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Hackberry: Breathing Space
 In theory, I should love this album. Instead, I only like it.
It ticks all the usual boxes for me. It’s instrumental. It’s heavy, sometimes very heavy. It’s spacey in parts. It has intricate playing at times. The songs are long. Also, a friend with similar musical tastes highly recommended it.
But … I just couldn’t get into it as I expected. And the frustrating part is that I couldn’t quite put my finger on why. I think I finally understand: I found it a bit fatiguing on the ears. The album is nearly 50 minutes long, but I think they really had material for only 40. I went back and listened to their previous, self-titled album (their debut full-length release) and I enjoyed it more. I think the difference was they had more ideas and they didn’t try to make every song stretch past 10 minutes, like on Breathing Space. Again, I like long songs but sometimes 16 minutes is just too much, as with the opener, “Lunares.”
Don’t get me wrong. Despite its flaws, in my view, it’s a good album. And I think this Dutch band (comprised of Chris Bechtum on drums, Francesco Bonardi and Marijn de Boer on guitars, Tim Hidskes on keyboards, and Simon Venema on bass) has much promise. They certainly have the chops, but they could benefit from a greater focus on composition and concision. Sometimes less really is more and I just found that to be the case with Breathing Space.
Track Listing
1. Lunares (15:48)
2. Solitary March (10:21)
3. Foreshadow (11:44)
4. Manticore (12:06)
Added: May 4th 2026
Reviewer: Aaron Steelman
Score:  
Related Link: Band @ Bandcamp
Hits: 1788
Language: english
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Hackberry: Breathing Space
Posted by Jon Neudorf, SoT Staff Writer on 2026-05-04 23:31:55
My Score:
Although the Netherland’s instrumental heavy rock band Hackberry, hailing from Groningen, has been around since 2015, I have only recently discovered their music. They released their debut EP in 2016 titled Desert Orchid and followed it up with their self-titled full length in 2018. This brings us to their latest album titled Breathing Space, released in 2023. And folks, this one has left a lasting impression on me.
In the band are:
Chris Bechtum (drums)
Francesco Bonardi (guitars)
Marijn de Boer (guitars)
Tim Hidskes (keyboards)
Simon Venema (bass)
Given this is an instrumental album sometimes one can lose focus but not here. This is absolutely riveting stuff. The band is at its core a pure rock band and their technical proficiency adds more than enough progressive elements that should satisfy many of our readers. Around this solid rock foundation the band add elements of heavy prog, progressive metal, and psychedelia. Bands like Long Distance Calling, Haken, Deep Purple, and Thin Lizzy could be good reference points.
The disc consists of four long tracks, all over ten minutes, starting with the near sixteen minute “Lunares”,a mammoth epic featuring a beginning rumbling bass riff, the intense guitar enters soon after, catchy on the ears with very tight musicianship. The backing keyboards add just enough colour and after the riffs are locked in the band inject tricky rhythm changes and a myriad of progressive flourishes. Eventually Hackberry’s diverse sound choices kick in and the music goes mellow with subtle instrumentation accentuating their superb song dynamics. To top it off, the heavy organ and guitar interplay called to mind Deep Purple, never a bad thing in my book. I found the entire track to be completely intoxicating from the very first listen. On “Solitary March” the band has created a wonderful slice of grandiose progressive rock beginning with a clean guitar arpeggio building with sweeping cymbal work, the drums entering with finesse, with all the players contributing in equal measure. The clean guitar solo is another highlight. The keyboards and guitar work in the cinematic and controlled chaos of “Foreshadow” is wonderful to behold, the soundscape both vast and constrictive, channeling their creative flow in unexpected directions. The album ending “Manticore” is pure epic with its dual guitar attack and classic rock feel. Just a splendid ending to what is an excellent album.
I think my points been made. Breathing Space is a superlative effort and I can hardly wait for what’s next for the band. Absolutely recommended.
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Hackberry: Breathing Space
Posted by Steven Reid, SoT Staff Writer on 2024-11-18 23:37:59
My Score:
Album number two from Dutch instrumental progressive rock outfit Hackberry is my first encounter with this 5 piece and right from the off you know that this is a band who have found their niche. Opening track “Lunares” hits hard, but never with a carefree swipe at everything it sees. Instead, there’s a real ebb and flow here and a confidence behind it all that allows the heavy, psych-space-stoner-prog metal to breathe as the dynamics shift from full throttle to a faint whisper on the wind.
With only 4 tracks, 50 minutes are still covered and while my learned friend above found things to maybe lose focus, or certainly struggle to hold his attention across this timeframe, it’s not an issue I’ve encountered. “Solitary March” uses its 10 minutes wisely, beginning small and contained before, without ever really changing somehow, growing into a swirling beast. Technically Chris Bechtum (drums), Francesco Bonardi (guitars), Marijn de Boer (guitars), Tim Hidskes (keyboards) and Simon Venema (bass) fit their chosen approach like an ice cream stuffed perfectly into a cone, with the interplay between all five - and especially the two fret-masters - where the real pay-off often lies.
“Foreshadow” displays a little melancholy and a more obvious progressive metal riff edged attack, but as elsewhere, it’s the ability of Hackberry to combine some intricately technical workouts to a few more obvious passages that really turn these tracks into wordless songs. “Manticore” closes things out, the heavier approach returning but with no less drama, as the keyboards really make their presence felt - but more by way of intriguing counterpoint than flurries of mind-bending solos.
Breathing Space is a remarkably accomplished statement from a band who deserve to be making bigger waves in the progressive instrumental scene than they appear to have so far. Hopefully there’s much more to come from them.
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