Listen up all you lovers of classic, early 70's progressive rock-are you ready for a feast of Mellotron? If the answer is yes, than this new CD from Trion will tickle your fancy in a big way. Trion is a new project made up of members from Flamborough Head and Odyssice, and the title of the band actually is the combining of two words, trio and tron, short obviously for Mellotron. Eddie Mulder plays all the guitars, bass, and mandolin, while Menno Boomsma handles drums and Edo Spanninga plays all the keyboard, flute, oboe, cello, vibe, and string sounds from Mellotron tapes.
Being an all instrumental affair, this is some cozy, warm sounding stuff. Mulder has a very emotional guitar style, similar to Steve Hackett or Andy Latimer, and his impressive mix of passionate electric lead work and tender acoustic fingerpicking on "Jamatrion" soar above the Mellotron beds created by Spanninga. The title track is a bit more aggressive and upbeat, in the grand tradition of Yes or Genesis, and the two "Radiation" (Part's 1 & 2) have a strong jazz fusion feel, complete with Boomsma's acrobatic drum work and Mulder's liquid guitar lines. However, it's really the Mellotron sounds that are the focus of this endearing CD, and one of the most compelling tracks is the poignant "Seagulls", a tune just dripping with ominous Mellotron and gut wrenching guitar solos. "Tribulation" has a strong Camel feel to it, and is very symphonic, while "Spectrum of Colours" is very pastoral in nature, with floating Mellotron choirs and majestic acoustic guitar.
This is a wonderful CD, and one that I strongly recommend. Not since the band Morte Macabre released their debut CD a few years back has a band put together such an enjoyable tribute to the mighty Mellotron. Where that album was very dark, this one is much brighter and upbeat. Kudos to these three musicians for giving us a heaping dose of 70's styled progressive rock-and I won't foget to mention the neat Roger Dean inspired cover artwork from well known Dutch artist Jasper Joppe Geers!
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