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"With "Kazakhstan", Ricochet delivers a not necessarily original but devilishly well-handled album, somewhere between rock and progressive metal."
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3/5
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Ricochet hail from Hamburg, Germany, and have been around for almost thirty years (with a few line-up changes in between). Initially influenced by Dream Theater's progressive metal, their mission now seems to be to rehabilitate the good old classic hard rock formula, with a solo on almost every song, a singer who sings without (too) much screaming, and a few ballads accompanied by acoustic guitar and keyboards.
The guitars are effective, especially in the soli (there are also several heartfelt keyboard solos). The first track, 'The Custodians', has a bridge that's clearly borrowed from Queensrÿche's most famous prog album, 'Operation Mindcrime', which makes the rest of the track (which is actually quite good) hard to listen to. If 'King of Tales' is completely dispensable, 'Farewell' slowly builds the pressure.
Two tracks stand out: the catchy 'Waiting for the Storm' and its unforgettable solo, and the ballad 'On a Distant Shore', which could be found in an Bon Jovi album. The eponymous closing track ventures to the East (in this case, perhaps rather to Central Asia) and could almost pretend to venture into progressive rock with its old-fashioned organ solo. A brave attempt (even if the keyboardist has listened a little too much to Derek Sherinian) that opens up new horizons.
In the long run, however, the album lacks originality and leaves us a little disappointed, despite a few moments of grace. Special mention must be made of the guitar soli, which recall the rich hours of 80's heavy metal, and the organ-based Prog flights. - Official website
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TRACK LISTING:
01. The Custodians - 6:40
02. King of Tales - 4:37
03. Farewell - 9:35
04. Interception - 6:04
05. Waiting for the Storm - 6:25
06. Beyond the Line - 6:10
07. Losing Ground - 6:55
08. On a Distant Shore - 5:12
09. Kazakhstan - 7:00
LINEUP:
Björn Tiemann: Claviers
Hans Strenge: Basse
Heiko Holler: Guitares
Jan Keimer: Batterie
Michael Keuter: Chant
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STAFF:
3/5 (2 view(s))
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