Dutch band Perfect Storm, hailing from Groningen, surprised friend and foe with their great debut album No Air in 2020, and it even made it to my personal top ten that year. With their well-balanced mix of dynamic and adventurous rock music, they managed to steal the hearts of a whole contingent of progressive rock fans. So, at some point it was time for the sophomore album, never an easy task to follow up a good debut, let alone surpass it. Yet they succeeded beyond expectations, kudos to the sextet from the northern regions of the Netherlands.
What is particularly striking on Stairs are the harmony vocals, already good, have attuned to each other significantly more than before. When Hiske Oosterwijk takes the lead, Adel Saflou does backing vocals and vice versa, as in the best vocal work of, for example, Jon Anderson and Chris Squire (Yes), together intertwined into one. The album is full of wonderful melodies and variation in the songs: from sweet ballads with a sharp edge to progressive metal, sometimes within the same song. Also plenty of tempo and mood changes as true prog songs should sound like.
Stairs comprises of seven songs with a total running time of almost fifty minutes, and the individual songs vary in length between five and eleven minutes: the latter referring to epic Depraved Mind. This last song sets the tone on the new album: it’s dark in nature and with different moods and tempo changes it perfectly meets the format desired by prog fans. Guitarist/bandleader Gert Jan Schurer comments: ‘Depraved Mind is possibly our heaviest and most progressive song yet. This track takes you on a journey through three distinct chapters, with a dark, immersive atmosphere. In the middle, you’ll find an ambient space section that builds into a final crescendo of powerful metal riffing’. Well put.
Sometimes the metal-prog nature of the band rears its head, which is expressed through heavy guitars and some almost growling vocals by Saflou in particular. Not really my thing, but I understand that this is also part of the band’s genetics. There are numerous influences: from Porcupine Tree to Anathema and Muse, the somewhat heavier progressive repertoire comes to mind.
Guitarist Gert-Jan Schurer plays a leading role with his inventive playing which is sometimes extremely clean, then again heavily distorted but always very melodic – a pivotal point in the band’s sound. But also kudos for the melodic bass runs (fretless!) and ultra-tight drums. Time to mention that Perfect Storm did not survive ‘the hurricane’ completely unscathed as drummer Jesse Bosman and keyboardist Ard Offers have been replaced by Wieger Dijkstra and Jan Munnik respectively. This certainly benefits the cohesion of the band, especially Dijkstra does an excellent job. The keys in Perfect Storm remain mainly supportive, no problem given the dominance of vocals and guitar.
Another beautiful album cover in the style of predecessor No Air by fellow Groningen artist Vlerk, which benefits continuity and recognizability (think of Yes and Genesis). In short, an excellent second album from the lady and gentlemen from the north of the Netherlands.
TRACK LISTING
01. Demon’s Dance (6:56)
02. Deep Skin Sky (5:34)
03. Don’t Go (4:58)
04. I Am Tomorrow (6:38)
05. Misspend (5:54)
06. Stairs (7:00)
07. Depraved Mind (11:04)
Total Time – 48:02
MUSICIANS
Gert-Jan Schurer – Guitars
Adel Saflou – Vocals
Wieger Dijkstra – Drums
Jan Munnik – Keyboards
David Klompmakers – Bass
Hiske Oosterwijk – Vocals
ADDITIONAL INFO
Record Label: Glassville Music
Country of Origin: Netherlands
Date of Release: 14th November 2024
DISCOGRAPHY
– Stairs (2024)
– No Air (2020)
LINKS
Perfect Storm – Website (Glassville Music) | Facebook | Bandcamp | YouTube | Instagram
