Metamorphosis - After all these years - 2002
“This is the only music which can take my heart, my soul and my guts.”
intro
The Swiss based project Metamorphosis is the initiative of drummer, vocalist and composer Jean-Pierre Schenk who also plays keyboards on the first album of this project “After all these years”. Next to him, former bandmate Giovanni Esposito plays a leading role on guitars. Other project participants are Dominique Schlafer (bass), David Grillion (album production and guitar on “New Lords”) and Milena Zaharieva (flute on “New Lords”).
line-up
Schenk and Esposito have a relationship that goes back to 1971 when together they founded the band Nature. The music of this band was heavily inspired by two great names of the seventies, Pink Floyd and Genesis. What didn’t succeed at that time, eventually happened after more than 25 years: the release of an own album.; “…the materialization of just a long, long dream”.
review
Apparently the bands mentioned are still the main influences of “the project”. The style of most compositions, vocals and guitar play is very much influenced by Pink Floyd, whereas the keyboard solos could well have been played by Tony Banks of Genesis. Although these references are rather obvious, this takes nothing away from the overall quality of the album.
Most of the ballad-like songs have a laid-back atmosphere and pleasant moods, with now and then a musical or rhythmic eruption. Overall song quality is constant, although you should not expect anything spectacular. All the songs have nice sounds and are a pleasure to listen to.
Opener “After all these years” (9:42) has a nice up tempo instrumental second half and the following piece “New lords” (8:02) features one of the “Banks’like” keyboard solos. The short piece “Sanctuary” (2:13) could well be taken from a Pink Floyd album: a long-drawn-out guitar melody on top of atmospheric keyboards and driven by a deep bass. “Didn’t we know” (8:12) is more in the vein of Genesis, with a tight rhythm and a great orchestral break that slowly works up to a climax, before repeating the introductory theme of the song. “Eyes on the clock” opens with some dark guitar riffs, but is lighted by organ play and later on other keyboard sounds. “No one’s home” (7:11) is based up on a repeating drum pattern and has nice keyboard themes. In “Another day” (4:31) we here the piano style of Supertramp. The last two songs of the album “Not far from heaven” and “Moonbeam on the wall” are primarily Genesis inspired, where the last one shows resemblance to “Suppers’ ready” because of it’s typical rhythm.
conclusion
After all these years is a very fine album, with which Metamorphosis shows no surprises, but that offers you the listening pleasure of nine symphonic rock pieces of high quality, that should appeal to lovers of the music of Pink Floyd and (perhaps a little less) of Genesis.