CLIFFHANGER - HOPE AND DESPAIR - 1998

I have followed Cliffhangeralmost from the beginning and was impressed by their skills, musical ideas and enthousiasm. Although they earned contracts from the defunct Dutch progrock-label SI Music and the known French progrock label Musea, Cliffhanger never broke through. On their debut-CD "Cold steel" (SI Music) the band played a pleasant and melodic blend of YES, GENESIS and UK with exciting work on the keyboards by Dick Heijboer, wonderful electric guitar by Rinie Huigen (Hackett-inspired) and inventive play on the Rickenbacker bass by Gijs Koopman (both now in Knight Area). On "Not to be or not to be" (Musea) Cliffhanger sounded more complex, for many progheads too complex and the large cult-following from the beginning became smaller and smaller until I was one of the 10 remaining fans that kept on visiting the concerts!

On this live-CD you can enjoy an inspired and entertaining Cliffhanger playing their best work. The only flaw are the vocals: I didn't mind about it but many progheads were complaining about Rinie's voice. OK, I can understand but on "Hope and despair" their is so much good instrumental work that this will not be a barrier to check out this interesting and underrated Dutch progrock band.
http://www.progarchives.com