Progresive Excellence
‘Dandelion’ has to be one of the shittiest names for an album I’ve seen in quite some time. Thankfully it’s not about album titles, it’s the songs on it that have to cut the mustard. So who are they?
Time’s Forgotten are a Costa Rican “progressive rock band” and were founded in 2004 in San José,Costa Rica, with the intention of experimenting with diverse textures and sounds to be fusioned with rock music, including electronic music, ethnic elements and heavy metal. Interesting stuff I hear you say.
After working on the production of their first album “A Relative Moment of Peace”, during a two and a half year period, the record was released in august of 2006, surprising the Costa Rican market with very considerable sales, considering that this was a band that had never played live before. In January of 2007 the band presented their album for the second time, this time in the Ampitheatre of the National Center of Culture of Costa Rica in front of an apparently impressive crowd, outstanding for being the band`s only second show. Beside the achievements at a national level, Time’s Forgotten were invited to participate on one of the most important progressive rock festivals on the planet: the Baja Prog festival in Mexicali, Mexico, where they shared the stage with some of the greatest names in the progressive genre, something never before achieved by a Costa Rican band.
During the last year Time’s Forgotten has shared the stage with international bands such as Angra from Brasil, EZOO and CAST from Mexico, and made several important appearances in Costa Rica.
So, onto ‘Dandelion’, the bands critical sophomore album. ‘Time’s Forgotten’ have created interest in the Prog Community, can they sustain it with this. Thankfully on the first listen then answer is a resounding YES! Musically it is a very intense piece of work. Dynamic, textured sounds stimulate, its quite an atmospheric piece of work, one minute in your face, the next its subdued with a few piano notes and very little diminutive sounds in the background. I like this album a lot!
From the opening bars of ‘8.03pm (These Streets)’ to the final track ‘I Welcome You My Night’, Time’s Forgotten have themselves an album to be proud of with a wide musical range of styles, going from the typical prog-metal, to some mellow rock passages, with some electronic music, mellotron , flute passages, and some mystical chants and melodies. Singer Longui really excels himself, carrying a wide and impressive range. Couple this with some great layered harmonies and they have something to savour. This is a worthy addition of any prog lovers cd collection
Standout tracks - pretty much all of of it.