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The Dutch prog-scene is alive and kicking! This has been known for
quite a while and Nice Beaver is without any doubt one of the bands
that is responsible for that. Proof: their new album.
Nights in Armour
is nice and long, starting off with a roll on the snare drum that
hides a restrained violence. And indeed, after three minutes the
song bursts into a heavy prog melody. Not for long though, because a
bit later you get some easy, jazzy sounds.
Prog lovers don’t have to wait long, however, before it gets a bit
heavier again and further on even eastern influences can be heard.
Very nice, although the complexity of the song requires that one
must listen a few times to be able to appreciate it fully. This
eastern atmosphere is very much present in the vocal part of the
song, wonderfully illustrating the unreal dreamworld that is
described in the lyrics It’s a pity the vocals aren’t very good.
Hans Gerritse’s voice is a bit weak compared to the powerful,
melodious prog-rock Nice Beaver presents. Morphine then.
Chirping crickets and some more eastern sounds are the intro of a
rocking very varied song with some heavier guitars. Peter Stel’s
bass is great in this song. Erik Groeneweg, with his very particular
voice, does the singing. I can’t help thinking he sings straight out
of the throat and unfortunately this tends to be irritating after a
while. A pity, ‘cause the song is great.
In Any Other Day one gets the time to lean back and relax.
This is an easy song with a chorus that’s easy to sing along.
Remarkable is the beautiful combined play of guitar, bass and drums.
The splendid melodious guitar solo completes the work.
The title track begins with the menace of heavy guitar and
synthesizer, followed by a guitar piece that reminds of Set the
Controls for the Heart of the Sun of Pink Floyd. Great
melody, gothic guitars and a lot of variety, but unfortunately
again, the singer fails. I imagine a singer like Ray Wilson
could lift this song up to a much higher level. ‘Cause it sure is
wonderful, full of rhythm changes and great bridges. About halfway
Erik takes over the vocals, but he can’t take away the unsatisfied
feeling..
The Beaver State
begins with beautiful synthesizer sounds and a magnificent
Gilmour-like guitar solo. During 90 seconds one could be listening
to the intro of a new Pink Floyd album. The rhythm that follows is
unmistakably Nice Beaver, but the Gilmour sound remains for a while.
Absolutely wonderful! Once again there is this flirting with
gothic/metal sounds in between very melodious parts. The more I hear
the song, the more I love it! Also the ‘snapping’ bass is great. The
track is completely instrumental and introduces a Nice Beaver that
plays progrock of exceptional quality. To me the message of this
song is very clear: the band has terrific members, but should be
looking for a new singer. Why not invite some guest singers? The
epic sound of the next track, Two Brides for Two Brothers,
could absolutely use a female singer. I feel sorry to keep moaning
about it and as I write this I feel guilty towards Hans and Erik,
two nice guys for whom I got some Chinese take-away when they did
their gig on the first Dutch prog-night in the Spirit of 66. But
please let them prove their virtuosity on their instruments and use
a better singer to lift the music up to the top where it belongs.
Love on Arrival
is a simple, heavy song with obvious metal influences and a simple,
but splendid guitar solo.
Also in Lawn Mower’sDay Off Gerritse’s guitar takes up a
leading role and takes you into an atmosphere that reminds a bit of
Mannfred Mann. Nice detail: in the middle of the song, the
theme of Any Other Day is picked up again.
Don’t let my remarks on the vocals mislead you. This is an album
that should be standing on your cd-shelf! |
