Short Reviews [Sonus Umbra - 2020 - "A Sky Full of Ghosts"]

This 2020 album is very much related to the previous one in terms of story and style, with a major difference being the departure of co-lead singer Brittany Moffitt, and Roey Ben-Yoseph now working on his own. The other change is that cellist David Keller has been rewarded for his work on other Sonus Umbra albums and is no longer a guest but is a full member. Again, this is an album of complexity and layered arrangements which is an absolute delight from start to finish. By having both a flautist and cellist in their mix, along with three people providing guitar and a couple of different keyboard players, they can bring in many different influences and textures. Luis never truly forgets his Mexican roots, and there are times when those influence come shining through, and yet again it is only the polish which makes one realise that here is an American band as they are far more rooted in the styles of classic prog coming out of the UK than the US. They are also not afraid to have long passages with little or no drums, which gives the music a very different feel, and often it seems as if they start building songs on picked acoustic guitar, which provides them with a different starting point to many. Some albums can make the listener feel like they are having a snack, and while it is filling at the time it does not take long for the stomach to feel empty, but this is much more like a rich banquet where the listener not only does not know where to go first but knows that by the end they will be truly fulfilled. They are constantly moving, even within the same song, rarely staying with one melody or style for too long but are constantly shifting, changing the lead instrumentation and time signatures so that one truly never knows what is coming next. They may have dropped off my radar for 20 years, but now I am aware of them once again I am going to ensure I hear the next album when it comes out. As I write this, there has not been a single review on PA of this album in the year since it was released, which means there are a many other progheads out there who have yet to discover the delights of what is a thoroughly enjoyable album.