THE HEALING ROAD

This is a musical project by the German keyboardplayer/drummer Hans Peter Hess who has invited several musicians on the five albums he has released between 2006 and 2014. The name is derived from Rush drummer Neil Peart his book "Ghost Rider - Travels on The Healing Road", it is Hans Peter his favourite one. This review is about his second effort entitled Timanfaya (2009).

On his instrumental second album Timanfaya (running time 50 minutes) we can enjoy nine varied and very tastefully arranged compositions. The atmospheres range from spacey, electronic oriented and mellow with sensitive electric guitar or Grand piano to bombastic with powerful Hammond organ and spectacular synthesizer flights. Or propulsive rhythms with fiery guitar and dynamic drums. I cannot trace a weak song but I would like to mention my highlights.

An exciting atmosphere with a fluent rhythm, sensational keyboard work and strong interplay between guitar and keyboards in the great opener Devil's Garden and the alternating Crashing Waves.

The distinctive sound of sultry sounding Indian tablas and delicate Fender Rhodes electric piano, along subtle guitarplay in the strongly build-up Crater Camels.

Wonderful keyboards (from a swinging piano to a slow synthesizer solo) and varied guitarwork (from a Floydian solo to biting wah-wah) in the captivating Observe And Learn.

And lots of dynamics, keyboard pyrotechnics and exciting shifting moods in the long Fire Mountains, this is Prog Heaven!

I am not familiar with the other albums, but listening to this CD I conclude that The Healing Road is e very interesting German musical project to discover!

"Birdbrain's Travels Part 1" immediately kicks off in a marimba-like sequence, pushed along by a shifting drum beat and an elephant blare guitar. Evolving into a quick Genesis- like symphonic expanse that harkens back to Golden Era classics, the tide quickly turns to more explosive modernisms that threaten to rumble along unbridled and just as suddenly fades into a bass-led groove that careens like some crazed rally car going out of control, screeching guitars leaving the densest rubber marks. A serene synth flurry cavorts alongside the brooding bass in a temporary lull, until it just explodes into a flowery frenzy, then reverting to a mechanical clock feel, always twisting and turning until that marimba/calypso vibe returns to roost. Almost like a movie soundtrack, the orchestrations seem to continually follow some unknown script, giving the guitarists ample room to display their shimmering techniques. Of course, Hans Peter wouldn't really be a true German if he did not throw in some electronic ambient parts, though it must be said, they are few and far between, preferring to accentuate the instrumental prowess of the soloists. There is also a fair amount of judicious Pierre Moerlen's Gong influence as the vibraphone enjoys grabbing the attention. This is spirited music with all the prog ingredients deeply involved, so it never gets trite or blasé, Hans Peter is a skilled drummer and the crew is absolutely solid, creating material that is often bold and even aggressive. The placid moments are nearer to classic period Oldfield with dense overlapping, dreamy sequences that have nevertheless a flurry of notes, counterpoint and harmony. The dual guitarists Thommy Frank and Axel Zabel know how to shred, rip, twist and squeeze, elevating the sonic pressure with restrained power and obvious glee.

Birdbrain's Travels Part 2 yearns to kick it up a notch or two, as it starts off with some clever little memories of times gone by, first a slight wink at Deep Purple's "Sweet Child in Time" before the thundering piano decides to revisit a nod to "Firth of Fifth", which then morphs into a bass synth-led mood piece still featuring the amazing piano work (Is it Hans Peter or guest Chris Grundmann?) but slashed by some synth squalls that seem to be inspired by Cape Horn, tempestuous to say the least. Misty vocal effects then lead to a colossal guitar sortie, very panoramic and nearly psychedelic in that it seems to scour every corner of the zone in between the two speakers. The electronic Roland V-drums do wonders here, a mix of Ultravox-styled robotics a la "Mr.X" and Floydian swoon, giving the entire work a sleek and modern sheen. What some experimental moods? Ok but soon after comes, a Spanish guitar from out of nowhere, picking up a moody wisp of dust clouds and an unmistakable feeling of forlorn doom. I am such a sucker for this kind of design, phew, until I realize to my utter horror that the music is about the news broadcasts of that mass murder in a school in 2009 in Winnenden, Germany. The pain, the fear and the revolting disgust is aptly expressed by the rampaging guitar, the speeding bullet bass and drumming. The Hammond L-122 organ solo played by Markus Roth defines the sheer pain of it all. This was the story of a 17 year-old mass murderer who killed 15 people for 'fun' and then himself. The mournful piano cannot soothe the agony and the symphonic arrangement only highlights the absurdity of such insanity. The music ends on tearful notes of tragedy.

A thrilling album cover that resembles Can's rather impressive "Soon Over Babaluma", this is first-rate instrumental music, vivid soundscapes that induce a palpable sense of voyage and trip, even though the context is extraordinarily sad.

4.5 Insane voyages

The Healing Road's sophomore output is a more ambitious attempt on approaching Progressive Rock with two very long, vastly instrumental tracks offered.The opening 22-min. ''Tales from The Dam Part 1'' is both similar and different from the tracks of the debut.It delivers the familiar lovely Neo/Symphonic Rock of Hess with good keyboards parts, including some haunting Mellotron waves, and strong electric guitars, but it also contains a trully cinematic atmosphere with an OLDFIELD-ian vibe, created by the Electronic soundscapes, the Classical piano lines and the choir-like vocals.Lots of tightly connected variations and some impressive melodies guarantee a great composition, that lies somewhere between LIKE WENDY and KEN BAIRD, fronted basically by its bombastic synthesizer lines.Second track, the 19-min. ''Tales from The Dam Part 2'' is a bit darker with even some Avant-Garde parts in the first half and a couple of dissonant moments with vibraphones and haunting piano, although the mood is on par with the first part.Again some floating multi-layered synths (maybe a bit SPOCK'S BEARD-ish) are leading the way with interesting guitar moves and solos supporting, but its more atmospheric passages are quite sinister and unique.Somekind of dark chants and the definite orchestral movements throughout deliver a beautiful composition, full of impressive musicianship, shifting climates and sudden changes.This is a great combination of melancholic tunes with grandiose moments.

Great work by Hess and his team.Not too stretched, neither tiring, this album explores the limits of Progressive Rock in two long, conveincing and well-executed compositions, that will please the major fan base of Prog music.Strongly recommended...3.5 stars.

The Healing Road is listed as a Neo-Prog band. In that case, Hess & Co has made a career change on this album. Backdrop is divided into Backdrop # 1 and Backdrop # 2.

# 1 is a nice melody with a lot of references to Camel, Clearlight and Mike Oldfield. The twenty-four minutes ebbs and flows very nicely. There are some Keltic music influences here too. This part of the album is most definate pretty new-age sounding in addition to the heavy symph prog leanings. A very good piece of music, this is.

# 2 has a lot more Keltic influences and is more dynamic than # 1. There is also a lot of Jethro Tull influences at the end of these twenty-two minutes. # 2 is in general more leaning towards prog folk than new-age. Again, this is a very good piece of music.

My only regrets with Backdrop is the lack of any really great or even superb melody lines. But Backdrop is still a very good melting pot (stew) of prog folk, symphonic prog and new age. One of the best stews I have ever consumed. It is recommended to those who loves this type of music. I have to exlude myself from that group. But it is obvious that Hanspeter Hess & Co is onto something good with The Healing Road.

3.5 stars

3(+), I suppose will be appropriate to describe my feelings + prog value I see in this record + how interesting this music is. Not bad, not good, average.

There's just two tracks offered here - both of them epic creations clocking in at somewhere around 20 minutes, both of them mostly instrumental ventures.

The first of them blends neo-progressive rock with new age-tinged atmospheres; and is an ever evolving composition gradually building up a mood and atmosphere from a humble start to a majestic, detailed finish and then moved on to the next theme.

The second track continues pretty much in the same manner; but adds in some exotic sounding themes in the first half; at times reminding of Ozric Tentacles; before heading back to the modern symphonic tinged explorations blended with new age elements.

A strong album, well worth checking out by fans of modern symphonic prog of the instrumental variety.

The compositions are mostly keyboard driven, with the piano as a central melodic element in carefully crafted multilayered arrangements; where organ, floating synths and multiple keyboard layers all contribute to a greater or lesser extent to flesh out a detailed, nuanced sound rich in textures and with a good amount of tension. Contrasting elements are utilized in a skilled manner; focusing on minor details rather than the big contradicting sounds. Drawn out guitar chords and acoustic guitar licks add even more details and nuances to the performances, and the drums are used in at times rather creative and innovative fashion to serve some rather unique sonic explorations.

In style we're talking a variety of Neo progressive rock, with added elements from vintage progressive rock as well as new age; lush and mellow but often majestic and rich in atmosphere at the same time; and rather energetic on a few occasions. Well worth checking out by fans of instrumental music with symphonic progressive rock as the main musical foundation.