Artist: Knight Area 
   Title: Under A New Sign
   Label: The Laser's Edge

‘Under A New Sign’ is the second and much anticipated release from Dutch Prog Metallers Knight Area and follows their debut album ‘The Sun Also Rises’.  As the first album was mainly a studio project by the brothers Gerban and Joop Klazinga with the band evolving into a full touring band on the success of the album, this new opus is a complete band package with all members contributing to the overall concept of the album.

The album is as progressive as it gets with the band wearing their progressive influences on their sleeves with touches of early Genesis (The Gabriel Years), Pink Floyd, IQ and Marilion to name but a few.

The album may be only seven tracks long but these are seven pieces of pure timeless Prog Metal/Rock with haunting keyboards, soulful guitar solos and a sterling rhythm section, all encased around a vocalist who fills the air with emotive yet impressive melodies.

The album gets underway with the Floyd like tones of ‘A Different Man’ with the vocals of Mark Smit lending themselves to mesmerizing feel of the piece and the keyboards of Gerben Klazinga bringing the whole thing together like some black and white toothed piped piper.

As the first track melts away into the distance the next one 'Exit L.U.M.C’ takes up were it left off, with the same mystifying aura with Smit taking more of an active vocal role on this one, but with the keyboards of Klazinga not far behind, this once again is so much in the Pink Floyd vein you can almost hear the division bell.

The tempo is picked up with the thumping tones of ‘Mastermind’ which is more what I would call Prog Metal with its rampaging rhythm section, huge flailing guitars and power enthused keyboard section and of course the stirring vocalist.

The title track ‘Under A New Sign’ is next, this is where Smit takes a back seat on this instrumental so the band can really show what master musicians they really are, with this composition that fulfils the criteria for Progressive Rock with all the right elements in all the right places, stirring stuff!

It's back to the mike for Smit on the next piece ‘Courteous Love’, another mood enriched track that brings in a little flute and cello into the mix too add even more atmosphere to the already dynamic melodies of the track.

The tempo is once more picked up with another bass ridden thumper the excellent ‘Dreamweaver’, this is another track where the combination of Smits vocals and Klazinga’s keyboards carry you away on a Progressive tidal wave, along with some fine guitars courtesy of Rinie Huigen and Mark Vermeule that add great depth to the track.

The album closes with ‘A Different Man, Pt II’ like all the tracks before it this is another great piece of Progressive inspiration that starts off from humble beginnings with flute and keys but builds into a mixture of changing progressive textures that will leave the listener wanting more.

The band hail the beginning of a new era of Progressive Rock that will see the band conquer its merry heights to reign above all that has gone before them. 

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