Less than a minute into listening to the opening piece, titled Natural Expansion, the orchestral sound kicks in. No up-tempo. Not yet at least. As the song progresses, a saxophonist takes over and croons over the sound of a violin, amongst other things. The sound is pretty mellow to start, but chills on the skin start to form at the 1:33 mark when a thunderous sound crashes and the background choir raises their voices in unison. Louder and louder is the crashing. Louder and louder are the voices. It’s hard to describe the 20 seconds after, but if there’s one word that fits, it’s the term “epic.” What do you think?
https://soundcloud.com/user-855919750-201666315/natural-expansion-original-mix
This epic, clashing of sound would slowly fade as the violin takes over and leads the charge into the next track, titled The Ark. This track, constructed with the same kind of epic-ness, quickly grasps you with its intensity and emotion and doesn’t let go for nearly eight minutes. Sometimes in music, songs can feel a wee bit too long, but The Ark uses its length to take you on a journey. Think sailing the high seas, on a small boat, in a thunderstorm- waves just crashing down on you as you fight to maintain control of the steering wheel. This is what this song sounds like. Listen below and close your eyes. What do you imagine?
Providing support throughout the album are musicians we’ve never heard of, aside from Kim Kiona and Sylvia Tosun, two popular female trance vocalists. Kiona, who has numerous collaborations with Driftmoon throughout the years, steals the show on Stay, singing a tale filled with so much emotion that the chills last from start to finish. Speaking of the finish, she NAILS it- delivering a triumphant, powerful high note that would probably make Mariah Carey stand and applaud.
[pullquote](R)Evolution, according to Driftmoon himself, “is a manifest of pure emotion and creativity which I didn’t know I even possessed.” [/pullquote]
This pure emotion, this creativity, shines bright on 12 magnificently crafted tracks, each taking the listener on a different journey. The expectations that existed before, the expectations of a trance-y album with orchestral elements, were quickly erased. There is NO trance, whatsoever. Instead, Driftmoon delivers a symphonic epic that is as beautiful as its’ cover art. Talk about a pleasant surprise.
What album, or song, is your favorite pleasant surprise? Have you listened to (R)Evolution? What’s your favorite track? Drop a comment below and let us know!
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