Formed in 1998 in The Netherlands, and having taken about 3 years to release their first demo in 2001, Ulysses have finally unleashed their new album ‘The Gift of Tears’. Their underlying goal is to create great progressive rock.
This is true with the opening track ‘Family Portrait’. There are enough ideas floating around to stir the senses and make you feel like this could be a top class release. The final track ‘Anat’ drags on for some minutes and you sometimes wonder where the song is going; this is a trait with this music style, however I am left feeling that I don’t really care. The opening track kind of blows their load sort to speak, and the remainder of the album tracks merge into one without any notable difference or feel. There is a constant stream of low key numbers being boosted by keyboard parts that sometimes overthrow the mix, like those that can be heard on ‘Guardian Angel’. Don’t get me wrong, there are good tunes, I just don’t hear anything to make them stand out from the crowd; in particular it’s missing the shredding guitar riffs that are usually prevalent in these releases. But as ever, there is a sting in the tail, the album title track is enjoyable and throws out all of my other negative comments, whilst the Hammond organ pleases me immensely and the guitar begins to shred.
The production is okay; it’s not bombastic as some recent progressive releases have put out, just that little bit quiet whilst a little sporadic in places with the vocals very loud in the overall mix. Vocally, this is where I struggle. There is a weakness I feel in the delivery at some times, particularly noticeable in the higher vocal range with a lot of shaky moments. The lower vocal register is quite controlled and precise, but even the female vocal added to ‘How Much More’ just doesn’t do enough to drag these nice tunes out from the backroom.
In summary, I would say it is a background listen; nothing jumps out and grabs me, apart from the opening and title track. This is a shame because there is plenty of potential here but I think a lot of the positives could be brought to the forefront with an improved mix of this album.
www.ulysses-online.nl
www.myspace.com/ulyssessnl
www.symbiosesmusic.nl
