Philhelmon is a Dutch musical project founded by Henk Bol in 2006 and after a six-year hiatus, Into The Mist Of Time, the third album in Philhelmon's pop-prog trilogy is finally released. The lead vocals on this album are again those of Ky Fifer, assisted by Marlou Vriens and Tiger Brooke. Into The Mist Of Time also features a lot of excellent musical guests, like e.g. Cees Zoeteweij (organ, piano), Greg den Hartog (lead guitar), Ton Scherpenzeel (synthesizer), Hans Holema (lead guitar), Mark Bogert (lead guitar), Allesandro Bertoni (synthesizer) and Nick Oosterhuis (piano). The most memorable songs on this album for me are the two instrumentals called: Shades Of Autumn - Winter Storm and Time Flies, the latter being packed with amazing orchestral passages, wonderfully arranged by Cleem Determeijer. A World Encased In Glass is also one of the "milestones" of this album featuring a sparkling guitar solo by "our" Dutch guitar hero Mark Bogert. The title track, also the opening track is a long melodic prog rock beauty "dominated" by the soaring guitar work of Greg den Hartog and the stand out song on Philhelmon's third album is of course the epic rollercoaster Dreams Without An End, which clocks in just over fifteen minutes and shows the wonderful musical diversity of Henk Bol and Ky Fifer in all its proggy glory. Conclusion: if you liked the two previous Philhelmon albums Enjoy It While It Lasts (2012) and Perpetual Immobile (2018) then Into The Mist Of Time is a MUST have album indeed. Play it LOUD or listen to it with your headphones and you will love it. Listening tip: the title track. ***+ Martien Koolen (edited by Tracy van Os van den Abeelen) Where to buy? |
