- by Paul Rijkens -

"At iO Pages we welcome any new Dutch progressive rock band, and certainly if it is a group that still creates honest retro symphonic rock. This is the case for the Haarlem-based 5bridgeS.

Their name is derived from the Five Bridges Suite by The Nice, although the music itself bears little resemblance to that of their namesake. There are clear references to traditional symphonic rock bands such as Yes and especially Genesis (Gabriel period). An important factor is that the group consists of excellent musicians – the fantastic guitar work by Enzo Gallo is reminiscent of Steve Hackett and Steve Howe, the wonderful classic keyboard sound of Luke d'Araceno (of Damanual) and the driving rhythms of Rob van der Linden (drums) and Martin Thoolen (bass). The singer, Piet Roelofsen, has a voice similar to Peter Gabriel, which, to be honest, sounded better on the CD than during their performance at Progfarm. The Thomas Tracks is based on a novel by Rob van der Linden. The CD starts surprisingly with Didymus, composed by d'Araceno. It opens with a fairly typical symphonic theme which then smoothly accelerates into a driving modern rhythm. Very unusual. The majority of the music is composed by Gallo. He writes exceptionally beautiful songs with frequent tempo changes. He also occasionally uses the steel guitar to great effect in this music. It is really the type of symphonic rock that most fans of this style can enjoy. Expertly constructed, with outstanding musicianship and beautiful melodies. I am frequently reminded of the old Genesis when I listen to this music. For example, take the wonderful interaction between Gallo's guitar and d'Araceno's MiniMoog Voyager in Babylonian Curse Reversed. On Calpe's Rock is another Genesis-like song, but I also detect a hint of an early predecessor of the band, Taurus. Here too, fantastic Moog themes are blended with the piano and organ. The Spell of Eternity starts dramatically, with the atmosphere darkening in the second section. After the tranquil Martialis' Reveries, with Gallo on acoustic guitar and Thoolen on bass, we are treated to the driving Tricks & Treason. In contrast, the instrumental Lovernius' song almost sounds like a film score. Batavian Revolt is an opportunity for Gallo to display his skill at switching from one Steve (Hackett) to another (Howe), transforming very impressively into a great d'Araceno synthesizer melody. This is followed by Amazons & haven, which I feel is the best song on the CD. The bridge, with a synth arpeggio and church organ, is extremely impressive. Finally, the start of the closing number Sign of The Wall is rhythmically reminiscent of the later Genesis. The Thomas Tracks is a fantastic debut of which I can only say ‘Congratulations and hats off to a successful new home-grown prog project! Website: www.5bridges.nl."


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