RED SAND - MIRROR OF INSANITY - 2004

Guitarist Simon Caron's influences include Pink Floyd, Camel, Marillion, IQ and Pendragon. And, boy, do elements of those artists shine through loud and clear in the music of Red Sand — the Canadian band Caron founded in 2003 after several years in the music business. The remastered reissue of 2004's very neo-progressive debut, Mirror of Insanity, hints at what was to come on Gentry. Just as the melancholy vocal passages, soaring guitar and keyboard solos, and moody soundscapes on Mirror of Insanity's four tracks evoke some of the genre's finest moments, the three songs on Gentry (plus one bonus track) expand on those musical themes. Spread out over almost 47 minutes, Gentry includes two songs ("Submissive" and "Very Strange") that each push the 20-minute mark with lush instrumental arrangements and complex themes that somehow don't seem overly long. Vocalist Stéphane Dorval, with his subdued style and precision-like pacing, suits this material well, and the album flows smoothly from start to finish.

Strangely enough, the remastered version of Mirror of Insanity is sonically crisper than Gentry, although the music itself is a cut above the debut. Red Sand offers something a bit different that still doesn't stray too far from traditional neo-prog. That said, despite his obvious soft spot for David Gilmour, Caron also cites B.B. King and Albert Collins as major influences, and his playing occasionally reflects a blues mentality – something you don't often hear in progressive music these days.
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Wow!....Excellent!5,5! I've been searching for this CD for half-a-year.It's even beyond my expectations! It's absolutely awesome - imagine a second Script(or a mixture of Script&Childhood with some moments from COLLAGE,CLEPSYDRA and SHADOWLAND),if you'd like to understand me.But this one IS NOT the copy or parody,their music is unique!

"Blame" begins with Pseudo-Silk-Kimono-like theme,passes through Bitter-Suite-like moment("A spider wanders aimlessly.."etc) and bursting into absolutely Shadowlandic theme(with some Market-Square-heroes-like moments).The Fugazi-like psychedelic bridge("son watches father..."etc) crushes into the ending ballad-like theme - I ADORE IT!!

"Children's Memory" begins like Chelsea Monday's ending,very nice and sincere,then a nervous theme begins(like "The game is over" in Script's beginning),which flows into Blind-Curve-like theme...then,after a ballad part,a great tense culmination - and an awesome ballad ending,like Shadowland's Jigsaw...

"Mirror of Insanity" is also filled with haunting moments(by the way,they use here 7/8 - the very first time on this CD,when they're using a complex rhytm...besides,there's NO 3/4,3/8,6/4,6/8 rhytms(I wonder if they have an idea 'bout them:-) ),and that's the first & the last drawback of the work),and the coda"Cradle" is totally nice(Going-Under- like theme)

Well,as you see,the music can be easily described by comparing with other songs...but that's only COMPARING!!!RED SAND is absolutely UNIQUE,you MUST have them!!!I'd like to wish them some more albums...guys,do never change your path!Proggers &Neo- proggers,you must have this CD!!!
http://www.progarchives.com