After 8 years, Timelock make their comeback to the prog-scene.
In 1992, they released their debut “Louise Brooks”. A few months after their second release “The Dawn” in 1994, their label SI Music faced bankruptcy and they were forced to stop. 8 years later, Xymphonia Records gives them a second chance with their new album “Circle Of Deception”. Together with drummer Ed Wernke from the Dutch band For Absent Friends, they recorded 10 new songs in the Holland Spoor Studios in Den Haag. Meanwhile, Rob Boshuijzen (ex drummer Maryson) has joined the band to promote their CD..

Nederland has become or already is the cradle of neo-prog bands. And Timelock is yet again another top band. This is neo-prog of the highest level. I can give several names as comparison but they have developed their own sound. If you really want some names to know how they sound, I would name Arena, IQ, Sinister Street and For Absent Friends as best references.
The strength of the band is their sound as a whole. There’s no individualism around. Every one of them contributes his mite, which makes the end result bigger then the sum of the parts. I don’t want to belittle their individual skills, but it’s clear that this album is an album made as a team.

Ruud has a very beautiful voice that’s perfectly in balance with the other instruments, thanks to the superb production by Julian Driessen and Rob Rehorst. Sadly, we have to inform you that Rob Rehorst, who also did the production for the latest album of the Plackband, died on November 17, 2002.
The keyboards give a splendid support to the songs using beautiful, floating sounds. From time to time Julian rises above it all with a skilled, well fitting solo.
Martin’s guitar has some heavy rhythmic edges but most of the time he also helps to build the Timelock total sound. His solo interventions are very catchy and keep hanging around in your memory.
The bass player, Bert, helps the completion of the rhythms, but he plays some different melodies that imperceptibly give an extra dimension to the songs.
I don’t need to introduce Ed Wernke from For Absent Friends. When they mentioned his name, we already knew that the drum parts would be perfect. On stage, he will be replaced by Rob Boshuijzen, who has become a full member of the band now. If you know that he’s from the Dutch band Maryson, little can go wrong when he will take the drumsticks.

All songs have an extremely high quality, but I have a few favourites. The best track is “Louise Brooks Revisited”. As the title already reveals, it’s a sequel to their first album that was entitled “Louise Brooks”. Which member of the band has fallen in love with this Louise Brooks? This song is about the movie “Pandora’s Box”(1929). It starts as an IQ song, but very quickly it changes into the Timelock sound that rules this CD. Especially the middle piece that starts with the lyrics “Oh Father, forgive me!” keeps on playing in my CD player. It’s a pity this piece appears only once in this song. This song has to become a live favourite. They’ve already put the handclaps in the part with the breaks, so you can already rehearse for the next concert of Timelock in your neighbourhood.
The longest track “Everything Except The World” also deserves an honourable mention. At the end of this track, the musicians get a chance to show their skills with some marvellous solos. The five parts of this song contain every ingredient for a progressive, epic masterpiece.
The final track is a beautiful ballad “The Way I Am”. The song gives me a déjà vu feeling, but it’s a perfect conclusion.

Nothing but superlatives for this album. Even if you don’t like neo prog, you should try this one. You won’t regret it.

Review : Danny "Camil" Focke