I have to thank our very own Steven Reid for turning me on to this Norwegian band (yep, Norway again!) Flight, and their latest release Echoes of Journeys Past, a seven song ride into classic '70s hard rock, the NWOBHM, a touch of prog, and some glorious Blue Oyster Cult styled psychedelic heavy rock. The band is basically a trio, comprised of:
Herman Holen: Drums and percussion
Christoffer Bråthen: Vocals, guitars, bass and Korg MS20
Jonas Bye: Bass
Open track "Hypatia" sets the stage for the album quite well, chock full of busy drumming over which loads of twin guitar harmonies fly about the mix (think Wishbone Ash meets Iron Maiden meets Satan), and some very NWOBHM styled vocals. "Valley of the Moon" is more atmospheric and straight ahead rock, though there's a spookiness to the arrangement that brings to mind vintage BOC, and even some of the quirkiness of Max Webster. "Comet of Gold" is much more laid back and folky, Wishbone Ash again coming to mind, right down to the tasty guitar soloing and the way the song builds to a powerful climax. The title track is more of a riffy, anthemic rocker, the lead & backing vocals done very well, while "Path to Nowhere (Elysian Fields)" has a flamboyant feel about it that that brings to mind Queen, Def Leppard, and Utopia...strange to lump those bands together, but I can't help but hear bits of each of them on this one, and once again, some stellar guitar soloing from Christoffer, who really is a fine player. It's one of my favorite tracks on the album. After the little majestic guitar instrumental "Moondance" comes the near 10-minute "Mystic Mountain", which instantly takes me back to vintage BOC (think "Astronomy"), Rush ("A Farewell to Kings"), Wishbone Ash ("Phoenix"), and even that little known band from Arizona, Ashbury. A nicely done epic, it satisfies with its blend of hard rock, prog, and metal, never once stepping to far into either camp but giving you strong glimpses of all three.
Echoes of Journeys Past is one of those albums that has grown on me more and more in recent weeks, and I'm actually rating this higher than what I originally gave it on our YouTube channel last month. Don't miss it!
Track Listing
1.
Hypatia 06:09
2.
Valley of the Moon 05:20
3.
Comet of Gold 05:08
4.
Echoes of Journeys Past 04:17
5.
Path to Nowhere (Elysian Fields) 04:24
6.
Moondance 01:38
7.
Mystic Mountain: I. The Gates of the Destroyer / II. Transformation / III. Return to Forever / IV. Stardust 09:28
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