The following sites have reviewed the Deluge Grander album: There's a rather negative review at http://www.progwereld.org/cd-recensies/delugegrander.htm, but it's in Dutch, and the Babelfish translation was pretty weak, but if you speak Dutch and want an alternate take on the album, give it a read. Unfortunately (or should I say fortunately?), I don't know Dutch well enough to edit the automatic translation into something readable. I think the main complaints were muddy production and overly long tracks, which are certainly valid if you don't like dense layered walls of sound and long songs. To my knowledge, this is the least favorable review, and only real negative review, the album has gotten so far. Here are some more positive reviews, basically in the order they were written: http://www.musicinbelgium.net/pl/modules.php?name=Reviews&rop=showcontent&id=1645 In French, here's my best attempt at a translation, with plenty of help from Alta Vista's Babelfish, whose many indiosyncratic translations were often left intact for humorous effect: This is the debut album of this American group from the Baltimore area. The founder is keyboardist Dan Britton, (ex-?) member of Cerebus Effect, from which the group also includes drummer Patrick Gaffney. Cerebus Effect made a promising album last year, of the style "Jazz-Rock'n'roll/Progressive", " Acts of Deception ". To locate the things, the Project superintendent of Deluge Grander quotes Christian Vander as his favorite artist. He called "Retrospektiw I and II" of Magma his favorite album, followed up by four others of Genesis, with initially "The Lamb Dregs Down one Broadway" and "Selling England by the Pound". To tell the truth, if "August in the Urals" integrates these influences, those of King Crimson and Yes are there too. With listening, it appears quickly obvious that all marry here with happiness. It’s an ambitious, complex, and sophisticated work, always defended by an irreproachable interpretation. The keyboards carry out the dance and print the "Progressive" colouring of the unit. They produce a rich patchwork of sonorities and atmospheres. The guitars supplement the work with taste, but without real flamboyance, until the notable explosion of the last titles where Dave Berggren more clearly posts the extent of his potentialities. The singing is dark and solemn, forced a little and of an average quality, but well in osmosis with work. It remains despite everything overall secondary. The rhythmic work is impeccable, impregnated in turn of "Fusion" and "Progressive". The low one is well marked and the percussion is dynamic. The titles (71' 01): 1. "Inaugural Bash" (Britton/Berggren/Gaffney) (26' 57) 2. "August in the Urals" (Britton/d’Anon) (15' 52) 3. "Abandoned Mansion Afternoon" (Britton) (12' 14) 4. "A Squirrel" (Britton/Berggren) (8' 45) 5. "The Solitude of Miranda" (Britton) (7' 18) Musicians: Dan Britton : Keyboards, Guitars (2, 5) & Vocal (1, 2, 3) Dave Berggren : Guitars (1, 3, 4, 5) Patrick Gaffney : Drums Brett d' Anon : Bass & Oud (1, 2, 3, 4) Frank d' Anon : Xylophone, Trumpet, Flute & Keyboards (1, 5) Jeff Suzdal : Saxophones (1) Adnarim Dadelos : Vocal (5) "Inaugural Bash" consists of several distinct parts. It includes/understands seven parts, created with the wire of time, without quite precise order, by Dan Britton. The assembly of this puzzle appears without any clashes, thanks also to the contribution of the new members of the group and some close relations. All that confers on this long part a great instrumental richness, as well as a diversity of tone and rates/rhythms. All the "Progressive" tendencies referred to above are represented here. The last third, only with a part of vocal, is sublime, evolving/moving in the imposing one and the ceremonial. Quite as palpitating, "Augusts in the Urals" keeps the solemn one in the vocal ones. The keyboards include models like King Crimson, Yes or even Erik Norlander. Dan Britton proves that in more of its competences to the keyboards, it is not penguin with the guitars, slipping by even in one or the other well soaked solo. The roundness of low never prevents it from being shingling. The intensive use of the cymbals by the lively drummer completes in beauty rhythmic work. "Abandoned Mansion Afternoon" remains in the same style as the previous song, vocal included. With the guitar, Dave Berggren works by small fine keys and Brett d' Anon follows clearly the traces of Chris Squire. A little less centered on the cymbals, Patrick Gaffney prints a drier tone with the percussions. The instrumental "A squirrel" is based on the long evolution in parallel of a duet between Dan Britton and Dave Berggren, its two composers. Bass and drums are integrated step by step in this mechanism, intersecting with delight. A small masterpiece! The hispanic "The Solitude of Miranda" still raises the level of a notch, while continuing the diagram of the preceding part, with an identical balance between the instruments. All that always remains of a great fluidity. Ultimately, of Return to Forever, circa Al Di Meola, but in the "Progressive" vein. The intervention of vocal is more than anecdotic. In short, an excellent album which will charm as well the amateurs of ambitious "Progressive Rock'n'roll" as well as those more interested in "Jazz-Rock'n'roll". If the references remain frankly anchored in the "Seventies", the modernism of Deluge Grander never appears debatable. In another register, the aesthetic success this CD and of its booklet is remarkable. Country: US Emkog 001 Exit: 2006/10/04 Rating 4/5 All in all, a pretty good review: well-written and positive, and a pretty long one by their site's standards. I think most of the comparisons are fair except for maybe the Erik Norlander one, but there's nothing strange about a surprising analogy in the world of music reviews. http://www.proggnosis.com/MUSIC_DBCDInfo.asp?txtCDID=20383 On August In The Urals Deluge Grander give us some vintage Prog very much in the early seventies symphonic genre made popular by bands like King Crimson, Genesis and Camel. Even though Deluge Grander do not wander off the traditional sound, they do add some newness to the genre. The compositions are quite good and the performances also. Like Camel, vocals are not the band's main strenght, but they are sufficently well done not to be a liability and the instumental parts occupy a big place on the album. All in all this is a very good cd and those that miss that early seventies stuff should check this band out. Not unfavorable, but pretty short. There's nothing odd about a short review either I guess. http://www.disagreement.net/reviews/delugegrander_augustintheurals.html The dyslexic prog kings from smalltown USA are back with a new band. Stopping after three albums with the misspelled Cerebus Effect, keyboarder Dan Britton and drummer Patrick Gaffney are back with another failed attempt at orthography. The word game is alright, but it should be spelled "Grandeur" instead of "Grander". But as this is not about winning a spelling bee, but about high octane prog antics, Deluge Grander don't have to worry about losing points in the pedagogical department. Where Cerebus Effect still needed eleven songs to cross the 50 minute border, Deluge Grander may have a certain "delusion of grandeur" as their five songs take up more than 70 minutes, something which might be "fatiguing in all its earnestness", to freely quote the band inforsheet. Well, I wouldn't go that far. People who don't get this album probably lack the right musical education. So this is aimed at those who are routined in listening to weird avant rock sounds, but what the heck, we pretentious pricks also need sometimes to get a masturbatory treat. August In The Urals starts with the 27 minute heartpiece and ironically titled Inaugural Bash. The first sections are deeply rooted in Western European Zeuhl (Univers Zero) and Eastern European classical music (Igor Stravinsky), with Dan Britton's varied keyboard work overshadowing the not to be dismissed genius by the rhyhtm section and also guitarist Dave Berggren. After 18 minutes, you notice that this is where the track was once supposed to end, but it continues with a severely dark theme before progressive rock elements make it familiar to fans of the Canterbury scene. And when the four- and six-stringer decide to let it all loose, it sounds a lot like Chris Squire and Steve Howe duelling, showing that just like their compatriots 5uu's, Deluge Grander are just another RIO (rock in opposition) band with a fondness sometimes just too close to Yes. Two more longtracks follow, although the title track and Abandoned Mansion Afternoon (the band's first song written) need to combine their running times to equal the opener. Both are slightly more accessible than the very demanding opener, and therefore probably more airplay fodder, if there are still radio stations about that like to play quarter hour long tracks. Two shorter (9 resp. 7 minutes), more or less instrumentals end the album, not reaching the level of the earlier songs, but then they would still be highlights on any lesser album. August In The Urals is certainly not a very original album. Its progressiveness lies mostly in quoting different influences, but instead of relying on the typical 70s prog bands, you get Zeuhl combined with early Genesis/Yes sounds and the occasion jazz part. Another interesting fact is that bass player Frank D'Anon invited his uncle as a very sophisticated guest musician, playing various rock-untypical instruments. This is definitely not for the faint-hearted, but a sure challenge for every hardcore prog fan who cherishes complicated (and still thoroughly composed) compositions. The production is good even though rather basic, but weren't most masterpieces in the good old times? Cerebus Effect offered their wisdom is more digestible slices, but Deluge Grander have more of a concept and therefore end up being even more brilliant than their predecessors. This may be a little bit on the pretentious side of prog, but shouldn't that be something every well-educated prog fan should be looking for? For the record "Deluge Grander" is not a misspelling, and I think it's not hard to guess the "double entendre" that was intended with the name. Still, I like the way this guy writes his reviews- even if he seems to like an album, he'll point out some flaws in an honest way. http://schallplattenmann.de/artikel.html?topic=115115 This one was in German, here's a translation: What would happen if the Artrock Pioneers Yes- not the commercial group of the 1980's, but rather the experimental group of the 1970's (somewhere between Fragile and Tales From Topographic Oceans)- met the fusion ideas of Return to Forever? The result perhaps belongs to perhaps this fascinating debut from the Baltimore progressive rock band Deluge Grander's "August in the Urals." Hypnotic electric piano runs and polyrhythms meet gloomy artful built-up sound architectures in epic, and neverthless not long-winded compositions. Deluge Grander succeed one of the most uncommon blends in prog that I've heard in a long time. For me it sounds like the "debut of the year", far from the big names of (bespickter) supergroups or omnipotent mainstream labels. Who would have thought? There is one limitation to notice, that went for the completely different but still excellent album "Acts of Deception" of the previous formation Cerebus Effect, namely that the album is "over-underproduced." Nevertheless I deduct a point. "August in the Urals" has enough musicality to leave sound (imperfections/Ungereimtheiten) behind. Score 4/5. "Debut album of the year," hooray. http://www.somnius.com/outermusicdiary/2006/11/29/103/ Deluge Grander – August in the Urals. 2006. D:11. Dan Britton of Cerebus Effect has hatched a new unit for his ever creative mind, Deluge Grander. Cerebus Effect was crazy enough, but this goes to the next level. Greg Walker enthused in his catalog: “One of the best American albums ever! Banco meets Anglagard meets Crimson with lots of tron and long tracks.” Well, that should setup everyone for a disappointment. Or does it? “August in the Urals” is so far in the old fashioned progressive camp, that it will appeal to one kind of fan – the old fashioned progressive rocker. This is very much in the over the top 1970s American school of complex proggy prog ala Cathedral, Mirthrandir, Pentwater and Yezda Urfa. It was bound to happen sooner or later, a band would be completely and totally influenced by obscure worldwide progressive rock. Not jazz, psych, blues, beat, classical, or anything else. Not Yes, Genesis and ELP but rather Locanda Delle Fate, Pulsar, Dun and Anglagard. Much like Wobbler, if you turn your nose up at it, then it’s probably time to admit you just don’t like progressive rock anymore. Or at least anything new that sounds old. It’ll be condemned as so darn uncool by the hipsters, that it’s likely to be considered interesting by a passing stranger. As for me, well this is the style of prog rock I like most, so almost anything like it will get a gushing review. Hardly an unbiased, fair and balanced outlook I realize. Not that it’s perfect by any means, the vocals being one of the areas that could use some improvement (maybe they could get Di Giacomo to guest?). And it’s a little short of memorable melodies and good grooves. But no complaints from me, there’s so little of this kind of music anymore, I’ll take whatever is given me. Appropriately enough, the cover is a grandiose Thomas Cole painting, the same one used by doom metallers Candlemass on “Ancient Dreams”. Who’d a thunk Baltimore would end up being the center of the universe for European prog? http://www.progwalhalla.nl/recensies/index.php?page=recensie&ID=149 DELUGE GRANDER – August In The Urals (****) - The prime mover of this musical project is Dan Britton (keyboards, vocals, guitars) from USA progrock band Cerubus Effect. He had been working on material of his own and wanted this new group to record the music he had composed and even play it live. Well, their debut CD is highly recommended, what a dynamic, alternating and surprising prog and what an excellent musicians! The first, very long and varied composition Inaugural Bash (running time over 25 minutes) impressed me from the very first moment: captivating and enervating music featuring splendid interplay and lots of great shifting moods: from soaring Mellotron with fiery guitar and powerful bass work to propulsive with an adventurous rhtytm-section and sumptuous climates with howling guitar and lush Mellotron. A surprising and often subtle element is the blend of instruments like the xylophone, trumpet, church-organ and male choir. The references range from King Crimson and Gentle Giant to Frank Zappa and Yes, all bands that deliver virtuosic interplay, lots of dynamics and musical ideas (at some moments even avant-garde but quite melodic). The other four compositions are also on a high level: the titletrack contains great tension between the acoustic guitar and a varied ‘vintage keyboard sound’ (Hammond, Mellotron, harpsichord and Grand piano), in Abandoned Mansion we can enjoy a wonderful duet from Fender Rhodes electric piano and acoustic guitar, the song A Squirrel features swirling play on the Moog synthesizer and Hohner D6 clavinet (evoking Gentle Giant) along howling, distored electric guitar and the final, very exciting track The Solitude Of Miranda has a sultry Andalusian atmosphere with play on the Oud (a kind of Arabian lute), fluent Spanish guitar runs and a flashy synthesizer solo. In my opinion this album will turn out to be one of the highlights of 2006, what a stunning debut! http://www.lowcut.dk/040_lc/reviews/index.asp+ I just want to say that this is a totally amazing CD, both the music and the artwork. I love the whole concept. If you like progressive rock, then this is the one CD you MUST buy in 2006. IT is that fucking good. This band was formed out of the Baltimore area group, Cerebus Effect and is lead by Dan Britton (keys, some guitar and vocals). He is joined by Dave Berggren (guitars), Patrick Gaffney (Drums) and Brett d’Anon (bass). Lastly, you must mention Frank d’Anon, who plays a little of everything. The booklet features 5 fantastic pictures, each to go along with the five different tracks. The CD begins with the amazing mostly instrumental track, Inaugural Bash (27 minutes!). This is a fantastic journey and features a lot of killer keyboard playing as well as sax, trumpet, flute and loads of guitar! August in the Urals is nearly 16 minutes and probably my favourite track on the CD. I really like the vocal style (not too high pitched and quite pleasant spoke word style, nearly). This track really builds nicely and even features oud! Abandonded Mansion Afternoon (12 mins) has a very eerie dark feel to it but is also nicely melodic and again features just amazing playing by everyone. A Squirrel is an all instrumental track, which allows the entire band to show off. The Solitude of Miranda reminds me of Jethro Tull’s instrumental style music at the beginning of the track and it features some interesting vocals as the track keeps an intense mood and playing until the very end. Amazing CD. Buy it today! http://delugegrander.com If you dig: Gösta berlings saga, Yes, Ad Infinitum, King Crimson Scott http://www.progressiveears.com/asp/reviews.asp?albumID=3761+ Member: Brian G Deluge Grander owes its conception to the Baltimore progressive rock group Cerebus Effect. Keyboardist Dan Britton and drummer Patrick Gaffney were exploring new material. They were joined by Dave Berggen on guitars, with Jeff Suzdal adding sax, Brett D'Anon adding bass and Frank d'Anon ably filling in several more instruments. The result was something very wonderful. The arrangements of August In The Urals are incredibly dense and layered, but the lead musician is never in doubt. Melodies and rhythms wind around each other, returning and then hiding under the thick blanket of warm keyboards and bending bass. Minor keys predominate, but what sets this album apart are the sections where the listener can "come up for air" with a turn to major chords and more upbeat, positive sounding material. The music follows a classical style with songs composed of many sections. Styles, rhythms and instrumentation change often. The composition style ranges from dark RIO similar to Guapo (especially with the driving electric piano so useful in Guapo's music) to the Scandanavian symphonic excursions of Wobbler and Sinkadus, to the more melodic sounds of Glass Hammer and even some Rick Wakeman and Van der Graaf Generator. With only five songs covering a total over 70 minutes, there is sufficient room within each selection for each player to add their own ideas. On the first track "Inaugural Bash", the listener is given a revolving set of melodies. The vocals enter at about eight minutes into the song like a choir of morticians, but then fade into the clever, intricate songlines again. When a certain chord basis and rhythm are established, some kind of melody always shows up, whether played by the keyboard, the vocals, the guitar, or the bass. Even after 26 minutes, "Inaugural Bash" fades out, like there was more the band wanted to add! The exhausting "Inaugural Bash" is graciously followed up by the pastoral introduction to "August In The Urals". However, this does not last long before the Russian men's choir vocals reappear. But they are too far back in the mix to contribute lyrically, buried by the heavy bass and mountain of mellotron. The mixing and mastering are probably the only shortfall of this recording, understandable since it was recorded in individual home studios. That said, it is quite an accomplishment based on the limits of their equipment. "A Squirrel" and "The Solitude of Miranda" continue the heavy progressive keyboard elements, evoking Par Lindh and Deus Ex Machina But I keep coming back to the comparison with Wobbler and Guapo in the complexity and heavy use of keyboards. This band is unique for American bands in that there are very few instrumental or vocal solos. This reflects on the creative imagination of the players, keeping the listener entertained for each long track. Deluge Grander provides the listener with visual pleasure as well. In the liner notes, there is a work of art depicting each song. My favorite is the pastoral scene for “Abandoned Mansion Afternoon”. The pictures are somewhat folky and simplistic, but each tries to depict the music as a picture - very difficult since there are few lyrics. Plus the lyrics are de-emphasized, although a print of the lyrics would have been helpful in connecting the art with the music. This album illustrates the advantages of great cover art. On the front cover of August In the Urals is one of my favorite masterpieces of 19th Century art - a portion of Thomas Cole's "The Voyage Of Life - Youth" showing a young person reaching toward a grand city in the sky while in a boat floating into a pastoral landscape. What is missing in this scene is Cole's original depiction of challenging rapids in the stream ahead, an allusion to the challenge of mid-life. The challenge of making this album could have been in mind when they chose this particular work of art. If this metaphor holds, the players are in heaven now! Member: RichardP I had the pleasure of discovering one of the best symphonic prog albums I have listened to since a long time, and what is even more interesting, it comes from the U.S.A. (more exactly from Baltimore) and was released just one month ago. The band is Deluge Grander, and their first album is August in the Urals. I had never heard of them, but the founder, Dan Britton, is associated to Cerebus Effect, which released Acts of Deception last year. I was instantly hooked on the first track right from the start. I immediately realized that these guys make seriously solid symphonic prog, incorporating the best elements of Gabriel/Hackett/Banks-era Genesis, early King Crimson, classic Yes, while adding exotic touches (cf. the Iberian sonorities and rhythms on “The Solitude of Miranda” or the use of oud on “August in the Urals”). The album is ambitious. Five tracks, the shortest being 7:18 and the longest, a typical side of a vinyl album, that clocks in at 26:57. Although one can easily pick up elements diagnostic of '70s prog (one would have to be a virgin to miss those :-)), I would never qualify the music as derivative. Although the balance between keyboards and guitar, as well as other stylistic aspects, remind strongly of Foxtrot/Nursery Cryme-period) Genesis, there is enough originality added to it to reach that unique sound that I can now associate to the band. One of them is the delightful guitar playing that somehow reminds me of Justin Hayward's, i.e. sober but highly dynamic, melodic and fluid, with a sort of easy going appearance. The piece de resistance is of course the long (26:57) first track, “The Inaugural Bash”, which is a long concept piece, that includes seven parts. Dark, majestic, solemn; symphonic prog at its best. In addition to the already mentioned Genesis + King Crimson + Yes elements, one can definitely include VDGG to the mixture. Again, with the most exquisite taste and discretion :-) And the guitar style and recurrent presence of the Mellotron even evoke the Moody Blues, but Moodies that would be led by Peter Hammill :-) . Of special note is the use of unusual instrumentation (e.g. saxophones, xylophone, and trumpet) that adds very nice and unique colors to the work. And Mellotron, lots of it, enough to satisfy the most bombastic hungry of us :-) The vocals are rather limited on that track, but in the last section, there is some ancient chanting a la Flamen Dialis or Carl Orff that creates a very unique, tantalizing atmosphere. Quite memorable. The other tracks are all excellent, and explore various styles, while remaining readily identifiable as Deluge Grander. My only criticism goes to Dan Britton’s vocals. They are somehow reminiscent of Pulsar’s Gilbert Gandil : weak, plaintive, strangely melancholic and sad. And a little off key too :-) It does not deter from the listening experience, but is certainly a weak element in the whole. Fortunately, the main focus is easily the music, that more than compensates for the vocal shortcomings. The title track is especially superb, with some very soft, pastoral, eerie passages; again, one feels the shadow of the Moody Blues. The last track, “The Solitude of Miranda” includes some solid acoustic guitar with Moorish or even Middle Eastern touches. Ominous atmospheres contrasting with more rocking passages. And nice demonstration of keyboard pyrotechnics. Some female vocals in a foreign language are also featured as a refreshment :-) To summarize, Deluge Grander is easily the best symphonic prog band to have seen the light in the USA since Maelstrom and Happy the Man, to my knowledge. They deliver what we prog-o-saurs always hope for, i.e. more of the best prog, with a new attitude :-). It ranks among the best of the Golden Era bands, if we pardon the vocals. Very solid instrumentalists, inspired compositions, excellent melodic qualities: here we have a rock solid band that will please the most discriminating amateurs of the genre. That album is definitely an instant classic. Highly, very warmly recommended. |