Powerplay is the sophomore album of HFMC, HFMC of course stands for Hasse Fröberg & Musical Companion. Their second album was originally released in 2012 and has now being re-released as the album has been out of print for many years. This rerelease is featuring two bonus tracks, being Venice CA and White Butterly, both recorded live. This new release of Powerplay is the first result of the collaboration with HFMC's new record label FREIA Music and besides the two bonus tracks the album also has updated artwork in a two panel Digi sleeve and a twelve-page booklet as well. Colleague Pedro Bekkers reviewed the original Powerplay album in 2012 (see review) and he was quite impressed by HFMC's sophomore album. I also liked Powerplay, although it is, quite obvious, not as good as HFMC's latest album called Eternal Snapshots (2024, see review), which was one of the best prog rock albums of the year 2024! Highlights of this album are of course the epic tracks My River To Cross (hello Flower Kings), The Final Hour (beautiful diverse prog rock in the veins of Yes and The Flower Kings) and Is It Ever Gonna Happen ("heavy guitars"). For me the two live bonus tracks are not really a must have reason to buy this re-release of Powerplay, but it is still a great album, which is indeed a must for fans/lovers of good, decent, melodic prog rock in the veins of The Flower Kings and sometimes even Yes, so, if it is not in your record collection yet, buy it now!! Listening tip: My River To Cross. ***+ Martien Koolen (edited by Tracy van Os van den Abeelen) Where to buy? |
