Edensong - Years In The Garden Of Years (2016)

Discazo, otra genialidad del 2016 (y hay muchas). Empezamos el día con un disco especial para despabilarlos (y seguramente sorprenderlos, si es que luego de tanta maravilla que transita en el blog aún tienen la capacidad de sorpresa). Folk prog metal sinfónico de alto vuelo y creatividad, en la mezcla perfecta entre Jethro Tull y Dream Theater en un disco complejo, épico, pomposo, orquestal, un torbellino de musicalidad donde riffs pesados y compases complejos alternan con las melodías pastorales y orquestaciones magistrales. Un verdadero discazo para que conozcan una de las grandes maravillas sonoras actuales. Y les aseguro que hay muchas más de estas joyitas que seguiremos rescatando (ya sea del olvido o de la ignominia de la moda mercantilista de hoy en día).

Artista: Edensong

Álbum: Years In The Garden Of Years
Año: 2016
Género: Progresivo ecléctico / Heavy prog
Duración: 71:02
Nacionalidad: EEUU

Lista de Temas:
01. Cold City
02. End Times In Retrospect
03. In The Longest Of Days
04. The Hollowed
05. Down The Hours
06. Chronos
07. Generations
08. The Atman Apocalypse
09. Regenerations
10. Yawn Of A Blink

Alineación:
- James Byron Schoen / Guitars and vocals
- Tony Waldman / Drums, percussion, BG vocals
- Stefan Paolini / Keyboards, BG vocals
- TD Towers / Bass, BG vocals
- Barry Seroff / Flute

Luego del maravilloso debut de "The Fruit Fallen" (aquí habíamos compartido ese disquito) del 2008, Edensong regresa con un nuevo material de estudio bajo el nombre de "Years In The Garden Of Years". Si lo publicamos oportunamente es poque algo de distinto le habíamos escuchado a esta banda, y con este disco nos terminan de asegurar que no nos habíamos equivocado para nada. Y para confirmarmarlo, les copio esta reseña que me parece muy atinada:

Luego del debut "The Fruit Fallen" del año 2008, la banda americana Edensong finalmente edita su segundo disco de estudio bajo el nombre de "Years In The Garden Of Years".
En su álbum debut desplegaron un rock / metal progresivo oscuro, con mucho folk y orquestaciones, y en éste lanzamiento la cosa aún se agrando más y elevaron todo a su máximo nivel. Ahora su cantante, guitarrista y fundador James Byron Schoen dio lugar a la banda para la creación de este nuevo disco y el abanico musical del grupo se percibe más abierto.
El comienzo con "Cold City" es un torbellino de prog folk metal, si pensabas que Jethro Tull y Dream Theater no podían fusionarse, tenés que escuchar esta canción donde la flauta recordará inmediatamente al querido Ian Anderson y los pasajes instrumentales a la banda de John Petrucci, todo con una carga pomposa abrumadora. Hay momentos mas calmos como en "In The Longest Days", "The Hollowed" o "Regenerations" donde apuntan para el lado clásico del rock sinfónico de los 70's con orquestaciones que calzan a la perfección, sumado a delicados arreglos donde los teclados tiene un gran protagonismo al igual que las guitarras acústicas. Hay lugar para instrumentales como "End Times In Retropect", con algunos pasajes que le han tomado "prestado" a Dream Theater y "Chronos" que la desarrollan en nueve minutos paseándonos por diferentes terrenos. Mención especial para una de mis dos canciones preferidas, por una lado "Down The Hours", una de las composiciones mas agresivas y vertiginosas del nuevo material, y por otro lado me quedo con la compleja y épica "The Atman Apocalypse" que es difícil de describir en palabras, hay que escucharla.
En resumen, un interesante regreso de Edensong, si en la actualidad te identificas con bandas como Opeth o Big Elf, o lo que algunos llaman retro prog, creo que debes darle una oportunidad a los muchachos de New York, que nuevamente nos entregaron un álbum muy interesante.
Puntaje: 8,50 / 10

Diego Gonzalez

Es imposible no comparar Edensong con Jetro Tull ya que utilizan una flauta y el ambiente general de la canción es acústico y folk. Pero no todo se termina allí, se le suman las orquestaciones y la actitud metalera, riffs pesados alternan con las melodías pastorales. Estos nuevos Jetro Tull tienen un sonido atemporal que podrían haber sido lanzado en los gloriosos años 70s o ayer mismo, como realmente sucedió porque el disco tiene pocos días de vida.

Sea como sea, es un testimonio de esta banda con mucho talento. La banda nos permite oír de modo íntegro su disco pero seguramente nada se compara con tener la edición de lujo que trae unas ilustraciones especiales en el libreto realizadas por el ilustrador Dan May.
Un disco que me parece un lujo, se los dejo para que lo aprecien o no, pero al menos para que escuchen algo que suena diferente. Personalmente es un disco que recomiendo mucho muchísimo.
Vamos con algunos comentarios en inglés, los poquitos que encontré porque el disco recién sale y aún no hay mucho escrito sobre él.

I’m always on the look-out for bands that may have slipped under the radar a little that are worthy of a little extra love and attention. Edensong are just one such band, having been alerted to their existence via a friend and fellow blogger on all things progressive.
To provide a little context and background, Edensong are a New York-based progressive rock band whose roots date back to 2002 although it wasn’t to be until 2008 that the band in their current ‘modern day’ incarnation was to release their debut album, ‘The Fruit Fallen’. Comprised of guitarist/vocalist James Byron Schoen, drummer Tony Waldman, keyboardist Stefan Paolini, bassist TD Towers and flautist Barry Seroff, Edensong clearly put a lot of time and effort into their recordings because ‘Years In The Garden Of Years’ is only their second full-length release.
To be more specific, this album has taken over five years to bring to fruition, a not-inconsiderable outlay of time, effort and dedication to the cause. And the cause for Edensong is all-out unashamed progressive rock and, in the case of ‘Years In The Garden Of Years’, a progressive rock concept album.
The eagle-eyed amongst you will have noticed the inclusion on a flautist in the line-up in the form of Barry Seroff. Whilst this doesn’t immediately mean that Edensong are a band doing their best to keep the prog of the 70s alive à la Jethro Tull et al, there is a certain amount of homage paid to the prog of yesteryear. That said, Edensong also have one eye firmly on the modern day and it is this blend of the old and the new, as well as rich and engaging compositions enhanced by the inclusion of string instruments and backing vocals from all corners of the band that makes ‘Years In The Garden Of Years’ such a pleasure to listen to. That and the fact that despite generally favouring acoustic guitars within their music, Edensong are not afraid to properly rock out and crank up the aggression just a notch or two when the need arises.
As is right and proper with prog music, it took a considerable investment of time and effort before I felt comfortable committing my review of ‘Years In The Garden of Years’ to paper. Even now, I find my feelings towards certain compositions changing slightly, albeit almost exclusively for the better mind you. There is just so much to get your head around; this is an album for those that are looking to immerse themselves and commit to the music because if you fail to do so, you will miss important, often subtle things buried within the vibrant layers of music.
‘Years In The Garden Of Years’ is comprised of ten individual tracks but the middle eight is effectively one long epic, broken into distinct sections. They can be listened to as stand-alone songs quite plausibly but having listened to the record in a number of ways over the past week or so, it is better enjoyed and understood as one homogenous piece of music.
‘Part 1: End Times In Retrospect’ sets things off and does so in a quiet sophisticated manner where a classic guitar and other string instruments take the lead before the introduction of a nice riff and some bold flute melodies and leads, not to mention the welcome introduction of some mellotron. Compliments should be given to the production at this point because it has a clear yet honest feeling to it, allowing nothing to get lost. The bass is often the instrument to suffer from a poor mix but that’s not the case here, far from it, as it plays an integral role in this instrumental piece.
In contrast to the overt progressive tendencies of its predecessor, ‘Part II: In The Longest Of Days’ is more straightforward in its construction and delivery, benefitting from some memorable melodies and a slightly heavier edge at times.
Other notable highlights include the deep, sombre and extremely beautiful opening to ‘Part III: The Hollowed’ and ‘Part IV: Down The Hours’ which contains a modicum of vocals but is largely an instrumental piece that vaguely reminds me of Shadow Gallery. It flits all over the place with gay abandon, taking itself wherever it wants. I really enjoy the piano flourishes as well as a great metallic riff which duels with the flute to great effect before allowing an indulgent guitar solo to take over supported by an eager bass guitar alongside.
‘Part V: Chronos’ is exclusively an instrumental piece that begins with a really lovely, warm and inviting piano and acoustic guitar melody, before veering off in all kinds of interesting directions. Featuring more modern electronic effects towards the end and a few more tasty swirling riffs to inject drama, the composition is a self-indulgent delight, bounding along with the energy and playfulness of a spring lamb.
‘Part VI: Generations’ is equally striking in that it has the dark brooding intensity of a post-rock composition, whereas ‘Part VII: The Atman Apocalypse’ is the sound of a band let loose and the result is a piece of music that comes across as a live studio jam, where almost nothing has been declared off-limits.
That leaves the final part of the epic, ‘Part VIII: which gradually builds from humble beginnings to a dynamic ending crescendo, full of power and drama.
Book-ending the album is opener ‘Cold City’ and closer ‘Yawn Of A Blink’. They are both strong compositions but the former in particular is an utter joy. Ushered in with a vibrant flute melody atop a bold rhythm, it is a distilled version of the entire album in so far as it contains a little of everything that is so good about Edensong. The song makes good use of light and shade to create a sense of drama and instrumental excess is writ large. It is then all backed up by a great vocal performance and an even better chorus that’s a true earworm, burrowing its way into my subconscious to strike when I least expect it.
There’s not much else to say about Edensong’s ‘Years In The Garden of Years’ except that it comes with a hearty recommendation from me and should appeal to anyone who is looking for some expressive, memorable and playful progressive rock in their lives. It doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but it does what it does very well, providing a huge amount of enjoyment in the process.
The Score Of Much Metal: 8.5

Matt Spall

I’d heard of Edensong a few years back and had been meaning to check into them more carefully. So with a new album, there was no better time than the present. Edensong are a true progressive rock band. There’s no neo-prog, no modern prog. This is old school prog but “Years In The Garden Of Years” never sounds dated.
The album kicks off with a fantastic opening number in “Cold City.” It’s impossible not to compare Edensong with Jethro Tull since they use a flute and the overall vibe of the song is acoustic and folky. But the song has a LOT of punch to it and a chorus that you will remember. Too many prog bands forget that fans want to sing along with their music. Edensong hasn’t forgotten that!
“End Times in Retrospect” is an awesome instrumental that adds strings to the mix in the intro before kicking into a bouncy jam. Eventhough the band have acoustic instruments heavily involved in this song, it’s still heavier than you’d expect. Great riffs and a mellotron add some meat to the song. The flute solo is one that Ian Anderson would be jealous of.
“In The Longest Of Days” is a great showcase for vocalist James Byron Schoen who has an excellent, dynamic delivery. Up next, “The Hollowed” is another mellow track and Schoen reminds me of a less affected Tim Bowness on it. “Down The Hours” reminds me a bit of echolyn and since Edensong are also an American prog band with similar influences. This track really turns into a helluva jam.
Edensong might be a little too acoustic for my taste on a regular basis. “Chronos” is another instrumental track dominated by piano, violin and flute. The upside is that you really don’t get much more prog than those instruments. But having vintage keys on this track breaks up the all acoustic party rather nicely. Edensong balance their attack which just adds to the dynamics and overall power they have as musicians.
“The Atman Apocalypse” is another great song that balances the heavier side of the band with their more acoustic leanings. The song has a very memorable chorus too. “For tomorrow our bodies go down with the ship.” Or is it shit? The album closes out with “Yawn of a Blink” which highlights the excellent chops of the whole band.
Edensong are not out to reinvent prog but at the same time they are not a listless band that is stuck in the 90s neo prog movement. Instead, “Years In The Garden Of Years” has a timeless sound that could have been released in the 70s or really any decade for that matter. That’s a testament to this very talented band.
Rating: 8.5/10

progmanrob

US band EDENSONG is a project that was in development from 2002 and onward, eventually releasing their debut album "Fruit of the Fallen" in 2008, a production that was followed by the EP "Echoes of Edensong" two years later. "Years in the Garden of Years" is their sophomore full length studio album, and was released through renowned US label Laser's Edge in the fall of 2016.
Back in the spring of 2013 I sat in an apartment in Brooklyn and listened to just shy of half an hour of material that was in the works for this album. I cannot recall the specific details of that listening session, but it was a fun and interesting manner in which to conclude a weekend in New York City before traveling on to meet other friends stateside. I had stayed with drummer Tony Waldman for part of that weekend, and we've been in touch on a fairly regular basis ever since. He was passionate about the qualities of the forthcoming Edensong album even back then, and from what I can recall the band have worked quite a bit to add some quality finishing touches to the songs at hand here.
As with many other progressive rock bands, Edensong's take on the genre is one that is hard to pin down. They appear to have something of a passionate interest in progressive folk rock of the kind that Jethro Tull made a career out of, and traces and echoes of that band can be found on numerous occasions throughout. Not merely due to the liberal use of flute soloing, but also in certain structural elements unless I'm much mistaken. That there are passages that comes across as something of a bastard child of Jethro Tull and Dream Theater is perhaps and indication of just how extensive the palette Edensong use is, although the more clear cut metal-oriented themes and passages strictly speaking is a minority feature on this CD. Very much present, but not in a dominant manner.
There's a lot of what I'd describe as hard prog present however. Quite a few classic guitar riff and organ combinations, but also various combinations of bass, piano and guitar creating a firm, hard sound that is vibrant and tension filled. That these may alternate with gentler passages of a more pastoral character as well as more dramatic and sweeping ones with more of a clear cut symphonic progressive expression again an indication of variety and versatility I guess. Add in occasional lapses into what I'd describe as a chamber rock oriented style, as well occasional details here and there that possibly have more of an avant tinge to them, and you do end up with an album that can proudly be described as eclectic in scope as well as character.
A special remark is merited for the final third of the impressively flexible instrumental Chronos, as what I'd hazard a guess at being Japanese inspired percussion and instrument details most certainly adds a distinct mood and flavor to those sequences. I would also guess that these details were directly or indirectly provided by drummer Tony, who knows a thing or two about Japanese culture.
"Years in the Garden of Years" is undeniably a progressive rock album, one of those productions placed so much in the center of that universe that it cannot be mistaken for anything else. It's eclectic, filled with variety, and feature enough alterations and changes in tempo and arrangements to keep even a jaded progger happy. The compositions are well worked out too, with excellent mix and production as the icing on the cake. A CD easy to recommend to any progressive rock fan with a taste for the eclectic and more adventurous parts of the progressive rock universe.

Olav Martin Bjørnsen

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