Time Frames is Jonas Lindberg's 3rd full length studio album and if this one is as good as his previous album, or better, than this would be one of the best albums of 2025 indeed. However, after a couple of spins I come to the rather "sad" conclusion that Miles From Nowhere (2022, see review) definitely is a far better album. Time Frames offers seven prog rock songs and of course they are worthy follow ups to the songs on Miles From Nowhere, but they sometimes lack in originality and are sometimes a bit too laid back. Again, all instruments and vocals are taken care of by mister Lindberg himself, but he has also some assistance from a couple of guitarists, singers, and drummers. Time Frames opens fantastic with the epic End Of The Road, clocking in at almost thirteen minutes, this is a beautiful prog/pop song in the veins of Karmakanic and Lindberg's older song material; a classic track with great melodies, nice soaring guitar solos and crystal clear vocals by Jonas Sundquist. Next up is Someone Like Me, which to me is a disappointing song, as it sounds more like a folk pop song with not very much diversity or musical surprises. However, the third track Faces Of Stone is again a 100% Swedish prog rock beauty with an addictive, very tight groove, and lots of keyboard walls indeed. Galactic Velvet offers some extraordinarily strong melodies, heartfelt vocals by Jenny Storm and a standout, superb guitar solo, while follow up Gruvan is an impressive instrumental rollercoaster, highlighting all of Lindberg's musical qualities and skills. Running Out Of Time, a ballad with lots of acoustic guitars and a melodic chorus is the "weakest" track of the entire album; even the fiery guitar solo in the middle cannot take this song to a higher level.... Finally, we come to the highlight of the album, which is called The Wind, and I can only say that this is a prog rock masterpiece indeed, although the influences of Neal Morse are 100% obviously present. The Wind, clocks in over seventeen minutes and it features complex instrumental passages galore, while bands like Yes, Genesis and The Beatles are in fact not far away.... The Wind is also a very bombastic song ending this album in an almost perfect way. If there would have been more tracks like The Wind on Lindberg's 3rd album then this would again have been a masterpiece for sure, but that is not the case; so, my rating is lower than for Lindberg's previous album indeed. ***+ Martien Koolen (edited by Tracy van Os van den Abeelen) Where to buy? |
