In 2017 I wrote that junXion are the future of Dutch progressive rock. The future has since been overtaken by the present. Which means that the future is today. And the band demonstrates this on their third studio album, The Isle Of Alleys. The perhaps logical musical follow-up to their previously released albums. Namely Inevitable RED (2017): Their debut concept album focused on a political narrative charting the rise and eventual downfall of a dictator. And their previous album Stories Of The Revolution (2019, see review): A critically acclaimed follow-up album that established their world-building concept of Planet X. Before we delve deeper into the current album, I can announce that they were founded in 2010 in Boxmeer, Netherlands. On their previously released albums the group specializes in narrative-driven "storytelling" music that blends symphonic rock, jazz fusion, electronics, and progressive metal. Their conceptual narratives are frequently drawing creative inspiration from real-world earthly philosophy, science, and politics. The core four-man lineup consists of Martijn Hak on keyboards, Maarten Jung on guitar, Julian Haerkens on bass and Roel Trommelen on drums. The band is known for expanding their rich, cinematic arrangements during live performances and studio tracking by collaborating with guest vocalists, brass musicians, and classical string sections. Their major musical influences come from acts such as Pink Floyd, Porcupine Tree, Steven Wilson, and Ayreon. Their new album The Isle Of Alleys is a conceptual rock opera. This concept album is a deeply personal rock opera written by bassist and lyricist Julian Haerkens, drawing directly from his personal experiences. It explores Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and broader mental health issues. The Metaphor: The album illustrates the introspective mind of a PTSD patient as an aimless search through a massive, shadowy labyrinth on a strange island. The Narrative: The tracks guide the listener through fear, confusion, and the therapeutic process. Along the way, the protagonist confronts various philosophically-inspired characters—such as a mad scientist trying to solve emotional trauma with strict mechanical logic—to gradually find an exit from the maze. The musical style of junXion on this new album is a bit like on their on their previous albums. Blending '70s progressive rock with modern prog-metal and cinematic elements. To fully realize the symphonic, theatrical scale of The Isle Of Alleys, the core four-piece band collaborated with several guest artists. Such as guest singer Vladimir Lalić and the two saxophone players Paul van de Calseijde and Nord Strik. Furthermore they also used the real strings of The Zoroaster String Orchestra (Strijkorkest Zoroaster). All of this combined resulted in a very impressive album of international caliber. At the same time, it is not an easy album to listen to. Especially because during the first listening session, you don't really have a clear idea of what is happening musically. It can sometimes come across as chaotic, and the songs occasionally sound fragmented. However, this does not mean it is not good. Quite the opposite, actually. Especially because it is put together so cleverly that with every listen, multiple details emerge that you might not have noticed during a previous listen. Achieving this is, of course, of enormous class. But that is certainly within the capabilities of these four outstanding musicians. Each of them are masters of their instruments and can essentially play everything the music requires to express the story as effectively as possible. Sometimes very sensitive with beautifully emotional piano playing, or sometimes very intense with bold-sounding guitar parts. That is why it is not surprising that the musicians use diverse musical styles to bring the dramatic story to life with their music. All of which has been done very skillfully. I won't go into details and tell you what happens in the individual 12 tracks. But what I can say for sure is that every song is worth listening to, and that the musicians who made this possible have achieved a unique feat by turning this album into a beautiful listening experience. An album on which the influence of Pink Floyd and Steven Wilson is clearly audible. But a band like Dream Theater might also present itself as a possible source of inspiration. Just listen to the heavy and powerful guitar parts in tracks like Welcoming Depth, The Mirror and Echoes Of Fear And Fate. I also draw musical comparisons with the Italian Baroque Project. Especially the piano playing and the way the vocals sound, with many Italian-style emotions and passion. Good examples are songs such as The Mirror, Wandering - Over Emptiness and Gears, Echoes of Fear and Fate Pinions And Reason. You can actually view the entire album as a film, especially because there are spoken parts to bring the protagonist's story even more clearly to the fore. And just like in a film, a lot is happening musically. And just like in a film, you don't really know what is happening sometimes. That, of course, makes it even more interesting and captivating. A real story is not a simple narrative but goes much deeper. The band has understood this well and makes it clearly audible on this fascinating album. The Isle Of Alleys might come over as a chaotic album but has a beautiful conclusion with the acoustic The Ocean. Have all questions been answered after hearing this beautiful ending? It is up to the listener to judge whether it is a good or bad ending. In any case, I am not going to tell you. I can only come to one conclusion after hearing junXion's latest album. The Isle Of Alleys is a really outstanding captivating album because of its immersive storytelling, emotional depth, and unique musical blend of different musical styles. Meaning an atmospheric, cinematic blend of 1970s progressive rock, progressive metal, and film score elements. Highly recommended to fans of Pink Floyd, Dream Theater, Porcupine Tree, Steven Wilson, Baroque Project, and Ayreon. One thing is certain. The Dutch progressive rock music landscape has changed forever since the release of The Isle Of Alleys. And that in a positive sense. Nothing is the same anymore. Boundaries have been crossed. Musical history has been written here. **** Henri Strik (edited by Tracy van Os van den Abeelen) Where to buy? |
