Short Reviews [ Heylel - 2020 - "Presence of Mind"]

Portuguese progressive rock band Heylel started in 2012, releasing their debut just a few years later. Over the years there have been more albums, but band leader Narciso Monteiro (guitars, synths) started to become interested in other direction and the band became dormant for a while. 2020 saw him renew his association with label boss Kathy Keller, who at one point had managed the band, and the result is a new album which sees them provide orchestral mixes of both old and new songs. They have also brought in several guests, including their previous singer Ana Batista, Ky Fifer of Philelmon who had also previously sung with the band, as well as new singer Marcos Coelho. Overall, this is an interesting release, with a heavy emphasis on synth support yet also allowing for picked guitars and plenty of violin, meaning we have a mix of progressive and folk which is also more symphonic than one would normally associate with the prog folk genre. There are times when the production feels too over the top and cloying, as I would have like to have had a fresher and lighter touch, particularly on the songs featuring Ana as she has a wonderful voice, but to my ears it feels somewhat constrained and if there was more lightness within the album then it would shine even more. It just feels too dense, but Ana definitely comes through, especially when she lifts her voice on “An Old Man’s Tale” and it will be interesting to see if she can be convinced to be back with the band full time as I would certainly be interested in hearing more, although with a different approach to the production and orchestration as there are times such as on “Satrina” where it is all too much.