts like: Genesis, Yes, Jethro Tull, Pink Floyd and King Crimson among others still overwhelms their own music themes. You see it takes more than a skillful instrumentalist to play prog rock music. The progressive players of the 70s (and after) were very intelligent and strong songwriters… they combined different elements harmonically and their tempo/music changes were very smart in generally. So, “following” in a way that old recipe doesn’t make you so much of a “progressive act”… if we consider the fact that progressive means evolution. Hence how much “evolution” is there when you emulate something that has been done 40 years ago?! That is not only valid for D’AccorD alone, but for the majority of today’s bands which state they play progressive music influenced by the 70s & 80s.
“D’AccorD