Short Reviews [Timelock - 2021 - "...Stay Awake..."]

When this four-track 20-minute-long EP appeared in my inbox I did something of a doubletake, as the cogs moved in the music computer inside my head, and I recalled reviewing their debut album back in the depths of time. A quick check of TPU Vol 3 later and I can see I reviewed ‘Louise Brooks’ back in 1993, and this is a 2021 release. They did release some other albums back in the day but for some reason I never heard them, so this was quite a rediscovery for me. The histories of Timelock and Ywis will of course always be intertwined, and keyboard player Julian Driessen is still there (strange to think the debut Ywis album is now nearly 40 years old), and singer Ruud Stoker has been Timelock’s singer throughout, but the rest of the band is new and expanded. This EP is actually a precursor for the new album, ‘Sygn Yn’, but only the title cut from the EP is also on the album and is here as a “single version’ of roughly half the length of what is on the album. Timelock were always one of the more melodic Dutch neo prog outfits, and this EP shows they have moved even more in that direction, as the guitars rarely hit hard, and the focus is always on the vocals. There is a thought that this may change with the closing song “Forgotten Words”, which has some strident moments, but they tend to move in more symphonic areas, allowing Ruud to always have centre stage. They have added some backing singers to the band, which has seen them move from being a quartet to an octet with two keyboard players these days. The result is middle of the road prog, which is highly polished and enjoyable, while also being somewhat forgettable in many ways. It is pleasant while it is being played, but whether I can be inspired enough to choose to play it is another matter altogether. I would prefer more edge and pace, and while it is always nice when old proggers come back, I am not sure this has inspired me enough to check out the main release.