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2022-12-07 – New Dawn Of Prog (Review)

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How to describe this album, the easiest way would be that this is a work of epic proportions that catapults us back to the seventies but also gives much more. Ben Craven is a cinematic progressive rock singer and songwriter from Brisbane, Australia. Ben plays the entire music of his new, bombastic work himself, including the epic chorales and symphonic soundscapes.

The work consists of two almost twenty-minute epics, where besides the fantastic music he skilfully depicts themes such as the waste of resources and exploitation of the planet, consumerism and the link between the economy and war. Through this album, Ben has created a fantasy world that is embellished with beautifully illustrated art by Roger Dean’s talented daughter Freyja.

Stylistically, we move into the album with strong references to the seventies, but as I said before, there are many more styles and excursions into the world of cinematographic music.

Bombastic moments like in the glorious film music of Hans Zimmer, simply caress your ears with epic excursions that give an incredible stamp and unique approach to creating prog rock. The two songs should be enough for prog lovers because they offer everything a classic prog heart desires. With excessive, symphonic instrumental parts, fine vocal melodies, dynamics, and a lot of tension with classical influences for the instrumental expanses, it is delicate, anthemic, and intoxicatingly symphonic at the same time. Dark riffs always dissolve into highly melodic harmonies at the end, and the keyboard is finally allowed to solo, where it usually remains more committed to the symphonic impressions. Ben’s arc of suspense is remarkable, and he always sets a fascinating crescendo. Finally, he pulls out all the stops of the orchestral bombast and lays fat chorales over the marching rhythms. Perfectly composed stylistic changes and constant little hints, melancholy and powerful keyboard-stressed soundscapes, bombast, flowing atmospheric-hymnic parts, rocky passages and cinematic soundtrack orchestra arrangements make this album a very important work.

An album that can definitely and proudly take its place as one of the modern prog albums that you definitely have to have in your collection. @bencravenmusic #bencraven #prog #progrock #progressiverockmusic #progressiverock #progressiverockcommunity #progrockforever #progrockmusic #progrockcommunity #albumreview #albumreviews #progreviews #musicreview #musicreviews #progalbum #2022prog #2022music #symphonicprog