Swedish
progressive rock has always been associated with the inevitable Flower Kings,
but Roine Stolt and his friends are warned: there is competition. Grand Stand
has just released his second cd ‘Tricks of Time’ and really, it is a
masterpiece. The year 2002 has revealed a huge number of magnificent
progressive albums and it just won’t stop. The
group Grand Stand has evolved from the cooperation between drummer Tomas
Hurtig and keyboard-player Olov Andersson and they played in the early years
mostly covers from Genesis. They released in 1998 the instrumental album ‘In
the Middle on the Edge’. A singer-bass player and a guitarist joined the
group soon after. ‘Jurassic
Spark’ is a perfect illustration of the potential of this group: a beautiful
guitarsolo as intro, melodious guitar sounds à la Steve Hackett, typical
arythmic drums and solid bass playing, nice syntesizersolos and the timbre of
a progressive rock-singer. This track has plenty of tempo variations and
solos in a way Genesis would and should have done it today. I have to admit
that i had to get used to the voice of the lead singer, but after a few
listenings it appears that his voice suits perfectly the instrumental part. ‘Words
are not enough’ is a beautiful instrumental and mainly keyboard oriented
song with a surprising jazzy guitarsolo. Dreamy symphonic music alternating
with threatening jazz-rock passages: a perfect combination. ‘Waiting
for water’ is a typical symphonic track with guitar and keyboardsolos, you
can call it the trademark of this group. Again a track with solid references to
Genesis and Yes : this is by far the most commercial track on the album with a
catchy refrain. ‘Empty barrels rattle the most’
alternates ambient psychedelic parts with some celtic or folky influences, but after a while it really explodes into agressive progressive
rock. What a guitar player, truly one of the key factors on this
album! And although there are many great guitar and keyboard solos, the band
is playing very tight. The last track contains everything you can expect from progressive rock. Sometimes it reminds me of the early days of Kayak, then again you can hear that typical sound of IQ. ‘Old Man’s Tale’ consists of 7 parts, moving the song in different directions and styles: the music is dynamic, captivating and very professional. And while Grand Stand can be referred to so many other good bands, it still produces its own sound with a lot of growing potential. Sweden has once again delivered a talented band. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED FOR EVERY PROGGER! Reviewed by: Claude 'Clayreon' Bosschem |
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