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Sanity
is one of many prog bands from the Low Countries. Having been formed
in 2000, interest for the band has been gathering momentum lately,
with their music receiving airplay in the U.S., Greece, Brasil,
Argentina and other countries. So, after a couple of EP’s and demos,
it’s time to get a major product on the market. Oddly, they have
chosen not to release a full cd (yet), but a live dvd/cd. This “Live
At 22” is the registration of a concert the band played on November
20th last year.
Sanity’s
music progresses on the border between prog rock and prog metal,
with bands like IQ, Threshold and Queensr˙che
coming to mind. Overall, the band produce an appealing sound
tapestry, with heavy guitars and interesting keyboards parts. Singer
Kees Van Heulen sounds something like a cross between Geoff Tate and
Dio, though obviously never as impressive. Still, a very nice voice,
even if the singing is somewhat overly dramatic at times. Some more
variation in the delivery wouldn’t hurt either.
Lots of good songs with plenty of variation and tempo changes, and a
good balance between the heavy and the subtle parts. I do miss one
or two tracks that really stand out. “No One Sleeps Tonight”,
“Lonely At The World” and “Victims” are really good, but they still
fail to bring some kind of zenith to the show. I do think it’s just
a matter of time, though, before the band starts writing those
killer songs that will lift them to another level.
The dvd was very professionally filmed, although the picture quality
isn’t 100%, nor is the sound, but it does give a good impression of
what the band stand for in a live environment. Bonus features on the
dvd include a text biography and a photo gallery. The package also
contains a bonus cd with the same concert. An excellent way to
discover this promising band. |
