Ten years ago colleague Erik van Os reviewed the eponymous debut album (2015, see review) of The Grand Sheep. Describing it as sometimes a bit of Eloy, a hint of Pink Floyd, a lesser raw and friendlier Black Sabbath like guitar sound with a wink to Porcupine Tree; so I was quite curious to review their second album called Nightwatch. The German prog/art rock band The Grand Sheep was founded in 2013, and their new album contains eight new songs, being a mix of complex musical arrangements, powerful guitar riffs and captivating melodies. When I was first listening to this album, I immediately thought that the music of this German prog quartet sounded so familiar, especially the rather weird intro with bleating sheep; hello Pink Floyd perhaps? In Case Of Insanity kicks off this album with a remarkable guitar riff, vocals with lots of pathos and great rhythm patterns; so, the tone is set for this heavy guitar prog rock album. The Grand Sheep also uses psychedelic influences, just listen to the best track of this album called Far From Cure and enjoy the high musical level of these German prog rockers. If you listen very carefully to Nightwatch then you might "detect" musical influences from German rock music in the seventies, the so-called Krautrock music. Especially during the last tracks like Landamar, The Mandrill King, Catatonia and Final Day I was thinking of bands like Frumpy, Birth Control and Eloy! However the first songs I would also rather label as vintage rock, so bands like The Doors, Led Zeppelin and even The Mission came to my mind.... Overall, I would say that The Grand Sheep did an excellent job here and Nightwatch is a must listen album for fans of complex prog rock with lots of variety and extensive solos; so, give it a try indeed. Listening tip: Far From Cure. ***+ Martien Koolen (edited by Dave Smith) Where to buy? |
