Cantus Firmus, means- fixed song, - a pre-existing melody forming the basis of a polyphonic composition. This is the title of Advent's second album; after a nine year hiatus from their self-titled debut album, the New Jersey progband Advent has certainty released a CD that is impressive on quite a few levels. Upon the first few seconds of listening, you immediately hear the influence of Gentle Giant. Creating music in this style is not easy... and rest assure that Advent is not copy of GG (not that it would be a bad thing LOL), but as a base to create some amazing and enlightening progressive music.
The album begins with `GK Contramundum,' which contains some beautiful A Cappella ala Shulman/Minnear until it blends into the second track- `Awaiting the Call,' the band shows that it has it's own identity. This piece is a standout instrumental with some very tasty drumming by Drew Sicilianoe, and Tony Bankish chords.
On various tracks one can hear other influences besides GG: snippets of Yes, Anthony Phillips, Pat Metheny, Genesis, Steve Hackett, Bach, Procol Harem and various classical styles fuse to make some very complex impressive and original music. The band's main songwriter- Henry Ptak keeps his compositions sophisticated and almost brings back the classic heyday of the 70's progressive. The pace on some songs can be a tad slow, especially when using the building up technique in terms of dynamics, but there is more than enough changes in tempo and instruments to spice up the music.
Tracks, `Utter Once Her Name' and `Remembering When' both bring out some excellent guitar work by Alan Benjamin, who can sound like solo Steve Hackett on occasion. Lush keys compliment the sweet acoustic and electric guitar work, showcasing the bands shorter tunes.
One of the highlights of the album is `Ramblin Sailor,'- an 18 minute epic piece, which was adapted from an old English sea chantey. As with Gentle Giant, the band loves to layer complex instrumentals with intricate vocals. Hints of Genesis can be heard as the Ptak Brothers keyboards are featured on this track and yes, they do sparkle and counterpoint some very nice guitar. Kenso bassist Shunji Saegusa was brought in as a guest and he keeps the compositions energy taut.
An additional long epic tune and one of two `bonus' tracks- `Alison Waits (A Ghost Story),' is another highlight of the CD. This track is an enhanced version of the original albums 4-track piece. Now a 24-track song, the composition has been upgraded with new drumming by Ken Serio. This is an excellent track with a plethora of rich sounds.
I would be amiss if I failed to add a specific comment about the bands vocals. What can I say? These guys are superb! Mark Ptak has sung tenor in Berklee's Concert Choir; he also sings liturgical music in Roman Catholic Church choirs in both Massachusetts and New Jersey. Brother Henry sings in Newark’s Sacred Heart Cathedral Choir. It is uncanny how much they sound like classical GG vocals. I only wished the voices could have been recorded crisper, to bring them out even further, yet, these two compliment the extraordinary talents of the rest of Advent: Benjamin Rose, Alan Benjamin, and Drew Siciliano. If I may be so bold, these gentlemen have the potential to be the most talented band in progressive music today.
Is the album perfect? No, they never are, but Cantus Firmus is one of the premier and exciting releases of the year. Still, I would love to hear some more `riffier' elements in the bands compositions as well as even pushing the dynamics and power/dramatics. Even the best of Genesis and Gentle Giant contains strong hooks and leads that compliment the complexity.
Artwork wise: After seeing a lot of poor prog art, it was great to see that the cover art is a winner. The flatness of the artwork shows off the medieval influence and the composition is strong. Good job.
All in all, this album is excellent! Even if you don't like Gentle Giant or bands such as Jethro Tull or Yes, I would recommend you at least checking it out. Fans of medieval music and classic symphonic prog should eat this up. Curiously, I can't wait to check them out live (I will see them at the NJ Proghouse next month). The band's newest member- Greg Katona (who plays in a Genesis tribute band called- Foxtrot), is an addition that will be interesting to hear in concert.
Bravo gentlemen, I hope that future Advent albums will be forthcoming on a more consistent basis (and NOT every nine years), as I can not wait to see where this group goes, or should I say progress.
Score 9.2 out of 10
