The second album by Epignosis, Mr. Brown has really made great strides forward all around, (from what was an already impressive debut).
For those unfamiliar, Epignosis plays a melodic, textured and symphonic style of progressive rock. This is the path followed taken again on “Refulgence” and while not unprecedented, it does not need to be. Instead of sprawling, dense epics that test your patience and tolerance of self indulgence, “Refulgence” is a very mellow album, dominated by piano and synth, ripe with acoustic and clean guitar, with some crunchy guitar tones thrown in, harmonious bass and punctuated with soothing vocals. Brown’s wife, Tasha, has an increased role on this album and her vocals can be described best as angelic. Wish their natural voices could shine throughout and not occasionally dive into effects, which happens a few times, but that is just the personal preference of this reviewer.
The songs on “Refulgence” have been trimmed down, (or maybe simply broken up) and instead of the 8 minute + songs heard on “Still the Waters” there are more here, all under 6 minutes in length with one exception: the 17 minute self titled track. After an ambient intro piece, said title track begins and is really a microcosm of the album. Everything is here in one song, drifting gently from section to section and has quite a variety within its frame. Also here one will notice the greatly improved drumming, which, (while not a buzz kill on “Still the Waters”) was a bit rough at times and lackluster. The physical sound is much improved with this album, as is the actual drumming. On a related note, while not really an issue before, the overall production is also better…and kudos to Brown for developing as a complete musician.
Band Epignosis
Info: Refulgence
Years: 2011
Info: USA
Style: Sympho Prog
Tracklist: Mp3/ 320kbps
Info: 114 Mb
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1. Effulgence (1:51)
2. Refulgence (17:21)
3. Bold Eternal Day (5:53)
4. Hope Maketh Not Ashamed (4:47)
5. If the World (4:02)
6. Vestibule of Smoke (2:17)
7. Riddles in the Dark (4:19)
8. A Handful of Humanity (4:49)
9. Fade (2:30)
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– Robert W. Brown, Jr. / All instruments and vocals
– Tasha Nichole / Vocals
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