Short Reviews [Clouds Can - 2018 - "Leave"]

I’ve said this many times in the past, but it is worth repeating, and that is I don’t read press releases until after I have played the music. Although to be honest, even if I did, I am so far behind that I would have forgotten what they said by the time I got around to the album, so consequently it is only just now that I have realised who is involved in this project, namely Thomas Thielen (t) and Dominik Huttermann (Virtual Moon, Imatra). Dominik provides guitars while Thomas does everything, as usual, but here he is working with someone else who has had major input into the album. Apparently, they recorded together back in the Nineties before Thomas decided to work as t, and it was that which led to Thomas doing his own work. With only a couple of songs just breaking through seven minutes, and a style which contains some more popular elements, such as a chorus, the result is something which is more crossover than neo-prog. In some ways this is a cross between modern Hogarth era Marillion and Steven Wilson, contemporary and modern yet still maintaining its links to the prog scene and Thomas’s solo works. I have long been a fan of t and am glad I had not read the press release prior to this as I have not been influenced by knowing he was involved, but instead can say this is a commercial progressive album I have enjoyed immensely, and I am sure many progheads will feel the same way.